National Museum of Australia and National Australia Day Council open Australian of the Year 2023 exhibition

They're all objects chosen by the Australian of the Year finalists for a new exhibition.

The National Museum of Australia and the National Australia Day Council on Wednesday launched an exhibition of these and the other significant objects chosen by the eight 2023 Australian of the Year state and territory recipients.

For the ACT Australian of the Year recipient, Olympia Yarger, this meant loaning the control panel for one of the earliest modular infrastructures for biological services (aka a maggot robot) built by her and her company, Goterra.

Ms Yarger founded Goterra in 2016, a business which uses maggots to process food waste. The maggots are then turned into feed for cattle, hens and fish.

While it's true the business is a way for Ms Yarger to fulfil a childhood dream of being a farmer, the business also is a way of creating a sustainable feed source for animals, while also preventing greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the atmosphere of food waste.

That first control panel prevented more than one million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the atmosphere.

"If you're thinking about something that represents who you are and who you've been and where you're going, this [control panel] is it for me because it was the start," Ms Yarger said.

"It both shows that I didn't know what I was doing and we didn't have a lot of resources at the beginning, but also, what it takes and how many different people had to influence and be part of what we're building to get us where we're going."

When you think of a robot control panel certain things come to mind. A shiny chrome exterior, for example. But this first iteration of the control panel is made up of cheap wood, nails and tape.

For Ms Yarger, it's an example of something not needing to be perfect before starting.

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"We keep looking at these massive problems and have ideas but can't imagine that we would be the ones to solve them," she said.

"I think sometimes people see me here and don't realise that this was all in my kitchen - there were flies in my kitchen, maggots in my kitchen - not so long ago. And so we need everyone to start taking a punt."

Also featured in this year's exhibition is a T-shirt reading #SaveHakeem from New South Wales' Craig Foster, a Learning on Country program T-shirt from Northern Territory's Samuel Bush-Blanasi, an artwork from Tasmania's John Kamara and clapsticks made from the Sydney Opera House's flooring from Queensland's William Barton.

South Australia's Taryn Brumfit made a large Rubix cube featuring children from her Embrace Kids film for the exhibition, Western Australia's Sumar Aoun loaned a medal given to her grandfather and Victoria's Angraj Khillan contributed a coffee mug gifted to him from one of his patients.

"We are thrilled to feature these captivating objects selected by eight extraordinary individuals," National Museum director Dr Mathew Trinca said.

"Objects underpin the biography of a person, reveal significant moments in a person's life, and connect to the broader social or political impact the person has had."

The 2023 Australian of the Year exhibition will be on display at the National Museum until February 12 and will then tour nationally.

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