Indigenous health leader Janine Mohamed named Australian of the Year for Victoria 2024
The Indigenous health leader and “accidental CEO” has used her speech to call for an end to racism after being named Australian of the Year for Victoria.
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An Indigenous health leader and self-dubbed “accidental CEO” Janine Mohamed has been named the Australian of the Year for Victoria 2024.
The 49-year-old Narungga Kaurna woman was announced as the recipient of the prestigious accolade at a ceremony held at the National Gallery of Victoria on Tuesday night.
Accepting the award from Victorian Lieutenant-Governor James Angus, Ms Mohamed said her activism was inspired by her Nana’s struggle with a chronic mental health condition, where she saw the “amazing,” and “devastating” work of health professionals, as well as the missed opportunities.
She also used her brief Q&A with journalist Jacinta Parsons to highlight the importance of eradicating racism from Australian society.
“(Racism) steals us of the amazing opportunity to value and celebrate 60,000 years of the world’s oldest living, continuous culture,” she said.
“I think we have to understand what racism looks like feel this light and what it produces, to be able to vision a different future.”
Ms Mohamed also paid tribute to her children, who she said are a driving force behind her work
“What that means for me as an individual, is that they don’t have to continue this work,” she said.
“That they get to do whatever they want, and they have real options, and the world is their oyster and they’re valued in it.”
The other recipients for the Victorian Australian of the Year awards were also named.
Animal justice advocate Glenys Oogjes, chief executive of Animals Australia, was named the 2024 Senior Australian of the Year for Victoria.
Registered nurse and founder of Albury Wodonga Multicultural Community Events Inc, Bhakta Bahadur Bhattarai is 2024 Young Australian of the Year for Victoria.
And Betul Tuna, co-founder of Point of Difference Studio, is the 2024 Local Hero for Victoria.
They will join those from the other states and territories for the national awards to be announced on January 25 next year.
Ms Mohamed was recognised for longstanding work with the Lowitja Institute in Melbourne, a community health campaign and research institution.
Sharing the news of her nomination last week, she thanked the “anonymous person” who put her forward for the award.
“This nomination means so much to me, my family and the communities that have championed the work of cultural safety and anti-racism with me since 1998,” she wrote in a post on LinkedIn.
“My motivation to restore and improve the health outcomes and life experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples was ignited by my strong and resilient Nanna, who raised me and through witnessing both the excellent and shockingly bad parts of life that she experienced.
“My passion for change has never been about personal accolades but about the joy of seeing the wins, outcomes and real choices for mob and the wider Australian community … But this is a really nice surprise.”
Initially studying nursing at the University of South Australia before moving to Melbourne in 2019, Ms Mohamed has worked to promote health policy and research, in order to boost health outcomes for Indigenous people.
Ms Mohamed was also awarded the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity Fellowship in 2019, and a Distinguished Fellowship by The George Institute for Global Health Australia in 2021.
She also holds a honorary Doctorate of Nursing from Edith Cowan University.
Originally published as Indigenous health leader Janine Mohamed named Australian of the Year for Victoria 2024
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