Famous Australian Activists

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 1 
Steve Irwin
(Television Celebrity & Wildlife Conservationist Who Died After Getting Stung by a Stingray Barb)
Steve Irwin
23
Birthdate: February 22, 1962
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Victoria, Australia
Died: September 4, 2006

Australian Steve Irwin was a world famous, high-spirited, lively host of The Crocodile Hunter television series. A conservationist, he was also part of other shows and documentaries on wildlife and environment. He was known for close encounters with some of the most dangerous and endangered animals in various jungles. He died after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming in Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

 2 
Julian Assange
(Computer programmer)
Julian Assange
10
Birthdate: July 3, 1971
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Townsville, Australia

Julian Assange made headlines all over the world in 2010 when WikiLeaks, a non-profit organization founded by him, gained international attention after publishing leaks, such as the Afghanistan war logs and Iraq war logs. After dodging arrest for several years, he was finally arrested in 2019 and is currently imprisoned in HM Prison Belmarsh.

 3 
Madeleine Madden
(First teenager who delivered a speech on the future of Indigenous Australians)
Madeleine Madden
1
Birthdate: January 29, 1997
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Australia

Actor Madeleine Madden is also the great-granddaughter of Australian Aboriginal leader Hetty Perkins and the granddaughter of soccer player Charles Perkins. At 13, she made waves as the first Australian teen to deliver an address to the nation. She made her Hollywood debut with Dora and the Lost City of Gold.  

 4 
Charles Perkins
(Aboriginal Australian Activist and the First Indigenous Australian Man to Graduate Tertiary Education)
Charles Perkins
2
Birthdate: June 16, 1936
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Alice Springs, Australia
Died: October 19, 2000

Charles Perkins had initially been a footballer who played for teams such as Everton and coached Pan-Hellenic to fund his university studies. He later gained recognition as an Aboriginal activist after organizing the Freedom Ride to protest against racial discrimination and became the Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.

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 5 
Timothy Conigrave
(Australian Actor, Activist and Author)
Timothy Conigrave
3
Birthdate: November 19, 1959
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
Died: October 18, 1994

Australian actor Timothy Conigrave began his career performing on stage and later wrote plays such as The Blitz Kids. He is remembered for his United Nations Award for Non-Fiction award-winning memoir, Holding the Man, which documented his 15-year love affair with John Caleo. Conigrave later died of AIDS.

 6 
Ali Banat
(Businessperson and founded the charity ‘Muslims Around the World’)
Ali Banat
0
Birthdate: February 16, 1982
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Australia
Died: May 29, 2018

Palestinian-origin Australian businessman Ali Banat was initially known for his flamboyant lifestyle. The millionaire who owned a security and electrical company turned into a humanitarian after being diagnosed with stage-4 cancer. His charity, Muslims Around the World, was aimed at helping the needy. He eventually lost his battle to cancer at 35.

 7 
Edith Cowan
(Social Campaigner)
Edith Cowan
6
Birthdate: August 2, 1861
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Geraldton, Australia
Died: June 9, 1932

Edith Cowan was an Australian social reformer best remembered for serving as a member of parliament; she was the first Australian woman to do so. She is also remembered for working for the welfare and rights of children and women. In recognition of her contribution, Cowan has been depicted on Australia's fifty-dollar note since 1995.

 8 
Burnum Burnum
(Australian Activist, Actor, and Author)
Burnum Burnum
3
Birthdate: January 10, 1936
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Wallaga Lake, Australia
Died: August 17, 1997

Australian Aboriginal activist Burnum Burnum was separated from his family as an infant and grew up in a mission home. The Churchill Scholarship winner was a law graduate and also excelled in rugby. He is best remembered for erecting the aboriginal flag in Dover during the Australian bicentenary celebrations.

 9 
Judith Wright
(Poet, Environmentalist, Campaigner for Aboriginal Land Rights)
Judith Wright
3
Birthdate: May 31, 1915
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Armidale, Australia
Died: June 25, 2000

Judith Wright was an Australian environmentalist, poet, and campaigner for Indigenous land rights. Wright is credited with founding one of the earliest environmental conservation movements in Australia. Best remembered for her poetry skills, Judith Wright won the prestigious Christopher Brennan Award in 1976. In 1991, she was honored with the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.

 10 
Oodgeroo Noonuccal
(Australian Political Activist, Artist and Educator)
Oodgeroo Noonuccal
3
Birthdate: November 3, 1920
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Minjerribah, Queensland, Australia
Died: September 16, 1993

Oodgeroo Noonuccal was an Aboriginal Australian poet, political activist, artist, and educator. She became the first Aboriginal Australian to publish a book of verse. She emerged as a prominent political activist in the 1960s and campaigned for aboriginal rights. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire and won many literary awards.

 11 
Sara Ahmed
(Independent Feminist Scholar)
Sara Ahmed
1
Birthdate: August 30, 1969
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Salford, England
 12 
Miles Franklin
(Australian Writer and Feminist Best Known for Her Novel 'My Brilliant Career')
Miles Franklin
3
Birthdate: October 14, 1879
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Talbingo, Australia
Died: September 19, 1954

Miles Franklin was an Australian feminist and writer best remembered for her 1901 novel My Brilliant Career. Franklin, who made immense contributions to Australian literature, was honored with the prestigious S. H. Prior Memorial Prize twice during her illustrious career. The Miles Franklin Award and the Stella Prize were established in her honor.

 13 
Harry Bridges
(Labour Leader)
Harry Bridges
2
Birthdate: July 28, 1901
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
Died: March 30, 1990
 14 
Hazel Hawke
(Social worker, Pianist)
Hazel Hawke
1
Birthdate: July 20, 1929
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Died: May 23, 2013
 15 
Helen Caldicott
(Australian Physician, Author, and Anti-nuclear Advocate)
Helen Caldicott
2
Birthdate: August 7, 1938
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
 16 
Pat Dodson
(Senator for Western Australia)
Pat Dodson
3
Birthdate: January 29, 1948
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Broome, Australia

Patrick Dodson is an Australian politician who has been serving as the Senator for Western Australia since 2016. A Yawuru man, Dodson is best known for his association with the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, where he has served as chairman. In 2008, he was honored with the prestigious Sydney Peace Prize. In 2009, he was awarded the John Curtin Medal.

 17 
Cheryl Kernot
(Politician)
Cheryl Kernot
3
Birthdate: December 5, 1948
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Maitland, New South Wales, Australia
 18 
Catherine Helen Spence
(Author, Journalist & Politician)
Catherine Helen Spence
2
Birthdate: October 31, 1825
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Melrose, Scotland
Died: April 3, 1910

Catherine Helen Spence was a 19th-century Scottish-born Australian author, teacher, journalist, and politician. One of the leading suffragists of her era, she was also a minister of religion and social worker. She supported electoral proportional representation. Australian writer and feminist Miles Franklin called her the "Greatest Australian Woman". 

 19 
Julian Burnside
(Lawyer)
Julian Burnside
0
Birthdate: June 9, 1949
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia

Apart from being a successful barrister, Melbourne-based Julian Burnside, now a Living National Treasure, is also a famed human rights activist. A lover of the arts, he is a passionate collector of paintings and sculptures and has also chaired Chamber Music Australia. An author too, he has penned a children’s book.

 20 
B. A. Santamaria
(Journalist, Activist)
B. A. Santamaria
0
Birthdate: August 14, 1915
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
Died: February 25, 1998
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 21 
Mick Dodson
(Australian Barrister, Academic, and Member of the 'Yawuru People')
Mick Dodson
2
Birthdate: April 10, 1950
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Katherine, Australia

Mick Dodson is an Aboriginal Australian barrister and academic. He is a member of the Yawuru people of the southern Kimberley region of Western Australia. In 1974, he became the first Indigenous person to graduate with a law degree in Australia. He has worked as a criminal solicitor and is a legal adviser in native title and human rights. 

 22 
Lowitja O'Donoghue
(Activist)
Lowitja O'Donoghue
2
Birthdate: August 1, 1932
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Indulkana, Australia
 23 
Dorothy Hewett
(Poet)
Dorothy Hewett
2
Birthdate: May 21, 1923
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Perth, Australia
Died: August 1, 2002

Dorothy Hewett was an Australian feminist poet, novelist, and playwright, often credited to be one of Australia's best-loved and most respected writers. She studied English at the University of Western Australia (UWA) and wrote for a Communist newspaper under a pseudonym. Over time, she established herself as a prominent author of feminist literature. She received the Christopher Brennan Award.

 24 
Katharine Susannah Prichard
(Author)
Katharine Susannah Prichard
2
Birthdate: December 4, 1883
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Levuka, Fiji
Died: October 2, 1969
 25 
Harry Holland
(Politician)
Harry Holland
1
Birthdate: June 10, 1868
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Queanbeyan, Australia
Died: October 8, 1933
 26 
Gatjil Djerrkura
(Aboriginal Leader)
Gatjil Djerrkura
0
Birthdate: June 30, 1949
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: -
Died: May 26, 2004