Former Socceroo turned human rights campaigner Craig Foster has been selected as the New South Wales nominee for Australian of the Year.
Foster was touted as the next Australian of the Year in 2019 after he helped to secure the release of refugee footballer Hakeem al-Araibi.
The high-profile SBS broadcaster drew on his network of past and current players, sports journalists and politicians to lobby for al-Araibi's release after he was arrested in Thailand and threatened with extradition to Bahrain.
While he celebrated al-Araibi's freedom, Foster continued the fight for other refugees stuck in detention. He also helped the Afghanistan Women's National Football team, and other women and girls escape Afghanistan when the Taliban seized control in August last year.
Accepting the award, Foster urged all Australians to do what they can to contribute to "active multiculturalism".
"When one of our beautiful multicultural communities is in trouble, it’s all of our responsibilities to reach out the hand and step across that line. When one of our faith groups is attacked all of us must support them immediately," he said.
"It doesn’t matter what tools we have, doesn’t matter what platform we have, just do something, say something and in doing so we all help to make Australia a better place."
He said multicultural communities still faced a great deal of racism and discrimination in Australia.
"Every signature, every statement of solidarity and support, every message of positivity is incredibly important to those communities who need the rest of us. So each action you take, never underestimate how powerful that is."
Born in Lismore, in northern New South Wales, Foster made his debut for Sydney United in 1988. He played for the Socceroos 29 times.
Despite his stance on human rights issues, Foster will be part of the SBS broadcast team covering the FIFA World Cup in Qatar starting later this month.
After considering boycotting the event, Foster decided to take part from Sydney and use the opportunity to discuss human rights issues such as the treatment of homosexuals and women.
The 53-year-old is also involved in the Australian Republic Movement.
Other local heroes honoured
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced Foster as the NSW Australian of the Year at a ceremony at Luna Park Wednesday evening.
Amar Singh, the founder of Turbans 4 Australia, was named the NSW Local Hero for his work packaging and distributing food and grocery hampers to people in need across Western Sydney.
He urged the NSW government to listen to charities responding to disasters such as this year's floods and speed up funding processes to allow them to help more people in crisis.
Teresa Plane, palliative care pioneer and advocate, was selected as the NSW Senior Australian of the Year.
Ms Plane opened a hospice and palliative care unit at Mt Carmel Hospital in Western Sydney in 1978, admitting patients on the basis of need rather than their ability to pay.
The 89-year-old later established Macquarie Hospice, a home care and day care centre.
"In 1970 palliative care was not even a word in the lexicon of health professionals. Today, thanks to many, many dedicated doctors and nurses, we’ve all been spruiking palliative care," Ms Plane said.
"What is palliative care? It is love in action. It is a journey of hope and trust."
The NSW Young Australian of the Year is the founder of Banish and sustainability champion Lottie Dalziel.
In 2018 she made a New Year's resolution to be kinder to the planet. While many of us struggle to stick to these commitments, the 29-year-old didn't give up even when she found it hard to find accurate information about recycling and waste.
Instead, she set up the Banish website to provide reliable information on ways to reduce waste.
"It’s so easy that there’s no reason not to live sustainably and not to recycle properly. Get your hands dirty and start composting. Now, I’m inspiring lots of people when they look at their rubbish bins to think of me."
The Australian of the Year will be announced on January 25 in Canberra.
