Scott Rankin

Theatre director, writer and arts charity leader

2018 TAS Australian of the Year

Motivated by the closure of the Burnie Paper Mill 25 years ago, Scott Rankin embarked on an innovative experiment to explore new ways of dealing with disadvantage. The theatre director and playwright established Big hART, a charity which uses the arts to bring about social justice. As the company’s CEO and Creative Director, Scott leads a passionate team to tell Australia’s most invisible stories, working with over 50 communities in regional, remote and urban Australia. No tale is too tough to tell: domestic violence, incarceration, addiction, homelessness, or intergenerational injustice faced by Indigenous Australians. A multi award-winning writer and director in his own right, Scott’s works have featured many times in major international and national arts festivals with films screening on ABC, SBS and at film festivals around the country. His acclaimed production Namatjira, for example, celebrates the legacy of one of Australia's best loved artists. But Big hART remains Scott’s greatest legacy and selfless contribution to the arts and society.