Australians of the Year Awards for 2024
There were 8 nominees in each category of Award from each of the States & Territories
Melanoma treatment pioneers Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer have been named 2024 Australians of the Year.
Yalmay Yunupiŋu, Emma McKeon, and David Elliott were named winners in other categories. The winning nominees were announced at an awards ceremony in Canberra on Thursday night. More detail of the winnerts follows.
2024 Australians of the Year for New South Wales – Prof Georgina Long AO & Prof Richard Scolyer AO (Sydney)
Their work has already saved the lives of thousands of residents across the country from what is considered our “national cancer”. The pair then turned their treatment in a new direction when Scolyer, 57, was diagnosed with incurable grade 4 brain cancer in June last year. He risked shortening his lifespan with an experimental treatment based on his and Long’s own work, becoming the world’s first brain cancer patient to have pre-surgery combination immunotherapy. About eight months later, he has still not seen any recurrence of his incurable brain cancer. Chair of the National Australia Day Council John Foreman said the scientists represented the “very best” of the country. “Georgina and Richard are leading work which is saving countless lives now and, thanks also to the personal commitment of Richard, will lead to an even more extraordinary impact on the health of people around the world in the future,” he said.
Other nominees were
2024 Australian of the Year for the Australian Capital Territory – Joanne Farrell (Canberra) – a champion for females in the construction industry.
2024 Australian of the Year for the Northern Territory – Blair McFarland (Alice Springs) – Central Australian Youth Link-Up Service founder
2024 Australian of the Year for Queensland – Marco Renai (Gold Coast) – Men of Business founder
2024 Australian of the Year for South Australia – Tim Jarvis AM (Hyde Park) – Environmental scientist and advocate Tim Jarvis is recognised for his work seeking solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss.
2024 Australian of the Year for Tasmania – Stephanie Trethewey (Dunorlan) – rural women’s advocate and Motherland founder
2024 Australian of the Year for Victoria – Janine Mohamed (Gisborne) – Indigenous health leader
2024 Australian of the Year for Western Australia – Mechelle Turvey (Perth) – Mechelle Turvey is a Western Australian advocate for victims of crime. In 2022, her 15-year-old son Cassius Turvey was assaulted while coming home from school. The Noongar Yamatji boy died of his injuries 10 days later.
2024 SENIOR AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR
Yalmay Yunupiŋu of Yirrkala in the Northern Territory has been named the Senior Australian of the Year for her decades-long work as a teacher and linguist.
Ahead of her retirement last year, she guided teaching at Yirrkala Bilingual School.
She spent the years translating Dr Seuss books at the community library into her local Yolŋu Matha language.
She went on to develop a bilingual teaching approach with her late husband M. Yunupiŋu – of Yothu Yindi fame – and is still in constant demand for consultations, projects and her traditional healing work.
“Yalmay’s long dedication to the education of the Yolŋu people, her cultural stewardship and leadership as a natural teacher continues to bring communities together,” Foreman said.
Yunupiŋu’s late husband was named the Australian of the Year in 1992.
Other nominees were
2024 Senior Australian of the Year for the Australian Capital Territory – Ebenezer Banful OAM (Canberra) – is a volunteer and multiculturalism advocate. He arrived in Australia from Ghana more than three decades ago and has dedicated countless hours to helping others understand Ghanaian and African values, and spends much of his free time offering advice and assistance to newly arrived community members.
2024 Senior Australian of the Year for New South Wales – John Ward (Georgetown, Newcastle) – is dedicated to providing medical care for disadvantaged people and ageing Australians. He is the director of the Prison Medical Service and has provided care to inmates and advocated for prison reform.
2024 Senior Australians of the Year for Queensland – Reverend Robyn & Reverend Dr Lindsay Burch (Gold Coast) – who founded Gold Coast food charity Havafeed
2024 Senior Australian of the Year for South Australia – Sister Meredith Evans (Underdale) – Sister of Mercy
2024 Senior Australian of the Year for Tasmania – Reverend James Colville AM (Bagdad) – who founded Tasmanian housing not-for-profit Colony 47.
2024 Senior Australian of the Year for Victoria – Glenys Oogjes (Heidelberg) – has been a quiet force behind historic changes in Australian animal policy. She was one of the instigators behind the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy, and the Australian Animal Welfare Standards for Poultry, under which battery cages for egg-laying hens will be phased out across the country.
2024 Senior Australian of the Year for Western Australia – Charles Bass (Applecross) – Centre of Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation founder
2024 YOUNG AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR
2024 Young Australian of the Year for Queensland – Emma McKeon AM (Gold Coast)
Emma McKeon, the country’s most successful Olympian, was named this year’s Young Australian of the Year.
The Queenslander, 29, became the first female swimmer and the second woman in history to win seven medals in a single Olympics at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
She has also broken a host of Commonwealth Games, Olympic and world records.
“Emma shows us, with grace and humility, how commitment, hard work and passion can lead to greatness,” Foreman said. “She is a true role model for all Australians, young and old, on how to pursue your dreams.”
McKeon became Australia’s most decorated Olympian before her 28th birthday, making her family of swimmers proud. Her father, uncle, brother and mother have all represented the country in the sport.
Other nominees
2024 Young Australian of the Year for the Australian Capital Territory – Caitlin Figueiredo (Canberra) – co-chair of the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition
2024 Young Australian of the Year for New South Wales – Nikhil Autar (Voyager Point) – Researcher and disability advocate
2024 Young Australian of the Year for the Northern Territory – Peter Susanto (Darwin) – medical student and community volunteer,
2024 Young Australian of the Year for South Australia – Tiahni Adamson (Adelaide) – wildlife conservation biologist
2024 Young Australian of the Year for Tasmania – Naarah (Glenorchy) – is an actor, musician and Indigenous activist. She uses social media to spark important conversations about First Nations identity, culture, and representation and advocates for a diverse entertainment industry.
2024 Young Australian of the Year for Victoria – Bhakta Bahadur Bhattarai (Wodonga) – was born and raised in a Bhutanese refugee camp in Nepal, and came to Australia with his family in 2012. While he was studying, he founded the Albury Wodonga Multicultural Community Events Inc to foster care and connections in multicultural communities.
2024 Young Australian of the Year for Western Australia – Kate Kirwin (Perth) – founder of She Codes and women in STEM advocate
2024 AUSTRALIA’S LOCAL HERO
2024 Local Hero for Queensland – David Elliott OAM (Winton)
The co-founder of the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, David Elliott has been named Australia’s Local Hero for his contributions to science, paleontology and tourism.
His chance discovery of a dinosaur fossil in outback Queensland in 1999 during a routine sheep mustering sent palaeontologists to the region to investigate.
He and his wife Judy would later co-found the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History in 2002 as a not-for-profit charity.
It has risen to become a popular tourist attraction and serves as a centre for the country’s paleontological research and discovery.
“David, an everyday Queensland pastoralist who discovered something extraordinary, has dedicated himself to sharing Australia’s dinosaur history and the importance of keeping regional Australia viable and sustainable,” Foreman said.
Other nominees
2024 Local Hero for the Australian Capital Territory – Selina Walker (Canberra) – co-chair of the ACT Reconciliation Council
2024 Local Hero for New South Wales – Angus Olsen (Katoomba) – illustrator and author who raises funds for childhood cancer research
2024 Local Hero for the Northern Territory – Witiyana Marika (Yirrkala) – musician and filmmaker he has spent his life celebrating and teaching his culture. The Rirratjingu (Yolngu) Elder is best known as one of the founding members of famous rock band, Yothu Yindi, but has also worked across other musical projects, films and cross-cultural education.
2024 Local Hero for South Australia – Rachael Zaltron OAM (Ridgehaven) – Backpacks 4 SA Kids founder
2024 Local Hero for Tasmania – Clair Harris (Blackmans Bay) – founder of Tassie Mums
2024 Local Hero for Victoria – Betul Tuna (Shepparton) – co-founded the Point Of Difference to support vulnerable and marginalised people in regional Victoria.She also co-founded the ‘Hijack’d’ mobile food van, which provides culturally-appropriate food and creates jobs for local young people.
2024 Local Hero for Western Australia – Nick Hudson (Wembley) – founded the push-up challenge to raise awareness and funds for mental health. He experienced depression after having surgery, and focused on making the challenge a public event, which has now raised over $40 million.
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