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 is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts