Life-saving scientists Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer named joint Australians of the Year

Melanoma researchers Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer are urging a radical rethink of sun safety and tanning after being named joint Australians of the Year.

The pair delivered a stirring call to arms after accepting their awards at a ceremony in Canberra on Thursday night.

“Our bronze Aussie culture is actually killing us so we call on advertisers and social media influences stop glamorising tanning or using it to sell or advertise for entertainment,” Professor Long said.

The pioneering scientists challenged people to imagine the outcry if smoking was glamorised in the same way as tanning.

“We must elevate sun safety to equal status with other life-saving safety measures like wearing a seatbelt or a helmet,” Professor Scolyer said.

A medical breakthrough the researchers made has helped save thousands of lives.

Their partnership gave Australians a fighting chance against melanoma, known as the nation’s cancer.

In less than a decade, advanced melanoma went from being fatal to a curable disease due to pioneering work in activating patients’ immune systems.

The co-medical directors of Melanoma Institute Australia have been at the forefront of public education on sun-smart behaviour and skin cancer prevention.

When Prof Scolyer was diagnosed with incurable grade-four brain cancer in June 2023, he and Prof Long developed a series of world-first treatments based on their melanoma breakthroughs.

By undertaking an experimental treatment at the risk of shortening his life, Prof Scolyer has advanced the understanding of brain cancer and is benefiting future patients.

He has generated public interest by publicly documenting his own cancer treatment and progress.

The scientists spoke of their pride in representing melanoma patients and their families.

“Our thoughts are always with those families where our breakthrough treatments came too late,” Prof Long said.

“We are forever indebted to your loved ones, and all our patients for their selfless commitment to research, which has changed the futures for others.

“That is Aussie mateship at its very best.”

National Australia Day Council chair John Foreman said the impact of their world-leading research would be felt by countless people.

“Georgina and Richard are leading work which is saving countless lives now and, thanks also to the personal commitment of Richard, will lead to an even more extraordinary impact on the health of people around the world in the future,” he said.

Olympic champion Emma McKeon was named Young Australian of the Year, with teacher and community leader Yalmay Yunupingu the Senior Australian of the Year.

Australia’s Local Hero went to pastoralist and dinosaur fossil finder David Elliott.