List of Australian of the Year Award recipients

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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.

Recipients

More information Year of award, Name ...
Year of
award		 Name Post
nominals		 Born Died Comments State/Territory Notes
1960 Sir Macfarlane Burnet OM 1899 1985 Virologist; 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine co-recipient Victoria
1961 Joan Sutherland CBE 1926 2010 Opera singer New South Wales
1962 Jock Sturrock 1915 1997 Yachtsman Victoria
1963 Sir John Eccles 1903 1997 Neurophysiologist; 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine co-recipient Victoria
1964 Dawn Fraser 1937 Swimmer; gold medal winner at 1956, 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympic Games New South Wales
1965 Robert Helpmann CBE 1909 1986 Actor; ballet dancer; director South Australia
1966 Jack Brabham OBE 1926 2014 Racing driver; Formula One champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966 New South Wales
1967 The Seekers N/A Music group Victoria
1968 Lionel Rose MBE 1948 2011 Boxer; first Indigenous Australian to win a world boxing title (1968) Victoria
1969 Lord Casey GCMG, CH, DSO, MC, PC 1890 1976 Politician, diplomat, Governor-General of Australia (1965–1969) Queensland
1970 Cardinal Sir Norman Gilroy KBE 1896 1977 Clergyman; first Australian-born Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church New South Wales
1971 Evonne Goolagong 1951 Tennis player New South Wales
1972 Shane Gould 1956 Swimmer; winner of three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics New South Wales
1973 Patrick White 1912 1990 Author; 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature recipient New South Wales
1974 Sir Bernard Heinze 1894 1982 Conductor Victoria
1975 John Cornforth CBE 1917 2013 Scientist; 1975 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recipient New South Wales
MAJGEN Alan Stretton AO, CBE 1922 2012 Australian Army officer; managed Cyclone Tracy cleanup Victoria
1976 LTCOL Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop CMG, OBE 1907 1993 Military surgeon; World War II prisoner of war Victoria
1977 Raigh Roe CBE 1922 2014 President of the Country Women's Association Western Australia
Sir Murray Tyrrell KCVO, CBE 1913 1994 Official secretary to six governors-general Victoria
1978 Alan Bond 1938 2015 Businessman New South Wales
Galarrwuy Yunupingu 1948 2023 Indigenous land rights activist Northern Territory[4]
1979 Neville Bonner 1922 1999 First Aboriginal person elected to the Parliament of Australia Queensland
Harry Butler OBE 1930 2015 Naturalist Western Australia
1980 Manning Clark AC 1915 1991 Historian Australian Capital Territory
1981 Sir John Crawford 1910 1984 Economist New South Wales
1982 Sir Edward Williams KCMG, KBE, QC 1921 1999 Judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland; chairman of the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games Foundation Queensland
1983 Robert de Castella MBE 1957 Marathon runner Australian Capital Territory
1984 Lowitja O'Donoghue CBE 1932 2024 Aboriginal health worker; inaugural chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (1990–1996) South Australia
1985 Paul Hogan 1939 Actor New South Wales
1986 Dick Smith 1944 Entrepreneur New South Wales
1987 John Farnham 1949 Singer, entertainer Victoria
1988 Kay Cottee 1954 First female sailor to perform a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation of the world (1988) New South Wales
1989 Allan Border AO 1955 Australian cricket team captain New South Wales
1990 Fred Hollows 1921 1993 Ophthalmologist; founder of The Fred Hollows Foundation New South Wales
1991 Peter Hollingworth AO, OBE 1935 Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane; head, Brotherhood of St. Lawrence; governor-general Victoria
1992 Mandawuy Yunupingu 1956 2013 Singer, Yothu Yindi Northern Territory
1993 No 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 1940 2018 Environmentalist; founder of Clean Up Australia and Clean Up the World New South Wales
1995 Arthur Boyd AC, OBE 1920 1999 Artist New South Wales
1996 John Yu AM 1934 Paediatrician, CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children New South Wales
1997 Peter Doherty AC 1940 Veterinarian; immunologist; 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recipient Queensland
1998 Cathy Freeman OAM 1973 Athlete; also Young Australian of the Year in 1990 Queensland
1999 Mark Taylor AO 1964 Australian cricket team captain New South Wales
2000 Sir Gustav Nossal AC, CBE 1931 Biologist Victoria
2001 LTGEN Peter Cosgrove AC, MC 1947
New South Wales
2002 Pat Rafter 1972 Tennis player Queensland
2003 Fiona Stanley AC 1946 Epidemiologist Western Australia
2004 Steve Waugh AO 1965 Australian cricket team captain and humanitarian New South Wales
2005 Fiona Wood AM 1958 Plastic surgeon; worked with victims of the 2002 Bali bombings Western Australia
2006 Ian Frazer 1953 Immunologist Queensland
2007 Tim Flannery 1956 Scientist; global warming activist New South Wales
2008 Lee Kernaghan OAM 1964 Singer Queensland
2009 Mick Dodson AM 1950 Indigenous leader Australian Capital Territory
2010 Patrick McGorry AO 1953 Psychiatrist Victoria[5]
2011 Simon McKeon AO 1955 Philanthropist businessman Victoria[6]
2012 Geoffrey Rush AC 1951 Actor and film producer Victoria[7]
2013 Ita Buttrose AO, OBE 1942 Journalist and businesswoman, founding editor of Cleo New South Wales[8]
2014 Adam Goodes 1980 Australian rules footballer and Indigenous community leader New South Wales
2015 Rosie Batty 1962 Domestic violence campaigner Victoria[9]
2016 LTGEN David Morrison AO 1956 Commitment to gender equality, diversity and inclusion Australian Capital Territory[10]
2017 Alan Mackay-Sim 1951 2023 Biomedical scientist treating spinal cord injuries Queensland
2018 Michelle Simmons 1967 Scientia professor of quantum physics in the faculty of science at the University of New South Wales New South Wales
2019 Craig Challen SC, OAM Cave divers who participated in the Tham Luang cave rescue South Australia[11]
Richard Harris SC, OAM
2020Dr James MueckeAM1963Eye surgeon and founder of Sight for All South Australia[12][13]
2021Grace Tame1994Advocate for survivors of sexual assault Tasmania
2022Dylan AlcottAO1990Paralympic athlete, advocate for disability Victoria
2023 Taryn Brumfitt 1978 Positive body image advocate and founder of the Body Image Movement South Australia [14]
2024 Georgina Long AO 1970 Melanoma researchers New South Wales[15]
Richard Scolyer AO 1966
2025 Neale Daniher AO 1961 Former Australian rules footballer and coach; charity co-founder, advocate for motor neurone disease research Victoria [16]
2026 Katherine Bennell-Pegg 1984 or 1985 Australian space engineer and qualified astronaut South Australia [17]
Close
Plaque for the 1971 recipient Evonne Goolagong on the Australians of the Year Walk

See also

References

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