Misplaced Pages

← 1931 1930 1929 1932 in Australia → 1933 1934 1935
Decades:	1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s
See also:	1932 in Australian literature Other events of 1932 Timeline of Australian history

The following lists events that happened during 1932 in Australia.

Incumbents

• Monarch – George V
• Governor-General – Sir Isaac Isaacs
• Prime Minister – James Scullin (until 6 January), then Joseph Lyons
• Chief Justice – Frank Gavan Duffy

State Premiers

• Premier of New South Wales – Jack Lang (until 13 May) then Bertram Stevens
• Premier of Queensland – Arthur Edward Moore (until 17 June) then William Forgan Smith
• Premier of South Australia – Lionel Hill
• Premier of Tasmania – John McPhee
• Premier of Victoria – Edmond Hogan (until 19 May) then Sir Stanley Argyle
• Premier of Western Australia – James Mitchell

State Governors

• Governor of New South Wales – Sir Philip Game
• Governor of Queensland – Sir John Goodwin (until 7 April), then Sir Leslie Orme Wilson (from 13 June)
• Governor of South Australia – Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven
• Governor of Tasmania – none appointed
• Governor of Victoria – none appointed
• Governor of Western Australia – none appointed

Events

• Unemployment reached a record high of about 32%.
• 19 March – The Sydney Harbour Bridge is officially opened by the Premier of New South Wales, Jack Lang.
• 30 March – The Grey Street Bridge is officially opened in Brisbane by the Governor of Queensland, Sir John Goodwin.
• 13 May – The Premier of New South Wales, Jack Lang, is dismissed by the Governor, Sir Philip Game.
• 14 May – A state election is held in Victoria. The Labor Party, already divided over the Premiers' Plan, is heavily defeated by a United Australia Party–United Country Party coalition.
• 11 June – A state election in New South Wales, called after the dismissal of Jack Lang as Premier, is held. Lang's Labor Party is heavily defeated, losing 31 seats to the UAP–Country coalition.
• 1 July – The Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) is established
• 2 November – Start of the Emu War.
• 23 November – The statue of The Dog on the Tuckerbox is unveiled at Gundagai, New South Wales by Prime Minister Joseph Lyons.
• 10 December – The Emu War ends in failure.

Science and technology

• 17 August – Botanist John McConnell Black is awarded the Mueller Medal by the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science.

Arts and literature

• Ernest Buckmaster wins the Archibald Prize with his portrait of Sir William Irvine.
• The final issue of Aussie: The Australian Soldiers' Magazine appears.

Film

• 4 March – Brigadier-General Iven Giffard Mackay is appointed as the Commonwealth Film Appeals Censor, replacing the Censorship Appeals Board.

Sport

• 12 February – Australia defeats South Africa 5–0 in the cricket test series, played in Australia.
• 21 March – New South Wales wins the Sheffield Shield.
• Bodyline is first introduced into cricket
• The Australian Olympic team wins 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles
• 20 March – Racehorse Phar Lap, in Tijuana, Mexico, wins the Agua Caliente Handicap; across Australia, thousands celebrate after the radio broadcast of the race.
• 5 April – Racehorse Phar Lap dies midday at ranch in San Francisco, two weeks after winning at Agua Caliente racetrack (2 autopsies find nothing; however, trees had been sprayed with a lead–arsenate insecticide); it is 6 April at 10:30 am in Australia when news spreads.
• 24 September – The 1932 NSWRFL season culminates in South Sydney's 19–12 victory over Western Suburbs in the premiership final.
• 1 October – Richmond defeats Carlton 13.14 (92) to 12.11 (83) at the VFL Grand Final to become premiers of the 1932 VFL season.
• 1 November – Peter Pan wins the Melbourne Cup.

Births

• 7 January – Joe Berinson, politician (died 2018)
• 28 January – Don McMichael, public servant (died 2017)
• 20 March – Kevin Bacon, equestrian (died 2020)
• 2 April – Michael Vernon, consumer activist (died 1993)
• 9 April – Gil Brealey, film producer and director (died 2018)
• 21 May – Brian Coleman, Australian rules footballer (died 1966)
• 10 June – Hedley Bull, political scientist (died 1985)
• 6 July – John O'Brien, tennis player
• 20 July – Michael Papps, sports shooter (died 2022)
• 28 July – Peter Hughes, ACT politician
• August – Lowitja O'Donoghue, indigenous rights activist (died 2024)
• 4 September – John Herron, politician (died 2019)
• 23 September – Doug Sutherland, Lord Mayor of Sydney (1980–1987)
• 26 September – Stan Smith, Australian rules footballer (died 2012)
• 11 October – Barry Jones, politician
• 22 October – Slim Newton, country singer (died 2023)
• 20 November – James Hardy, businessman and yachtsman (d. 2023)

Deaths

• 17 January – Albert Jacka, businessman, soldier and Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1893)
• 6 February – John Earle, 22nd Premier of Tasmania (b. 1865)
• 10 April – George Barber, Queensland politician (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1860)
• 27 April – Sir Adrian Knox, 2nd Chief Justice of Australia (b. 1863)
• 9 June – Edith Cowan, Western Australian politician and social reformer (b. 1861)
• 17 June – Sir John Quick, Victorian politician and lawyer (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1852)
• 23 June – Francis Kenna, Queensland politician, poet and journalist (b. 1865)
• 1 July – William Dick, New South Wales politician (b. 1865)
• 11 July – William Hartnoll, Tasmanian politician (b. 1841)
• 26 July – Sir William McPherson, 31st Premier of Victoria (b. 1865)
• 10 October – Sir Bertram Mackennal, sculptor and medalist (died in the United Kingdom) (b. 1863)
• 4 December – Mona McBurney, composer (born in the United Kingdom) (b. 1862)

See also

• List of Australian films of the 1930s

References

1. "The Great Depression - Australia's Culture Portal". 8 April 2011. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
2. "THE SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 21 March 1932. p. 16. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
3. "GREY STREET BRIDGE". Queensland Figaro. Brisbane: National Library of Australia. 2 April 1932. p. 12. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
4. "THE GOVERNOR MOVES AT LAST. Mr. Lang Dismissed from Office". The Northern Times. Carnarvon, WA: National Library of Australia. 19 May 1932. p. 3. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
5. "SCIENTISTS CONFER". The Examiner. Launceston, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 18 August 1932. p. 7 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
6. "FILM AUTHORITY". The Border Watch. Mount Gambier, SA: National Library of Australia. 5 March 1932. p. 1. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
7. "20 WICKETS FALL". The Northern Miner. Charters Towers, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 13 February 1932. p. 5. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
8. "N.S.W. WINS SHEFFIELD SHIELD". The Canberra Times. National Library of Australia. 23 March 1932. p. 3. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
9. "Peter Pan Winning The 1932 Melbourne Cup". The Barrier Miner. Broken Hill, NSW: National Library of Australia. 3 November 1932. p. 3. Retrieved 24 June 2012.

v t e Years in Australia (1788–present)
18th century	1788 1789 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800
19th century	1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900
20th century	1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
21st century	2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Timeline of Australian history

• 1932 in Australia
• 1932 by country
• Years of the 20th century in Australia