By Staff Writer

Director of the Australian National University’s National Centre for Indigenous Studies and Chairman of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, professor Mick Dobson, has been named Australian of the Year 2009.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd presented Professor Dobson with the award at a ceremony on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra. 

"Mick Dodson has been a courageous fighter for reconciliation and for closing the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians," said the Prime Minister.

“His efforts truly show that if we work together, we can achieve real progress," he said at the ceremony

Queensland victims support worker Jonty Bush was named Young Australian of the Year 2009, Victorian philanthropist Pat La Manna OAM was named Senior Australian of the Year 2009 and Western Australia’s sea safety campaigner Graeme Drew was announced as Australia’s Local Hero 2009.

Fifty eight year old Professor Dodson is a Yawuru man from the Broome area of Western Australia who is known as a proud, courageous and humble Aboriginal leader who has served in a variety of challenging and highly sensitive roles at community level, with governments, the United Nations and in academia.