ABC Radio Darwin Late Breakfast with Jo and Adam
Subjects: Northern Territory Australian of the Year Awards finalists and winners, the 2024 Australian of the Year awards.
JO LAVERTY, HOST: It was just such a great night. And someone who was there in an official capacity, Patrick Gorman, the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and responsible for the awards around the nation. Good morning, Assistant Minister..
PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER AND ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE: Good morning, Jo, good morning Adam. And good morning to your listeners. And thanks for having me here.
LAVERTY: I note that you're not going to the Cook Islands with the Prime Minister. I mean, if you're the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, you would think that that was one of the perks.
GORMAN: Well, actually one of the perks is going to the Australian of the Year Awards, it is such a nice thing. I've been to the ACT, South Australia, Western Australia, and now here in the Northern Territory. And you just to have the opportunity to see the best of Australia, people who are often solving problems in their own communities. And just celebrating the best of Australia makes me so proud of our country, so proud of these things that you often don't even know are happening. You don't hear these stories in the Federal Parliament. So we have these awards to amplify all of the good that is happening.
LAVERTY: Even in the Northern Territory, where we feel like we know almost everybody, in the finalists last night I heard of a lot of people that I've never heard of before. So we are learning at the same time as you, Assistant Minister. Were there any stories from last night that really stood out to you?
GORMAN: I think what stood out for me was throughout all of the finalists who will now come with us to Canberra was the real commitment to education and lifting up community. So, if I think about what Witiyana Marika talking about that intergenerational, talking about the heroes of his father - and I'm not gonna do any justice, so I won't even try - but the way he spoke about his father's heroes, in terms of reconciliation and justice, I thought was really powerful. And then the Young Australian of the Year, Peter Susanto, education has transformed his life. He's at university a few years into a medical degree. Only 17 years old -
LAVERTY: - I know. Isn't that wild! He started last year. Sixteen years old. I was smoking bongs when I was his age. And here he is, you know, very close to finishing his medical degree.
ADAM STEER, HOST: Yeah. I spoke to him last week. He just turned 17 last week. So second year medicine. Child prodigy.
LAVERTY: Incredible.
GORMAN: But just also just so determined, and he's already talking about when he finishes the degree he's going to have a free mobile remote clinic, he's going to just keep making change and not letting anything hold him back. And so that also really struck me. And Yalmay Yunupingu working as an educator and teacher for decades. My mum was a primary school teacher and so, in what I heard Yalmay say, it just spoke to my heart. And I think so many people just recognising that amazing contribution you can make if you help other people fulfil their dreams. So, it's just a fantastic recognition. But also, I'm so pleased that we have these awards to kind of tell those stories, and then bring them all the nation's capital and give them an even bigger megaphone.
LAVERTY: Yeah. Well, Yelmay Yunupingu is going to be with Adam after nine o'clock this morning. So you'll get to know her then.
GORMAN: You're in for a treat, listeners.
LAVERTY: Yes, I believe so. And just to let people know what the winners are now in for. A lot of them came in from community - coming to Darwin was the big smoke, and they are about to go to Canberra, which is really the big smoke. What is in store for our finalists?
GORMAN: We will take take all of the finalists from across the nation to Canberra, we spend a week together, they will come to Parliament House, we will do a range of events. And they'll meet some of the previous winners as well, to sort of get some advice about how they can make the most impact. I give them all advice and I'm like, "you know, at some point, you are going to be sitting down with the Prime Minister and saying 'here's what I think you should do.' Get your pitch ready, because it is a huge opportunity." I know that even people like Sacha King, who won last year, we were connecting her to Ministers and different Departments to help further her work in terms of mental health. So, there are real opportunities that come with it. And then we have the awards on the eve of Australia Day actually choose the Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year and Local Hero. And one of the things I think is great about these awards is that those cohorts - it doesn't really matter. By the time they get to the that, they have been in Canberra about four days by the time that they're there. By the time that they're actually receiving the award, they don't really care who wins. They've made really great lifelong friends. And Jo, I feel like I've really disappointed your listeners on something.
LAVERTY: What's that?
GORMAN: I heard your promo earlier, and you said I was gonna be funny. And haven't been funny, and I feel that I have greatly let you down.
LAVERTY: You have not, unless you have prepared a joke, is that where this is going?
GORMAN: No, it's not, no, no!
LAVERTY: Good, that's lucky.
GORMAN: The joke is: I'm a disappointment to your listeners.
LAVERTY: You're not, because when the option came up to interview the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and I was like 'nah,' and then I met you last night, and I was like 'actually, he's really charismatic and really fantastic.'
GORMAN: He's a real person!
LAVERTY: He really is, he's quite good. Let's get him in. So, I think when we called you, you were out for your walk this morning.
GORMAN: I was!
LAVERTY: So, thank you for coming in. And as we go towards Australia Day eve, of course, the other states and the ACT, they have their finalists, how so we compare so far?
GORMAN: Well, because I'm in your studio, and you've so kindly had me on your program, Jo of course, you are the best hosts that could possibly host the Northern Territory awards.
LAVERTY: I will be checking the tape in all the the other states and territory, by the way.
GORMAN: There's quite a bit of state parochialism. Peter Malinauskas, the Premier of South Australia pointed out that I think, four of the last six winners of the Australian of the Year Awards have been from South Australia.
LAVERTY: Boo!
GORMAN: And I was like 'ooh.'
STEER: Well, there's no chance this year then.
GORMAN: He was very proud. And I think each state and territory does it differently, which is really nice, because ultimately for these awards to be effective, they need to be owned by the community. We don't impose a model from Canberra on how they should look. We give them guidance, we help out, but they each have their own unique feel. And this is my second year coming to these awards, here in Darwin. And it's just fantastic. It is one of my, genuinely, one of my favorite parts of being in government and getting to see this.
LAVERTY: Well, you are off to Queensland this afternoon. So, good luck with the rest of the awards and look forward to Australia Day eve, to find out who the overall recipients are.
GORMAN: Me too, thanks for having me on.
LAVERTY: Patrick Gorman - not as boring as it sounds - Assistant Minister and the Prime Minister, actually really cool guy. This is ABC Radio Darwin and it's time to go to Adam Steer.
ENDS