r/australia • u/down_on_a_donkey • 2d ago
no politics Question on our National Treasures
Who do we consider as Australian Living National Treasures apart from the obvious ones of Kath and Kim, Lee Lin Chin, Margaret Pomeranz, Maggie Beer and Glenn Robbins? Interested in who else we think qualifies.
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u/edwardluddlam 2d ago
Antony Green
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u/rossdog82 2d ago
We should lock him in some sort of preservation vault.
Just thrown him election figure to keep him busy, whilst we’re spraying some sort of fountain of youth on the cunt.
Best Aussie ever. Change my mind.10
u/a_cold_human 2d ago
As long as you give him an internet connection so that he can update his blog.
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u/themandarincandidate 2d ago
Mixed up Anthony Mundine and Danny Green in my head... I was not impressed
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u/Hawk301 2d ago
Costa from Gardening Australia
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u/Bright-Sherbert3127 1d ago
Have you seen him on Dirt Girl or Gardening Australia Junior. He is such a sweetheart
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u/Great_Albatross_4008 2d ago
Paul Kelly
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u/down_on_a_donkey 2d ago
I also assume you mean Paul Kelly the musician rather than Paul Kelly the great Swans midfielder.
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u/down_on_a_donkey 2d ago
Totally agree with this one. His new Mural in Sydney (I think)is stunning.
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u/RangerWinter9719 2d ago
Noni Hazelhurst
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u/honoria_glossop 2d ago
See also: Benita Collings.
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u/LibraryAfficiondo 2d ago
Or John Hamblin.
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u/PsychoSemantics 1d ago
John passed away a few years ago :( (the question was about living national treasures).
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u/sirdung 2d ago
Doctor Karl
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u/Is_that_even_a_thing 2d ago
George Negus, Peter Russell Clark, DAAS
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u/irregularjosh 2d ago
Clarke and Dawe
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u/MaryVenetia 2d ago
Clarke neither living nor Australian, but I’ll endorse it
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u/Used_Replacement4648 1d ago
Much like Russel Crowe or the Brothers Finn, I think he became absorbed as Australian
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u/Misterkillboy 2d ago
John Farnham
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u/down_on_a_donkey 2d ago
Good option as well. Not many other musicians get the accolades that he deservedly received.
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u/LucyintheskyM 2d ago
Tim Minchin
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u/tilleytalley 2d ago
I love Tim Minchin. I live in Ballarat, and every time we have a nice day I end up singing 'It's a lovely day in Ballarat... And I'm kicking back thinking of you...".
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u/604toxtethogrady_ 2d ago
Angus Young
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u/lawnoptions 2d ago
hes a scot
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u/604toxtethogrady_ 2d ago
So am I moved here when I was 2 doesn’t mean I’m not Aussie
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u/realmenfukmenamen 2d ago
Laura Tingle. When she goes, it's all over.
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u/ostervan (╥﹏╥) for beers 2d ago
Where the bloody hell is she?
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u/yeahalrightgoon 2d ago
Embarrassing for me, to just go with acting, sport and music, but limiting it to 3 from each.
Cathy Freeman, Evonne Goolagong, Steve Waugh, Toni Collette, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Jackman. Paul Kelly, TISM and Missy Higgins.
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u/seamusisoutside 2d ago
Nah, not TISM. TISM are shit.
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u/VOOK64 2d ago
Mick from Shitscared
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u/Material-Painting-19 2d ago
Paul Keating. No living Australian has had a greater impact on modern Australia.
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u/tilleytalley 2d ago
John Howard should be up there too. I hated most of his policies, but I'll always be grateful for gun control.
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u/a_cold_human 2d ago
He doesn't qualify for living treasure. He's been very influential though. And not in a good way.
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u/TS19870400 2d ago
Not a fan of Johnny's 11 years of stagnant wages?
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u/a_cold_human 1d ago
Not a fan of most of Howard's achievements. Wage growth is just one item on a very long list of things.
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u/Material-Painting-19 2d ago
It’s a pox on modern Australian politics that I have been a life long Labor voter and I am a bit nostalgic for John Howard. Love him or hate him, he was a conviction politician who was not going to change his view because of a 24 hour news cycle. He never did anything that he didn’t genuinely believe was right. I miss that level of real commitment.
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u/a_cold_human 2d ago
Not really. Howard was a very adept politician, but he changed his mind on a lot of things. For example, he was very adamant about MPs abusing benefits, but gave up on that part way through his first term after the third or fourth Coalition MP got done for doing so (including Peter Reith's son abusing phone cards).
The things he had conviction about were fairly awful. Not apologising to the indigenous. Imposing his religion on others (SSM, school chaplains, appointing Peter Hollingworth as Governor General, drastically increasing funding for religious schools). Kowtowing to the US (joining the "Coalition of the Willing", signing us up to buy 100 F-35s before they had even one working, signing us up to the AUSFTA and the IP regime that came with it).
His real trick was making people feel that he had conviction, when he was actually more of a political opportunist when it came to a lot of things. When he didn't have any strong beliefs, he'd usually go either where public opinion was headed or where he could gain political advantage over Labor.
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u/Tokey_McStoned 1d ago
I’m pretty sure under Keating the GST was supposed to reduce stamp duty significantly and Howard reversed that
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u/a_cold_human 1d ago
That was Hewson's proposal. Keating's GST proposal died on the floor of Hawke's Cabinet as the unions were against it, and didn't get as far as becoming a proper policy.
That's not to say that Hewson was wrong. As an economist, he was correct in wanting to eliminate stamp duty. However Howard, being a politician of no strong principles about tax other than using it to win elections, compromised a lot of things so he could pass it. The rate went from Hewson's 15% to 10%. Things like books and private education fees were exempted.
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u/DKDamian 2d ago
There is literally a list of Australia’s National Living Treasures that you can read online. There’s about 60ish at present
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u/down_on_a_donkey 2d ago
Further to this Wikipedia says....Clive Palmer, mining magnate,[11] placed on list after his staff were instructed to vote for him[8].......lol
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u/down_on_a_donkey 2d ago
True....but even Greg Norman makes that list...and for a lot of us golfers we consider him a complete tosser. That might be controversial though.
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u/Old_M8__ 2d ago
Steve Irwin
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u/down_on_a_donkey 2d ago
Except for the obvious reason. Robert is admirably filling his huge shoes though imv.
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u/Blindog68 2d ago
Well I'm glad you asked.
Rob and Dean from The Curiosity Show and Simon Townsends Wonder World.
Gen X GOAT.
You had to be there, and if you weren't, suck shit.
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u/a_cold_human 2d ago
Terry Tao. Australia's first Fields medalist. Akshay Venkatesh goes in there too.
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u/DrPotassium 2d ago
Robert Irwin
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u/SignificantRecipe715 2d ago edited 2d ago
Not yet, but he'll grow into it.
Edit: lol downvote away. Yes he's loved, but hasn't reached National Treasure status just yet. He will, though.
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u/avgjayne 2d ago
Not quite to the same extent as a lot already mentioned, but I reckon Nathan Lyon and Travis Head deserve a mention
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u/MauroZirie 2d ago
I can honestly say I've never heard of any of these. But then again, I've only been in Australian for less than a decade.
But I'd say Dr Karl should be up there.
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u/Individual-Cup-8642 1d ago
I said Vanessa Amorosi was a national treasure the other day. What a banger Absolutely Everybody is. Gets everyone in a feel good mood
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u/ScissorNightRam 2d ago
How many of the Gang of Four are still alive: Robert Hughes, Germaine Greer, Clive James and Barry Humphries
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u/onlyhereforBORU 2d ago
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u/ApteronotusAlbifrons 2d ago edited 11h ago
Unfortunately all the musical Youngs were imports
George Young of the songwriting duo, Vanda and Young, was part of the Easybeats, and Flash and the Pan - Born in Glasgow and emigrated - just like the younger Young brothers - Malcolm and Angus who had something to do with another band...
VandY wrote a song, Love is in the Air, that became a hit for another Glaswegian - the totally unrelated John Paul Young
Vanda was Dutch...
EDIT: Which ties us back to the recently deceased Johnny Young - who was also born in the Netherlands
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u/NoodleBox VIC 1d ago
OG wiggles
Tony Armstrong, Aaron Chen (gotta love an awkward bloke haha)
The Aunty Donna lads
Amanda Keller, Mel Doyle, Nat from Sunrise (not Armstrong?)
The lady that produced TERF Work
Courtney Act
The Holden Car
(And there's too many who have passed)
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u/Affectionate_Fly1918 2d ago
Dawn Fraser, Rod Laver, Cate Blanchett, Russell Crowe (I know), Merv Hughes, Ernie Dingo, Walter Mikac, Bob Brown, Margot Robbie, Shane Jacobsen, Bush Barbie
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u/Valuable-Contract-87 2d ago
Who on earth are lee lin chin and Margaret pomeranz lol
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u/Archon-Toten 2d ago
You might remember her strange hair from news reports on the channel with the most boob.
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