Indigenous scientist Dr Katrina Ruck awarded Young Australian of the Year, and charity co-founder Brother Olly Pickett named Senior Australian of the Year. Neale Daniher has been named as the 2025 Australian of the Year at the annual awards ceremony in Canberra.
![[2025 Young Australian of the Year Dr Katrina Wruck]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/0733912cdc3b8b31e9a7a775b93864748da9b7ee/0_140_4833_2900/master/4833.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The former AFL player and coach has advocated for a cure for motor neurone disease (MND) since his diagnosis more than a decade ago. He co-founded of FightMND, a charity that has raised and invested over $115 million into medical research . Indigenous scientist Dr Katrina Ruck was named as the 2025 Young Australian of the Year winner. The Mabuigilaig and Goemulgal woman’s pioneering work in the field of green chemistry has led to the creation of the world’s first reusable laundry system.
![[2025 Senior Australian of the Year Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett AM]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f86b486c6d0432d50422e0b67d176bf9680ba88e/0_152_4574_2744/master/4574.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“Representation matters,” Ruck said in her acceptance speech, acknowledging her immigrant and Torres Strait Islander heritage “as both integral parts of my identity”. “Here, in precolonial Australia, we had country, known by 250 unique, self-determining nations. These societies were guided by chosen, initiated elders – custodians of deep knowledge passed through thousands of generations. That knowledge and sovereignty were disrupted by the forces of colonisation. Today, we still exist under the structures of the British empire.
