Australian of the Year

Marco is the founder of Men of Business (MOB) Academy, a senior secondary school focused on empowering at-risk-young men with the skills, knowledge and confidence to be happy, healthy and successful.

After experiencing troubles at school as a teen and later volunteering in youth justice, Marco realised there were no programs for young men who struggled to engage with life and education.

In 2011 he piloted the first MOB program and in 2020 his community raised $1 million to open the MOB Academy, which is now a federal and state-funded accredited academy with 195 thriving students and thousands of past graduates.

To learn more about the 2024 Queensland Australian of the Year, visit the Australian of the Year Awards website.

Founders of not-for-profit organisation Havafeed Relief, Robyn and Lindsay have been helping the Gold Coast community since 1994, providing assistance and relief with hot meals and food parcels.

Havafeed currently provides more than 300 meals a week to disadvantaged families, pensioners, the homeless and victims of domestic violence. Over the last 30 years, their charity has raised almost $2 million in donations and has fed more than one million people.

To learn more about the 2024 Queensland Senior Australian of the Year, visit the Australian of the Year Awards website.

Emma is the most successful Australian in Olympic history – a title she claimed before her 28th birthday.

A highly decorated swimmer, Emma has claimed numerous medals and broken Commonwealth Games, Olympic and World records. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Emma became the first female swimmer and the second woman in history to win seven medals in a single Olympics.

Queensland’s Emma McKeon AM was named the 2024 Young Australian of the Year, recognising her success as Australia’s most decorated Olympian along with advocating for disadvantaged children and youth through her ambassador role with UNICEF Australia.

To learn more about the 2024 Young Australian of the Year, visit the Australian of the Year Awards website.

David’s chance discovery of a dinosaur fossil during routine sheep mustering in 1999 led to the revival of Australia’s palaeontology field – and the creation of a palaeo-tourism industry that put outback Queensland on the map.

In 2002, David and his wife Judy founded the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History which now houses Australia’s most significant collection of fossils from the country’s largest dinosaurs.

Queensland’s David Elliott OAM was named 2024 Local Hero for his dedication to preserving Australia’s Natural History through the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum and creating outback tourism opportunities for rural Queensland.

To learn more about the 2024 Local Hero, visit the Australian of the Year Awards website.