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Communities in central Australia could participate in a formal vote on establishing alcohol bans as federal and territory governments work to combat the Alice Springs crime crisis.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles suggested the Australian Electoral Commission could hold the vote on whether communities want to opt-in or out of alcohol bans.

Her comments followed a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and community leaders to discuss ways to curb anti-social behaviour.

Ms Fyles said community consultation needed to be a key part of alcohol management plans, particularly in discussions about sale bans.

"We can't look at Alice Springs in isolation ... this is something where communities have had the option to opt-in to being a dry community," she said.

"Do we go out to a ballot? Do we get the electoral commission to go out to these communities?

"Then the matter can be settled confidently knowing that all views have been heard."

Mr Albanese and Ms Fyles announced a three-month ban on the sale of takeaway alcohol in the region on Mondays and Tuesdays and reduced trading hours on other days as well as introducing a limit of one purchase per person daily.

Charles Darwin University law professor Elizabeth Spencer said alcohol and crime in the territory had become highly politicised.

"The territory has the opportunity to be a leader in Australia and the world when it comes to alcohol management ... (but) the focus on politically favourable decisions draws attention away from evidence-based measures," she told AAP.

"This is a whole of community issue, not an individual one.

"Solutions need to include businesses, the tourism sector and industries that benefit from alcohol being in the community also taking responsibility."

Meanwhile, Ms Burney promised restrictions on takeaway alcohol sales were just the beginning of measures to combat surging youth crime in Alice Springs.

"I find it very difficult to see a future where there are not further restrictions on alcohol," she said.

The minister also believed a successful referendum to establish an Indigenous voice to parliament would help communities, particularly in the Northern Territory, in the long-term.

She said if the voice had already been established, governments would have been getting practical advice from community representatives on ways to address this type of social issue.

Mr Albanese said alcohol was not the sole cause of the crime crisis and governments must tackle unemployment, housing and education challenges.

"We've seen a failure to invest in central Australia ... making a difference so that you can try to start to overcome that intergenerational disadvantage," he said.

The prime minister agreed that enshrining a voice to parliament would help combat disadvantage.

"The voice is the vehicle - by listening to people - to get better practical outcomes to close the gap, which is in health, in education, in housing, in life expectancy," he said.

"We know that the programs that are most effective are ones that have involved Indigenous Australians."

The government also announced a long-term central Australian alcohol management plan would be developed to deal with "complex issues" in the region, which included alcohol-fuelled violence, unemployment and youth on the streets.

A regional controller, Dorelle Anderson, was appointed to ensure all levels of government were working together to deliver community services.

She will provide an interim report with further recommendations next week.

Mr Albanese promised to spend millions of extra dollars to bolster security, including providing better street lighting, emergency accommodation for domestic violence victims and community services.

© AAP 2023

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Wheelchair tennis champion and disability advocate Dylan Alcott has reflected on his time as Australian of the Year as he prepares to hand the title onto another local legend.

Mr Alcott said the title gave him an incredible platform to advocate for people with a disability.

"People keep asking me, am I proud of what I achieved, and that's crap because we did it together," he said.

"I was really grateful for the amount of people who wanted to listen and learn about disability."

From community heroes to advocates and Indigenous leaders, finalists from across the country gathered in Canberra ahead of an awards ceremony on Wednesday night.

Human rights and refugee advocate Craig Foster, the NSW Australian of the Year, said the multicultural field reflected Australia as a nation.

"It really is an extraordinary group," he said.

"So whether you're talking here about palliative care, or sustainability and climate, or refugee rights and multiculturalism, Australia is going to be very well served by the 2023 Australian of the Year."

Tom Calma, a Kungarakan elder and ACT Senior of the Year, helped design the voice to parliament.

Mr Calma said he would continue working hard, using any available platform to advocate for the voice and Indigenous representation.

"They (Indigenous people) also need to have a voice and that's what the voice proposal was all about," he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met the 32 finalists during morning tea at The Lodge, calling the nominees "a vivid snapshot of the greatness of our modern nation".

"For all the variety of your endeavours, you are united by a common determination to use your talents to work for the good of others," he said.

The prime minister also thanked the 2022 Australians of the Year for their service.

The 2023 finalists include Mr Foster, migrant leader John Kamara, Indigenous musician William Barton, insect farming pioneer Olympia Yarger, documentary maker Taryn Brumfitt, land council chair Samuel Bush-Blanasi, paediatrician Angraj Khillan and end-of-life care advocate Samar Aoun.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the inclusion of the local hero award, which recognises the work of community leaders.

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Australian writer and film director Taryn Brumfitt is determined to help others love the skin they're in, convinced that people weren't born hating their own bodies.

"This is something the world has taught us. Body shaming is a universal problem and we have been bullied and shamed into thinking our bodies are the problem," she said on Wednesday night.

"It is not our life's purpose to be at war with our body."

The documentary maker was named 2023 Australian of the Year for her work on body positivity, which stemmed from her 2016 film Embrace.

Her work has since been seen in almost 200 countries and watched by millions of people on Netflix.

She has released a companion documentary, Embrace Kids, that targets children aged between nine and 14-years-old.

Brumfitt has also teamed up with experts to create a companion parenting book and free research hub.

Accepting the award at a ceremony in Canberra, Brumfitt said it was critical to address body-image issues among young people.

"We're facing a paediatric health emergency with rates of suicide, depression, eating disorders, anxiety and steroid use related to body dissatisfaction soaring," she said.

"It is not our bodies that need to change, it is our perspective."

The director said she was optimistic that kids growing up would be able to learn to grow without the shame of their bodies.

"This is not about encouraging obesity, this is not what I do, and this issue is not simply about weight or size, it's about the way that we feel about all of ourselves," she said.

"When you take your final breath on this earth, what thoughts will be going through your mind? What will you be thinking about? And no one has ever said to me the size of their bum."

National Australia Day Council chair Danielle Roche said Brumfitt's work had sparked powerful change on a personal level for many Australians and people around the world.

"Taryn has inspired millions of women around the world to be comfortable in their own skin," Ms Roche said.

Brumfitt received the honour at a ceremony in Canberra on Wednesday night.

Indigenous human rights advocate Tom Calma was named Senior Australian of the Year, while Socceroos star and refugee advocate Awer Mabil was announced as Young Australian of the Year.

Local Hero for 2023 went to Turbans 4 Australia founder Amar Singh.

"Individually brilliant, Taryn, Tom, Awer and Amar share a common bond - using their life experience as a power for good, helping others around them and making the world a better place," Ms Roche said.

"These are an extraordinary group of Australians of whom we can all be incredibly proud."

© AAP 2023

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Dimension-hopping adventure Everything Everywhere All at Once has topped the list of films nominated for this year's Academy Awards as voters chose several crowd-pleasing hits to compete for the best picture prize.

Everything Everywhere, a science-fiction movie about an exasperated woman trying to finish her taxes, landed 11 nominations, including best picture and four acting nods.

Australian Cate Blanchett was nominated for best actress for her portrayal of a manipulative orchestra conductor in Tar, as was Michelle Yeoh for her starring role in Everything Everywhere.

Baz Luhrmann blockbuster Elvis scored eight nominations, including for best picture and a best actor nod for Austin Butler's portrayal of rock legend Elvis Presley.

Butler will face off with the likes of Colin Farrell, who stars as a farmer obsessed with restoring a friendship in The Banshees of Inisherin.

Other films vying for best picture include Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron's sequel that ranks as the sixth-highest grossing movie ever; Tom Cruise mega-hit Top Gun: Maverick; Steven Spielberg's coming-of-age film The Fabelmans; The Bansehees of Inisherin; Tar; Triangle of Sadness; Women Talking; and All Quiet on the Western Front.

Australian director Luhrmann missed out on a nod in the best director field, which this year includes Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for Everything Everywhere and Steven Spielberg for The Fabelmans.

Winners of the industry's highest honours will be unveiled at a March 12 ceremony hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel and aired live on Walt Disney Co's ABC network.

The Oscars and other entertainment awards shows have been struggling to attract TV viewers, particularly younger ones who spend time on TikTok and YouTube.

Last year's Academy Awards show, when Will Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock before winning best actor, drew about 15.4 million TV viewers, the second-smallest audience ever.

A range of nationalities is represented on the 2023 acting list, with nominations for performers from Australia, Cuba, Ireland and Malaysia - along with the United Kingdom and the United States.

Ireland is particularly well represented and accounts for a quarter of all 20 acting nominations, with nods for Kerry Condon, Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan (The Banshees Of Inisherin) plus Paul Mescal (in the coming-of-age drama Aftersun).

Winners will be voted on by the roughly 10,000 actors, producers, directors and film craftspeople who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

with PA

© RAW 2023