Four exceptional Canberrans have been named the 2024 ACT Australians of the Year.
The Australian of the Year Awards celebrate strong, compassionate people who work hard to better their communities. It was an honour to recognise and celebrate these outstanding Canberrans during tonight's ceremony at the National Gallery of Australia.
I thank everyone who was nominated for their commitment to their causes, supporting our community and for making Canberra a safe, progressive and exciting place to live.
The 2024 ACT Australian of the Year is Joanne Farrell, a champion for women in the construction industry and the founder of Build Like A Girl.
In 2020 Jo founded Build Like A Girl, a not-for-profit program that supports and encourages women to work in a trade industry. The program provides pre-apprenticeship and entry-level training, then mentors the participants to secure work in the construction industry.
As the General Manager of Kane Constructions ACT, Jo has pushed for a better gender balance. Kane Constructions ACT went from having 6 per cent female staff in February 2020 to a 48 per cent female team in December 2022.
The 2024 ACT Senior Australian of the Year is Ebenezer Banful OAM, a prolific volunteer and tireless multiculturalism advocate.
Ebenezer has dedicated countless hours to helping other Canberrans understand Ghanaian and African values and promoting multiculturalism wherever he can.
As a founder of Companion House, Ebenezer has helped support survivors of persecution, torture and other war-related trauma.
Ebenezer has served on numerous committees advocating for multiculturalism and has volunteered at nearly every National Multicultural Festival.
The 2024 ACT Young Australian of the Year is Caitlin Figueiredo, Co-chair of the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition and an innovative changemaker.
Caitlin is devoted to ensuring young people have a say in politics. In 2015, she worked to bring young people's voices into parliament through a national youth advisory council.
This led to her election to the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC) board. Caitlin revitalised and transformed AYAC, which represents 4.5 million young Australians, creating a more diverse board that better represented young people.
The 2024 ACT Local Hero is Selina Walker, Co-chair of the ACT Reconciliation Council and a dedicated advocate.
Ngunnawal woman Selina is a respected emerging elder and leader whose integrity has supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and reconciliation across the ACT. The granddaughter of Aunty Agnes Shea, she is continuing her grandmother's legacy of influencing and driving change.
As a founding member of Yerrabi Yurwang Child and Family Aboriginal Corporation, she helps improve outcomes for Aboriginal families and children.
Congratulations again to our four outstanding recipients. They will represent the Canberra community at the Australian of the Year Awards on 25 January 2024. I wish them all the best of luck and look forward to seeing their achievements in the year ahead as the ACT Australians of the Year.
