The 1949 Brisbane City Council election was held on 30 April 1949 to elect a lord mayor and 20 aldermen to the Brisbane City Council.
The Citizens' Municipal Organisation (CMO) was returned to power, winning a majority of wards. In the lord mayoral election, J. B. Chandler was re-elected with an increased majority, defeating Labor candidate Felix Dittmer and Communist candidate Max Julius.
Petronel White was elected to Hamilton Ward for the CMO, becoming the first woman to be elected as an alderman in an Australian capital city.
Electoral system.
At the time, Brisbane City Council used the first-past-the-post voting system, in contrast to the preferential voting system used at Queensland state and federal elections. Voters were required to number "1" next to the name of their chosen candidate.
Voting was compulsory for anyone over the age of 21 who had lived in the Greater Brisbane area for at least three months.
Candidates.
Incumbents are shown in bold text. Successful candidates are highlighted in the relevant colour.
Analysis.
The results of the election was considered an omen of a very successful result for the Queensland People's Party (QPP) in the coming state election within the metropolitan seats within Brisbane. A QPP victory was predicted in every seat but Brisbane, and it was suggested by the party that the safe Labor federal seat of Griffith may become marginal. These predictions did not come to pass.