Archbishop Peter Hollingworth AO OBE (b. 1935 )
1991 Award

Advocate for Social Justice

As a parish priest in the 1960s, Hollingworth challenged the Anglican Church to become more involved in social justice issues. In 1964 he began work with the independent welfare agency the Brotherhood of St Laurence and qualified as a social worker. An outspoken critic of government policies on social welfare, as executive director of the Brotherhood, 1980-90, he suggested ways to give poor people a greater degree of control over their own lives saying that 'poverty should be looked at in terms of the structure of society rather than the individual case'. Appointed Archbishop of Brisbane in 1990, he has again been outspoken on social and theological issues and has ordained female priests. His radical views have alienated some conservative Anglicans but he believes that the Church must preserve an atmosphere of plurality in which diverse views can be respected.

He used his tour of honour as Australian of the Year to speak out against government policy on Aboriginal welfare and youth unemployment. His first vicar called him 'an angry young man'. Hollingworth has said: 'I haven't lost that anger but I have learnt how to harness it and use it constructively for change.'