# Australian Father of the Year award

The Australian Father of the Year Award is presented annually to "a distinguished father who has demonstrated support, guidance and love to his children or other children through his working role or family life."

## Awards

The award was inaugurated in 1957 by The Australian Father's Day Council. The Shepherd Centre (TSC) has been involved from 1998-2021, in 2022 the award organisation was handed to The Fathering Project. Much like TSC, The Fathering Project together with the Australian Father's Day Council launch an annual campaign to find Australia's best high-profile father. The winner is announced at a luncheon, with all proceeds going to TSC; a charity that teaches deaf and hearing-impaired children to listen and speak using an early intervention program.
The award is not associated with the Australian government run Australian of the Year awards.

## Past recipients

| Awarded | Name | Post-nominals | Notes |
| 2024 | David Campbell (singer) and his father, Jimmy Barnes | OAM | The Today Extra talk show host, singer, actor and his father, Cold Chisel frontman and singer. |
| 2023 | Hamish Blake | OAM | Australian comedian, television and radio presenter, actor and author |
| 2022 | Craig Foster | AM | Former Socceroo's captain and political activist |
| 2021 | Brendan Murphy | | Former Chief Medical Officer of Australia |
| 2020 | Shane Fitzsimmons | | Former Commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service and Head of Resilience NSW |
| 2019 | Mark Beretta | | Television journalist |
| 2018 | Dick Smith | AC | Entrepreneur and philanthropist |
| 2017 | Mike Baird | | Former Premier of New South Wales |
| 2016 | Lieutenant General David Hurley | AC, DSC | Governor of New South Wales |
| 2015 | Jamal Rifi | | Doctor, founder of Australia Muslim Doctors against Violence |
| 2014 | Andrew Gaze | AM | Basketballer |
| 2013 | Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith | VC, MG | Soldier, later found at a civil defamation trial to be a war criminal |
| 2012 | John Symond | AM | Executive Chairman of Aussie Home Loans, and Chairman of Sydney Opera House Trust |
| 2011 | Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston | AC, AFC | Former Chief of the Defence Force |
| 2010 | Guy Cooper | | Former Chief Executive of the Taronga and Western Plains Zoos |
| 2009 | Li Cunxin | | Dancer |
| 2008 | Paul Roos | | Footballer |
| 2007 | David Koch | | Television presenter |
| 2006 | Ron Delezio | | Founder of Day of Difference Foundation |
| 2005 | Steve Waugh | AO | Cricketer |
| 2004 | Graeme Clark | AC | Cochlear Implant developer |
| 2003 | Karl Kruszelnicki | | Scientist |
| 2002 | Steve Vizard | | Media personality |
| 2001 | Jim Rafter | | Father of nine including tennis player Pat Rafter |
| 2000 | Stephen Biddulph | AM | Parenting activist |
| 1999 | Slim Dusty | AO, MBE | Musician |
| 1998 | Kamahl | AM | Musician |
| 1997 | John Howard | | Prime Minister |
| 1996 | Rear Admiral Peter Ross Sinclair | AC, RAN | Governor of New South Wales |
| 1995 | Mark Taylor | | Cricketer |
| 1994 | Sir James Hardy | OBE | Americas Cup Sailor |
| 1993 | Michael Chugg | | Music promoter |
| 1992 | Bill Crews | | Minister |
| 1991 | Dr Bruce Shepherd | | Known for his work in education for the deaf |
| 1990 | Peter Doyle | | |
| 1989 | Ken Done | | Artist |
| 1988 | Rear Admiral Sir David Martin | KCMG, AO, RAN | Governor of New South Wales |
| 1987 | A.H Pollard | | Actuary and statistician |
| 1986 | Gordon Moyes | AM | Politician |
| 1985 | Sir Ian Turbott | AO, CMG, CVO | Businessman, Chancellor of Western Sydney University |
| 1984 | Prof Peter Rowe | | Sir Lorimer Dods Professor,University of Sydney, Director of the Children’s Medical Research Institute |
| 1983 | Bobby Limb | OBE | Entertainer |
| 1982 | Alan Davidson | MBE | Cricketer |
| 1981 | Dr Bradney W Norington | | |
| 1980 | Jim Lees | QPM | Police Commissioner |
| 1979 | Neil McLeod | | |
| 1978 | Sir Zelman Cowen | AK, GCMG | Governor General |
| 1977 | Gary O'Callaghan | MBE | Radio presenter |
| 1976 | Malcolm Fraser | | Prime Minister |
| 1975 joint winners | Major General Alan Stretton | AO, CBE | Head of National Disasters Organisation (Cyclone Tracy relief efforts) |
| 1975 joint winners | John Cornforth | CBE | Nobel prize winner in Chemistry |
| 1974 | Sir John Kerr | AC, KCMG | Governor General |
| 1973 | Group Captain John Waddy | OBE, DFC | Politician |
| 1972 | Dr William McBride | AO, CBE | Gynecologist and obstetrician, (discovered the teratogenicity of thalidomide) |
| 1971 | William McMahon | | Prime Minister |
| 1970 | Vincent Charles Fairfax | | Boy Scouts |
| 1969 | W.M. Leonard | | Legacy Australia |
| 1968 | Lord Casey | GCMG, CH, DSO, MC, PC | Governor General |
| 1967 | Sir Lorimer Dods | LVO | Children's health care |
| 1966 | Lieutenant Roden Cutler | VC, CBE | Governor of New South Wales |
| 1965 | Bill Northam | | Olympic sailor |
| 1964 | Robert Menzies | CH | Prime Minister |
| 1963 | Leslie James Herron | | Chief justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales |
| 1962 | Captain Sir Norman Gregg | MC | Ophthalmologist |
| 1961 | Captain Adrian Curlewis | | Judge |
| 1960 | Colin Delaney | CVO, CBE, QPM | NSW Police Commissioner |
| 1959 | Joseph Cahill | | Premier of New South Wales |
| 1958 | Harry Jensen | | Politician |
| 1957 | Sir Edward Hallstrom | | Businessman and philanthropist |