Maths genius, devoted mum, headline-making CEO on King's Birthday Honours roll

The 2026 King's Birthday Honours list recognises 949 Australians. (ABC News: Phil Jaiyawong) The 2026 King's Birthday Honours showcase 949 Australians. Recipients are nominated by the public and recommended to the Governor-General by the independent Council for the Order of Australia. A significant gender imbalance remains, with 230 women and 471 men in the general division. Link copiedShareShare articleA brilliant mathematician, a mother who experienced unimaginable loss and a headline-making CEO are among 949 Australians recognised in the 2026 King's Birthday Honours list. Gender equality advocate and former senator Natasha Stott Despoja AC is one of five bestowed with the top award: the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). Natasha Stott Despoja AC is recognised with a top honour for service to the prevention of domestic, family and sexual violence. (ABC News: Che Chorley) Ms Stott Despoja said she "had a little cry" when she was told about her honour. "But I prefer to focus on the policies that I've been working on and the people with whom I've worked." Ms Stott Despoja chaired South Australia's Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and is currently in a role with the United Nations committee for the elimination of discrimination against women. "There is no more important time for us globally to be conscious of some of the most egregious violations of women and girls," she said. Professor Terry Tao AC is recognised for decades of mathematical excellence. (YouTube: Centre International de Rencontres Mathématiques) Professor Terence Tao AC has been recognised for his service to mathematical sciences and academia. The Adelaide-born professor of mathematics at the University of California in Los Angeles said "it's sort of stunning that my country has given me this recognition". The 50-year-old showed early signs of being a maths prodigy and attended classes at Flinders University as a child. A young Terence Tao attends a maths class at Flinders University, circa July 1987. (ABC News) During the US Biden administration, Professor Tao served on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and while much of his work is theoretical, one of his proudest achievements directly improved medical scans. "We managed to find a new way to process signals from things like MRI machines, and now MRI scans that used to take several minutes can take 30 seconds … that's particularly good for scanning children because sometimes children are restless," he said. Victorian philanthropist Elisabeth Calvert-Jones AC, former Tasmanian premier William Hodgman AC and NSW virologist Professor William Rawlinson AC join Ms Stott Despoja and Professor Tao in accepting the top honour. One of the ABC's most experienced and respected broadcasters Fran Kelly AO becomes an Officer of the Order. The presenter of the Radio National Hour, Kelly previously hosted the agenda-setting program RN Breakfast for 17 years, and was a foreign correspondent and political correspondent. ABC broadcaster Fran Kelly AO is recognised for contributions to journalism and social justice. (ABC News: John Gunn) Kelly is recognised for service to broadcast journalism, advancing social justice and advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community. Kelly said she was "very proud" of her podcast, The Party Room, which has been running for 10 years and is popular with younger audiences. "It just tells me we're giving people something that they're hungry for, which is more information beyond just the headlines, just the spin, just the top layer," she said. James Valentine was recognised for his significant service to the media. (Supplied) ABC presenter James Valentine AM posthumously became a Member of the Order. Valentine died aged 64 in April, using voluntary assisted dying, two years after being diagnosed with cancer. At a public memorial last month, the veteran broadcaster was remembered as a "wonderful human being", loving father and "funny, inclusive and empathic". Five former ABC staff members have also been recognised in this year's honours list, including Timothy Entwisle AO and Bronwyn Fagan AM. Craig Leeson OAM, Helen Gregory OAM and Paul Griffiths OAM have all been awarded a Medal of the Order. Author Gerald Murnane AO is honoured for a lifetime of influential and original Australian literature. Gerald Murnane AO is recognised for service to literature. (ABC News: Tamara Clark) Mr Murnane, who calls the tiny regional Victorian community of Goroke home, was a primary school teacher in the 60s and later a professor of literature at Deakin University. His novels include The Plains, Inland, Barley Patch and A History Of Books and he has claimed the Patrick White Award, the Prime Minister's Literary Award, and the Melbourne Prize for Literature, among others. But he never set out to win prizes and prefers the quiet happiness that comes from readers' feedback. "I heard that this lady, unknown to me, her

Maths genius, devoted mum, headline-making CEO on King's Birthday Honours roll

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Maths genius, devoted mum, headline-making CEO on King's Birthday Honours roll

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