Australia’s own Mohammed Ali recognised for service to community

Mohammed Ali, founder of Canberra’s food relief organisation HelpingACT, was today named in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2026 and will receive the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the ACT community.

The honour adds to his 2022 Canberra Citizen of the Year award, which he says helped introduce HelpingACT to the wider public.

But for Mohammed Ali, the OAM prompted humility, not celebration.

“There was a mixed feelings. There was disbelief, complete disbelief, and second thing was that there are better people around who have been working more than what I’m doing. I thought that they are certainly more deserving,” he said.

He’s adamant the recognition belongs to HelpingACT volunteers, known as Helpers.

“I believe that, you know, this is a cruel part of the whole system, that only one person is selected and awarded, actually it should be the whole group, because one person can not do much alone,” he pointed out.

Ali’s commitment to service started far from Canberra. Growing up in Karachi and later working in Nigeria, he saw poverty first hand and decided action was non-negotiable.

“It was when I was growing up in Karachi and working in Nigeria, I saw poverty up close and knew I needed to be active to prevent it wherever I was,” he said.

That resolve followed him to Canberra, where even before HelpingACT he was organising charitable events and raising funds for RSPCA and the Red Cross.

He also serves as a Board Member of Companion House, supporting trauma-informed services for refugees and survivors of torture.

Academically, Mohammed Ali earned a Gold Medal in Biochemistry from the University of Karachi, Pakistan — training he says taught him to look for practical solutions.

He brought that mindset to HelpingACT, which focuses on providing food and settlement support to the most vulnerable in society, including refugees, those struggling with the recurring cost of living crises and families affected by domestic violence.

The group’s impact was already recognised at the highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a call with Ali and Manar Ahmad, Secretary of HelpingACT, the then Governor-General of Australia, General David Hurley, acknowledged the charity’s contribution during a difficult time for many of Canberra’s most vulnerable people.

For Mohammed Ali, the recognition is a responsibility.

“This teaches you a lot. It teaches you to be humble. This recognition must not change you. It should be for the betterment of the humanity for the betterment of the people around you,” he said.

He’s now using the platform to push for action on food insecurity.

Citing Foodbank data that “one in 4 families are struggling at the moment, where something as basic as food,” Ali said: “Australia is looked up outside Australia as a country where if people will come, they will find, you know everything and they’ll lead a wonderful life. This is a black spot on the face of Australia. This is a blacker spot on the face of lovely city of Canberra.”

Mohammed Ali also directed a clear request to philanthropists and government at both ACT and federal levels, calling on them to join hands to address hunger and poverty in the community.

While acknowledging the importance of infrastructure projects like high-rise buildings and new train lines, Ali stressed that the first priority must be ensuring workers and families are well fed and free from stress about basic needs such as school meals.

He urged decision-makers to consider additional grant funding for Helping ACT’s multiple existing programmes, including its school breakfast initiative, and said the organisation was ready to expand wherever it was needed.

A key part of his request focused on securing a dedicated space in south Canberra, where demand for support is growing, so the group can extend its services to more people facing hardship.Mohammed Ali also made a direct appeal to the Muslim community, urging members to move beyond internal support and extend their generosity more broadly. He emphasised that settling in a new country naturally involves a period of adjustment and stabilisation, but said many families are now established and have a responsibility to give back.

Drawing on the principle that hunger has no belief and poverty has no religion, he encouraged Muslims to open their efforts to all neighbours in need, not only those from the same faith or background.

The Medal of the Order of Australia will be formally conferred later this year.

HelpingACT says it needs volunteers, donations, grant funding and a permanent southside base to meet increasing demand across Canberra and nearby rural areas. More information about HelpingACT including its most recent Impact Report can be found here: https://www.helpingact.org/about-us