This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1979.

• 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

• Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette – Puberty Blues
• David Ireland – A Woman of the Future
• Thomas Keneally
  • Confederates
  • Passenger
• Roger McDonald – 1915: A Novel of Gallipoli
• Randolph Stow – Visitants^[1]
• Morris West — Proteus
• Patrick White – The Twyborn Affair

• Glenda Adams — "A Snake Down Under"^[2]
• Thea Astley — Hunting the Wild Pineapple
• Peter Carey — War Crimes
• Elizabeth Jolley – The Travelling Entertainer and Other Stories^[3]

• A. Bertram Chandler – Matilda's Stepchildren^[4]
• Anne Spencer Parry – The Crown of Darkness^[5]

• Catherine Berndt – Land of the Rainbow Snake^[6]
• Mavis Thorpe Clark – The Lilly-Pilly^[7]
• Lee Harding – Displaced Person
• Joan Phipson:
  • No Escape^[8]
  • Mr Pringle and the Prince^[9]

• Robert Adamson – Where I Come From^[10]
• David Campbell – The Man in the Honeysuckle
• Rosemary Dobson and David Campbell – Seven Russian Poets^[11]
• Robert Gray – Grass Script^[12]
• Dorothy Hewett – Greenhouse^[13]
• Jennifer Maiden – The Border Loss^[14]
• Les Murray – The Boys Who Stole the Funeral
• John Tranter
  • Dazed in the Ladies Lounge^[15]
  • Editor, The New Australian Poetry (anthology)^[16]
• Chris Wallace-Crabbe
  • The Emotions Are Not Skilled Workers^[17]
  • Toil and Spin: Two Directions in Modern Poetry^[18]

• Dorothy Hewett – The Man From Mukinupin
• Louis Nowra
  • The Lady of the Camellias^[19]
  • Visions^[20]

• Manning Clark — A History of Australia Volume IV
• Terry Irving and Raewyn Connell — Class Structure in Australian History

• John Jefferson Bray appointed Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)^[21]
• Nancy Keesing appointed Member of the Order of Australia (AM)^[22]
• Douglas Stewart appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)^[23]
• Judah Waten appointed Member of the Order of Australia (AM)^[24]

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^[36]
• 6 June – Randa Abdel-Fattah, novelist^[37]

Unknown date

• Maxine Beneba Clarke, writer and slam poet^[38]
• Andrew Hutchinson, novelist^[39]

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)^[40]
• 6 June – Ion Idriess, writer (born 1889)^[41]
• 29 July – David Campbell, poet (born 1915)^[42]
• 13 August – F. J. Thwaites, novelist (born 1908)^[43]
• 21 November – Marie Byles, travel writer and non-fiction writer (born 1900)^[44]
• 24 November — Tom Quilty, pastoralist and bush poet (born 1887)^[45]
• 8 December – Jennifer Rankin, poet and playwright (born 1941)^[46]

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