Australian of the Year Geoffrey Rush urged local writers to tell the stories of asylum seekers who try to make the perilous journey to Australia by boat.
The multi-award winning actor was yesterday named Australian of the Year at a ceremony outside Parliament House in Canberra in front of a 10,000-strong crowd, including Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
Mr Rush, 60, said there was a role for the arts to provide perspective on issues such as climate change and gay marriage.
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But he also singled out immigration and the journeys of asylum seekers by boat to Australia.
"I put a call out to the writers of Australia, we've had a bumper year in television drama, people are starting to watch it in great numbers," he told reporters after the ceremony.
"I would love a writer to write a fabulous great miniseries."
NEW PERSPECTIVE
Mr Rush said the asylum seeker issue was plastered daily across the newspapers, but the key question had not been answered.
"We hear the how and the what, and sense the political football around the issue, but I don't find anything that tells me about the why," he said.
"I'm in the profession that feels with empathy and compassion and intuition.
"I want to see the stories of why these people are coming here at great peril to their lives with such extraordinary bravery and we're not finding that finding that human scale in their stories."
INDIGENOUS ARTS
Mr Rush also marvelled at the rise of local modern arts scene while paying tribute to the heritage laid down by Indigenous Australians.
Rush said he was proud to be an Australian, noting that his 40-year career had happily coincided with an expansion in the Australian arts scene.
"We are the plucky country," he said.
"We told that at any given moment we are no further than a few metres away from spider - this statistic is now also true for the arts."
While there was more work to be done, Rush said it was easy to be an arts lover in Australia.
"I know that hard-wired into every Australian from every background we love acting the goat, taking the mickey, cracking a joke, spinning a yarn," he said.
"We live on an island that boasts the oldest nation on earth.
"There is an inspiration right there, where performance rituals are at the heart of its being - our Dreaming."
The award recognises Rush's achievements in a lifetime career on the stage and screen as well as his long-term commitment to the Australian arts, including mentoring young artists.
Rush already has a swag of accolades to his name, including the esteemed "Triple Crown of Acting" - an Academy Award, a Tony and an Emmy.
Australian of the Year awards:
