TARWIN Lower wildlife rescuer and carer, Susan Moore has been named as one of four Victorian nominees for the 2026 Australian of the Year Local Hero Award.
Nominees for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards for Victoria include sisters bringing children and aged care residents together, a brain cancer research fundraiser, a former ballet dancer turned advocate for people with disabilities, a gardener, a man giving elderly people a safe place to live, and a geologist who helped rescue workers from a collapsed tunnel.
The nominees are:
2026 Australian of the Year for Victoria
Carrie Bickmore OAM – Brain cancer fundraiser
Hugh van Cuylenburg – Mental health leader
Professor Arnold Dix – Geologist and disaster rescuer
Leila Sweeney-McDougall – Farmer’s health filmmaker
2026 Senior Australian of the Year for Victoria
Thi Be Ha OAM – Refugee support volunteer
Uncle Leonard Clarke – Indigenous justice campaigner
Jane Edmanson OAM – Gardening educator
Bryan Lipmann AM – Elderly homeless advocate
2026 Young Australian of the Year for Victoria
Tim Harte – Scientist and disability advocate
Dr Shannon Kilmartin-Lynch – Innovative scientific researcher
Abraham Kuol – Mentor and community leader
Lucy Skelton – Public policy advocate
2026 Local Hero for Victoria
Fiona Glumac and Anna Glumac – Intergenerational childcare pioneers
Carly McKinnis and Tammie Meehan – Rural mental health advocates
Susan Moore – Wildlife rescuer and carer
Linda Widdup – Farming community organiser
Susan is one of 134 people recognised across all states and territories for the awards.
The Victoria award recipients will be announced on Thursday, November 6, 2025 in a ceremony at the Arts Centre Melbourne, which will also be available to watch online at australianoftheyear.org.au.
They will then join other state and territory recipients as finalists for the national awards announcement on January 25, 2026 in Canberra.
National Australia Day Council CEO Mark Fraser AO CVO said the Victorian nominees reflected the power of an individual to make a positive impact.
“The nominees for the Victorian awards share a sense of passion and purpose,” said Mark.
“From lives spent advocating for others, selflessly giving to care for those in need, finding new ways to solve problems or create change, they are all driven by a sense of caring.”
