1979 in Australian literature

• David Ireland won the 1979 Miles Franklin Award for A Woman of the Future
• The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards are presented for the first time

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1979 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 21 May – James Clancy Phelan, writer of thrillers and young adult novels[18]
• 6 June – Randa Abdel-Fattah, novelist[19]

Unknown date

• Maxine Beneba Clarke, writer and slam poet[20]
• Andrew Hutchinson, novelist[21]

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1979 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 6 March – Helen Palmer, socialist publisher (born 1917)[22]
• 6 June – Ion Idriess, writer (born 1889)[23]
• 29 July – David Campbell, poet (born 1915)[24]
• 13 August – F. J. Thwaites, novelist (born 1908)[25]
• 21 November – Marie Byles, travel writer and non-fiction writer (born 1900)[26]
• 24 November — Tom Quilty, pastoralist and bush poet (born 1887)[27]
• 8 December – Jennifer Rankin, poet and playwright (born 1941)[28]

• 1979 in Australia
• 1979 in literature
• 1979 in poetry
• List of years in literature
• List of years in Australian literature