1920 in Australia

1920 in Australia
1920 in Australia
Monarch	George V
Governor-General	Ronald Munro-Ferguson, then Henry Forster
Prime minister	Billy Hughes
Population	5,360,462
Elections	New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria

Incumbents

Monarch – King George V
Governor-General – Ronald Munro-Ferguson (until 6 October), then Henry Forster
Prime Minister – Billy Hughes

State premiers

Premier of New South Wales – William Holman (until 12 April), then John Storey
Premier of Queensland – Ted Theodore
Premier of South Australia – Archibald Peake (until 8 April), then Henry Barwell
Premier of Tasmania – Walter Lee
Premier of Victoria – Nathan Walter
Premier of Western Australia – James Mitchell

State governors

Governor of New South Wales – Sir Walter Davidson
Governor of Queensland – Sir Hamilton Goold-Adams (until 3 February), then Sir Matthew Nathan (from 3 December)
Governor of South Australia – Sir Henry Galway (until 30 April), then Sir William Weigall (from 9 June)
Governor of Tasmania – Sir Francis Newdegate (until 9 February), then Sir William Allardyce (from 16 April)
Governor of Victoria – Sir Arthur Stanley (until 30 January)
Governor of Western Australia – Sir William Ellison-Macartney (until 9 April)

Events

22 January – The national Country Party of Australia is formed.
20 March – A general election is held in New South Wales. The Labor Party led by John Storey defeats the incumbent Nationalist Party.
2 April – Edward, Prince of Wales arrives in the country to thank Australians for the part they played in World War I.
22 April – The High Court of Australia rules in the case of R v Licensing Court of Brisbane; Ex parte Daniell, that simultaneous obedience was impossible in cases where federal and state law were inconsistent, and that according to the Constitution of Australia, in such cases the state law is invalid.
1 June – Adelaide has its wettest June day on record from a vigorous cold front with 53.6 millimetres^[1] setting the scene for the wettest winter on record in the Murray-Darling Basin^[2] and second-wettest for all of southern Australia.
10 June – Perth has its highest daily rainfall until 1992 with 99.1 millimetres from a vigorous cold front^[3]
10 August – The Princes Highway is officially opened.
31 August – The High Court of Australia rules in the case of Amalgamated Society of Engineers v Adelaide Steamship Co. Ltd., commonly known as the "Engineers' Case", that decisions of the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Court were binding on State governments.
21 October – A general election is held in Victoria. Harry Lawson and the Nationalist Party retain power.
30 October – The Communist Party of Australia is founded in Sydney, New South Wales.
16 November – The Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service, later known as Qantas, is founded in Winton.
3 December – The first successful flight from Melbourne to Perth is completed.
17 December – The authority to issue currency notes is transferred from Treasury on the Australian Notes Board.

Sport

28 January – The New South Wales cricket team wins the 1919-20 Sheffield Shield.
20 April to 12 September – Australia competes at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, winning one bronze and two silver medals. It is the first time Australia has competed at the Olympics separately from New Zealand – the two nations had previously competed as a combined Australasia team.
1 September – Balmain Tigers win the New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1920 by gaining a seven-point lead with three rounds left in the season.
25 September – Richmond defeat Collingwood 7.10 (52) to 5.5 (35) to win the 1920 VFL grand final.
2 November – Poitrel wins the Melbourne Cup

Births

26 February – Michael Pate, actor
16 March – Leo McKern, actor (died 2002)
26 March – Oriel Gray, dramatist and playwright (died 2003)
10 May – John Brack, painter (died 1999)
12 May – Douglas Scott, National Party senator
18 June – Rosemary Dobson, poet
20 July – Arthur Boyd, artist (died 1999)
30 September – Russell Walter Fox, author and SA Supreme Court judge
3 November – Kath Walker, poet and activist (died 1993)
16 November – Colin Thiele, author (died 2006)

Deaths

4 January – Robert Etheridge, Junior (born 1847), palaeontologist
7 January – Edmund Barton (born 1849), first Prime Minister of Australia
6 April – Archibald Peake (born 1859), Premier of South Australia
9 August – Samuel Griffith (born 1845), Premier of Queensland
12 August – Louisa Lawson (born 1848), writer and feminist
16 August – Henry Daglish (born 1866), Premier of Western Australia
15 September – Thomas Ewing (born 1856), politician
21 December – Claude Tozer (born 1890), cricketer

[1] Adelaide West Terrace

[2] Winter Rainfall for MDB

[3] Perth Regional Office

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