Perth Voice Interactive

A MYSTERY winner of the 2025 Australia Day Community Citizen of the Year Award for Bayswater has declined the award for reasons unknown. 

Our search this week to identify the would-be winner was unsuccessful, and redacted council documents refer to them only as “Nominee C” in the main ‘Community Citizen of the Year’ category for the 2025 Australia Day awards. 

There were five nominees all up for the award, which is given out for contributing to the community and being an inspiring role model. 

Councillors unanimously selected Nominee C as the winner at the November 19 meeting, but an urgent report to councillors this week states “they have declined their acceptance of the award and a new nominee is required to be selected for the award”. 

At the December 10 meeting, the last opportunity to vote before the ceremony, councillors were tasked with hastily selecting their second favourite during a confidential agenda item voted on behind closed doors.

In recent years there’ve been several nominees who’ve turned down awards for the national Australia Day awards as well as the Queen’s/King’s birthday honours, often as a protest against January 26 as being a difficult date for Aboriginal people, and sometimes in protest against other awardees.

We asked the Community Citizen of the Year awards organisers Auspire if this has become a growing trend at the council-level awards, but have yet to hear back. 

Guidance

However the Australia Day Council’s South Australia branch has in recent years started including guidance in their FAQ document for councils faced with this situation.

In response to “What if my Award recipient declines the Award?” the ASCSA advises:

“ADCSA encourages you to enunciate to the Award Recipient/s that this program injects motivation within the local community. The Citizen of the Year Awards is not only about the individual, whilst this program amplifies their work and contribution it also acknowledges their impact within their local community. 

“Try to ascertain the individual’s reservations regarding non-participation within the awards program. Some common reasons that individuals are reluctant to participate are: 

• They feel uncomfortable being associated with Australia Day or the date; 

• The work was achieved in a team environment, and they don’t feel comfortable in being singled out; 

• They don’t do the work for recognition and do not wish to have the spotlight on them.” 

The declined award is one of four community awards given out by Bayswater along with senior citizen, youth citizen, and active (group) citizen of the year, and Bayswater’s also had a bonus “outstanding women in leadership” category since 2019. 

Bayswater council has opted not to hold its Australia Day citizenship and awards ceremonies on January 26 this year, alongside some 80 other councils across Australia who’ve ditched the 26th. 

Instead this year the City of Bayswater’s events will be held on the public holiday on Monday January 27.

by DAVID BELL