An operatic voice of inclusion, an emergency doctor, a teenage journalist, founders of a theatre for children on the autism spectrum, a refugee fostering inclusion and a football hero fighting for those with MND are just some of the nominees for the 2025 Australian of the Year Awards for Victoria.
The 2025 award nominees are:
2025 Australian of the Year for Victoria
Madeleine Buchner OAM – Young carer champion (Caufield South)
Professor Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO – Soprano, composer and arts pioneer
Neale Daniher AO – Former Australian rules footballer and co-founder, FightMND (Canterbury)
Wayne Holdsworth – Activist against sexual extortion and suicide (Ormond)
2025 Senior Australian of the Year for Victoria
Dr Peter Brukner OAM – Sports medicine leader and health campaigner (Malvern)
Dr Sandra Close AM – Mining and finance pioneer and trailblazer, equality advocate (Kew)
Dr Carolyn Cooper – Emergency physician (Doncaster)
Heam Elasmar – Community volunteer (Northcote)
2025 Young Australian of the Year for Victoria
Dr Mohammed Alebrahimi – Optometrist (Roxburgh Park)
Aishwarya Kansakar – AI and automation entrepreneur (Southbank)
Yusuf Liban – Community leader and founder, Modest Fashion Runway (Heidelberg)
Leonardo Puglisi – Founder, 6 News Australia (Hawthorn)
2025 Local Hero for Victoria
Dr Jennifer and Drew Heriot – Founders, Full Spectrum Theatre (Macedon Ranges)
Jasmine Hirst – Football advocate for women (Preston)
Dr Jana Katerinskaja – Advocate for preventing police perpetrated family violence (Melbourne)
Steve Lefebvre – Founder, Melbourne All Abilities Cricket Association (Bentleigh East)
*see detailed bios on following pages
The nominees for Victoria are among 137 people being recognised across all states and territories.
The award recipients for Victoria will be announced on the evening of Friday 8 November 2024 in a ceremony at the Victorian Arts Centre, which will also be available to watch online at australianoftheyear.org.au.
They will then join the other state and territory recipients as national finalists for the national awards announcement on 25 January 2025 in Canberra.
National Australia Day Council CEO, Mark Fraser AO CVO congratulated the nominees for Victoria.
“The Victorian nominees for 2025 are an extraordinary group of everyday Australians making an impact,” said Mr Fraser.
“They are changing perceptions, fostering inclusion, breaking through barriers, educating for awareness, turning tragedy into prevention and more.”
