On the eve of Australia Day [26th January] the award ceremonies for the annual; Australian of the Year take place. This is a program of the National Australia Day Council, where each year our nation celebrates the achievements and contributions of eminent Australians throughout the previous year, by profiling leading citizens who are role models for us all. The Council is a not-for-profit Australian Government owned social enterprise. 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 multiculturalisn, and the special status of Indigenous Australians.. It has also provoked spirited debate about the fields of endeavour that are most worthy of public recognition. Three companion awards have been introduced, recognising both Young and Senior Australians, and proclaiming the efforts of those who work at a grass roots level through the ‘Australia’s Local Hero’ award.
As noted on the ABC website: “In a year when the nation was tested by devastating bushfires, a global pandemic and economic hardship, Australians rose to these unprecedented challenges with determination and resilience. Whether it was during a bushfire emergency, at the forefront of a national coronavirus response or from a remote region, the 2021 Australian of the Year Award finalists strove to better the lives of their countrymen and women. They gave a voice to the survivors of sexual assault, improved the health outcomes for vulnerable and First Nation’s people, broke new ground for people with a disability and brought greater inclusivity to a national sporting body.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the Australian of the Year Award recipients, all of whom are women, at a ceremony at the National Arboretum in Canberra on Monday evening.
Tonight’s ‘Australian of the Year Award’ [which proved to be a rather humbling affair rather humbling experience] – she was up against more powerful & nationally known candidates, but the Judges, certainly got it right this year [they normally do, though sometimes equally deserving recipients miss out] – A 26-year-old who advocates for survivors of sexual assault has been named 2021 Australian of the Year. Grace Tame, from Hobart, became the first woman in Tasmania to be granted a legal exemption to speak about her experience as a victim. She has since become a passionate advocate for education on and prevention of child abuse. . From age 15, Grace was groomed and raped by her 58-year-old maths teacher, who was found guilty and jailed for his crimes. However, under Tasmania’s sexual-assault victim gag laws, Grace couldn’t legally speak out about her experience – despite the perpetrator and media being free to do so.
Assisted by the #LetHerSpeak campaign, which applied to the Supreme Court on Grace’s behalf, Grace won the right to publicly self-identify as a rape survivor. and won. She has since used her voice to push for legal reform and raise public awareness about the impacts of sexual violence. She is also a regular guest speaker for high-profile events and television programs and uses her media profile to advocate for other vulnerable groups in the community.
It’s the first time a Tasmanian has been named Australian of the Year in its 61-year history.
The other nominations for Australian of the Year [and they included three Indigenous women, and a fourth working in Aboriginal health] were as follows. All in their own fields were deserving of recognition of their efforts over the past 12 months, although I feel it would have a shame for the actual winner, if those among the others who roles were essentially part of their paid jobs, had been given the nod ahead of Grace Tame
Northern Territory: Dr Wendy Page [global expert in Aboriginal Health]
For more than 30 years, Dr Wendy Page has been dedicated to improving Aboriginal health outcomes, working tirelessly at the grassroots level for the communities in North East Arnhem Land. In 1993, Wendy took up a position at the newly established Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation in Nhulunbuy, where she is now medical director. Wendy has worked to highlight and eliminate a parasitic roundworm prevalent in Aboriginal communities across Northern Australia. She set up the first national workshop for strongyloidiasis, a disease caused by the Strongyloides worm. Wendy’s efforts have been instrumental in reducing the prevalence of strongyloidiasis in local East Arnhem Land communities – from 60 per cent to below 10 per cent. Her many published papers on the Strongyloides worm have made her a world-recognised expert and are used to inform all medical practitioners. Wendy is passionate about mentoring young doctors. She has taken on roles as a lead supervisor in Nhulunbuy and as an examiner in Darwin to help registrars become qualified GPs.
Australian Capital Territory: Professor Brendan Murphy [Former Chief Medical Officer to the Federal Government and current Secretary of the Dept of Health]
Brendan provided expert advice to the Federal Government to close the international borders before the spread of COVID-19 – a decision which saved tens of thousands of Australian lives. Thanks to his calm leadership, Australia was able to prevent the COVID-19 virus taking hold in the community during the first wave of the global pandemic. In his role as CMO, Brendan, as Chair of the Australian Health Principal Protection Committee (AHPPC) provided clear consensus guidance to all Australian Governments around shutting down Australian business and community activities. AHPPC, under his leadership, was responsible for introducing physical distancing measures – and overseeing their implementation in Australia before WHO advice and in advance of other developed countries. A respected medical expert, Brendan chairs many national committees, and represents Australia at the World Health Assembly.
New South Wales: Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons AFSM [Ex-NSW Fire Commissioner: Leader of Resilience, NSW]
During the terrifying 2019/20 bushfire season, Australians were reassured by the exemplary leadership and empathetic presence of then NSW Fire Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons.
Shane began as a volunteer with NSW RFS in 1985, in the footsteps of his father George – a full-time firefighter who was tragically killed in an out-of-control hazard reduction burn in 2000. In 1994, Shane joined the NSW RFS full-time, working in a range of leadership positions before being endorsed as the organisation’s commissioner in 2007 – a role he held for 12 years. In 2019/20, Shane guided a state-wide response including a 74,000-strong crew of mostly volunteers through one of Australia’s worst fire seasons. Working long hours, he informed and calmed the public in daily press conferences, liaised with government leaders and provided comfort to colleagues and family members of firefighters who lost their lives in service to others. In April 2020, Shane was appointed leader of the new disaster management and recovery agency, Resilience NSW.
Queensland: Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM [Advocate for Doctors with Disabilities]
Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM is a senior resident doctor at Gold Coast University Hospital. Despite facing numerous barriers, he became the first quadriplegic medical graduate and medical intern in Queensland. He was recently admitted as a lawyer. As co-founder of Doctors With Disabilities Australia, Dinesh has worked with the Australian Medical Association to create first-of-kind national policies for inclusivity in medical education and employment. Dinesh is a doctor for the Gold Coast Titans physical disability rugby league team. He is also a member of multiple committees for disability advocacy and has spoken in world-renowned forums such as TEDx. Through COVID-19, he advocated for equitable treatment for people with disabilities, including as a witness to the Disability Royal Commission. Dinesh has also contributed significantly to scientific advances in treating spinal cord injury and restoring function to people with paralysis. His national and global impact has been recognised with numerous awards, including Junior Doctor of the Year and the Order of Australia.
Wester Australia: Professor Helen Milroy [Australia’s First Indigenous Doctor]
Prof Helen Milroy was Australia’s first Indigenous doctor and is now a highly regarded expert in child and adolescent psychiatry.For more than 25 years, Helen has been a pioneer in research, education and training in Aboriginal and child mental health, and recovery from grief and trauma. She has supported the Aboriginal and medical workforce in applying Indigenous knowledge and cultural models of care.
Helen has played a key role on numerous mental health advisory committees and boards, including the National Mental Health Commission. She was appointed as commissioner for the Australian Government’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse from 2013-2017. Helen was also the first Indigenous commissioner to the Australian Football League.
A talented artist and published author, Helen’s books have been shortlisted for several major awards. In 2018, she received the Australian Indigenous Doctor of the Year Award, recognising her many achievements.
South Australia: Tanya Hosch [Leader; Changemaker and Visionary]
Tanya Hosch is the first Indigenous person and second woman appointed to the AFL executive. She has held leadership roles in sport, the arts, culture, social justice and public policy. One of the pre-eminent Indigenous leaders pursuing constitutional recognition of Australia’s First Nations people, Tanya’s principled leadership is transforming the AFL – advancing women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, gender-diverse Australians and the entire community.
Tanya championed the first Indigenous player statue of Nicky Winmar and instigated a review of anti-vilification policy within the code. She helped secure an apology for Adam Goodes from the AFL and delivered a new industry framework to help prevent racist treatment of players. Tanya also helped found advocacy organisation The Indigenous Players Alliance. She drove a new respect and responsibility policy enabling women to seek redress for unacceptable behaviour, and a world-first gender diversity policy for a contact sport. In 2020, she drove a hugely successful social media campaign aimed at informing and protecting Indigenous communities from COVID-19.
Victoria: Donna Stolzenberg [Founder and CEO, the National Homeless Collective].
Proud Indigenous woman Donna Stolzenberg is a CEO, keynote speaker and trainer. In 2014, she had the simple idea of handing out 50 donated sleeping bags to homeless people. That idea has evolved into a nationwide charity.
The National Homeless Collective (NHC) is a grassroots Australian organisation that helps people affected by homelessness, domestic violence and social disadvantage.
A mother of five boys and a grandmother of two, Donna has lived experience of overcoming homelessness and hardship. Under Donna’s direction, NHC has created six sub-charities targeting different issues – Period Project, School Project, Plate Up Project, Sleeping Bags for Homelessness, and Secret Women’s Business. It also runs Kala Space, an op shop employing women affected by domestic abuse or homelessness.
Donna’s generosity and resourcefulness have provided practical solutions in Australia’s most recent crises. This includes helping women to safely escape homelessness, people affected by bushfires, or those locked down in the Melbourne towers during COVID-19.
The other three awards from the night were decided as follows.
Senior Australian of the Year
Northern Territory: Dr. Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM
The Northern Territory’s [and Australia’s] Senior Australian of 2021 Dr. Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM has been recognised for her work as an Aboriginal activist, educator and artist. In 1975, she became the NT’s first fully qualified Aboriginal teacher. She went on to become a principal in her community of Nauiyu, 143 kilometres south-west of Darwin. “Training our local people to be educators in our communities is important, because they know best,” she said. “They know the families and the children.
“We can do the western education and we can also teach our way of educating our kids in a cultural sense, and our languages, dances, ceremonies, you name it. “It makes us a better person in being able to do that.”
Dr Ungunmerr-Baumann, 69, is also a renowned writer and public speaker. She has served on the National Indigenous Council and founded the Miriam Rose Foundation to drive reconciliation at a grassroots level. It’s the third time Dr Ungunmerr-Baumann has been nominated for an Australian of the Year award, but she was still nervous at the announcement. “I was saying, ‘Please God, not me’. And then my name was announced, I nearly fell off the chair in shock,” she said. “If I am Senior Australian of the Year, what am I supposed to be doing? Will I be traveling around Australia? I’m just about in my wheelchair! How am I going to manage?”
Young Australian of the Year
South Australia: Isobel Marshall The 2021 Young Australian of the Year is 22-year-old social entrepreneur Isobel Marshall of Adelaide, South Australia. At just 18 years of age, Isobel co-founded TABOO with school friend Eloise Hall, to help women around the world by breaking down the stigma around menstruation and providing greater access to hygiene products. Isobel and business partner Eloise crowdfunded $56,000 to launch their range of products in August 2019. TABOO sells ethically sourced organic cotton pads and tampons to the Australian market.
One hundred per cent of net profits goes to One Girls, a charity which provides education programs for girls and women in Sierra Leone and Uganda.
In Australia, TABOO partners with Vinnies Women’s Crisis centre, providing free access to pads and tampons for women who require emergency accommodation in South Australia.
On country, TABOO also supports the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council, which is based in Alice Springs.
Local Australian Hero
New South Wales: Rosemary Kariuki
The 2021 Australia’s Local Hero is 60-year-old advocate for migrant and refugee women, Rosemary Kariuki of Oran Park, NSW. Rosemary is the multicultural community liaison officer for the Parramatta Police. She specialises in helping migrants who are facing domestic violence, language barriers and financial distress. Her experience of fleeing Kenya alone in 1999 to escape family abuse and tribal clashes – and her initial loneliness upon arriving in Australia – helped Rosemary recognise that isolation is a huge issue for many migrant women. In partnership with the African Women’s Group, she helped start the African Women’s Dinner Dance to help migrant women meet others like themselves and form social networks. Now in its 14th year, more than 400 women attend the annual event.
She also started the African Village Market, a program to help migrants and refugees start their own businesses, which ran for four years.
After the Awards, the Chair of the National Australia Day Council, Danielle Roche OAM, congratulated the 2021 Australian of the Year Award recipients.
“Grace, Miriam-Rose, Isobel and Rosemary are all committed to changing attitudes in our society and changing lives,” she said.
“They are strong, determined women who are dedicated to breaking down barriers and advocating for people’s rights – particularly the rights of women and children.
“They epitomise the Australian values of respect, tolerance, equality of opportunity and compassion.
“Because of them, others get a fair go.
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