List of Australian of the Year Award recipients explained

The Australian of the Year Award is given annually on Australia Day. The announcement of the award has become a major public event in Australia, and is televised nationwide. The award "offers an insight into Australian identity, reflecting the nation's evolving relationship with world, the role of sport in Australian culture, the impact of multiculturalism, and the special status of Australia's Indigenous people".[1] The award is unique in that it is sponsored by a national government and commands broad public support.

The following is a list of the recipients of the Australian of the Year award.[2] [3]

The post-nominals listed for each individual are as they were on the day they were named the Australian of the Year.

Year of
award
NamePost
nominals
BornDiedCommentsNotes
1960Sir 18991985Virologist
1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine co-recipient
196119262010Opera singer
196219151997Yachtsman
1963Sir 19031997Neurophysiologist
1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine co-recipient
19641937
196519091986Actor; ballet dancer; director
196619262014Racing driver; Formula One champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966
1967N/AMusic group
196819482011Boxer; first Indigenous Australian to win a world boxing title (1968)
196918901976Politician, diplomat, Governor-General of Australia (1965–1969)
1970Cardinal Sir 18961977
19711951Tennis player
19721956
197319121990Author; 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature recipient
1974Sir 18941982Conductor
197519172013Scientist; 1975 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recipient
19222012Australian Army officer; managed Cyclone Tracy cleanup
1976LTCOL Sir 19071993
197719222014President of the Country Women's Association
Sir 19131994
197819382015Businessman
19482023Indigenous land rights activist [4]
197919221999
19302015Naturalist
198019151991Historian
1981Sir 19101984Economist
1982Sir 19211999Judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland; chairman of the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games Foundation
19831957Marathon runner
198419322024Aboriginal health worker; inaugural chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (1990–1996)
19851939Actor
19861944Entrepreneur
19871949Singer, entertainer
19881954First female sailor to perform a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation of the world (1988)
19891955Australian cricket team captain
199019211993Ophthalmologist
19911935Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane
199219562013
1993No award made: period of award changed from the previous year to the year ahead in 1994; i.e. Mandawuy Yunupingu was named Australian of the Year for 1992 in 1993 and Ian Kiernan was named Australian of the Year for 1994 in 1994
199419402018
199519201999Artist
19961934
19971940Veterinarian; immunologist; 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recipient
19981973Athlete; also Young Australian of the Year in 1990
19991964Australian cricket team captain
2000Sir 1931Biologist
20011947
20021972Tennis player
20031946
20041965Australian cricket team captain and humanitarian
20051958
20061953Immunologist
20071956Scientist; global warming activist
20081964Singer
20091950Indigenous leader
20101953Psychiatrist [5]
20111955Philanthropist businessman [6]
20121951Actor and film producer [7]
20131942Journalist and businesswoman, founding editor of Cleo [8]
20141980Australian rules footballer and Indigenous community leader
20151962Domestic violence campaigner [9]
20161956Commitment to gender equality, diversity and inclusion [10]
201719512023Biomedical scientist treating spinal cord injuries
20181967
2019[11]
Richard Harris
2020 1963 Eye surgeon and founder of Sight for All [12] [13]
2021 1994 Advocate for survivors of sexual assault
2022 1990 Paralympic athlete, advocate for disability
2023Taryn Brumfitt1978Positive body image advocate and founder of the Body Image Movement[14]
2024Melanoma researchers [15]
Richard Scolyer

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Awards History - Australian of the Year.
  2. https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/ Australian of the Year - Recipients
  3. Book: Lewis, Wendy . Wendy Lewis . Australians of the Year . Pier 9 Press . 2010 . 978-1-74196-809-5 .
  4. News: Garrick . Matt . Gibson . Jano . 3 April 2023 . Trailblazing Aboriginal land rights leader Yunupingu dies in Arnhem Land, aged 74 . en-AU . ABC News . 3 April 2023.
  5. Web site: Professor Patrick McGorry - Australian of the Year. https://web.archive.org/web/20200806003220/https://australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/patrick-mcgorry/192/. dead. 6 August 2020.
  6. Web site: Simon McKeon - Australian of the Year. https://web.archive.org/web/20200806002217/https://australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/simon-mckeon/462/. dead. 6 August 2020.
  7. Web site: Geoffrey Rush - Australian of the Year. https://web.archive.org/web/20200806010052/https://australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/geoffrey-rush/882/. dead. 6 August 2020.
  8. Australian of the Year 2013 recipients announced. National Australia Day Committee. 2013.
  9. News: Australian of the Year: Rosie Batty awarded top honour for efforts to stop family violence. ABC News. Australia. 25 January 2015. 25 January 2015.
  10. News: Former Army chief David Morrison named Australian of the Year. 25 January 2016. ABC News. 25 January 2016. en-AU.
  11. News: Zhou . Naaman . Australian of the year 2019: Thai cave rescue divers win rare joint award . 25 January 2019 . The Guardian . 25 January 2019.
  12. News: McCauley, Dana. Australian of the Year calls for sugar tax to fight diabetes-caused blindness. Sydney Morning Herald. 25 January 2020. 25 January 2020.
  13. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-25/australian-of-year-awards-2020-announced-in-canberra/11901006 Australian of the Year 2020 awarded to eye surgeon Dr James Muecke, with Ash Barty, youth advocate and obstetrician also honoured
  14. Web site: Sakkal . Paul . 2023-01-25 . Body positivity advocate Taryn Brumfitt named Australian of the Year . 2023-01-25 . The Sydney Morning Herald . en.
  15. News: Who are Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer, the 2024 Australians of the Year? . 25 January 2024 . SBS News . 25 January 2024.