A partner at an “out, loud and proud” Sydney-based LGBTI law firm is one of the nominees for NSW for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards.
Nicholas Stewart (pictured), a renowned human rights lawyer who provides legal services and representation to LGBTI clients, particularly in criminal and mental health proceedings, is one of the four nominees for NSW Australian of the Year.
As per the Australian of the Year Awards website, Stewart successfully campaigned for the 2018 and 2019 NSW parliamentary inquiries into LGBTI hate crimes, and pushed for the 2022 special commission of inquiry into institutional responses to LGBTI hate crimes and homicides.
He has, the awards said, “given hope to the families of victims who had been without answers for decades, becoming a light at the end of a very dark tunnel for so many Australians”.
In conversation with Lawyers Weekly, Stewart said he is anxious about the nomination, “because it will mean using the platform to speak about hate crimes against the LGBTQIA+ community, which can be really triggering, particularly in the context of my own experiences as a child being told about, by more than one student, of their hatred for gay people and their weekend activities targeting gay men for bashings and robberies”.
He is lucky, he said, to work for an LGBTI law firm that welcomes diversity from all walks of life, not just the LGBTI community.
He added: “I am lucky to be on the Premier’s LGBTIQA+ Advisory Council, working towards meaningful change for our communities.”
“But I am also conscious of the increasing vulnerability of the LGBTIQA+ community to violence and hate speech, particularly in the age of prolific app dating and catfishing.”
“I feel enormous responsibility to speak about the importance of building an inclusive Australian society that recognises the potential of every human to learn from others and accept.”
Stewart has spoken previously with Lawyers Weekly on a range of subjects, from the pandemic-inspired challenges for legal practitioners and mental health considerations in criminal law to the need for better support for LGBTI elders. He has also spoken with Lawyers Weekly’s sister brand, HR Leader, about improving workplace inclusion for LGBTI workers.
His fellow nominees (across categories including Senior and Young Australians of the Year and Local Hero) include the inventor of baby food for coral, a global humanitarian, an ultramarathoner helping the homeless, the founder of a cooking movement for men, and the world’s oldest competitive cowboy.
The award recipients will be announced on Monday, 10 November, and will then join other state and territory recipients as finalists for the national awards announcement on 25 January 2026 in Canberra.
National Australia Day Council chief executive Mark Fraser AO CVO said the NSW nominees are inspirational.
“The nominees for the NSW awards inspire others through extraordinary achievements and contributions,” he said.
“They remind us we are all capable of so much, whether it’s a simple act of care which creates a movement, a moment spent with someone in need that brings about change for many, fighting for what’s right or doing things differently.”
Jerome Doraisamy is the managing editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in New South Wales, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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