Australian of the Year

Emeritus Professor Mark Harris has provided free medical care to refugees and people seeking asylum for over 25 years.  

In 2000, Mark was concerned that people were not receiving the health care they needed simply because their visa restrictions made them ineligible for Medicare. In response, Mark established a medical clinic at the Asylum Seekers Centre initially staffed by himself and one part‑time nurse. For more than two decades, Mark has volunteered weekly as a general practitioner, providing essential care to people who would otherwise receive none. 

The Asylum Seekers Centre now delivers 500 medical appointments, 485 nursing appointments and 200 physiotherapy appointments each year, supporting around 800 patients. Mark also initiated and personally funded the Health Navigator Program, training health navigators who accompany and support asylum seeker patients through Australia’s complex health system. Mark’s work provides care and dignity for thousands of people facing profound hardship and uncertainty.