McKeon has supported a range of causes and organisations, having previously been on the board of World Vision Australia, and is currently Chairman of the CSIRO and Business for Millennium Development, which encourages business to engage with the developing world.
The award for Senior Australian of the Year 2011 went to Professor Ron McCallum AO, for pursuing equal rights for people with disabilities. Professor McCallum is the first totally blind person to have been appointed to a full professorship at an Australian university, was the inaugural President of the Australian Labour Law Association and is currently Chair of Radio for the Print Handicapped of New South Wales Co-operative.
He is one of two Deputy Chairs of Vision Australia, and one of twelve members of the first monitoring committee for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Australia’s Local Hero 2011 is suicide prevention advocate and compassionate Australian Donald Ritchie OAM of Vaucluse, New South Wales, and Young Australian of the Year 2011 is sailor Jessica Watson.
Other philanthropic Australians on the Australia Day Honours list included:
A number of Australians were also awarded honours for their contributions to industry associations, including:
Third Sector acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.