1901 in Australia
The following lists events that happened during 1901 in Australia.
Incumbents
- Monarch – Victoria, then Edward VII
- Governor-General – Lord Hopetoun
- Prime Minister – Edmund Barton
- * Opposition Leader – George Reid
State leaders
- Premier of New South Wales – William Lyne, then John See
- * Opposition Leader – Charles Lee
- Premier of Queensland – Robert Philp
- * Opposition Leader – Anderson Dawson, then Billy Browne
- Premier of South Australia – Frederick Holder, then John Jenkins
- * Opposition Leader – Vaiben Louis Solomon, then Robert Homburg
- Premier of Tasmania – Elliott Lewis
- * Opposition Leader – Sir Edward Braddon, then Sir Thomas Reibey, then William Propsting
- Premier of Victoria – Sir George Turner, then Alexander Peacock
- Premier of Western Australia – Sir John Forrest, then George Throssell, then George Leake, then Alf Morgans, then George Leake
Governors and administrators
- Governor of New South Wales – The Earl Beauchamp
- Governor of Queensland – Lord Lamington
- Governor of South Australia – Lord Tennyson
- Governor of Tasmania – Sir Arthur Havelock
- Governor of Victoria – Sir George Clarke
- Governor of Western Australia – Baron Wetlock
- Government Resident of the Northern Territory – Charles Dashwood
Events
- 1 January – The Constitution of Australia comes into force, as the federation of Australia is complete. John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun, is appointed as the first Governor-General, and Edmund Barton as the first Prime Minister.
- 1 March – Following federation naval and military forces of the States are transferred to Commonwealth control.
- 29 March – The first federal election is held to elect the first members of the House of Representatives and the first members of the Senate.
- 31 March – A national census is held, which indicates the population of Australia is 3,773,801.
- 9 May – The Parliament of Australia is opened in the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne.
- 22 May – The foundation stone for St John's Cathedral, Brisbane, is laid by The Duke of Cornwall and York. the church celebrated 100 years of construction in 2006 and is the only gothic-style stone building under construction anywhere in the world.
- 3 September – The Flag of Australia and Australian Red Ensign are adopted by the Government of Australia as official flags, following a national design competition.
- 21 December – Construction begins on the rabbit-proof fence.
- 23 December – The Immigration Restriction Act 1901 comes into force, instituting the White Australia Policy.
- 31 December – The Roman Catholic Platform opens in Sydney, Australia's Rookwood Cemetery.
Sport
- 3 January – Victoria wins the Sheffield Shield.
- 28 September – Essendon beats Collingwood 6.7 to 2.4 in the 1901 VFL grand final
- 5 November – Revenue wins the Melbourne Cup.
Births
- 27 March – Kenneth Slessor, poet, journalist and war correspondent
- 1 June – Tom Gorman, rugby league footballer
- 25 September – Gordon Coventry, Australian rules footballer
Deaths
- 10 January – Sir James Dickson, 13th Premier of Queensland
- 20 June – Alexander Forrest, Western Australian politician and explorer
- 8 August – William Henry Groom, Queensland politician and newspaper proprietor
- 31 October – Robert Abbott, New South Wales politician
- 30 November – Edward John Eyre, explorer