2024 Australian of the Year Awards lunch address
This is a special place. Great art resides here. Great Australians are celebrated here. The works of a former Australian of the Year hang here: Arthur Boyd. And the spirit of another lives on here: Betty Churcher. ‘Blockbuster Betty’ as she was known.
Betty Churcher
Betty was an accomplished painter and teacher who, in 1990, became the first and, to date, only female director of this gallery. Betty changed the way Australians experienced art. She made it accessible to everyone. And she oversaw an era of creative transformation, during which the gallery hosted 12 hugely successful international exhibitions.
Betty said of her time here:
I throw every ounce of me into what I’m doing. It is all or nothing. I can’t describe it – I get so taken up with it.
Australians of the Year tend to think that way: All in. All your time. All your energy. All your passion. All of yourselves.
2023 Australia of the Year
Our 2023 Australian of the Year, Taryn Brumfitt, knows what ‘all’ feels like at its outermost edge. She knows giving your all is rarely easy.
Sometimes, it’s terrifying. Revealing one’s full self to the camera. Acknowledging inner struggles and insecurities.
‘All’ is never comfortable, but it is does change things. We listen to people who bring all of themselves to a conversation. We get on board with people who bring all they have to a challenge. Someone raw, honest and real — like Taryn.
And for the last 12 months, Australians have been responding to Taryn’s message about body positivity. Women and girls. Men and boys, too. Parents, educators, GPs, MPs. The National Press Club. Taryn’s been talking to us all.
She has brought her Embrace Kids program to schools. Her documentaries and books continue to help millions around the world make peace with their body. And at home for my family, Taryn has made us more grateful for what our bodies help us achieve. Each night when Jess and I sit down with the kids we talk through “what was your high and low” of our day.
This year we added an extra question:
What are you grateful your body helped you do today?
It is great to see our six year old and three year old talking about how much their bodies can do. So if I can say today, thank you Taryn for the benefits your message has brought to my family.
2023 award recipients
Along with Taryn, who will speak shortly, we also celebrate the end of a very big year for Professor Tom Calma, Awer Mabil and Amar Singh.
Tom, our Senior Australian of the Year — a Kungarakan Elder and 45-year champion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. His ‘all’ was the catalyst for the Close the Gap campaign.
Awer, our Young Australian of the Year. His ‘all’ goes beyond his fancy footwork as a Socceroo. His harrowing experiences as a child refugee have driven him to help other young people in the same situation.
And Amar, our Local Hero. The founder of Turbans 4 Australia. Amar’s ‘all’ looks like 450 food hampers a week. Hundreds of hay bales to struggling farmers. Emergency supplies to families impacted by floods and fire.
Tom, Awer, Amar and Taryn — thank you. We applaud you for throwing every ounce of you into what you do.
Closing remarks
The same goes for this year’s nominees. No matter the outcome of tonight’s announcement, you are now part of our nation’s story. Tonight even more Australians will hear your message.
You are honoured in special places like this one. A place that emanates aspiration and inspiration. Talent, discipline, creative expression and social responsibility. When you walk through the gallery, you can feel the magic Betty Churcher so believed in.
Great artworks — just like great Australians — never lose their impact. They continue to touch us, move us and shape us. And inspire us in a multitude of ways. Thank you.