Australian Skeptics is a loose confederation of like-minded organisations across Australia that began in 1980. Australian Skeptics investigate paranormal and pseudoscientific claims using scientific methodologies. This page covers all Australian skeptical groups which are of this mindset. The name "Australian Skeptics" can be confused with one of the more prominent groups, "Australian Skeptics Inc", which is based in Sydney and is one of the central organising groups within Australian Skeptics.
Origins
In 1979, Mark Plummer (later president of Australian Skeptics) sent a letter to the American skeptical magazine The Zetetic in which he expressed interest in beginning a skeptical organisation in Australia. Sydney electronics entrepreneur Dick Smith responded to the letter, and offered to sponsor a visit to Australia by James Randi, the principal investigator for the American-based Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), now known as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), part of the non-profit organisation Center for Inquiry (CFI), which are joint publishers of the Skeptical Inquirer. During this visit, James Randi, Dick Smith, Phillip Adams, Richard Carleton and an unidentified businessman offered a $50,000 prize to anyone who could prove psychic phenomena in front of Randi. A number of contenders, largely water diviners came forward, but all failed to prove their claims in front of independent observers. as well as Bill Cook, John Crellin, Logan Elliot, Peter Kemeny, Loris Purcell, and Mike Wilton. It was at this time that the group adopted the name "Australian Skeptics". (see The $100,000 Prize below). Very soon after the original formation of the Australian Skeptics in Victoria, Barry Williams from Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), responded to a call from Dick Smith seeking interest for new members. He became involved, and the New South Wales committee formed.
In 1995 the Australian Skeptics received a sizeable bequest from the estate of Stanley David Whalley. This foundation now funds the "Thornett award for promotion of reason", known affectionately as "the Fred", named after the late Fred Thornett, an influential figure in the skeptical movement in Tasmania and nationally. The bequest also allowed for the introduction of a paid position, that of executive officer. This position is answerable to the ASI committee, and traditionally manages accounts, queries from the public and media, editing The Skeptic, and various sundry tasks. Barry Williams was executive officer from 1995 to 2009, followed by Karen Stollznow (2009) and Tim Mendham from 2009 to the present.
In 1989 at a national committee meeting the aims of Australian Skeptics were updated and drafted as follows:
- To investigate claims of pseudoscientific, paranormal and similarly anomalous phenomena from a responsible, scientific point of view.
- To publicise the results of these investigations and, where appropriate, to draw attention to the possibility of natural and ordinary explanations of such phenomena.
- To accept explanations and hypotheses about paranormal occurrences only after good evidence has been adduced, which directly or indirectly supports such hypotheses.
- To encourage Australians and the Australian news media to adopt a critical attitude towards paranormal claims and to understand that to introduce or to entertain a hypothesis does not constitute confirmation or proof of that hypothesis.
- To stimulate inquiry and the quest for truth, wherever it leads.
Awards and prizes
Thornett Award for the Promotion of Reason
The Thornett Award for the Promotion of Reason, affectionately known as "The Fred" (much like the Academy Award is known as the "Oscar"), is named after Fred Thornett, a noted member of Australian Skeptics from Tasmania who died in April 2009. The Fred award includes a $2000 cash prize (increased from $1000 in 2018)
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Winner
! Reason
|-
| 2025 || Robyn Williams|| "'Robyn is a justifiably famous national living icon, and his dedication to science, reason and truth over the years makes him a highly worthy winner.'"
|-
| 2015 || Catherine & Greg Hughes "Light for Riley" || Continuing the fight against vaccine preventable diseases after the death of their son Riley from pertussis.
|-
| 2014 || Northern Rivers Vaccination Supporters || A grassroots pro-vaccination group in a northern NSW region which has among the lowest vaccination rates in the country.
|-
| 2013 || Sonya Pemberton || For her documentary Jabbed, a dramatic presentation on the impact of delaying or refusing immunisation.
|-
| 2012 || Adam vanLangenberg || For his work in founding McKinnon Secondary College in Melbourne’s skeptical club.
|-
| 2011 || Ken Harvey || For taking great personal risks in exposing pseudomedicine claims, including his much publicised stoush with the SensaSlim company.
|-
| 2010 || Wendy Wilkinson and Ken McLeod || For their relentless campaign to ensure that the Australian (anti)Vaccination Network's activities are brought into the light of official scrutiny, and their subsequent success in this campaign. The prize in 2010 was doubled (not shared).
|-
| 2009 || Toni and David McCaffery || For their unstinting and extremely brave efforts on behalf of children in the face of the anti-vaccination movement.
|}
Skeptic of the Year
The Skeptic of the Year award is given annually to someone associated with the skeptical community who has been particularly active over the previous year. ASI coordinates the prize, and the final decision is voted on by representatives from the various Australian Skeptics groups.
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Winner
|-
| 2023 || Paul Gallagher
|-
| 2020 || Mandy-Lee Noble
|-
| 2017 || Christine Bayne
|-
| 2016 || Mal Vickers and Ken Harvey
|-
| 2013 || Simon Chapman
|-
| 2012 || Friends of Science in Medicine
|-
| 2011 || Loretta Marron
|-
| 2010 || Stop the AVN
|-
| 2007 || Loretta Marron
|-
| 2006 || Karl Kruszelnicki
|-
| 2004 || Lynne Kelly
|-
| 2002 || Paul Willis
|-
| 2000 || John Dwyer
|-
| 1999 || Cheryl Freeman
|-
| 1998 || Mike Archer
|-
| 1997 || Peter Doherty
|-
| 1996 || Derek Freeman
|}
Barry Williams Award for Skeptical Journalism
The Barry Williams Award for Skeptical Journalism which recognises "the best piece of journalism (in any medium) that takes a critical and skeptical approach to a topic" within the scope of the Australian Skeptics. The award is named in memory of Barry Williams who died in 2018 and carries a $AU2000 prize. Williams was a past president and executive officer of Australian Skeptics who regularly appeared in the Australian media. The award has been nicknamed "the Wallaby" after the nom-de-plume Sir Jim R Wallaby, used by Williams in some of his more whimsical writing.
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Winner
! Reason
|-
| 2025
| Henrietta Cook and Liam Mannix
| For "'their story on the use of the toxic substance belladonna for infant colic.'"
| Reporter for News Corp, who has written extensively on the anti-vaccination and anti-fluoride movements, fad diets, and quack cures.
|}
Bent Spoon Awards
thumb|The ASI Bent Spoon Award
The Bent Spoon Award is an annual award coordinated by ASI, although the final decision is voted on by representatives from the various groups comprising Australian Skeptics. It is "presented to the perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of paranormal or pseudoscientific piffle" in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. The group describe the award trophy as follows: