Interview - Ross Solly, ABC Radio - Australia Day Awards

ROSS SOLLY, HOST: My guest is Patrick Gorman the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service, also Assistant Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Patrick Gorman, good evening to you, and happy new year to you.
 
PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: Good evening, Ross. And I'll add to that list. I'm a proud Australian, and I think no more so than when we get to these awards, which really do showcase the best of all of us.
 
SOLLY: What do you think Patrick Gorman makes a great Australian?
 
GORMAN: I am really looking forward to hearing what your listeners say. My shot at that question is, I think being a great Australian is to demonstrate kindness in action. I think Australians are a very kind hearted people, but we don't like to just sit around. We like to get things done. I think about that for 66 years, we've been handing out these awards, Australian of the Year awards. And when I think about it, every single person is doing something that's making a difference. It might be at a local level, it might be at a state level. It might be internationally. It's doing something kind and meaningful, and that action to get something done.
 
SOLLY: We do recognise in the Australian of the Year awards, we get a lot of sports people who are recognised.
 
GORMAN: Which inspires us.
 
SOLLY: It does, it does, but there are a lot of people out down there who aren't sports people. They're just down to earth everyday people who are, and I think, you know, last year with Neale Daniher. I mean, what a great story with what he's doing off the sporting field and great recognition. Do we do enough to talk up the work that those people do? Do you think?
 
GORMAN: I think that's one of the things that these awards give us. Is the opportunity, as you read out those categories, we have the Australian of the Year, which is someone, and I'd say, in government and politics, you get a lot of complaints about different things. I find that when they announce the Australian of the Year, the community just gets behind them and says, ‘yeah, that's what we want to see more of.’ So you don't get that many complaints, which is always a nice thing. We'll leave that for other areas of government activity. And then you've got those local heroes. I think about one of the local heroes, even in my electorate, a bloke called Craig Hollywood, who's been helping for years now, help people who have found themselves homeless or in insecure housing get access to haircuts and some of the social supports, just so they can get back out there and back into the life they once were living. And those things make a difference. If you look at what we've had with Hannah Costello and Vanessa Brettell, who do Stepping Stone Cafe here in the ACT, again, giving people who found themselves here in Australia the opportunity to get skills and a job and get all of those opportunities that is the great thing about living in Australia. Again, you just see people who are just doing it, and they're not doing it to get these awards. That's the other thing. These awards, they are nominated by the community, because people in the community see something good that they want to see more of.
 
SOLLY: And I think tonight, if you look at the spread across all the categories, there is a very wide cross section of people there with interesting backgrounds. I was sitting there the other day, Friday, and I was going through the list, and I was trying to think who out of these would I think would be Australian of the Year, and I gave up. Actually, I gave up in the end because I thought, well, I mean, all these people are such worthy recipients. Any one of them could be an Australian of the Year or a Young Australian of the Year.
 
GORMAN: I think that's right. They are outstanding nominees that we get from the states and territories. But what the great thing about this is that we've brought all those nominees here to Canberra. They've been here for three days now. They're going to go back to their communities, and whether they receive an award tonight or not, they're going to make a bigger impact because they were nominated as Victorian Australian of the Year, or because they were nominated as Tasmanian Senior Australian of the Year, or whatever it might be that they had. Every single one, whether they walk away with an award or not tonight, every single one gets a boost to the impact that they can make, because the states and territories back these awards as well.
 
SOLLY: Absolutely. You're listening to a live broadcast of the 2026 Australian of the Year awards coming to you live in the National Arboretum in Canberra. My name is Ross Solly. We're chatting with Patrick Gorman, the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister. Where do you think we are as a nation? Now. In terms, I mean, you said that we're a nation of kindness. Are we still, though, a nation of kindness, because there seems to be a lot of anger out there in the community. Do you think, is that your read of things?
 
GORMAN: I think, and I can see some kids running down the hill at the National Arboretum right now, I think people are looking for the best of Australia. And there are reasons that people have been angry in recent times, and I recognise that, but I also think that there's opportunity to shine a light on the good, and that's what we get here.
 
SOLLY: But we can't ignore the anger, can we? Because it's not going away. In fact, it's, if anything, it's getting people getting, more and more fired up.
 
GORMAN: Well, I'd always say I'm a lover, not a hater. I'll always try and find the things that are positive, and that's what I bring in my work in government.
 
SOLLY: We don't have 27 million Patrick Gormans.
 
GORMAN: No, but I think when people are angry, sometimes that's for good reason, if it's they haven't been given the opportunities that they need to live the life that they want, if they've been dealt a really rough hand in life. And I think the flip side of that anger is what we actually see here, which is there are people who are seeing disadvantage, they are seeing inequalities, and they're doing something about it. And so we all, in our different ways, can find those opportunities to do little acts of kindness. That was obviously one of the big themes of the Bondi Day of Remembrance that we just had on the 22nd was to do a Mitzvah or do an act of kindness. And I think sometimes we can sort of carry that, not just on a Day of Mourning, but we can carry that with us at all times.
 
SOLLY: For sure, I guess so. It's a sad state of affairs, isn't it when we have to pass laws to try and stop people hating one another?
 
GORMAN: We've confronted the most tragic terrorist event on Australian soil, and of course we've had to legislate in the strongest possible terms to respond to that. But I want to be really clear, those laws aren't about the bulk of Australians who do have kindness and generosity in their heart. It's about making sure we've got the laws for our security agencies and the police to enforce, when necessary, where people have done or sought to do awful things to their fellow human beings. Of course, you wish that you didn't have to legislate at all for people to show decent humanity, but that's been the history of governments of every persuasion since we've had elected parliaments. You only need to look at the Criminal Code to know that we do have to legislate for basic humanity, but we do that because that gives us a more civil society, and the sort of society that the vast Australia, vast majority of Australians want, which is one which is kind, welcoming, and can allow us to do what we do. Which is to gather and celebrate the good as millions of Australians will tomorrow on Australia Day.
 
SOLLY: Just on that final question for you, it is Australia Day tomorrow, there are going to be marches or anti-immigration marches all around the country. What would you say, Patrick Gorman, to those people who are intending to go out and take part in those anti-immigration marches on Australia Day?
 
GORMAN: I see Australia Day as a day where we can come together and celebrate the things that bring us together as Australians, our common belief in democracy, our belief that this is the greatest country in the world, and that we all have a role to play in preserving the freedoms that we have. I don't think there's a huge appetite out there for divisive marches where we're amplifying differences. I think it's a day for people to come together.
 
SOLLY: But there will be marches.
 
GORMAN: There will be and I recognise that we've got police and law enforcement officials doing their job to make sure that people are kept safe when those events happen. There's a place in democracy for respectful protest. I just don't think that our national day is for the sorts of marches that are being proposed. I don't think our national day is really the day for it. I think it's a day for us to come together, and it's a day for us to celebrate the best of Australia. That's what I'll be doing. That's what I'm doing tonight here at the Australian of the Year awards. And I'd encourage all of your listeners to get behind the good. And that's what we're going to be celebrating on our ABC, both radio and on the broadcast later tonight.
 
SOLLY: Patrick Gorman, lovely of you to pop in. You know, you've got to make way for Olly Pickett now, who I know you're very familiar with. He's a fellow Western Australian, and, of course, our Senior Australian of the Year from last year. So sorry to bump you out of the way for it, but I know you're a big fan of Olly.
 
GORMAN: I'm a huge fan of Olly. He's a much better West Australian than I, I was very grateful that I was doing the interview before him, because he is an outstanding storyteller.
 
SOLLY: Patrick Gorman, thank you so much, and hope you enjoy it tonight.
 
GORMAN: Thank you, Ross.