Posted 26th January 2023
The ABC congratulates Phil Williams and Norman Swan for their Australia Day honours, with both receiving Order of Australia medals (AM).
Phil Williams set the standard for ABC field reporters for decades. The ABC relied on him to lead coverage of the biggest news events in the world – such as the Beslan school siege, the Madrid bombings, the Haiti earthquake, the funeral of Nelson Mandela, the revolution in Kiev, wars in Gaza and the downing of MH17.
A courageous and wonderful storyteller, and a deeply humane reporter, his empathy for others set his journalism apart and was also demonstrated behind the scenes in his mentoring and support for other journalists.
He’s loved, admired and respected by his colleagues, peers and audiences.
Norman Swan is one of Australia’s best-known and most trusted broadcasters in the field of health and science. Norman has been a mainstay of RN for more than 30 years as both producer and presenter of The Health Report and a former co-host of Life Matters. In recent years, Norman has become known nationally as one of the most respected and trusted voices on the COVID-19 pandemic co-hosting the popular Coronacast podcast since early 2020.
His expertise and experience across a wide range of health and science-related issues has established him as one of Australia’s leading commentators in these fields across both the ABC and other media, including international media. He is a regular contributor to ABC News and 7.30 and has produced a number of television and radio specials for both ABC and SBS. His exceptional contributions to broadcasting have been recognised with four Walkley Awards (including a Gold Walkley) and a UN Media Peace Award.
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