Wiradjuri woman Katrina Fanning has been named Canberra Citizen of the Year for 2023 for her dedication and work for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
Known by many titles, Ms Fanning is the head of secretariat at the Coalition of Peaks on Closing the Gap and director at Coolamon Advisors, where she contributes to Indigenous participation and equity.
From 2017 to 2021, she was the chairperson of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elected body, and was the ACT state recipient for Australian of the Year in 2020.
Ms Fanning said she hopes to use the next 12 months to educate the Canberra community about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament debate, and the positive outcomes it can have.
"I am hoping to use this opportunity to reach out to as many Canberra citizens who want to have that conversation from a very personal viewpoint, about why [the vote] is important and what I think it will mean," she said.
"I want to help people to understand it, to help people have conversations and be confident when they are talking about it at barbecues, and when they do go out to make the vote, to feel like they are making an informed contribution to the fabric of this country.
"To be living here for 30 years and being part of such a diverse but fantastic community ... it's a little bit overwhelming, it's quite humbling, but also an enormous honour that I am feeling at the moment."
Ms Fanning is no stranger to awards, being named both Canberra Woman of the Year and ACT NAIDOC Person of the Year in 2014.
For more than a decade she has also been recognised for her contributions to rugby league, both on and off the field.
She was a member of the inaugural Australian women's team, representing the country 26 times over a 14-year career.
In 2012, she was appointed chairperson with the Australian Rugby League Indigenous Council, and has been a director of the Canberra Raiders since 2018.
In February, the Katrina Fanning Shield Academy began training selected players from across the NRLW competition in a six-week program, coinciding with the first Canberra Raiders NRLW season.
"I congratulate Ms Fanning on this recognition and I look forward to seeing her continued positive impact on our community over the coming 12 months and beyond," ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said in a statement.
