The National Living Treasure Award is one of the most prestigious award commonly conferred to a person who is tremendously contributed his/her talent, efforts, hard work, and time for the countries intangible cultural heritage. The recipient of this prestigious award is known as The National Living Treasures. The National Living Treasure is the status created, decided, and given by the National Trust of Australia’s located in New South Wales. Till date, the trust has awarded up to 100 living legends and these living persons have been added to list of National Living Treasures. The list is updated occasionally again by the National Trust of Australia.

How the National Living Treasures are been elected and awarded?

The National Living Treasures are selected by voting system under category of having made amazing contributions to Australian society in any field of human endeavor. The current list of Australian National Living Treasures have been elected after considering more than 10,000 Australian’s voting nationwide and these votes determine who is elected.

In brief, the National Trust of Australia (NSW) releases an announcement calling for nominations for National Living Treasures directly from the public. The public are asked to nominate 100 National Living Treasures and each nomination is considered as one vote. The major criteria for a person to be as a nominee is he/she must have made an enduring and substantial contribution to the society and pride of Australia.

History

The National Trust of Australia introduced the most prestigious award or title called ‘The National Living Treasures’ in 1997. (We have already discussed how the nominees are called for nominations and are chosen as Living Treasures in the above paragraph). The NSW released the first list of 100 National Living Treasures in 1997. Later the list was updated with 15 new names in 2004. In the same year, there happened a few incidents that impacted the change of former list of Living Treasures. The incidents include death of some persons in the former list, and elimination of former Justice Marcus Einfeld.

Marcus Einfeld, a former Australian judge in the Federal Court of Australia and also served as the first president of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. In retirement, he was imprisoned for two years for perjury and perverting the course of justice.

In 2012 January 23^rd, the new seven additions joined the list of 100 Australian National Living Treasures (which is the first list created and released in 1997) by NSW in tandem with Women’s Day magazine along with an invitation to the readers to choose ‘Exceptional Australians’.

The new titles had been prompted in the same year after the death of the National Living Treasurer artist Margaret Olley. And these titles recognize the country’s culture and traditions more than just the tallest buildings and natural heritage.

On July 30 2014, Rolf Harris had been removed from the list of 100 Australian National Living Treasures for his conviction on indecent assaults.

List of Australian National Treasures

We are providing the current list of Australian National Treasures declared by National Trust of India (NSW). The list is still getting updated by NSW every year based on public voting system. Now let us see the list according to a particular category wise.

Here is the list of living National Living Treasures by NSW. Most of the living treasures are there in the list of 100 National Living Treasures released in 1997. While some are added to the list later and a few are deceased, removed from the list in between because of some reasons. We are going to list out about all these categories in detail with their names.

Current National Living Treasures
NAME	Title They Have Got
Phillip Adams	Australian humanist, social commentator
Geoffrey Blainey	Australian professor, historian
Bob Brown	Australian politician, Australian Greens activist
Reverend Tim Costello	Australian social activist, commentator
Reverend Bill Crews	Australian social activist
Pat Dodson	Indigenous Australian activist/leader
Judy Davis	Australian actress
Marie Bashir	Governor of New South Wales, professor
John Bell	Australian actor
Peter Doherty	Australian immunologist, professor, Nobel Prize winner
Herb Elliott	Australian Olympic runner
John Farnham	Australian entertainer
Margaret Fulton	Australian writer, food expert
Evonne Goolagong Cawley	Indigenous Australian tennis player
Ted Egan	Australian musician, activist, administrator
John Hatton	Australian independent NSW politician
Janet Holmes à Court	Australian business leader, philanthropist
Ernie Dingo	Indigenous Australian television personality
Caroline Jones	Australian television personality, social commentator
Paul Keating	Prime Minister of Australia
Germaine Greer	Australian writer, social activist
Rt Revd Peter Hollingworth	Governor-General of Australia
Ian Kiernan	Australian businessman, social activist
Thomas Keneally	Australian writer
John Landy	Australian Olympic athlete, Governor of Victoria
Rod Laver	Australian tennis player, businessman
Cheryl Kernot	Australian politician
Nicole Kidman	Australian actress
Michael Leunig	Australian cartoonist, social commentator
David Malouf	Australian novelist
Walter Mikac	Australian survivors’ advocate
Barry Humphries	Australian entertainer
Karl Kruszelnicki	Australian scientist, author, media personality
Justice Michael Kirby	Australian lawyer, judge, social commentator
Jack Mundey	Australian trade union leader
Les A Murray	Australian poet
Jack Mundey	Australian trade union leader
Graeme Murphy	Australian dancer, choreographer
Barry Jones	Australian politician, author
John Newcombe	Australian tennis player, television commentator
Lowitja O’Donoghue	Indigenous Australian leader
Ted Mack	Australian politician, social commentator
Kylie Minogue	Australian singer, actress
Pat O’Shane	Indigenous Australian leader, magistrate
Kieren Perkins	Australian Olympic swimmer, television commentator
Olivia Newton-John	Australian singer, actress
Greg Norman	Australian golfer, businessman
Gabi Hollows	Australian social activist, philanthropist
Garry McDonald	Australian actor
Basil Hetzel	Australian medical researcher, public health advocate
John Howard	Prime Minister of Australia
Peter Garrett	Australian politician, singer and social activist
Jennie George	ACTU trade union leader, politician
Catherine Hamlin	Australian physician
Dawn Fraser	Australian Olympic swimmer, former politician
Ian Frazer	Australian scientist, creator of cervical cancer vaccine
Cathy Freeman	Indigenous Australian sportsperson, Olympic runner
Pat Rafter	Australian tennis player
Henry Reynolds	Australian historian
Ken Rosewall	Australian tennis player
Anthony Warlow	Australian singer
Sir Gustav Nossal	Australian scientist, administrator
Dick Smith	Australian businessman, social commentator
Mary Paton	Australian founder of the Nursing Mothers’ Association
Robyn Williams	Australian science broadcaster
David Williamson	Australian playwright
Galarrwuy Yunupingu	Indigenous Australian leader
Fiona Wood	Australian physician
Clive Palmer	Australian mining magnate
Fiona Stanley	Australian physician
Richard Tognetti	Australian violinist and conductor
Roger Woodward	Australian pianist
John Yu	Australian medical doctor
Shane Gould	Australian Olympic swimmer
Raelene Boyle	Australian Olympic runner, sports commentator
Father Frank Brennan	Australian social commentator
Julian Burnside	Australian barrister, refugee rights advocate, author
Tim Winton	Australian novelist
Noel Pearson	Indigenous Australian leader
Gai Waterhouse	Australian racehorse trainer
Steve Waugh	Australian cricketer
Russell Crowe	Australian actor
Betty Cuthbert	Australian Olympic runner
Don Burrows	Australian musician
William Deane	Australian High Court judge and Governor-General of Australia
Mick Dodson	Indigenous Australian leader

Deceased National Living Treasures (formerly listed)

2000	Betty Archdale	Australian cricketer, educator
2015	Faith Bandler	Australian academic, activist and advocate for Indigenous Australians and South Sea Islander people
2014	Jack Brabham	Australian world champion Formula One driver
2009	Nancy Bird Walton	Australian aviator
1999	Arthur Boyd	Australian artist
2001	Don Bradman	Australian cricketer
2015	Harry Butler	Australian naturalist and conservationist
2002	Ruth Cracknell	Australian actress
2015	Bart Cummings	Australian racehorse trainer
2002	Roden Cutler	Australian World War II hero, Governor of New South Wales
1999	Don Dunstan	Australian Premier of South Australia, social commentator
2003	Slim Dusty	Australian singer, entertainer
2015	Malcolm Fraser	Prime Minister of Australia
2013	Hazel Hawke	Australian social activist, ex-wife of Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister of Australia
2005	Donald Horne	Australian academic, writer, author of The Lucky Country
2012	Robert Hughes	Australian art critic, author
2007	Elizabeth Jolley	Australian author
2016	Leonie Kramer	Australian academic, businesswoman
2012	Jimmy Little	Indigenous Australian singer
2015	Colleen McCullough	Australian author
1997	Edward (Ted) Matthews	Australian World War I soldier and last Gallipoli survivor
2000	Judith Wright McKinney	Australian poet
2000	Sir Mark Oliphant	Australian physicist, Governor of South Australia
2011	Margaret Olley	Australian artist
2000	Charles Perkins	Australian Indigenous Australian leader
2014	Peter Sculthorpe	Australian musician, composer
1998	Mum (Shirl) Smith	Aboriginal Australian activist
2010	Joan Sutherland	Australian opera singer
2007	Mavis Taylor	Australian humanitarian
2015	Tom Uren	Australian former politician
2003	Alan Walker	Australian social commentator/activist
1999	Morris West	Australian author
2014	Gough Whitlam	Prime Minister of Australia
2012	Margaret Whitlam	Australian social activist, wife of Gough Whitlam former Prime Minister of Australia
2003	R. M. Williams	Australian businessman

Removed while living (Formerly listed but now removed from the National Living Treasures)

Marcus Einfeld, Disgraced Former Judge– removed in 2008

Rolf Harris, Australian Entertainer– removed in 2014

According to Fairfax: “Woman’s Day Magazine has taken in-charge of the voting system through its website for deciding on list of National Living Treasures, with the trust came up with nominated 100 potential treasures. All seven final choices are from the list, which had just 31 women, including the scientist and Nobel laureate Elizabeth Blackburn, the actor Cate Blanchett, and the television host Kerri-Anne Kennerley.”

Artistic Community

Japan’s State Living Treasures awards program has been the first and foremost inspiration to honor the skill, imagination, talent, and originality of the artistic community. Japan introduced these awards during the period of Post-World War 2, since then, the State Living Treasures are being held worldwide. The awards acknowledge the efforts of talented artists in their way to engage and entertain audience.

In Western Australia, the former Minister for Arts, The Hon. Peter Foss QC MLC, inaugurated the State Living Treasures Awards to honor the artists for their lifetime achievement and hard work which enhances the pride of Western Australia.