Daily Life received hundreds of nominations for its 2016 Women of the Year. Curating this list of 10 Australian women was a difficult task, as there are so many doing great things in the community. How did we make this selection? We looked at your nominations, and what you had to say about women who were inspiring, who were role models, who were actively working for positive change, who showed significant personal or political courage and had overcome resistance. We hope you agree it's an impressive and diverse group. We will announce the overall Daily Life 2016 Woman of the Year on December 5.
Anne Aly
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Anne Aly: A new political force
The first female Muslim member of parliament is likely to be an important voice for moderation in an increasingly polarised political world.
What you said: "A remarkable academic ... whose voice, now more than ever, must be heard."
Dr Anne Aly's expertise has up until now been on countering the threat of radicalisation, but she's turned her steely focus to politics. After snatching the seat of Cowan from Luke Simpkins in July's federal election, the sartorially sharp-shooting counter-terrorism expert is making waves in a Canberra that might not know it is ready for an Aly-style shake-up. That she happens to be its first female Muslim MP, made a searing maiden speech in parliament, and then, in November, blisteringly called out the cultural patriarchy in her 2016 Emily's List Oration in Canberra - "History is truly watching us, and we will be judged tomorrow for what we do today, so let's find more women" - has us making safe bets on Aly's political future.
Constance Hall
What you said: "She inspires women to lift each other, focus on the positives, accept the negatives and laugh with each other."
Photo: Facebook
Reaching well over a million followers – or fellow "Queens" – on Facebook, plus a book launch and a highly public stoush or two have made 2016 a standout year for Perth blogger Constance Hall. With an unflinching warts-and-all honesty and a mission to take on the not-so-pretty realities of marriage, parenthood and family life, Hall self-published her book, Like A Queen, beating away a host of major publishers along the way. That Hall has become a bona fide internet star with fans all over the world is second to her simple aim: "I just want to make people feel better about themselves and the s--- that we're going through," she said in a recent interview.
Noni Hazlehurst
What you said: "She's been an amazing role model for girls and women over many generations. And she keeps it real – you know she's not just saying what you want to hear, she speaks the truth."
![Styling by Penny McCarthy. Hair by Julianne McGuigan. Make-up by Nadine Monley. Noni wears dress by Akira](http://web.archive.org./web/20161129030622im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/u/n/n/t/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1471731574975.png)
Photo: Hugh Stewart
That speech. Just when you thought you knew Noni Hazlehurst like the auntie you never had, the Play School favourite and The Shiralee and A Place to Call Home actress took her Logies Hall of Fame speech and upped the ante, adding a political message – and mini advocacy bomb – into the celebrations. "I was disturbed ... that a misty-eyed response to a particularly frightful human story in the news was deemed inappropriate," Hazelhurst said, taking aim at Turnbull's view that Australians "cannot be misty-eyed about" Manus Island. As only the second female inductee in its 32-year history, she also lamented sexism and racism in the Logies' outlook. "The fact that I'm only the second woman to be given this honour is merely a reflection of the prevailing guard – as is the suggestion from some quarters that the eligibility of esteemed colleagues Waleed Aly and Lee Lin Chin going for gold is questionable," she said.
Linda Burney
What you said: "She's gracious and kind, but also an incredible fighter who has achieved so much and broken so many barriers."
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20161129030622im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/g/w/t/x/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1473999255322.png)
Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
The girl from rural NSW did what many never expected, snatching the seat of Barton from her Liberal incumbent in the 2016 federal election and making history as the first Aboriginal woman elected to the House of Representatives. Her maiden speech took it up a few notches, leaving a gallery in tears after her Wiradjuri sister Lynette Riley acknowledged the occasion in song as Burney donned the kangaroo cloak given to her by her lifelong friend. Since taking office Burney, a domestic violence survivor and campaigner, has fought for Aboriginal rights, telling Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in November, "Inflicting policy decisions on Aboriginal communities and then arriving later for a photo op and Twitter post is not a substitute for consultation."
Moana Hope
What you said: "For her breakthrough into AFL as well as her selfless caring for her sister."
![Moana Hope booted six goals for the Bulldogs and will play for Collingwood next year](http://web.archive.org./web/20161129030622im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/8/f/2/w/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1473670886356.png)
Photo: Penny Stephens
Kicking goals – 100 of them in one Victorian Women's Football League season, to be precise – was just one part of Hope's stellar year. The AFL star, whose move to Collingwood brought with it mixed emotions for many, has fought the good fight, relentlessly pushing for the football code to be given more equal sway on the sports stage. Her work with Western Bulldogs vice president and philanthropist Susan Alberti sees the inauguration of the first national AFL women's league next year. Off the footy pitch, she is the full-time carer of her sister, Lavinia, and, as a talented all-rounder, chose between cricket and football after dealing with her own "complicated" personal story. The subject of an Australian Story, Hope's meteoric rise appears in no danger of slowing down.
Felicity Ward
What you said: "For bringing mental health to people's attention with humour and warmth. Exposing her own anxiety and offering hope to others."
![Felicity Ward](http://web.archive.org./web/20161129030622im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/z/r/7/e/h/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1399599408636.png)
Photo: Sydney Comedy Festival
There are few more extreme places to expose your own mental illness than in the harsh limelight of the stand-up comedian's stage. Felicity Ward has in recent years spoken out about the deeply complex challenges of living with anxiety and this year drove her message home on her first UK tour and with repeats of her ABC documentary, taking aim at the stigmas around mental health. Her Edinburgh Fringe Festival show 50 Per Cent More Likely to Die was a massive hit – and a worthy follow-up to 2015's What if is There is No Toilet? – and is the highlight she will be bringing to the Sydney Festival in January 2017. She was one of a handful of artists chosen to have a show recorded by the BBC for their Live From the BBC comedy series, proving that anxiety can be given a lightness of touch on a truly influential scale.
Melanie Raymond
What you said: "For speaking truth to power – that homelessness needs systemic change, not safety pin solutions."
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20161129030622im_/http://i.imgur.com/2oiTm08.jpg)
The State Finalist for Australia's Local Hero gong in 2016's Australian of the Year awards, the chair of Youth Projects refuses to allow homelessness slip through the cracks. Standing up for Australia's more than 41,000 homeless people, the pro bono worker is tackling surging numbers of rough sleepers in Melbourne and beyond. This year, Raymond has called for homelessness to be noted by the Coroner as a contributing cause of death and has fought for housing affordability for young people, the lack of which is a key precursor to rough sleeping. "Nobody there wants to be homeless," she told the ABC in July, "... if you can make sure people aren't starving and don't freeze, that is a basic obligation we have."
Julie Bishop
What you said: "She is a fine role model for all Australians, a good ambassador for our country and has reached high positions in politics and been able to stay there."
Photo: Getty Images
As someone who wishes to avoid being labelled and instead be judged on her work, this year, the Minister for Foreign Affairs has launched her Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Strategy which aims to end violence against women and girls, economically empower women and boost women's participation in leadership and peace building in Australia and across the region. She is by universal agreement an excellent Foreign Minister, a classy operator who knows her brief, is incredibly disciplined and keeps her nose clean politically. JBish has staying power and, in a political theatre as flippant as today's, she stands tall.
Mariam Veiszadeh
What you said: "Because in a world of haters, Mariam still stands up for her beliefs."
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20161129030622im_/http://i.imgur.com/pDJWxlJ.jpg)
Like a law of physics, for every Pauline Hanson, there must, we hope, exist a Mariam Veiszadeh. The Muslim Sydneysider launched Fact Check One Nation in July, slugging a dose of factual correctness in the direction of a slew of Hanson-promulgated myths. And, as a poll found 49 per cent of Australians would favour a ban on Muslim immigration, the founder of the Islamophobia Register of Australia and diversity and inclusion advocate did what she could to convince the likes of Hanson that a veil does not an enemy make. At the time, she joked that she has become the sacrificial lamb of the anti-Islam movement, and as an ambassador for Welcome to Australia, Veiszadeh treads a fine line between oft-misunderstood worlds.
Charlotte Caslick
What you said: "A pioneer for women's rugby. Absolute gem of a woman, doing her part in the media and inspiring young kids."
![SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 14: Charlotte Caslick poses during the Australian Sevens Rugby Jersey launch at the Sydney Academy of Sport on November 14, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)](http://web.archive.org./web/20161129030622im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/o/y/w/e/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1479100479581.png)
Photo: Getty Images
We'll leave the words of Australian women's sevens coach, Tim Walsh, speaking shortly after the team won gold against New Zealand at the Rio Olympics, to do the job here: "There was a defining moment yesterday against the USA when Charlotte ran 70m, put her shoulder in, drilled that girl into touch, got up on her feet and before the other girl had taken a breath looked down at her, flicked her plaited braids and walked away. I thought, 'This is an elite athlete'. She's a touch player turned rugby player who was rebranding women's sevens. She made it glamorous. It was a defining moment for other players to say, 'I want to be like Charlotte Caslick. I want to go the Olympics and win a gold medal'." Boom.
The Daily Life 2016 overall Woman of the Year will be announced December 5.
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