Sydney Rights Talk: 2015 Australians Of The Year With Rosie Batty And Annabel Crabb

Four impressive Australian women were featured because of their passion for inspiring change in human rights. ABC journalist and presenter Annabel Crabb led the discussion on Monday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. featuring all four 2015 Australians of the Year, namely Rosie Batty, Jackie French, Drisana Levitzke-Gray and Juliette Wright.

Sydney Talks reports that for the first time ever, all of the outstanding individuals are women. They have inspiring stories to tell and are strong advocates of their specific human rights issues. They were led by 2015 Australian of the Year Rosie Batty. The Rights Talk: 2015 Australians of the Year event was held at the Sydney Town Hall which is located at 483 George Street, Sydney, NSW. Admission was free and the event was broadcast live on ABC News 24.

The Australian Human Rights Commission has partnered with the Australian of the Year Awards to showcase the special event. The official website states that Batty is a family violence campaigner Australian of the Year. Jackie French is an author Senior Australian of the Year. Meanwhile, Drisana Levitzke-Gray is an advocate for the deaf community Young Australian of the Year. As for Juliette Wright, she is the social entrepreneur Australia’s Local Hero.

ABC notes that Batty’s 11-year-old son, Luke, was a victim of his father's domestic violence. Victorian Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay praised Batty and described her as the most "remarkable victim" he has ever met. French is an advocate of children with learning difficulties as well as wildlife. Levitzke-Gray encourages others to accept diversity and establish a positive image of deafness. Wright aims to alleviate poverty all over Australia. She even created an online network to send goods to those in need.

ABC also reveals that for each Australian State and Territory, four finalists were chosen in each award category, namely Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Australia’s Local Hero. Throughout November 2014, the remarkable Australians were acknowledged at State and Territory presentation ceremonies held around the land down under.

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