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Fiona Stanley Hospital head of mental health and addiction services Dr Daniela Vecchio has been named the state’s Australian of the Year at a ceremony in Perth on Thursday evening.
Vecchio established the first publicly funded gaming disorder clinic in Australia in 2022, after witnessing the increasing numbers of young people with addiction to video games and social media, and the harm that caused them and their families.
WA Australian of the Year awards: Local Hero Frank Mitchell; Senior Australian of the Year Kingsley Dixon AO; Australian of the Year for WA Dr Daniela Vecchio; Young Australians of the Year Dr Haseeb Riaz and Gareth Shanthikumar.Credit: Salty Dingo
The clinic is unique worldwide, in providing early detection and intervention in a hospital setting.
The 57-year-old is also the director of the Australian Gaming and Screens Alliance, and promotes education and research into harmful online use and influences national policy.
Dr Haseeb Riaz, 25, and Gareth Shanthikumar, 27, were awarded Young Australians of the Year for Western Australia.
They felt negative stereotypes of masculinity were harming young men, so they established MAN UP to help them strengthen their mental health, communicate openly and build pathways to healthier lives.
Through workshops on male culture, respectful relationships and emotional coping, they provide boys with safe, relatable spaces to explore identity, relationships and emotional literacy.
Frank Mitchell was awarded Local Hero for Western Australia.
A proud Whadjuk-Yued Noongar man, Mitchell’s commitment to change was shaped by early lived experiences of suicide and the loss of best friends.
As a young single father, being offered an electrical apprenticeship felt like a profound opportunity. When he became a business owner in 2015, he pledged to create the same opportunities for others.
He has created over 70 Aboriginal upskilling positions in the electrical and construction industry, including 30 electrical apprenticeships and awarding over $11 million to Aboriginal subcontractors.
