There are many thousands of important living Australians so restricting a
list to just 100 is a difficult task and one for which there are no right
answers. Anyone who even comes into consideration for such a list has
achieved far more than the average person. We offer our list as a discussion
point and a starting point for you to go away and compile your own.
When White Hat set out to compile a list of 100 Important Living
Australians we already had a starting point with our list of
200 Significant Australians
(both living and dead). About 80 of those were still living so we
completed the list with another 20 (the additions are preceded by an * in
the list below). In general we used the
same
criteria for choosing our list of 200 Significant Australians. As with
our 200 Significant Australians we weren't concerned with looking for famous
Australians - there are many important Australians who aren't famous and
plenty of famous Australians who aren't important.
In 1997 the National Trust held a competition to choose 100 Living
National Treasures (see details
here). The list was chosen by popular vote. Unfortunately, National
Treasures die, and the list was topped up by popular vote in 2007 and 2013.
Also unfortunately, not all National Treasures live up to the national
perception of them, so there are a few on the list who people might now
regret voting for. The National Trust list was based on a popular vote and
sometimes the majority doesn't always make the wisest choice. Still, that's
what democracy is about.
We thought it would form a useful contrast to include the National Trust
list with the White Hat list. As we have stated above, there are no 'right'
answers - only differing opinions. We don't claim our opinions to be any
wiser than the crowdsourced ones of the National Trust but simply put them
out there for your consideration.
The National Trust's
100 National Living
Treasures
|
White Hat's
100 Important Living Australians
|
Pioneers & explorers - National Trust
(none)
|
Pioneers & explorers - White Hat
|
Inventors & engineers - National Trust
[none]
|
Inventors & engineers - White Hat
- *Andy Thomas (engineer, astronaut)
|
Science & medicine - National Trust
- Professor Peter Doherty AC
- physicist, Nobel Prize winner
- Dr Catherine Hamlin - physician
- Dr Basil Hetzel AC - medical researcher, public
health advocate
- Sir Gustav Nossal AC CBE -
scientist
- Professor Fiona Stanley -
Physician
- Dr John Yu AC - medical doctor
- Dr Harry Butler - naturalist, conservationist
- Professor Ian Frazer - immunologist
|
Science & medicine - White Hat
|
Mathematics - National Trust
[none]
|
Mathematics - White Hat
- Dr Terence Tao (mathematician)
who is recognised as a mathematical genius and in 2006 received
the Fields Medal (the mathematical equivalent of the Nobel
Prize).
- Akshay Venkatesh
(mathematician) who in 2018 received the Fields
Medal in recognition for his groundbreaking work.
- Geordie Williamson
(mathematician)
|
Legal - National Trust
- Julian Burnside � Queen's Counsel, refugee rights
advocate, author
- His Excellency the Hon Sir William Deane AC KBE -
former High Court judge and Governor General of Australia
- The Hon Justice Marcus Einfeld AO QC - lawyer,
social activist
- The Hon Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG - lawyer, judge,
social commentator
|
Legal - White Hat
|
Business & philanthropy - National Trust
- Dick Smith AO -
businessman, social commentator
- Gabi Hollows - social activist, philanthropist
- Janet Holmes a Court AO - business leader,
philanthropist
- Clive Palmer** - businessman
|
Business & philanthropy - White Hat
-
*Janet Holmes a Court (businesswoman,
philanthropist)
-
*Frank Lowy (businessman) whose company
is the world's most successful public mall owner.
-
*Alan Moss (banker) who has been a
pioneer and world leader of private infrastructure development
-
Rupert Murdoch
(businessman) and one of the most influential people in the
world.
-
Dick Smith
(businessman, adventurer, philanthropist)
|
Economists - National Trust
[none]
|
Economists - White Hat
|
Politicians - National Trust
- Senator Dr Bob Brown - politician, Greens activist
- The Hon John Howard - politician, Prime Minister of
Australia
- The Hon Barry Jones AO - politician
- Peter Garrett AM MP - politician, singer, social
activist
- Jennie George - ACTU trade union leader
- John Hatton AO
- The Hon Paul Keating - former Prime Minister of
Australia
- Cheryl Kernot - politician
- The Hon Tom Uren AO - politician
|
Politicians - White Hat
|
Social activists - National Trust
- Dr Faith Bandler AM, academic, activist and advocate
for Indigenous Australians and South Sea Islander people
- Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC
- Dr Michael James 'Mick' Dodson AM - Indigenous Australian
leader
- Pat Dodson - Indigenous
Australian activist/leader
- Ted Egan - musician, activist, administrator
- Mr Walter Mikac
- Dr Jack Mundey AO - trade
union leader
- Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue AC
CBE AM - Indigenous Australian leader
- Dr Pat O'Shane AM - Magistrate, Indigenous Australian
leader
- Mary Paton
- Noel Pearson - Indigenous Australian leader
- Mavis Taylor
- Margaret Whitlam AO - social activist, wife of Gough
Whitlam
- Galarrwuy Yunupingu AM - Indigenous Australian leader
|
Other social achievers - White Hat
-
*Dame Beryl Beaurepaire
-
David Bussau
(businessman, social achiever) who has arguably helped more
people out of poverty around the world than any other
Australian.
-
Pat Dodson
(Aboriginal advocate)
-
John Embling
(community worker)
-
Jack Mundey
(unionist, environmentalist) whose activities saved many
heritage buildings in Sydney.
-
Lowitja ('Lois')
O'Donoghue (Aboriginal achiever)
-
Mary Paton
-
Noel Pearson (Aboriginal leader)
|
Philosophy - National Trust
[none]
|
Philosophy - White Hat
|
Historians - National Trust
- Professor Geoffrey Blainey
AO - historian
- Professor Henry A. Reynolds - historian
|
Historians - White Hat
|
Art - National Trust
- [Dr Margaret Olley AO - died 2011]
|
Art - White Hat
|
Literary - National Trust
|
Literary - White Hat
-
Geoffrey Atherden (scriptwriter) telling stories of
Australians in our own time to Australians in our own time with
wit and intelligence.
-
Peter Carey (author)
-
John M, Coetzee (author, Nobel Prize
winner) - now an Australian citizen
-
Germaine Greer (feminist, writer) whose writings and
lectures have a world audience.
-
Kevin Hart (poet, philosopher)
-
-
Tom Keneally (writer)
-
David Malouf (writer)
-
Les Murray (poet) regarded as one of the finest living
poets writing in English.
-
Peter Porter (poet)
-
David Williamson (playwright)
|
Academic - National Trust
- Professor Dame Leonie Kramer AC DBE - academic,
businesswoman
|
Academic - White Hat
- Professor Dame Leonie Kramer AC DBE - academic,
businesswoman
|
Media & journalism - National Trust
- Phillip Adams (journalist)
- Margaret Fulton OAM - writer, food expert
- Caroline Jones AO - television personality, social
commentator
- Dr Karl Kruszelnicki - media presenter
-
Michael Leunig - cartoonist, social commentator
- Robyn Williams AM - broadcaster
|
Media & Journalism - White Hat
-
Ita Buttrose (journalist, publisher)
-
Pat Oliphant (cartoonist) - as the most franchised
political cartoonist in America has has had a significant effect
on social political thinking in that country
-
Bruce Petty (cartoonist)
|
Dance - National Trust
|
Dance - White Hat
-
Graeme Murphy (dancer, choreographer)
|
Theatre & film - National Trust
- John Bell AM OBE
- Russell Crowe - actor
- Judy Davis - actress
-
Barry Humphries AO - entertainer
- Garry McDonald AO - actor
- Nicole Kidman AC - actress
- Olivia Newton-John - actor
|
Theatre & film - White Hat
|
Music & opera - National Trust
|
Music & opera - White Hat
|
Architecture - National Trust
[none]
|
Architecture - White Hat
|
Sport - National Trust
- Ken Rosewall - tennis player
- Gai Waterhouse - horse trainer
- John Newcombe AO OBE - tennis player, television
commentator
- Greg Norman AM - golf player, businessman
- Raelene Boyle MBE - Olympic runner, media
- Betty Cuthbert AM MBE - Olympic runner
-
Herb Elliott AC MBE - Olympic runner
-
Dawn Fraser AO MBE - Olympic swimmer
-
Cathy Freeman OAM - Indigenous Australian sportsperson,
Olympic runner
- Evonne Goolagong Cawley AO MBE - Indigenous
Australian tennis player
- Shane Gould MBE - Olympic swimmer
- John Landy, AC, MBE - former Governor of Victoria, olympic
athlete
-
Rod Laver - tennis player, businessman
- Kieren Perkins OAM - Olympic swimmer, television
commentator
- Pat Rafter - tennis player
- Steve Waugh - cricketer
|
Sport - White Hat
|
Religious - National Trust
- The Rev Father Frank Brennan AO - social commentator
- The Rev Tim Costello - social activist / commentator
- The Rev Bill Crews AM - social activist
- The Most Rev Peter Hollingworth AO OBE - former
Governor General of Australia
|
Religious - White Hat
- *The Rev Father Frank Brennan AO - social commentator
|
Popular & light entertainment - National Trust
- Ernie Dingo AM - Indigenous Australian television
personality
-
John Farnham AO - entertainer
-
Rolf Harris AM OBE - entertainer
- Jimmy Little OAM - Indigenous Australian singer
-
Kylie Minogue (singer, actress)
- Anthony Warlow - singer
|
Popular & light entertainment - White Hat
|
The following persons were on the original National Trust or White Hat lists but are
since deceased: