Council reinstates Australia Day Community Award
From left, Cr Joe Natoli, Cr Winston Johnston, Mayor Rosanna Natoli, Cr Terry Landsberg, Cr Christian Dickson.
After nearly two years in the wilderness, Sunshine Coast Council is reviving the Australia Day Community Awards. This follows sustained community pressure and political calls to restore what many residents saw as a symbolic void in local recognition.
Council’s official media release invites nominations for the 2026 Sunshine Coast Australia Day Community Awards, citing a desire “to acknowledge those who support others in the region.”
Mayor Rosanna Natoli stated: “These awards are about acknowledging the passionate volunteers, the quiet achievers, the creative minds and the groups who make a real difference to our community. Whether it’s someone running a weekly community meal, mentoring young people … this is their time to shine.”
Absent from the release is any mention of the decision in late 2023 to quietly shelve the long-standing Australia Day Awards and rebrand them as the UNESCO-aligned Biosphere Community Awards.
That move provoked sharp criticism for what many residents viewed as an overreach by council and a disregard for the community’s voice.
At the time, federal MPs and local councillors publicly condemned the change, accusing the council of sidelining volunteer recognition in favour of environmental optics.
The controversial rebrand – done with minimal consultation – placed volunteering side by side with sustainability metrics and shifted community recognition to a narrower environmental lens.
The latest decision restores the awards’ purpose of honouring civic contributions across social, arts, sporting and community spheres.
The revived awards will be handed out on January 23, 2026, across six categories: Citizen of the Year; Senior Citizen of the Year; Young Citizen of the Year; Community Group or Organisation; Creative Arts; and Healthy & Active. Nominations close November 30.
Meanwhile, Council also reaffirmed its backing of the separate Sunshine Coast Biosphere Awards, to be held in June 2026, celebrating those who champion sustainability.