The 'cult of Australia day', as Melbourne journalist Allan Dawes termed it in The Age in 1960, continued to grow. Faced with responsibility for advising the government on all aspects of Australia Day, the new body has overcome initial opposition from the States. In 1984 the government upgraded it to a Commonwealth-funded council, with direct representation from each State and Territory. In 1990 it became an incorporated public company, with a chair and ten board members appointed from the community by the federal government. Achievement in sport is still significant, as it is in the arts.
Aboriginal people are highly visible.
On the other hand, the refusal of singer John Farnham to discuss political issues during the highly charged year of 1988 disappointed many. Astonishingly, for a nation that for so much of this century has based its identity on the Anzac tradition, only a handful of Australians of the Year have had military experience. Only one, 'Weary' Dunlop, is remembered principally as a war hero. Sydney An intriguing characteristic of the National Australia Day Council's publicity and the media coverage of the awards, is a common anti-elitism. It is as if the Council, the media and Australians of the Year themselves feel uncomfortable with the idea of singling anyone out for special praise, even when recognising individual achievement.