Frankston Basketball is immensely proud to announce that our CEO, Wayne Holdsworth, has been nominated for the 2025 Australian of the Year Award.
Wayne’s nomination is a testament to his tireless advocacy and profound impact in raising awareness about sexual extortion and suicide prevention.
Following the loss of his 17-year-old son, Mac, Wayne founded the charity SmackTalk to bring attention to the dangers of sexual extortion and the urgent need for mental health support. His mission is to save lives by sharing his story and helping others recognise warning signs and behaviours in the people they care about.
He has delivered his SmackTalk presentations free of charge to hundreds of workplaces, schools, and sporting clubs across Australia. Wayne’s commitment to this cause has made him a respected spokesperson who lends a compassionate voice surrounding the issues of sexual exploitation, safe social media use, and mental health.
In addition to spearheading SmackTalk, Wayne’s advocacy extends to raising the legal age for social media access to 16 to protect vulnerable youth. This advocacy included a national campaign called #Unplug24 – encouraging everybody to switch off from social media for 24 hours on October 24. Wayne’s dedication to protecting young people online has also helped shape the Albanese Government’s recent push to introduce legislation to enforce a minimum age limit for social media access.
Despite the countless hours he contributes to Frankston Basketball and SmackTalk, his passion and enthusiasm for both remain unwavering. The resilience he displays daily is something to admire and we are proud to support his journey.
The Victorian recipients will be announced on Friday, 8 November 2024, at the Victorian Arts Centre and streamed live on australianoftheyear.org.au. We encourage everyone to tune in and celebrate Wayne’s impactful work and achievements. Winners will then proceed to the national awards ceremony on 25 January 2025 in Canberra.
Please join us in congratulating Wayne on this well-deserved nomination and in recognising his devotion to his son’s legacy and improving the lives of others.