SBS NEWS
Australia Day Honours list recipients for 2023
25 January 2023
By Aleisha Orr
Researchers, a '90s NBL player, a celebrity chef, a concert promoter and a songwriter-musician who was able to bridge divides have been recognised in the Australia Day 2023 Honours List.
The late Archie Roach has been awarded the Order of Australia.
The Gunditjmara Bundjalung musician, whose songs brought attention to some of the experiences of First Nations Australians, is one of the 1,047 Australians on the 2023 list.
They have been recognised across three categories: awards in the Order of Australia (General and Military divisions), meritorious awards and recognition for distinguished and conspicuous service in the Australian Defence Force.
Roach was posthumously awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), along with five other Australians.
He was recognised not only as a talented musician and songwriter, but for his commitment to the process of reconciliation and support for emerging Indigenous artists.
Here are some of the key recipients:
Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)
Roach, who died aged 66 in July last year after a battle with illness, was acknowledged for eminent service to the performing arts as a songwriter and musician and to Indigenous rights and reconciliation.
His son Amos Roach told SBS News he'd always been in awe of what his father had been able to achieve and he and his siblings were excited their dad was being recognised.
"He just had a balanced way of making people aware of what was happening and he could articulate some things about this country through his own story," Mr Roach said.
The Archie Roach Foundation, which launched in 2014, provides support to First Nations artists, giving them opportunities to be the best they can be.
"The foundation was sort of an extension of his cultural roles, responsibilities and obligations, which he was always passionate about," Amos Roach said.
"I remember dad saying that he believes in the future of this country," he said.
"And I believe he helped shape to a bit of that."
Also inducted into the order the Companion of the Order of Australia this year was the Governor of Western Australia and former WA police commissioner, Chris Dawson.
The former State Emergency Coordinator also previously had the title of WA Vaccine Commander and oversaw the state’s response to the pandemic.
Outgoing Chief Justice of the Federal Court James Allsop, former Queensland Senator Margaret Reynolds, atomic spectroscopy specialist Professor Peter Hannaford and medical researcher Professor Melissa Little completed this year's group of six recipients who can also now add the post-nominal letters (AC) to the end of their name.
Professor Little is part of a team who used stem cells to grow kidney tissue.
Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)
Among the 47 people honoured as an Officer of the Order of Australia this year was concert promoter Paul Dainty, the organiser of Fire Fight Australia, the relief concert put on in aid of those affected by the Black Summer bushfires.
The 2020 event raised about $10 million dollars to help fire-ravaged communities recover.
Former Telstra CEO Andy Penn, who left the role at the end of 2022, was also recognised with an AO for distinguished service to business, to charitable organisations, to youth, and to the arts.
Member of the Order of Australia (AM)
Television chef and restaurateur Kylie Kwong’s significant service to the hospitality industry and to the community put her on this year’s honours list.
Well-known for her Chinese-inspired recipes, Ms Kwong, is an advocate of sustainability in cooking. She operates an eatery named for her son Lucky, who died in utero.
“My eatery aims to be a ‘Force for Good’ in honour of Lucky’s magical spirit,” she said.
“Community, collaboration and connecting with people through food is what motivates me. When we lean into community, the focus on ‘I’ and ‘me’ shifts to ‘us’ and ‘we’. Within this space, we experience the very best of humanity.”
Some 177 Australians were awarded the AM this year.
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
One of the first Indigenous players in Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL), Timothy Duggan has been awarded the Order of Australia for his service to sports and youth.
He was one of 506 people to receive the OAM.
Duggan, who is based in Darwin, founded youth program Hoops 4 Health 20 years ago.
The Northern Territory's first NBL player, Duggan said the program uses basketball as a "vehicle" but that the program was "about more than just basketball."
It works to build confidence in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people and encourage them to focus on their health and wellbeing.
“Even though I played basketball at the top level in this country, I consider founding and sustaining Hoops 4 Health my biggest achievement,” he said.
Diversity of recipients
Diversity advocates have expressed concern the Australia Day Honours list has historically not represented Australia's multicultural make-up well.
The percentage of female recipients grew slightly in 2023, up two percent on the previous year to 48 per cent. It's the highest percentage of female Order of Australia recipients since the introduction of the Australian honours system in 1975.
While details about the number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) recipients was not provided with the list, the Governor-General's office has said it is prioritising ensuring the Order reflects the diversity of the community.
"Work is underway to increase nominations for outstanding individuals from parts of our community that have been historically underrepresented, including women, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples," it said.
As well as the main honours, 30 people were honoured in the Military Division of the Order of Australia, and 217 Meritorious awards and 64 Distinguished and Conspicuous awards were announced for 2023.
This honours list also included 77 Australians recognised for their contribution in support of Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.