2026 AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS
NOMINATE HERE
Nominations for 2026 will close on 31 July 2025.
The Australian of the Year Awards honours incredible Australians who have gone the extra mile to create a better country for us all. We all know someone that goes above and beyond in contributing to a greater community – the quiet achievers, the community heroes, the leaders and the doers.
Since its inception in 1960, the Australian of the Year Awards has provided a focal point for Australia Day celebrations and a forum for the recognition of outstanding achievement.
Each year our nation celebrates the contributions of eminent Australians through the Australian of the Year Awards by profiling leading citizens who are role models for us all. They inspire us through their achievements and challenge us to make our own contribution to creating a better Australia.
The Awards honour an extraordinary group of Australians who ignite discussion and change on issues of national importance.
The Australian of the Year Awards provide everyone with the opportunity to recognise any Australian who makes them proud.
Discover our amazing recipient from 2025, 2024 and 2023.
2025 SA Australian of the Year Recipients
Professor Leah Bromfield is the director and chair of child protection at the Australia centre for Child Protection, and has devoted her life to establishing practical, evidence-based solutions to child abuse and neglect – important but challenging work. Over two decades, Leah has risen to become one of the most trusted researchers in the field. Her calls for transformation and radical redesign have led to world-first insights and contributed to significant changes in our understanding of, and responses to, child abuse and neglect. She’s leading the development of a new child protection vision for South Australia, exploring unconventional approaches and interrogating assumptions to break the cycle of abuse.
Charles Jackson OAM’s passion has been working with Indigenous Australians for more than 50 years. The youngest of fourteen children, Charles didn’t go through mainstream schooling. Charles was the first Aboriginal in Australia to become a JP in 1978. Today, Charles is a knowledge holder for Flinders Ranges Nation and working towards Wilpena Pound becoming a world heritage site. Charle’ has a new business, Urndu – helping Aboriginal communities providing training, support and resources for people with disabilities or age-related impairments. Through his role as an advocate for the Aboriginal and wider community, he hopes to create a brighter future for all.
In a world where young people often have laws made for and about them, Amber is ensuring youth voices are heard. At 17 Amber founded the South Australian Youth Forum in 2021, empowering those aged 14 to 18 to discuss critical issues such as climate change, period poverty, gender equality and youth loneliness. The forum was represented at the United Nations Summit of the Future, the National Inquiry into Civics Education and the Australian Conference of Youth Health. The initiative won the Connecting Communities Award at the Young Achiever of the Year Gala in 2024, while Amber herself received the Governor of South Australia’s Commendation for Excellence.
Over 20 years, Sobia Hashmi and husband Irfan have transformed healthcare in remote and rural communities in South Australia. They’ve established six pharmacies in areas where there were previously none. Sobia and Irfan employ staff who collectively speak 21 languages, allowing them to reach vulnerable populations and provide culturally sensitive healthcare. They mentor intern pharmacists from overseas to assist them to enter the workforce in Regional Australia. Their free weekly webinar has assisted 4,00 overseas pharmacists in passing their exams in the last 12 months. Their pharmacy group has won awards for their commitment to improving health literacy and access to healthcare services, including an SA Multicultural Governor’s Award in 2022.
2025 Nominees Acknowledgement:
Nominees 2025 SA Australian of the Year
Dr Sarah Cannard, Aerospace engineer
Commissioner Grantley Stevens, Commissioner, South Australian Police
Dr Hannah Wardill, Cancer researcher
Nominees 2025 SA Senior Australian of the Year
Anne Burgess AM, Anti-ageism advocate
Dr Devinder Grewal, GP and medical services provider
Keith Preston, Arts and events manager
Nominees 2025 SA Young Australian of the Year
Denzel James, Environmental advocate
Andriana Petrakis, International tennis champion, coach and autism advocate
Kushi Venkatesh, Comedian, reporter and content creator
Nominees 2025 South Australia’s Local Hero
Shane Hryhorec, Disability advocate
Lisa O’Malley, Foster carer and co-founder
Dinah Thomasset, Founder, Villagehood Australia
2024 SA Australian of the Year Recipients
Tim Jarvis AM is an environmental scientist, author, filmmaker, and philanthropist. He works on practical solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss. In South Australia, he leads the Forktree Project to restore farmland and prevent rare native plants from going extinct. He holds leadership roles at Fauna & Flora WWF-Australia, Koala Life, and the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife.
Meredith Evans, a Sister of Mercy, provides compassionate care to refugees, young people, and women facing homelessness or violence. She founded Young Mercy Links in South Australia and advocates for social justice. Meredith was crucial in reviving important movements like Justice for Refugees SA and the Young Christian Workers Movement. She also co-founded a support group for refugees in Adelaide and supports the Jesuit Refugee Service in Cambodia.
Tiahni Adamson is an Aboriginal woman passionate about sustainability. She leads community engagement at CH4Global, integrating Indigenous knowledge into climate change solutions. Tiahni has worked with CSIRO and trained under Al Gore as a Climate Reality Leader. She’s a national leader at Seed, a youth climate justice group, and contributes to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Tiahni is one of Science and Technology Australia’s Superstars of STEM and a 2023 InDaily South Australian 40 Under 40 honoree.
Rachael Zaltron OAM founded Backpacks 4 SA Kids in 2013. Today, the organisation provides emergency kits, clothing, and essentials to children aged 0-16 facing crises like family violence or homelessness. They also support families restarting after domestic violence and aid young people aged 12-25 experiencing homelessness. Over 86,000 South Australian children have been assisted since 2012.
2024 Nominees Acknowledgement:
Nominees 2024 SA Australian of the Year
Stella Braund, Mental health advocate, 2024 SA Australian of the Year Nominee
Nominees 2024 SA Senior Australian of the Year
Professor Frances Baum AO, Health equity advocate, 2024 SA Senior Australian of the Year Nominee
Glyn Scott, Founder, Love Hope & Gratitude Foundation, 2024 SA Senior Australian of the Year Nominee
Nominees 2024 SA Young Australian of the Year
Qasem Bahmanzadah, Ambassador, mentor and volunteer, 2024 SA Young Australian of the Year Nominee
Kylan Beech, Fundraiser, Cancer Council, 2024 SA Young Australian of the Year Nominee
Nominees 2024 South Australia’s Local Hero
Chris McDermott, Founder, Little Heroes Foundation, 2024 SA LOCAL HERO NOMINEE
Jack Nixon, Volunteer, state emergency services 2024 SA Local Hero Nominee
Pauly Vandenbergh, Co-founder, Tjindu Foundation 2024 SA Local Hero Nominee
2023 SA Australian of the Year Recipients
SA State Recipient Australian of the Year 2023
Taryn Brumfitt – Body image activist, director, writer and speaker
Documentary director Taryn Brumfitt leads the Body Image Movement, an Adelaide-based organisation that teaches people to love and appreciate their bodies. Her 2016 documentary Embrace tackled the serious issue of women’s body loathing and Taryn’s path to body acceptance. It was seen by millions of people in 190 countries and is available on Netflix. Taryn has written four best-selling books. She released a documentary, Embrace Kids, in September 2022 that aims to teach nine- to 14-year-olds to move, nourish, respect and appreciate what their bodies can do.
She has collaborated with body image expert Dr Zali Yager to create an Embrace Kids companion parenting book. They have also created the Embrace Hub – a free, research-based resource for teachers, parents, children and communities on fostering body positivity. Taryn’s work has reached more than 200 million people. She is an internationally recognised keynote speaker whose work is recognised by UN Women.
SA State Recipient Senior Australian of the Year 2023
Sandra Miller – Aboriginal rights activist, advocate for Indigenous health and welfare
Sandra Miller, a proud Wirangu woman from the Ceduna area, has been a trailblazer, breaking down barriers for Aboriginal women aspiring to leadership roles at a time when they were under-represented.
Sandra trained as a social worker and in the early 1980s worked for the Department of Community Welfare in Adelaide. She pushed to change government policies that were detrimental to Aboriginal children and encouraged Aboriginal people to become foster parents. She went on to play an important part in policy development and service design across key state government portfolios, including Aboriginal health, ageing and welfare. Sandra continues to be a strong voice for her community since leaving the public service. She’s had leadership roles in Aboriginal health and legal rights groups, and holds multiple board and executive appointments. She has represented her community in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance and at the United Nations.
SA State Recipient Young Australian of the Year 2023
Awer Mabil – Professional soccer player and co-founder of Barefoot to Boots
Socceroo Awer Mabil is co-founder of the not-for-profit organisation Barefoot to Boots, which aims for better health, education, policies and gender equality for refugees. His own unique way of celebrating a goal is a message to those struggling with their mental health: you are not alone and you can speak up.
The winger knows something about trying times. Awer grew up in a Kenyan refugee camp after his family fled civil war in Sudan, before coming to Australia at 10. Only a year after reaching his dream to play for the Socceroos, his sister died in a car accident in 2019.
Awer says that he now feels ‘unbreakable’. It is his experience of hard times, the memory of his sister and the knowledge that young people see him as a role model that drives him to perform. It’s what he does that Awer wants to be known for – not his background.
SA State Recipient Local Hero 2023
Christine Robertson – Co-founder of Lost Pets of South Australia and creator of the Chipblitz program
More than 65,000 pets across Australia have received a microchip thanks to Christine Robertson, but that wasn’t what she initially set out to achieve. Christine co-founded the Lost Pets of South Australia charity in 2013 to reunite lost pets with their families. The volunteer organisation uses social media and its connections with the RSPCA and other animal welfare groups to get lost animals back home.
However, it soon became apparent that many pets were being lost because their owners couldn’t afford to get them microchipped. Microchip fees generally start at about $65. So Christine developed the Chipblitz program in 2015, allowing trained implanters to microchip a pet for just $10. Chipblitz is now the biggest pet microchipping program in the Southern Hemisphere. It has a partnership with national pet goods store PETstock and 1,400-plus volunteers. More than 44,000 pets have been chipped in South Australia alone since the program began.
Honourable note to all the Finalists
2023 Australian of the Year (SA) Finalists:
Professor Christopher Daniels PHD DSC FAICD – Environmentalist, zoologist and science communicator
Andrea Madeley – Lawyer and workplace safety advocate
Marie Elizabeth Shaw QC – Philanthropist and co-founder, Ice Factor program
2023 Senior Australian of the Year (SA) Finalists:
Margaret Fischer AM – Co-founder of Feast Adelaide Queer Arts & Cultural Festival
Eric Lewis Siggurs – Volunteer, Technology for Ageing and Disability SA
Eugenia Tsoulis OAM – CEO at Australian Migrant Resource Centre; founding member of Settlement Council Australia
Josh Cavallo – Professional soccer player and equality champion
Felicity Graham – Author, advocate and CEO at Fostering Change Australia
Zainab Kazemi – Multicultural advocate and volunteer
Marigold White – Co-founder of Uniity.
