Media Release by Senator the Hon Kay Patterson

Young Australian of the Year announced

Film maker, writer, director, actor and law student, Khoa Do, is the winner of the 2005 Young Australian of the Year Award.

The Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator Kay Patterson, today congratulated 25-year-old Khoa Do, from New South Wales, for his contribution to the community.

“The Young Australian of the Year Awards are a great opportunity to recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of young Australians who have made a substantial contribution to their communities,” Senator Patterson said.

“Khoa Do has already made a name for himself in the Australian film industry. In 2001, Khoa was nominated for an AFI Award for his screen play for the short film Delivery Day.

“In 2002 he was asked to teach film and video production to at risk youth in Cabramatta. The experience was documented in the acclaimed film, The Finished People.

“At such a young age his achievements, strong sense of character and willingness to help others is an inspiration for all Australian youth.

“Over 2,300 people from across Australia were nominated for the 2005 Young Australian of the Year Awards. The finalist list includes disability advocates, medical officers and a former legal protection officer for the United Nations Refugee Agency.

“Previous winners of the award have come from sporting fields, the corporate sector and the science field, and include Scott Hocknull for achievements in palaeontology, Ian Thorpe for his contribution to Australian sport through swimming, Bryan Gaensler for astronomy, including winning NASA’s prestigious Hubble Fellowship and Tan Le for her community service to Vietnamese Australians.

“All these young Australians, including Khoa Do, have contributed enormously to their community and are a great inspiration to all young people across Australia. Australians can feel confident that if this year’s finalists and winner are anything to go by, the future of this nation will be in capable hands,” Senator Patterson said.

Information on the finalists is available from the National Australia Day Council on 02 7273 8666 or at Australian of the Year website (www.australianoftheyear.gov.au)