The Australian’s Australian of the Year: Abuse victim advocate’s voice is loud and clear

When Jaguar Jonze stood on the Eurovision Australia Decides stage, she did so as a performer, a victim-survivor and an advocate.

Singer Jaguar Jonze. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

When Jaguar Jonze stood on the Eurovision Australia Decides stage, she did so as a performer, a victim-survivor and an advocate.

“We had to stand up and carry the pain … I’m gonna make you remember my name,” she belted in her self-penned song Little Fires.

The 31 year-old Taiwanese-Australian artist from Brisbane has spent her career speaking up for victim-survivors in the Australian music industry after sharing her own personal experience.

In 2020, the singer-songwriter shared a series of post-it notes to Twitter, alleging that two producers had sexually assaulted her at a Brisbane nightclub.

“I felt alone, ashamed and didn’t know what to do … if you have been affected by a similar story and need a space … please reach out to me,” she tweeted.

Her inbox was flooded with hundreds of personal stories of sexual harassment and abuse. The singer replied to every message.

“I was lending them an ear for the trauma, the hurt and the injustice that they had to endure,” she told The Australian.

Jonze became known as the face of the #MeToo movement for the Australian music industry.

In 2022, her work led to the NSW parliament passing a motion in support of the Music Industry Review into sexual harm, sexual harassment and discrimination.

Her role in bringing the music industry and government together to spotlight the issue has awarded Jonze a nomination for The Australian’s Australian of the Year.

“I think the advocacy will always inform my artistry, it always has and it always will,” she said.

We encourage our readers to put in a nomination for The Australian’s Australian of the Year, which was first won in 1971 by economist HC “Nugget” Coombs. Prominent Australians can be nominated by filling out the form above, or sending an email to [e-mail]. Nominations close on Friday, January 20.