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TRANSCRIPT
The Australian of the Year winners have been announced at the National Arboretum in Canberra.
There were 33 finalists across four categories, including Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Local Hero.
Astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg has been honoured with the overall Australian of the Year award.
"It's 'pinch me' stuff to be in this position, and I hope by being here and showing what's possible, I can unlock that path for more to follow in the future. When I grew up, I was mesmerized by the stars above me, but they felt very far away. I was inspired by Australians that had been to space before."
The 41-year-old has made history as the first Australian to qualify as an astronaut under Australia's space program, as well as advancing multiple space missions and technologies as a space engineer.
She graduated from Basic Astronaut Training in 2024 as part of a class of six, after being selected from a field of over 22,500 applicants to the European Astronaut Centre in Germany.
“Yeah, becoming an astronaut for me is a childhood dream come true, but it's still just the beginning. I've not been to space yet. I'm working to remain ready in case that opportunity should arise. But yeah, seven out of 10 Australian kids under 12 want to go to space.”
Ms Bennell-Pegg has been recognised as a trailblazer whose contribution to Australia's space program - which includes regular presentations to school children - has helped advance the country's emerging space industry.
She says space is not about escaping the Earth, but helping to see it more clearly.
“Space is a high point in the sky from which we can see bushfires and floods and phenomena across our country. It's how we look after our first responders by connecting them in remote regions. It's how we guide our farmers' farming equipment, how we ensure our national security, and how we unlock discoveries that can only be unlocked in space.”
Closer to home, Professor Henry Brodaty has been recognised as Senior Australian of the Year for his work on dementia - a passion sparked by his father’s experience of Alzheimer's disease.
The 78-year-old psychiatrist helped set up advocacy and support group Dementia Australia, as part of a lifetime of contributions to clinical work, research, and prevention efforts.
Since co-founding the UNSW Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, Professor Brodaty has helped build the research institute up to 60 staff.
“All focusing on those different aspects - looking at the genetics, looking at the changes in the proteins in the blood, looking at brain imaging looking at the social determinants of health. And we are also involved in helping people manage the behavioural changes that occur in dementia.”
Australia’s Local Hero for 2026 is Indigenous construction leader, Frank Mitchell, whose four companies collectively employ over 200 people, with a focus on integrating cultural values and business leadership.
The proud Whadjuk-Yued Noongar man is the co-director of Wilco Electrical, and the co-founder and director of Kardan, Baldja and Bilyaa in the trades and construction industry.
“They each individually offer opportunities for mob to get into the construction and electrical industry. I'm really proud to recognize that the impact that we've had with myself and my teams is that we have achieved 70 Aboriginal upskilling positions over the last 10 years. We've also awarded over $11 million to Aboriginal subcontractors - ones in which we have seen grow from, in some cases, one person contracting through to now having their own teams and their own Aboriginal upskilling programs.”
Mr Mitchell says his commitment to supporting First Nations communities was shaped by his early experiences growing up in a small country town.
“Having lost two friends to drugs and suicide in my teenage years, I was in a bit of a death spiral when I was in my early 20s, and two things happened over the course of the next five years that really I can look back on and attest to my life's outcomes turning around. One was the unplanned birth of my son at age 21 it really shook me to my core about recognising that I had to provide for this beautiful boy. I came across an opportunity to do an electrical apprenticeship. I really wasn't feeling confident that I could achieve an electrical apprenticeship trade, but this one man believed in me, that was my uncle, and this has really instilled in me today in wanting to pay that forward.”
Also inspiring people is Nedd Brockmann - who has been named as the 2026 Young Australian of the Year.
He began advocating and raising funds for people experiencing homelessness in his early 20s.
“I think I just took action. I think it was it was a matter of well, we can always sit back and play out the best scenario of how we're going to make this work, but I think the worst thing you can do is the inaction around these issues.”
Now 27, Mr Brockmann has raised millions of dollars - much of it through his own unique method of ultra-marathon running.
The electrician from Forbes ran almost 4,000 kilometres from Perth's Cottesloe Beach to Bondi in Sydney over 46 days.
Since then, he's also set up Nedd's Uncomfortable Challenge, inspiring others to follow his lead.
The four Australian of the Year award winners were part of a group of 33 finalists - each with unique and extraordinary stories.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the winners represent the best of Australia.
