Artists and arts workers among recipients of Australia Day honours

From artists and artistic directors to board members and music educators, the cultural sector has been strongly represented in this year’s Australia Day honours.
[This is archived content and may not display in the originally intended format.]

Medal of the Order of Australia.

Among the array of arts luminaries to receive Australia Day honours this year, some took the opportunity to acknowledge the problematic date on which the awards are bestowed.

Artistic Director and co-CEO of Polyglot Theatre, Sue Giles, was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), in recognition of her significant contribution to the performing arts and to theatre for children. She took advantage of the opportunity to reflect on contemporary conversations about the divisive nature of 26 January.

Unlock Padlock Icon

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's former National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the 2019 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in early 2020. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association in 2021, and a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Photo: Fiona Hamilton. Follow Richard on Bluesky @richardthewatts.bsky.social and Instagram @richard.l.watts