Australian of the Year
Australian of the Year is an award that has been presented annually in Australia since 1960 to recognize citizens who have either achieved excellence in their field, "made a significant contribution to the Australian community and nation" or are role models in the Australian community . The Young Australian of the Year Award has also been presented since 1979 , the Senior Australian Award was introduced in 1999, and the Local Hero Award in 2003. The winners are determined by the Australia Day Council .
The award winner is announced annually on January 25, the eve of Australia Day , and then presented on Australia Day; the Prime Minister presents a trophy. There is no monetary prize associated with it. The nomination process already attracts media attention and the winner is reported in detail.
Award winners
| year | Surname | comment |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet | Virologist ; 1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
| 1961 | Dame Joan Sutherland | Opera singer |
| 1962 | Jock sturdy skirt | Sailors |
| 1963 | Sir John Carew Eccles | Neurophysiologist ; 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
| 1964 | Dawn Fraser | Swimmer; Gold medal in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games |
| 1965 | Sir Robert Helpmann | Actor, ballet dancer, director |
| 1966 | Sir Jack Brabham | Racing driver; Formula 1 champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966 |
| 1967 | The Seekers | Music group |
| 1968 | Lionel Rose | Boxer; first Aboriginal to win world boxing title (1968) |
| 1969 | Richard Casey, Baron Casey | Politician, diplomat, Governor General of Australia (1965–1969) |
| 1970 | Sir Norman Cardinal Gilroy | Cleric; first cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church born in Australia |
| 1971 | Evonne Goolagong | Tennis player |
| 1972 | Shane Gould | Female swimmer; Winner of three gold, one silver and one bronze medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics |
| 1973 | Patrick White | Author; 1973 Nobel Prize (literature) |
| 1974 | Sir Bernard Heinze | Musician, conductor and music teacher |
| 1975 ( two prizes ) |
Sir John Cornforth Alan Stretton |
Scientist; 1975 Nobel Prize in Chemistry General in the Australian Army; managed cleanup operations on Cyclone Tracy |
| 1976 | Sir Edward Dunlop | Military surgeon in World War II , prisoner of war |
| 1977 ( two prizes ) |
Dame Raigh Roe Sir Murray Tyrrell |
Country Women's Association President. Official Secretary to six Governors General of Australia |
| 1978 ( two prizes ) |
Alan Bond Galarrwuy Yunupingu |
Businessman Activist: Aboriginal Land Rights |
| 1979 ( two prizes ) |
Neville Bonner Harry Butler |
First Aboriginal, in the Australian Parliament was elected naturalists |
| 1980 | Manning Clark | historian |
| 1981 | Sir John Crawford | Economist |
| 1982 | Sir Edward Williams | Judge at the Supreme Court of Queensland ; 1982 Commonwealth Games Chairman |
| 1983 | Robert de Castella | Marathon runner |
| 1984 | Lowitja O'Donoghue | Aboriginal, health worker; Founding Chairwoman of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (1990–1996) |
| 1985 | Paul Hogan | actor |
| 1986 | Dick Smith | Entrepreneur |
| 1987 | John Farnham | Singer |
| 1988 | Kay Cottee | First female sailor to sail around the world one-handed and non-stop (1988) |
| 1989 | Allan Border | Captain of the Australian national cricket team |
| 1990 | Fred Hollows | Ophthalmologist ; Founder of The Fred Hollows Foundation |
| 1991 | Peter Hollingworth | Bishop; Governor General of Australia (2001-2003) |
| 1992 | Mandawuy Yunupingu | Singer of Yothu Yindi |
| 1993 | No prize awarded | |
| 1994 | Ian Kiernan | Environmentalist; Founder of Clean Up Australia and Clean Up the World |
| 1995 | Arthur Boyd | painter |
| 1996 | John Yu | Pediatrician |
| 1997 | Peter Doherty | Veterinary; Immunologist; 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
| 1998 | Cathy Freeman | Athlete; also Young Australian of the Year 1990 |
| 1999 | Mark Taylor | Captain of the Australian national cricket team |
| 2000 | Sir Gustav Nossal | immunologist |
| 2001 | Sir Peter Cosgrove | Chief of the Australian Army (2000-2002); Commander of the International Force for East Timor ; Chief of the Australian Defense Force (2002-2005); Governor General of Australia (2014-2019) |
| 2002 | Patrick Rafter | Tennis player |
| 2003 | Fiona Stanley | Epidemiologist |
| 2004 | Steve Waugh | Captain of the Australian national cricket team |
| 2005 | Fiona Wood | Plastic surgeon; worked on the victims of the 2002 Bali attack |
| 2006 | Ian Frazer | immunologist |
| 2007 | Tim Flannery | Scientist; Global warming activist |
| 2008 | Lee Kernaghan | Singer |
| 2009 | Mick Dodson | Activist for aboriginal rights |
| 2010 | Patrick McGorry | psychiatrist |
| 2011 | Simon McKeon | Philanthropist, businessman |
| 2012 | Geoffrey Rush | actor |
| 2013 | Ita buttrose | Journalist, founder of the women's magazine "Cleo" |
| 2014 | Adam Goodes | Aboriginal AFL player and anti-racism activist |
| 2015 | Rosie Batty | Activist against violence in the family |
| 2016 | David Morrison | Chief of the Australian Army ; Merits for equality, diversity and inclusion |
| 2017 | Alan Mackay-Sim | Biomedical scientists |
| 2018 | Michelle Yvonne Simmons | Professor of Quantum Physics |
| 2019 ( two prizes ) |
Craig Challen Richard Harris |
Cave divers during the rescue operation in the Tham Luang Cave |
| 2020 | James Muecke | Ophthalmologist |