The following lists events that happened during 1968 in Australia .
Lord Casey State and territory leaders [ edit ] Governors and administrators [ edit ] 4 January – The search for the body of Prime Minister Harold Holt , who disappeared whilst swimming near Portsea, Victoria , is called off. 10 January – John Gorton is sworn in as Prime Minister of Australia after the disappearance of Harold Holt. 28 January – Members of English rock groups The Who and Small Faces are escorted by police from a plane at Melbourne's Essendon Airport , after the pilot diverts the flight citing the bands' behaviour. 1 April – American evangelist Billy Graham begins a tour of Australia. 17 April – A state election is held in South Australia . Steele Hall (Liberal and Country League ) defeats Don Dunstan (ALP ), and becomes Premier of South Australia . 8 April – Fluoridation of Sydney's water supply begins. 30 April – Jim Cairns unsuccessfully challenges Gough Whitlam for leadership of the Australian Labor Party . 1 May – The Duke of Edinburgh arrives in Australia for a ten-day visit. 5 May – Three Australian journalists are killed by the Viet Cong in Saigon . 21 May – Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visits Australia. 14 June – Journalist Simon Townsend , future host of Simon Townsend's Wonder World military service after lodging a fifth appeal against his imprisonment and court martial for conscientious objection . 18 June – The first stage of the Warringah Freeway opens in Sydney . 24 June – British comedian Tony Hancock commits suicide in his Sydney hotel room. 2 July – Fifty students are arrested during an anti-Vietnam War protest in Martin Place , Sydney . 4 July – Forty five people are arrested during an anti-war protest outside the U.S. consulate in St Kilda Road , Melbourne . 31 July – The Premier of Queensland , Jack Pizzey , dies in office. 1 August – Jack Pizzey's deputy, Gordon Chalk , is sworn in as his successor until the appointment of Joh Bjelke-Petersen as Premier a week later. 3 August – The standard gauge rail line between Perth and Kalgoorlie is completed. 20 August – The National Gallery of Victoria is opened in Melbourne . 14 October – The town of Meckering , Western Australia , is badly damaged by an earthquake . 28 October – The Postmaster-General's Department decreases the number of mail deliveries per day from two to one. 31 October – Minister for the Army Phillip Lynch admits that Australian Army troops may have breached the Geneva Convention by using water torture during the interrogation of a female Viet Cong suspect. 1 November – The airline Ansett-ANA is renamed Ansett . 14 December – A referendum is held in Tasmania to allow the granting of Australia's first casino license to the Wrest Point Hotel . The referendum is passed. 31 December – MacRobertson Miller Airlines Flight 1750 crashes south of Port Hedland , Western Australia , killing all 26 people on board. Australia's population is estimated to have reached 12 million in 1968. Arts and literature [ edit ] 25 May – An episode of the ABC series Bellbird Robin Ramsay ) dies in a fall from a silo. 9 January – Mardi Lunn , golfer 7 February – Phillip Tahmindjis , ice speed skater 23 February – Angela Ash , Celebrity of Stylis Cove Western Australia 12 February – Nathan Rees , 41st Premier of New South Wales (2008–2009) 1 April – Mike Baird , 44th Premier of New South Wales (2014–2017) 7 April – Duncan Armstrong , swimmer 20 April – Julia Morris , actress, comedian, television presenter and producer 13 May – Scott Morrison , 30th Prime Minister of Australia 26 May – Rachael Sporn , basketball player 28 May – Kylie Minogue , entertainer 1 June – Jason Donovan , entertainer 4 June – Rachel Griffiths , actress 15 June – Hugh McDermott , politician 27 July – Julian McMahon , actor 3 August – Tom Long , actor (died 2020) 8 August – Craig Ruddy , artist (died 2022) 9 August – Eric Bana , actor 10 August – Cate Shortland , film and television writer and director 20 August – Sandy Brondello , basketball player and coach 13 September – Andrew Gee , politician 30 September – Sharon Jaklofsky , track and field athlete 8 October – Garry Hocking , footballer 12 October – Hugh Jackman , actor 15 October – Trent Zimmerman , politician 5 November – Penny Wong , politician, Minister for Foreign Affairs 13 November – Cherie Burton , politician 19 December – Kristina Keneally , 42nd Premier of New South Wales (2009–2011) 14 January – Dorothea Mackellar (born 1885), poet 21 February – Howard Florey (born 1898), Nobel Prize-winning pharmacologist 22 May – Arthur Bridges (born 1901), New South Wales Minister for Child and Social Welfare 24 June – Tony Hancock (born 1924), British comedian 31 July – Jack Pizzey (born 1911), Premier of Queensland 19 August – William McCall (born 1908), politician 25 August – Stan McCabe (born 1910), cricketer 28 September – Sir Norman Brookes (born 1877), tennis player 10 October – Gavin Long (born 1901), journalist and military historian 13 October – Dame Jean Macnamara (born 1899), medical scientist 27 October – James Hunter (born 1882), politician 14 December – Margaret Theadora Allan (born 1889), community worker 20 December – John Jennings (born 1878), politician
1968 in Oceania
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