Few artists recognised in 2018 Australia Day Honours List

The Australia Day Honours List offers an opportunity for reflection on how well we acknowledge and value culture's contribution to our nation.

Medal of the Order of Australia

While 26 January is a day of recognising the commitment that many have given to the arts, culture and philanthropy across the sector, this year’s Australia Day Honours List shows that our industry is not so great at recognising its achievements.

Across all categories (excluding OAMs), 272 honours were awarded this year, mostly in the area of medicine. Among those honours, just 20 were from the arts and culture sector, or 7%.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina