Who will be Australian of the Year?

The ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC TV and ABC iView from 7.30pm.

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Professor Rose McGready, 61, has spent three decades providing health services to displaced people in the border region between Thailand and Myanmar. Arriving as a young doctor, Rose discovered that refugees who had fled persecution in Myanmar had difficulty accessing medical assistance in Thailand. In response, Rose established training for local staff to focus on services for expectant mothers and in the critical period of childbirth. Over the past 31 years, she has built a network of locally run clinics and out-patient services which have saved thousands of lives. Her research has also led to new treatments being developed to tackle maternal malaria. Her findings have been adopted by the World Health Organisation as the global standard for combatting the disease, helping to treat millions of women around the world. Rose's commitment, compassion and clinical expertise provide life-saving aid to some of the most vulnerable communities in the world.

Dr Alison Thompson has deployed more than 30,000 volunteers to the world's worst disaster zones - bringing humanitarian assistance and medical aid to more than18 million people. It started on September 11, 2001, when as an investment banker, Alison rushed to New York's World Trade Centre with her first aid kit. She stayed nine months, offering disaster relief arm-in-arm with ordinary, like-minded people. Galvanising grassroots momentum, Alison founded Third Wave Volunteers - a global movement of first responder volunteers who bring relief to the world's disaster and war zones, including Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka. Following the 2004 tsunami, she set up the first Tsunami Early-Warning Centre and education museum, which continues to thrive. By mobilising everyday people, 61-year-old Alison is building resilience in local communities through sustainable, locally driven disaster prevention and recovery. Drawing from her upbringing as a pastor's child, Alison believes that each person's small skills add up to drive big changes.

Dr Felix Ho tirelessly serves remote communities in the Northern Territory as a medical practitioner. But for Felix, that's not enough - he also volunteers thousands of his hours building the St John Youth Program and helps at public events as a St John first responder. Since joining as a St John cadet in 1995 at the age of 13, Felix has faithfully served others, including overseas as an Intensive Care Paramedic on a United Nations mission to Timor-Leste. In 2020, he took on national leadership of the youth portfolio for St John Ambulance Australia, where he's a guiding force for more than 3000 young people, equipping the next generation of first responders. Aligned with clinical standards, Felix developed interactive, accessible and engaging training for youth and cadets across Australia. Now 43, he brings people together across geography and generations, to equip Australia's youth to save lives through first aid in an emergency.

Carrie Bickmore is a radio and television presenter who has changed the way that brain cancer research is funded in Australia. Brain cancer kills more Australian children than any other disease, and more people aged under 40 than any other cancer - including Carrie's late husband Greg, who died in 2010. Since 2015, Carrie has raised more than $27 million. In 2021, she established The Brain Cancer Centre to bring together the brightest minds in research to find a cure. The centre has leveraged investment by Carrie's foundation to secure another $45 million of research funding. This supports research projects across the country and is delivering specific clinical trials for brain cancer patients that are the first of their kind in the world. Carrie is striving to ensure that every Australian diagnosed with brain cancer can access the best treatments and has real hope of a positive outcome.

When Dr Rolf Gomes, 52, was confronted with how differently cardiac patients were treated in rural and remote Australia, he designed and launched the first Heart of Australia mobile 'Heart Trucks' to visit remote communities. Heart Trucks now bring regular specialist clinics to more than 30 towns in rural Australia, providing early diagnostic services that would otherwise be out of reach. Since 2014, the trucks have treated 20,000 patients and saved lives. The truck fleet will expand to 11 trucks by 2027 to provide services nationally, adding new diagnostic services for a wide range of early intervention health screenings, including for lung cancer. Rolf's vision, ingenuity and tenacity have had a far-reaching impact on rural health and medicine, giving rural patients access to clinical services without having to travel long distances.

Katherine Bennell-Pegg is making history as the first Australian to qualify as an astronaut under Australia's space program, opening pathways for others to follow. Katherine graduated from Basic Astronaut Training in 2024 as part of a class of six trained by the European Astronaut Centre in Germany - the first international candidate to do so. She was initially chosen for the program from a field of more than 22,500 applicants. Katherine has wanted to be an astronaut since she was a child. As a space engineer, she has advanced multiple space missions and technologies. Alongside her career achievements, she is an energetic champion for Australia's space program, regularly presenting to audiences of schoolchildren and industry leaders to inspire the next generation and create new opportunities. Katherine, 41, is a trailblazer in Australia's emerging space industry and her determination and drive to succeed are a powerful example for young people.

Dr Jo Kippax was part of a specialist team of rescuers tasked to free a whitewater rafter who was trapped in perilous rapids on the Franklin River in 2024. Lithuanian whitewater rafter Valdas Bieliauskas was retrieved from freezing water by Jo and his team. They amputated Valdas's leg underwater, allowing him to be freed and ultimately saving his life.

Throughout the rescue, Jo was instrumental in guiding the team with professionalism, courage and remarkable calmness under pressure. For this life-saving act, the President of Lithuania awarded the country's Life Saving Cross award to Jo, which he accepted on behalf of his team.

The rescue of Valdas is just one chapter in Jo's long career in emergency medicine, disaster response and search and rescue. Demonstrating outstanding skill, courage and team leadership in the aid of others, 55-year-old Jo displays selfless dedication to saving lives in often very challenging circumstances.

Dr Daniela Vecchio is head of mental health and addiction services at Fiona Stanley Hospital. She is the pioneer in establishing the first publicly funded gaming disorder clinic in Australia in 2022. In response to the increasing numbers of young people with addiction to video games and social media, she was quick to recognise the distress and harms caused to them and their families. The clinic is unique worldwide in providing early detection and intervention in an acute hospital setting. Daniela, 57, has driven the development of holistic assessments and a wide range of personalised treatments for her clients. She has fostered extensive collaborations, including internationally with Korea, Germany and Dubai, nationally with experts in the field, and locally with health, education and police services. As a director of the Australian Gaming and Screens Alliance, she is promoting education and research into harmful online use and influencing national policy.