00:00The 2026 Young Australian of the Year is Ned Brockman.
00:07Ned Brockman wants to end homelessness and he captured the nation's hearts by running thousands of kilometres across Australia to increase awareness of this cause, turning endurance into real impact.
00:20Through his runs, Ned has raised millions of dollars for We Are Mobilised, helping to provide housing and a second chance for those experiencing homelessness. Congratulations, Ned Brockman, the 2026 Young Australian of the Year.
00:35Well, I'm a blubbering mess and I'm very glad I wrote this speech last night.
00:44Thank you and I'm incredibly filled with so much gratitude to the National Australia Day Council, the work you guys have put into making this event so special.
00:53And to everyone in this room, the support, the Friends family, but obviously the 33 recipients of their state and territory awards, you all deserve the biggest respect from me.
01:05Yesterday, sitting in the Australian of the Year Awards lunch, I wasn't really sure what to expect.
01:15I knew I'd be sitting down to be experiencing an amazing experience, however, I did not expect to be blindsided with overwhelming emotions like I am right now.
01:23Fighting back the tears through what was an amazing few hours, one moment encompassed it all.
01:27I was pondering what it was about Johnny Farnham's acceptance speech back in 1988 for the Australian of the Year Award.
01:35Ah, God.
01:38But it was passion and pride coursing through my veins and I had goosebumps all over.
01:44The voice was performed by the incomparable Casey Donovan and the Baker Boy Band and I couldn't stop the tears.
01:49In Farnham's speech, he spoke of national pride.
01:53And whilst it is right to instill national pride in our children, we must make national pride encompass humanity.
01:59Powerful words.
02:01Ever the eternal optimist, I think I see a bit of what I hope for in those words myself.
02:07We should be proud of this amazing country.
02:10We are so lucky to call it home.
02:12But unfortunately, not everyone feels that way.
02:14In a country as prosperous as Australia, why is it that 122,000 Australians sleep rough every night?
02:23That number should stop us all in our tracks.
02:26I grew up in a house of love.
02:28I was made to feel 10 feet tall, given endless opportunities, pushed and had support whenever it was needed.
02:36I was shown the ropes, told no, disciplined when it was needed.
02:40But most importantly, I was always filled with love.
02:47Through this crazy running journey I've been on, starting with running 50 marathons in 50 days for a big organisation in 2020,
02:55I was wet behind the ears but eager to get a better understanding of homelessness,
02:58why so many people didn't feel that love and how the funds were actually being distributed.
03:03I could see that those funds were just going to be tied up in red tape and it just didn't make any sense.
03:07I wanted those funds to get directly into the hands of those needing it most and that's when I met Noah Yang, the founder of We Are Mobilise.
03:15Long story short, Noah had a vision to introduce Australia's first ever direct cash transfer program.
03:23Like many charities, he just needed the funds to get the ball rolling.
03:26So, I thought, why not run 4,000 kilometres across this great nation?
03:32That ought to do the trick.
03:34Then 1,000 miles around Sydney Olympic Park, which, you know, probably shaved about 20 years off my life, but here we are.
03:41And three and a half years later, we're just a few thousand dollars shy of our first $10 million target.
03:45As of this week, Mobilise's Kickstarter program has helped their thousandth person into housing.
04:01There is a long way to go, but I believe the opportunity this award brings me is to connect with a new audience of people.
04:07Without throwing myself into the metaphorical fire, that will hopefully see the very real possibility to make a homelessness-free future for Australia.
04:17And it all starts with showing each and every Australian, no matter their circumstance, that very love I felt as a kid.
04:25Thank you all.
