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.
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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.

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's 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 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts