List of Australian of the Year Award recipients

Last updated

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.

Contents

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.

Recipients

Year of
award		NamePost
nominals		BornDiedCommentsNotes
1960Sir Macfarlane Burnet OM 18991985 Virologist; 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine co-recipient
1961 Joan Sutherland CBE 19262010Opera singer
1962 Jock Sturrock 19151997Yachtsman
1963Sir John Eccles 19031997 Neurophysiologist; 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine co-recipient
1964 Dawn Fraser 1937Swimmer; gold medal winner at 1956, 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympic Games
1965 Robert Helpmann CBE 19091986Actor; ballet dancer; director
1966 Jack Brabham OBE 19262014Racing driver; Formula One champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966
1967 The Seekers N/AMusic group
1968 Lionel Rose MBE 19482011Boxer; first Indigenous Australian to win a world boxing title (1968)
1969 Lord Casey GCMG , CH , DSO , MC , PC 18901976Politician, diplomat, Governor-General of Australia (1965–1969)
1970 Cardinal Sir Norman Gilroy KBE 18961977Clergyman; first Australian-born Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
1971 Evonne Goolagong 1951Tennis player
1972 Shane Gould 1956Swimmer; winner of three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics
1973 Patrick White 19121990Author; 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature recipient
1974Sir Bernard Heinze 18941982Conductor
1975 John Cornforth CBE 19172013Scientist; 1975 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recipient
MAJGEN Alan Stretton AO , CBE 19222012 Australian Army officer; managed Cyclone Tracy cleanup
1976 LTCOL Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop CMG , OBE 19071993Military surgeon; World War II prisoner of war
1977 Raigh Roe CBE 19222014President of the Country Women's Association
Sir Murray Tyrrell KCVO , CBE 19131994 Official secretary to six governors-general
1978 Alan Bond 19382015Businessman
Galarrwuy Yunupingu 19482023 Indigenous land rights activist [4]
1979 Neville Bonner 19221999First Aboriginal person elected to the Parliament of Australia
Harry Butler OBE 19302015Naturalist
1980 Manning Clark AC 19151991Historian
1981Sir John Crawford 19101984Economist
1982Sir Edward Williams KCMG , KBE , QC 19211999Judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland; chairman of the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games Foundation
1983 Robert de Castella MBE 1957Marathon runner
1984 Lowitja O'Donoghue CBE 19322024Aboriginal health worker; inaugural chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (1990–1996)
1985 Paul Hogan 1939Actor
1986 Dick Smith 1944Entrepreneur
1987 John Farnham 1949Singer, entertainer
1988 Kay Cottee 1954First female sailor to perform a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation of the world (1988)
1989 Allan Border AO 1955 Australian cricket team captain
1990 Fred Hollows 19211993 Ophthalmologist; founder of The Fred Hollows Foundation
1991 Peter Hollingworth AO , OBE 1935 Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane; head, Brotherhood of St. Lawrence; governor-general
1992 Mandawuy Yunupingu 19562013Singer, Yothu Yindi
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
1994 Ian Kiernan OAM 19402018Environmentalist; founder of Clean Up Australia and Clean Up the World
1995 Arthur Boyd AC , OBE 19201999Artist
1996 John Yu AM 1934Paediatrician, CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children
1997 Peter Doherty AC 1940Veterinarian; immunologist; 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recipient
1998 Cathy Freeman OAM 1973Athlete; also Young Australian of the Year in 1990
1999 Mark Taylor AO 1964Australian cricket team captain
2000Sir Gustav Nossal AC , CBE 1931Biologist
2001 LTGEN Peter Cosgrove AC , MC 1947
2002 Pat Rafter 1972Tennis player
2003 Fiona Stanley AC 1946 Epidemiologist
2004 Steve Waugh AO 1965Australian cricket team captain and humanitarian
2005 Fiona Wood AM 1958Plastic surgeon; worked with victims of the 2002 Bali bombings
2006 Ian Frazer 1953Immunologist
2007 Tim Flannery 1956Scientist; global warming activist
2008 Lee Kernaghan OAM 1964Singer
2009 Mick Dodson AM 1950Indigenous leader
2010 Patrick McGorry AO 1953Psychiatrist [5]
2011 Simon McKeon AO 1955Philanthropist businessman [6]
2012 Geoffrey Rush AC 1951Actor and film producer [7]
2013 Ita Buttrose AO , OBE 1942Journalist and businesswoman, founding editor of Cleo [8]
2014 Adam Goodes 1980 Australian rules footballer and Indigenous community leader
2015 Rosie Batty 1962 Domestic violence campaigner [9]
2016 LTGEN David Morrison AO 1956Commitment to gender equality, diversity and inclusion [10]
2017 Alan Mackay-Sim 19512023Biomedical scientist treating spinal cord injuries
2018 Michelle Simmons 1967Scientia professor of quantum physics in the faculty of science at the University of New South Wales
2019 Craig Challen SC , OAM Cave divers who participated in the Tham Luang cave rescue [11]
Richard Harris SC , OAM
2020Dr James Muecke AM 1963Eye surgeon and founder of Sight for All [12] [13]
2021 Grace Tame 1994Advocate for survivors of sexual assault
2022 Dylan Alcott AO 1990Paralympic athlete, advocate for disability
2023 Taryn Brumfitt 1978Positive body image advocate and founder of the Body Image Movement [14]
2024 Georgina Long AO 1970 Melanoma researchers [15]
Richard Scolyer AO 1966
2025 Neale Daniher AO 1961Former Australian rules footballer and coach; charity co-founder, advocate for motor neurone disease research [16]
Plaque for the 1971 recipient Evonne Goolagong on the Australians of the Year Walk Australian of the Year 1971 sign (2948668141).jpg
Plaque for the 1971 recipient Evonne Goolagong on the Australians of the Year Walk

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References

  1. ↑ "Awards History - Australian of the Year".
  2. ↑ Australian of the Year - Recipients
  3. ↑ Lewis, Wendy (2010). Australians of the Year. Pier 9 Press. ISBN   978-1-74196-809-5.
  4. ↑ Garrick, Matt; Gibson, Jano (3 April 2023). "Trailblazing Aboriginal land rights leader Yunupingu dies in Arnhem Land, aged 74". ABC News. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  5. ↑ "Professor Patrick McGorry - Australian of the Year". Archived from the original on 6 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "Simon McKeon - Australian of the Year". Archived from the original on 6 August 2020.
  7. ↑ "Geoffrey Rush - Australian of the Year". Archived from the original on 6 August 2020.
  8. ↑ "Australian of the Year 2013 recipients announced" (Press release). National Australia Day Committee. 2013.
  9. ↑ "Australian of the Year: Rosie Batty awarded top honour for efforts to stop family violence". ABC News . Australia. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  10. ↑ "Former Army chief David Morrison named Australian of the Year". ABC News. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  11. ↑ Zhou, Naaman (25 January 2019). "Australian of the year 2019: Thai cave rescue divers win rare joint award". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  12. ↑ McCauley, Dana (25 January 2020). "Australian of the Year calls for sugar tax to fight diabetes-caused blindness". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  13. ↑ Australian of the Year 2020 awarded to eye surgeon Dr James Muecke, with Ash Barty, youth advocate and obstetrician also honoured, Elise Pianegonda, ABC News Online, 2020-01-25
  14. ↑ Sakkal, Paul (25 January 2023). "Body positivity advocate Taryn Brumfitt named Australian of the Year". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  15. ↑ "Who are Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer, the 2024 Australians of the Year?". SBS News. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  16. ↑ Hohne, Josh (25 January 2025). "Former AFL player and MND campaigner Neale Daniher named 2025 Australian of the year". 9news.com.au. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
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