For most of us, the last weekend of April was just another autumn weekend. For Greta Mukherjee, it was the night everything came full circle. The Springfield Lakes resident was crowned Miss India Australia 2026 on 26 April at the national finals held in Sydney, taking home the title after competing alongside finalists from across the country in a celebration of culture, identity, and achievement.
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“It was honestly surreal,” Ms Mukherjee said of the moment her name was called. “There was a brief moment where everything felt still, and I was processing whether I had heard correctly. It was a mix of gratitude, disbelief, and overwhelming joy.”
The pageant, organised by Opera Events Australia and Hindi Gaurav, led by Anuj and Swechha Kulshrestha with co-organiser Samiksha Shah, brought together Indian-origin women from across the country. Competitors were judged across multiple rounds including talent, ethnic wear, sportswear, evening gown, and a live Q&A session with the judging panel.
It was that final round that stood out to Ms Mukherjee. Asked about influencing healthcare policy, she drew on her experience and passion as a Registered Nurse working in the digital healthcare sector. “I spoke from genuine experience and passion,” she said. It was, she believes, a turning point.
A Nurse With a Mission
The crown is only part of the story. Ms Mukherjee moved from India to Australia at 18 and has since built a career at the intersection of nursing and technology, a space she is deeply passionate about and sees as central to the future of healthcare delivery. “Digital healthcare allows us to reach more people, identify risks earlier, and create more connected, proactive models of care,” she said. “That’s where I see the future of healthcare heading.”
She is clear-eyed about the gaps she sees in that system. Fragmentation of care, where patients move between services that don’t communicate with each other, is a major concern, as are the disparities faced by rural communities, culturally diverse populations, and people with limited health literacy. “Bridging these gaps requires both system-level change and community-level engagement,” she said.
Working through the COVID period was, she said, particularly impactful, reinforcing how critical compassion, communication, and continuity of care are, particularly when systems are under pressure.
Paying It Forward
What may surprise people is just how much Ms Mukherjee was already giving back before the title came along. Alongside full-time work and postgraduate study, she has spent years tutoring and mentoring university nursing students. “It’s something I do simply because I believe in paying it forward,” she said.
That commitment to the next generation is one of the things she hopes to amplify now that she has a national platform. Her plans include continuing to mentor nursing students, advocating for greater community access to healthcare, and engaging with community initiatives more broadly.
“I hope to use this platform to amplify conversations around healthcare access, engage with community initiatives, and continue mentoring students and young professionals,” she said. “It’s about using visibility to create awareness and meaningful connections.”
Having arrived in Australia as a teenager and building her career here, being recognised on a national stage as a representative of both her cultural roots and the community she now calls home carries deep meaning.
“Moving from India to Australia at 18, building my career, and now being able to represent both my cultural roots and my community here feels incredibly meaningful,” she said. “It’s a reminder of how far I’ve come, and the responsibility I now have to give back.”
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To young women in the community watching on, her message is direct: “You don’t have to fit into one box. You can pursue multiple passions, build a career, and still create space for your voice and identity. Believe in your ability to grow, even in moments of doubt.”
Springfield Lakes now claims a Miss India Australia, and from everything Greta Mukherjee has said and done, the title is very much in the right hands.
Published 12-May-2026
