A Look Back At

Born in 1971

What Was Life Like in 1971?

Who Was in Charge?

Prime Minister

William McMahon

Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II

What Things Cost

Petrol (per litre)

$0.07

Loaf of Bread

$0.22

Average House

$14,000

Weekly Wage

$65.00

Events of 1971 in Australia

A selection from Wikipedia's '1971 in Australia'. Not a complete list.

  • 3 January – Sudden hailstorms lash the Sydney area causing widespread damage to houses and properties, as well as traffic chaos and nearly $150,000 worth of damage to fruit and vegetable crops at Cobbity.
  • 3 January – New South Wales Transport Minister announces that intensified police weekend patrols might become a regular part of the campaign to cut the road toll after 8,148 New South Wales motorists were arrested or charged over the New Year holiday weekend.
  • 4 January – Federal Opposition Leader Gough Whitlam says in Port Moresby that Papuan leaders seem to accept completely the Australian Labor Party's timetable for independence of Papua New Guinea.
  • 10 March – William McMahon replaces John Gorton as Prime Minister of Australia after a party room ballot on a motion of confidence in John Gorton as Prime Minister.
  • 24 July – Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen declares a State of Emergency to allow the touring South African Springboks football team to play.
  • 13 October – Enrolment, but not voting, is made compulsory for Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in Queensland.
  • 2 November – Sonia McMahon, wife of Prime Minister William McMahon, captures international attention when she wears a daring full-length dress, with a long slit down the sides revealing her legs, to a White House reception.
  • 2 November – President Richard Nixon gives Prime Minister William McMahon an unqualified endorsement of the Anzus alliance, saying that the United States would honour its commitments under the alliance, which he described as one of America's fundamental pillars in the Pacific.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Popular Toys & Games

  • Weebles
  • Nerf Ball
  • Hot Wheels

Australian No. 1 (Kent retrospective) on 1 January 1971

A Song of Joy

Miguel Ríos

This chart was compiled later by David Kent from radio station charts.