Australian of the Year facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Australian of the Year
Presented by	National Australia Day Council
Date	25 January
Country	Australia
First awarded	1960; 65 years ago (1960)
Television coverage
Network	ABC TV
< 2022 2023 2024 >

The Australian of the Year award is a special honour given to an Australian citizen each year. It is presented by the National Australia Day Council, which is a group linked to the Australian Government. Similar awards are also given out in each Australian state and territory. This award celebrates people who have made a big difference to Australia.

History of the Award

Since 1960, the Australian of the Year award has been a key part of the Australia Day celebrations. Over time, it has become one of the most important awards in the country. The announcement of the winner is now a big public event, shown on TV across Australia from Canberra. This award helps us understand what it means to be Australian. It shows how Australia changes, how important sport is, how different cultures mix, and the special place of Indigenous Australians. It also makes people think about what kinds of achievements should be celebrated.

The award program encourages people to be active citizens and highlights individuals as role models. Three other awards have been added: one for Young Australians, one for Senior Australians, and the "Australia's Local Hero" award for people who do great things in their local communities.

Sponsorship and Support

The Australian of the Year award gets a lot of support from companies, like the Commonwealth Bank, which has helped for over thirty years. The strong connection with the Australian Government also helps make the award well-known and respected.

Awards Through the Decades

1960s: The Beginning

Sir Macfarlane Burnet, the first Australian of the Year in 1960. He was a Nobel Prize-winning scientist.

In the 1960s, groups in different states worked to make Australia Day more popular. The group in Victoria was very active. In January 1960, their chairman, Sir Norman Martin, started a new award called 'Australian of the Year'. He said Australia Day was the perfect time to honour a leading citizen who had done something amazing in culture, economy, science, or arts.

Sir Robert Helpmann, Australian of the Year 1965. He was a famous dancer and choreographer.

Lionel Rose, 1968 Australian of the Year. He was a world champion boxer.

For the first twenty years, a small group of important people from Melbourne chose the Australian of the Year. Their first choice, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sir Macfarlane Burnet, was very popular. Many people felt this new award showed Australia was becoming more confident as a nation.

In the first ten years, the award often went to people who had achieved great things internationally. This included sports heroes like swimmer Dawn Fraser and boxer Lionel Rose. Scientists like Sir John Eccles also won. Artists like opera singer Joan Sutherland and the band The Seekers were also honoured. The award aimed to celebrate "the person who has brought the greatest honour to Australia."

1970s and 1980s: A National Award

In its early years, the Australian of the Year award became well-known, but it was still closely linked to the Victorian group. Other groups, like a newspaper called The Australian and a new group in Canberra, started their own rival Australian of the Year awards. This caused some confusion.

To fix this, the Australian Government created the National Australia Day Council (NADC) in 1979. This new national group took over the award. In 1982, the NADC changed how the winner was chosen. They put together a group of ten important Australians from different areas. This made the award truly national.

During the 1980s, the NADC also started to look for more support from companies instead of just government money. This led to more well-known people winning the award. Winners included marathon runner Robert de Castella, comedian Paul Hogan, singer John Farnham, and cricketer Allan Border. These winners were very popular and helped attract public attention to the award.

John Farnham was Australian of the Year in 1987. He is a famous singer.

Mandawuy Yunupingu, frontman of the band Yothu Yindi, was Australian of the Year in 1992. He was a strong voice for Aboriginal Australians.

1990s: Identity and Change

In the 1990s, the Australian of the Year award started to reflect important discussions about Australia's identity. The NADC promoted multiculturalism (many cultures living together) and reconciliation (making things right with Indigenous Australians).

Winners during this time included Mandawuy Yunupingu, a famous Aboriginal musician and leader. Environmentalist Ian Kiernan and Chinese-Australian doctor John Yu also won. The award continued a strong tradition of honouring Indigenous Australians. Boxer Lionel Rose was the first Aboriginal winner in 1968. Since then, many other Indigenous people have been named Australian of the Year for their achievements in different fields.

Before 1994, the award was given for achievements in the previous year. For example, the 1992 Australian of the Year was announced in 1993. From 1994 onwards, the award was given for the upcoming year. So, the 1994 Australian of the Year was announced in 1994. This meant there was no award for 1993.

2000s Onwards: Modern Debates

Fiona Stanley, Australian of the Year 2003. She is a medical researcher.

Ita Buttrose, Australian of the Year 2013. She is a well-known journalist and businesswoman.

Discussions about the Australian of the Year award often focus on whether there are too many winners from sport, science, or the arts. Many winners have been sports stars, but there have also been many scientists, especially in medicine. Artists have also been well-represented, including musicians, a dancer, and a novelist.

However, many winners don't fit into just one category. They have excelled in areas like public service, community work, business, and education. There has been some discussion about the number of women winners. While Joan Sutherland won the second award in 1961, women have been less represented overall compared to men.

In recent years, some people have questioned how the winners are chosen. They wonder if the award truly represents all Australians. The NADC has worked to improve this process and make sure the awards are fair and trusted.

The awards program now has four categories, recognising a wide range of achievements. Every year, 128 inspiring Australians are celebrated through state and national finals.

Young Australian of the Year

For the first twenty years, there was no specific award for younger Australians. During this time, several young sports stars won the main Australian of the Year award, like Dawn Fraser and Lionel Rose. Shane Gould is still the youngest person to win the main award.

In 1979, the NADC decided to create a new award just for young Australians. The first winner, Julie Sochacki, who worked with young people who couldn't find jobs, was named Young Australian of the Year in January 1980. This award helps highlight the amazing things young people in Australia are doing.

Some well-known Young Australian of the Year winners include Olympic athlete Nova Peris-Kneebone, scientist Bryan Gaensler, and swimmer Ian Thorpe.

Senior Australian of the Year

Slim Dusty, the first Senior Australian of the Year in 1999. He was a legendary country music singer.

Maggie Beer, Senior Australian of the Year 2010. She is a famous chef and food writer.

The Senior Australian of the Year award started in 1999, when the United Nations called it the 'International Year of Older Persons'. The first winner was the famous country music star Slim Dusty.

At first, this award was given out in October, separate from the Australia Day celebrations. But a few years later, the NADC brought all the awards together. Now, the Senior Australian of the Year is announced in January, along with the other awards. This helps celebrate the wonderful contributions of older Australians on a national stage.

Australia's Local Hero

In 2003, the NADC added a fourth award category called "Local Hero." This award was created to recognise everyday people who do amazing things to help their local communities. It was part of a bigger plan by the NADC to encourage good citizenship across Australia.

Choosing the Winners

The way the Australian of the Year is chosen has changed a lot over the years. In the early days, a small group made the decision. Now, the process is much more open.

The biggest change has been how people can nominate someone for the award. In the past, only a few people were nominated. But now, the NADC actively encourages everyone to nominate inspiring Australians. This helps more people get involved and feel connected to the awards.

The NADC believes that the nomination process is important for connecting with the Australian community. As the NADC Chief Executive, Warren Pearson, explained, the awards are not just about choosing four national winners. They are also about "engaging with Australians about citizenship."

Since 2004, there's a new way of choosing the winners. First, state and territory groups choose finalists in each category. Then, the NADC board chooses the national winners from these eight state and territory finalists. The national winners are announced in January.

Statistical Profiles

Award by Category

Award by Gender

What the NADC Aims For

The National Australia Day Council (NADC) has a clear goal for the awards program:

• To bring all Australians together, especially on Australia Day.
• To help people understand what Australia Day means.
• To encourage good citizenship and celebrate great achievements and service to the country.

The Australian of the Year Awards are a big part of reaching the third goal. They provide a high-profile moment to celebrate outstanding Australians. The NADC's main job is to encourage Australians to "celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian" on January 26th each year.

How Winners are Chosen: The Rules

The rules for choosing the Australian of the Year have changed over fifty years. At first, the focus was on people who brought "the greatest honour to Australia" internationally. Over time, achievements within Australia became more important.

The official rules are usually quite broad. This means the NADC board members and the political mood of the time can influence who wins. In the 1980s, more famous people were chosen. In the 1990s, winners often reflected important national issues like republicanism (Australia becoming a republic) and reconciliation.

Today, the selection committees look at three main things when choosing nominees:

• They must show great skill in their field.
• They must have made a big contribution to Australia.
• They must be an inspiring role model for others.

The third rule helps the NADC encourage good citizenship.

Award Announcements

Awards Announcement on Australia Day Eve, 25 January 2005.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Australian of the Year award was presented at a lunch in Melbourne. The winner was usually announced about two weeks before Australia Day. This was a way to get people excited about the upcoming celebrations.

Since the NADC took over in 1980, the announcement has become much bigger. It was often part of an Australia Day concert, held in different cities and shown on TV. In the 1990s, the announcement often happened at Admiralty House in Sydney.

A very memorable announcement happened in 1994 when Charles, Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) was there. The winner, environmentalist Ian Kiernan, helped tackle someone who rushed towards Prince Charles. It turned out the person had a toy cap pistol, but it was a surprising moment!

Since 2004, the awards are presented on Australia Day Eve (January 25th) in Canberra. The 32 finalists spend the day meeting important people like the Prime Minister and the Governor-General. The winners are announced on a special stage in front of Parliament House. Thousands of people watch live, and it's shown on national television. This big event is very different from the small press conferences of the 1960s.

Medallions and Trophies

The awards given to the Australians of the Year have changed over time. They show how ideas about being Australian have changed. In 1960, the first trophy was a bronze medallion designed by Victor Greenhalgh. It showed Governor Arthur Phillip, who was called "The Outstanding Australian [of] 1788" on the medal.

When the NADC took over in 1980, the first winner, Manning Clark, received a framed certificate. Later, for the 1986 award, artist Michael Tracey created a new trophy. It was a figure holding the Australian flag.

In the early 1990s, glass artist Warren Langley designed a new trophy based on the Australia Day logo. Later, he made another trophy featuring a map of Australia.

The current Australian of the Year trophy was designed in 2004 by Kristin McFarlane. She uses glass, text, and images. She decided to use a map of Australia because it's one of the oldest continents and easily recognised. She also included words from Australia's national anthem, "Advance Australia Fair".

Australians of the Year Walk

Australians of the Year Walk in Canberra.

The "Australians of the Year Walk" is a special path in Canberra. It has a series of stands, seats, and lights. Along the path, there are metal strips that look like music lines. The stands are placed like musical notes, following the tune of the national anthem, "Advance Australia Fair". Each stand has a plaque with the name and picture of an Australian of the Year. They are arranged in order, starting from the western end.

The Australians of the Year Walk is on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra.

The walk is located along Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, between the National Library of Australia and the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge. It was opened by the Prime Minister, John Howard, on Australia Day in 2006.

Journalist Mark McKenna visited the walk and saw it as a symbolic memorial. He found the empty stands, waiting for future winners, very interesting. They make you think about what Australia will become in the future.

The Awards and Australian Society

The Australian of the Year Awards are just one way Australia expresses its national identity. But after more than fifty years, they have become a very important part of how Australians talk about their past, present, and future. People from other countries, like BBC correspondent Nick Bryant, also find the awards interesting because they show a lot about the Australian character.

One challenge for the NADC is that it's hard to show all the different kinds of achievements in Australia when there's only one winner for each award category every year. This is why there are often discussions about how many winners come from science, arts, or sport. In the future, these discussions might also include things like gender balance and different ethnic backgrounds.

The NADC suggests that the true value of the awards program can be seen by looking at all the finalists each year, not just the winners. The awards celebrate a huge variety of achievements and people from all walks of life. The NADC now focuses on promoting the state finals, which helps highlight the wide range of amazing things Australians do.

Not all discussions about the awards are serious. There's a funny TV show called We Can Be Heroes: Finding The Australian of the Year (2005). In it, actor Chris Lilley plays five unusual people nominated for the award. The show is a comedy, but it also makes you think about what we look for in role models.

Despite some criticisms, many people believe the awards are important for building a strong community. They help young people set goals and encourage older people to be proud of what they've done. The awards help the National Australia Day Council achieve its goal of "promoting good citizenship, values and achievement by recognising excellence and service to the communities and the nation."

See Also

• List of Australian of the Year Award recipients
• List of Young Australian of the Year Award recipients
• List of Senior Australian of the Year Award recipients
• List of Australian Local Hero Award recipients
• Orders, decorations, and medals of Australia