Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne
The 2026 Inner West Citizen of the Year has been awarded to Australia's favourite election night analyst, Antony Green.
This award recognises Antony’s lifetime contribution to educate Australian voters and Inner West citizens about the intricacies of our electoral system and the importance of democracy.
As a highly politically engaged community, generations of Inner Westies have benefited from the role he's played in civic society. From providing unbiased, informative analysis and explanations to advocating for the independence of the electoral commissions, he has helped local citizens build trust in our democratic processes.
Antony’s unbiased and unburnished interpretation and explanation of our multi-layered and intricate parliamentary system for over 100 elections has seen him earn a level of respect and credibility that is unsurpassed.
As well as his research and on-air work with the ABC, Antony designed a number of tools that have become staples of democratic participation and electoral commentary.
These include the ABC's election night computer system and a number of online analysis tools including the predictive pendulum, Vote Compass and Senate calculators.
Antony always gives Australians the facts with his trademark cheeky grin and without extraneous opinion or commentary.
Since 2015 he has educated hundreds of Inner West students in his role as Adjunct Professor in the University of Sydney's Department of Government and International Relations.
Antony has also been a proud Inner Westie for decades and a keen cyclist with the Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club since 2010.
This award is recognition of this lifetime contribution to our community and his invaluable services to civic education and democratic participation.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said, "To most Australians Antony Green is as synonymous with elections as a democracy sausage.
"Elections are tense, sometimes fraught and for a lot of people, hard to understand. Antony Green’s calm and incisive analysis on election night has cut through the white noise for decades.
"His wit, charm and gift for simplifying our complex system has educated generations of Inner West voters and made our democracy healthier as a result.
"On behalf of the generations of Inner Westies who’ve been informed, educated and entertained by Antony, we thank him for everything he has done for our community and Australian democracy."
Awards were also given to the Senior Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year.
Inner West Senior Citizen of the Year: David Haynes
David has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to the Inner West Community through his 12-year leadership as President of The Polly's Club, a long-standing volunteer organisation supporting the Inner West LGBTIQA+ community. Under David's stewardship, The Polly's continues to thrive as a welcoming, inclusive space where members can build friendships, develop confidence, and participate fully in community life.
Inner West Young Citizen of the Year: Elise Martin
Elise has been volunteering for Futureproof and Generate Music Fests since 2022, is a volunteer radio presenter, and a passionate and regular volunteer for human rights causes. Elise is a co-director (volunteer) of the not-for-profit company which creates Futureproof events, having played a central role in staging dozens of all ages events which have been attended by and enjoyed by thousands of young people.
For media enquiries please contact Jonny Browne, Jonny.Browne@innerwest.nsw.gov.au