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The can of worms has officially been opened!

Should Steve Waugh have been named Australian of the Year?

The following people were nominated for this years award (I've taken the opening paragrah from the bio of each nominee from the AustraliaDay's website - http://www.australianoftheyear.gov.au/awards07.asp:

Mem Fox
An admired author, Mem Fox is best known as one of Australia's most popular children's book writers. Her famed Possum Magic sold over one million copies in its first ten years of publication and is still in hard-back.

Steve Irwin
An environmentalist, conservationist, naturalist, and animal lover, Steve Irwin is a unique Aussie character. Director of the Australia Zoo in Beerwah, Queensland, Steve rose to prominence hosting the television series 'The Crocodile Hunter'.

Michael Kent
Michael Kent has contributed significantly to Tasmanian business, economy, community, charity and sport. A former leading businessman in the retail industry he has been active in supporting business and lobbying government through the Food Industry Council and Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce.

Bernadette McMenamin
In 1993 Bernadette McMenamin founded and championed Child Wise Limited, a not for profit company which works towards the attainment of a world free from child exploitation, child sex abuse and child sex tourism. Bernadette is also the co-author of 'Choose with Care', a resource which promotes world best practise techniques to ensure that organisations are as child safe as possible.

Pat Miller
Pat Miller has worked throughout her life to challenge racial discrimination and address the fundamental causes of the problems that beset many aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. She has been involved with the Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service since 1978, commencing as a filing clerk, and rising to her current position of Director.

Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh has played representative cricket for Australia since 1985, and is the current test captain. He averages over 50 at test level, has 32 test centuries and became the first player to score 150 runs against every test playing nation. Although better known for his cricketing prowess, he has been sponsoring and raising money for leprosy in India for over three years.

Judith Whitworth
Judith Whitworth is the Director of the John Curtin School of Medical Research and the Howard Florey Professor of Medical Research at the Australian National University. Judith is a leader in the advancement of academic medicine and has made a significant contribution to research policy and medical research administration in Australia and internationally.

Fiona Wood
In October 2002 Fiona Wood made headlines. She and her team treated badly burned Bali victims at the Royal Perth Hospital with spray on skin, her own medical breakthrough that is revolutionising burns treatment. This new treatment, which is continually developing aims to improve the quality of life for those suffering from burns.[/url]

I pick Steve Irwin simply cuz he stood his ground and stick to what he believes in.

who cares about businesses, child abuse, medical breakthrough, native people, and sports?? It's all about the crocs I tells ya. The Crocs!

It should have been Jason McCartney, the fact that he wasn't even nominated is disgraceful enough! But Steve Waugh pfffft!!

If it wasn't for that baby incident I'd have gone for Mr Irwin.

You left out the who cares option

Lucas wrote:It should have been Jason McCartney, the fact that he wasn't even nominated is disgraceful enough! But Steve Waugh pfffft!!

Jason who?

Jason Mcartney!!! That would have been worse than Steve Waugh! All Mcartney did was be in the wrong place at the wrong time and survive (thankfully).
The way some people make out you would think he was the only person in the place when the bomb went off. The media decided to make him the face of the incident, and that is all he did. His comeback was a fantastic effort, and I'm not knocking the bloke, but he did no more than many other Australians who were in Bali at the time.

who in the world is jason mccartney??? btw the baby incident is precisely why i'd rather pick stevo.

The voting for AusofYear award takes place in December - well before the "baby incident". I would have liked Steve Irwin to win - he does do a lot for Australia, and the environment.

On the baby incident - can someone seriously tell me that him holding his baby in a controlled environment with six spotters and all his years of experience knowing what the croc was thinking is any more dangerous than a parent placing a child in a car and travelling down a road? Steve and his spotters knew what the one croc was going to do... Do you know what the thousands of drivers around you are going to do?

Buzz wrote:The voting for AusofYear award takes place in December - well before the "baby incident". I would have liked Steve Irwin to win - he does do a lot for Australia, and the environment.

On the baby incident - can someone seriously tell me that him holding his baby in a controlled environment with six spotters and all his years of experience knowing what the croc was thinking is any more dangerous than a parent placing a child in a car and travelling down a road? Steve and his spotters knew what the one croc was going to do... Do you know what the thousands of drivers around you are going to do?

Yea I know what you mean but I still say ........What was the point of it.

He definately lost his grip of reality at that point and therre were to many yes men to frightened to say "are you crazy".

I don't agree with the driving analogy either.

If he wannted to compare it with the family pet dog then that is a more realistic senario.

Hey I still rekon he is the funnyest most "natural" dude on TV.....whats wrong with him saying ...." Yea I should wait for a year or so do give him that expirence".