Cathy Freeman leads Australia Day honours alongside enforcer of world-first social media ban | Australia Day

Australia’s beloved Olympic sprinter Cathy Freeman, skateboarding, one of the Games’ youngest sports, the world’s leading quantum scientist, children’s book illustrator, rock royalty and driving force behind Australia’s world-first social media ban, has been recognized in this year’s Australia Day Honors List.

Freeman was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia, the country’s highest civilian honour. His sensational athletic achievements were applauded by the honors committee, which also recognized his social impact throughout society, his work on the reconciliation movement in the spirit of unity and inclusion, and his work as a role model to young people.

eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant received the Public Service Medal for her work leading to Australia’s social media ban and was recognized for her “outstanding leadership, courage and determination to protect Australians online”, which was praised by the committee.

Midnight Oil’s Rob Hirst, whose death was announced on Tuesday, was posthumously made a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to the performing arts.

Hirst, who founded the band in 1976, was best known for his incandescent drumming abilities, but he also co-wrote the lyrics and melodies of many of the band’s best-known songs, including Beds Are Burning and The Dead Heart.

All honorees must be alive when nominated and be notified of their honor before it is publicly announced.

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Prof Michelle Simmons, the world’s leading quantum physicist and former Australian of the Year, whose pioneering work on atomic electronics has made Australia the only country in the world with atomic-scale production capacity, has been appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia.

“I am delighted, surprised and grateful to the person who nominated me,” he told Guardian Australia. “This is a wonderful honor.”

Simmons came to Australia from Cambridge in 1999 and led the University of NSW’s quantum research, founding Silicon Quantum Computing in 2017 and “never looked back”. He is now at the forefront of a global race to build a full-scale quantum computer with the power to “transform the world.”

“I followed all the way [my career] “That’s what interests me the most and makes me feel like, ‘Wow, this was worth doing.'” “We have a great Australian company leading the world of quantum computing globally, and this is just the beginning.”

This year’s list celebrated the efforts of 949 Australians from across industries and sectors. Of the 680 civilians awarded, 496 were men and 184 were women.

Two of them were former Queensland and NSW premiers Annastacia Palaszczuk and Kristina Keneally. Palaszczuk, who was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia, told Guardian Australia the recognition came as a “complete surprise”.

“I’m hugely honored to receive this award, but I’m also incredibly humbled. I want to thank the Queenslanders who have been there for me from the beginning, through the cyclones, the floods, the bushfires and of course the pandemic, through thick and thin. My hat’s off to the Queenslanders who did everything they were asked to do during those times.”

He said he hoped to inspire a new generation of Australians interested in politics.

“In this uncertain world we live in, I think it’s absolutely critical for young people to understand government and politics. We need good people to step up and get involved,” he said.

Mathias Cormann, OECD secretary-general and former finance minister in the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments, also became a Companion of the Order.

Indigenous social activist and former AFL manager Tanya Hosch has been appointed a Member of the Order. He told Guardian Australia that many of his career opportunities depend on the work of key leaders and colleagues who have worked with him before.

He singled out his work as part of the Recognition movement, such as “warming up” the country to an Indigenous voice referendum in 2023 and serving as the AFL’s social engagement manager, as some of his proudest achievements.

“Despite the failure of the actual vote, the opportunity to talk to Australians from across the country and from all walks of life about this gap in our constitution has been incredible,” he said.

Skater Renton Millar, chief skateboard judge for the Paris Olympics, has been awarded the Order Medal after nearly 40 transformative years in the sport, including his participation in the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Children’s author and artist Graeme Base, known for his award-winning 1980s works Animalia and The Eleventh Hour, became a member of the Order.

Anyone can nominate any Australian for the Order of Australia award. Nominations can be made now www.gg.gov.au.