1931 in Australia

The following lists events that happened during 1931 in Australia.

Incumbents

Monarch – George V
Governor-General – John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven, then Sir Isaac Isaacs
Prime Minister – James Scullin
Chief Justice – Isaac Isaacs then Frank Gavan Duffy

State Premiers

State Governors

Governor of New South Wales – Sir Philip Game
Governor of Queensland – Sir John Goodwin
Governor of South Australia – Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven
Governor of Tasmania – none appointed
Governor of Victoria – Arthur Somers-Cocks, 6th Baron Somers
Governor of Western Australia – Sir William Campion

Events

7 January – Guy Menzies flies the first solo non-stop trans-Tasman flight in 11 hours and 45 minutes, crash-landing on New Zealand's west coast.
10 January – The Beef Riot takes place in Adelaide. Seventeen people are injured when unemployed men clash with police while protesting the decision to remove beef from the dole ration.
21 January – Isaac Isaacs becomes the first Australian-born Governor-General.
22 January – The Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration announces a 10% reduction in the basic wage, in addition to reductions made in accordance with the fall in the cost of living index, effective from 1 February.
4 February – Joseph Lyons resigns from the federal cabinet of James Scullin, after Scullin re-appoints Ted Theodore as Treasurer.
18 February – The Royal Australian Navy light cruiser HMAS Pioneer is scuttled off Sydney Heads.
4 March – Holden's Motor Body Builders is purchased by General Motors, and is renamed General Motors–Holden's Ltd.
10 March – The first Apex Club is formed in Geelong, Victoria.
21 March – The Australian National Airways aircraft Southern Cloud, carrying 8 persons, disappears on a flight between Sydney and Melbourne. The wreckage is not located until 1958.
7 May – Joseph Lyons forms the United Australia Party, through the amalgamation of ALP defectors, Nationalists and anti-Labor citizens' groups.
9 May – A general election is held in Tasmania, which implements compulsory voting clauses of the Electoral Act for the first time. The Nationalist Party led by John McPhee defeats the Australian Labor Party, and substantially increasing its majority.
15 August – The two ends of the Sydney Harbour Bridge are joined in the middle.
25 November – The Lang Labor group led by Jack Lang vote with the Opposition on a motion of no confidence against James Scullin's government, triggering an early election.
19 December – A federal election is held. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by James Scullin is defeated by former Labor MP Joseph Lyons and the United Australia Party.

Arts and literature

John Longstaff wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Sir John Sulman

Sport

9 May - Richmond set a record VFL score of 30.19 against North Melbourne. This record stands until 1969. Doug Strang, with fourteen goals, and Jack Titus, with eight, combine for 22 goals - a total equalled by Templeton and Dunstan in 1978 but never beaten
12 September - South Sydney 12 defeat Eastern Suburbs 7 for their tenth NSWRL premiership
10 October - Geelong 9.14 beats Richmond 6.12 for its second premiershipWhite Nose wins the Melbourne Cup
Victoria wins the Sheffield Shield

Births

1 February – Roger Covell, musicologist
14 February – Esme Timbery, Bidjigal artist and shellworker
24 February – Barry Oakley, writer
25 February – Eric Edgar Cooke, serial killer
5 March –
*George Ogilvie, film and theatre director
*Barry Tuckwell, horn player and conductor
11 March – Rupert Murdoch, businessman
20 March – James Mollison, art gallery director
26 April – John Cain, Premier of Victoria
30 May – Diana Fisher, journalist and television presenter
2 June – Peter Cummins, actor
14 June – Ross Higgins, actor
21 June – Francis Macnab, christian minister
22 June – Ian Browne, track cyclist
24 June – Marjorie Margaret Conley, operatic soprano
27 June – Geoffrey Harcourt, academic economist
4 July – Bill Gleeson, Australian rules footballer
13 July – Arthur Hurst, Australian rules footballer
19 July – Alan Wrigley, writer and commentator
20 July – Phil Coles, canoeist and sports administrator
15 September – Brian Henderson, broadcaster
9 October – Stuart Devlin, artist and metalworker
14 October – Mary Hardy, actress and comedian
19 October – Dick Fenton-Smith, Australian rules footballer
21 November – Malcolm Williamson, composer

Deaths

17 February – Norman Cameron, Tasmanian politician
23 February – Dame Nellie Melba, opera singer
9 March – John Chanter, New South Wales politician
22 August – Edward Dyson, poet and novelist
14 September – Tom Roberts, artist
8 October – Sir John Monash, general
28 October – Paddy Glynn, South Australian politician
20 December – James Stewart, Queensland politician