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See also: 1977 in Australia, other events of 1978, 1979 in Australia and the Timeline of Australian history.

Incumbents

• Queen of Australia - HM Queen Elizabeth II
• Governor General - Sir Zelman Cowen
• Prime Minister - Malcolm Fraser
• Premier of New South Wales - Neville Wran
• Premier of South Australia - Don Dunstan
• Premier of Queensland - Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen
• Premier of Tasmania - Doug Lowe
• Premier of Western Australia - Sir Charles Court
• Premier of Victoria - Rupert Hamer

Events

• February 13 - Sydney Hilton bombing killing 3 people and injuring 11 others.
• March 14 - Stephen Matthews, aged 20, swept from the Natural Bridge off Albany, Western Australia, by a King Wave. Rescued by whale ship, the Cheynes II. First recorded survival of someone swept into the sea at The Gap and Natural Bridge.
• April 4 - Cyclone Alby kills 5 people in Western Australia
• October 7 - The ALP government of Neville Wran is re-elected with a massively increased majority, leading to his win being dubbed as a "Wranslide".
• October 8 - Australia's Ken Warby sets the current world water speed record of 510 km/h (317.60 mph) at Blowering Dam, New South Wales.
• November 21 - Last day of commercial whaling in Australia. No sperm whales caught that day by the chaser ships (Cheynes II, III and IV) operated by the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company at Albany, Western Australia. The last whale caught by an Australian whaling company was the day before, November 20.

Science and technology

Arts and literature

• Brett Whiteley wins the Archibald Prize with Art, Life and the other thing
• Jessica Anderson's novel Tirra Lirra By the River wins the Miles Franklin Award

Film

• Blue Fin
• Little Boy Lost

Television

Sport

• August 6 - James Langford wins the men's national marathon title, clocking 2:19:29 in Caboolture.

• Arwon wins the Melbourne Cup
• Western Australia wins the Sheffield Shield
• Apollo wins the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
• Hawthorn are premiers of the Victorian Football League

Births

• January 25 — Jason Johnson, Australian rules footballer
• February 7 — Frank Drmic, basketball player
• March 1 — Gavin Woods, water polo player
• March 14 — Karyne Di Marco, hammer thrower
• March 18 — Brooke Hanson, swimmer
• June 30 — Ben Cousins, AFL Footballer
• August 8 — Kate Ritchie, actress, radio & television personality
• September 22 — Harry Kewell, soccer player
• October 25 — Matt Shirvington, track and field athlete
• November 22 — Steven King, plays with Geelong Football Club

Deaths

• January 9 - Eddie Gilbert, (b. 1905), Queensland cricketer
• May 14 - Robert Menzies (b. 1894), Prime Minister of Australia
• July 27 - Robert Heffron (b. 1890), Premier of New South Wales
• October 6 - Johnny O'Keefe, (b. 1935), Australian rock and roll singer

See also

• 1978
• 1970s