Order of Australia

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The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Queen Elizabeth II on February 14, 1975 'for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service'. The Order is divided into general and military divisions, with the following grades in descending order of seniority:

Knight or Dame (AK / AD) (general division only; no longer awarded since 1986)
Companion (AC)
Officer (AO)
Member (AM)
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

1 History
2 Appointment
3 Insignia
4 Current Knights and Officials of the Order
5 The Order of Australia Association
6 Recipient categories
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] History

The Order was established by Letters Patent on February 14, 1975. Before the establishment of the Order, Australian citizens received British honours. The original Order only had three grades: Companion, Officer and Member.

On May 24, 1976, in London, the Queen signed Letters Patent, countersigned by then Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, with a schedule making provision for a further category of membership as Knight or Dame, and for a Medal of the Order of Australia.

The award of AK and AD was discontinued in the late 1980s by agreement of the Australian Labor Party Government and the Liberal-National Party coalition Opposition. On March 3, 1986 in Canberra the Queen signed Letters Patent, countersigned by then Prime Minister Bob Hawke, with a schedule revoking the category of Knight or Dame.

The Order of Australia is modelled closely upon the Order of Canada. However, when compared with the Order of Canada, the Order of Australia has been awarded rather more liberally, especially in regard to honorary awards for foreigners. Whereas the Order of Canada has only been awarded to twelve non-Canadians to date, the Order of Australia is often awarded to non-Australians.

[edit] Appointment

The Order formerly consisted of four grades and a medal, in both general and military divisions. Knighthood of the Order was made in the general division only.

The different grades of the Order are awarded according to the recipients' level of achievement:

Companion — for eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or to humanity at large.
Officer — for distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or to humanity at large.
Member — for service in a particular locality or field of activity or to a particular group.
Medal of the Order of Australia — for service worthy of particular recognition

Any person may nominate any Australian citizen for an award; the nominations are reviewed by the Order of Australia Council, independent of any political interference, and then approved by the Governor-General. There are no posthumous nominations for the Order. The Order is awarded twice annually: on Australia Day, and on the Queen's Birthday public holiday in June.

[edit] Insignia

The badge of the Order of Australia was designed by Stuart Devlin — a metalsmith who also designed the Australian currency. It is a convex disc (gold for ACs, gilt for AOs, AMs and OAMs) representing the Golden Wattle flower. At the centre is a ring, representing the sea, with the word 'Australia' below two branches of golden wattle. The whole disc is topped by the Royal crown of St Edward. The AC badge is decorated with citrines, blue enamelled ring, and enamelled crown. The AO badge is similar, without the citrines. For the AM badge only the crown is enamelled, and the OAM badge is plain.

The star for knights is a convex golden disc decorated with citrines, with a blue royally crowned inner disc bearing an image of the Coat of Arms of Australia.

The ribbon of the Order is blue with a central stripe of golden wattle flower designs; that of the military division has additional golden edge stripes. Male ACs and AOs wear their badges on a necklet; male AMs and OAMs wear them on a ribbon on the left chest. Women usually wear their badges on a bow on the left shoulder, although they may wear the same insignia as males if so desired.

[edit] Current Knights and Officials of the Order

Sovereign: HM The Queen of Australia
Knights:
- Sir Colin Syme AK (11 June 1977)
- Sir Zelman Cowen AK GCMG GCVO QC (8 December 1977)
- HRH The Prince of Wales KG KT GCB OM AK QSO PC ADC (14 March 1981)
- Sir Charles Court AK KCMG OBE (12 June 1982)
- Sir Ninian Stephen KG AK GCMG GCVO KBE (29 July 1982)
Officials:
- Chancellor: Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC (Governor-General of Australia)
- Secretary: Malcom Hazell CVO (Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia)

[edit] The Order of Australia Association

On 26 January 1980 recipients of awards in the Order formed the Order of Australia Association. This organisation seeks to aid the members of the Order in their pursuits related to the development and maintenance of Australia's culture and traditions. The organisation also attempts to increase awareness of those honoured by the Order, since many of their number are not household names, despite their contributions. Branches of the Association can be found in each State and Territory of the Commonwealth of Australia.