Orders, decorations, and medals of Australia
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The Australian honours system until 1975 was part of the British honours system.
In 1975, the Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam inaugurated the Order of Australia expressly to supersede all other honours for Australian purposes. Under the Fraser Liberal Government (1975-83), the older honours were restored and a knighthood added to the Order of Australia. The succeeding Hawke Labor Government (1983-91) removed the Knight and Dame designation. The use of the old honours system declined and was brought to an end by the Queen in 1994. The Queen does still confer honours that emanate from her personally rather than through the government, in particular the Order of the Garter and the Royal Victorian Order.
Any person or organisation can make nominations of Australian citizens for honours. Non-Australians can be given honorary awards for "extraordinary service to Australia or humanity at large."[1]
Nomination Forms for the Order of Australia can be found at the Australian Government’s web site or upon application to Honours Secretariat at Government House, Canberra.
The Australian Honours System contains awards additional to just the Order of Australia. It includes bravery awards, meritorious awards, overseas service and long service awards.
- See also: Australian Honours Order of Precedence
Contents |
[edit] Order of Australia
The design for the Order of Australia insignia was conceived by Mr Stuart Devlin, AO, CMG, in 1976. Devlin used the livery colours of the Australian Coat of Arms, gold and royal blue. He also translated an individual ball of wattle blossom into a simple convex golden disc with a rich texture of beads and radiating lines accentuating a ring of blue enamel representing the sea.
The disc is surmounted by an enamel Crown signifying the position of The Sovereign as Head of the Order. The blue and gold theme is continued in the ribbon. Most of the insignia pieces are produced by the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra. The actual pieces for the two Divisions of the Order are identical: it is only the ribbon which differentiates an award between the General and the Military Divisions. In the Military Division the ribbon is distinguished by the addition of a narrow gold band on each edge.
When established there was the ability for the Crown to appoint Knights and Dames to the Order however this was removed on the advice of the Prime Minister in 1986 without prejudice to any person who had been admitted to the Order at that grade. Currently there are four grades within the Order in both Military and General Divisions. Persons can not be admitted to the Order posthumously.
The Council for the Order of Australia makes recommendations to the Governor-General as to the appropriateness of a nominee to be admitted to the Order and at what grade. It is up to the Honours Secretariat to provide the council with as much fully verified information as is possible on each nominee so that appropriate consideration may be given to each case. This is a long process and up to eighteen months can elapse between the original submission and publication of a successful nomination.
[edit] Classes
- Knight / Dame of the Order of Australia (AK / AD)
- Appointments to this class of the Order were stopped on 3 March 1986.
- Sir Garfield Edward John BARWICK, Date Received: 08 June 1981 Died: 14 July 1997
- Sir Frank MacFarlane BURNET, Date Received: 26 January 1978 Died: 31 August 1985
- Sir Charles Walter Michael COURT, Date Received: 14 June 1982
- Sir Zelman COWEN, Date Received: 08 December 1977
- Sir Arthur Roden CUTLER, Date Received: 07 April 1981
- Dame Alexandra Margaret Martin HASLUCK, Date Received: 06 June 1978
- Sir Gordon JACKSON, Date Received: 13 June 1983
- Sir John Robert KERR, Date Received: 24 May 1976
- Dame Enid (Muriel) LYONS, Date Received: 26 January 1980
- Sir Robert Gordon MENZIES, Date Received: 07 June 1976
- HRH Charles PRINCE OF WALES, Date Received: 14 March 1981
- Sir Ninian Martin STEPHEN, Date Received: 29 July 1982
- Colin York SYME, Date Received: 06 June 1977
- Roy Douglas WRIGHT, Date Received: 26 January 1983
- Companion in the Order of Australia (AC)
- Appointments are made for eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or to humanity at large. Excluding honorary appointments, no more than 25 Companions shall be appointed in any calendar year.
- Officer in the Order of Australia (AO)
- Appointments made for distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or to humanity at large. Excluding honorary appointments, no more than 100 Officers shall be appointed in any calendar year.
- Member in the Order of Australia (AM)
- Appointment made for service in a particular locality or field of activity or to a particular group. Excluding honorary appointment s no more than 225 Members shall be appointed in any calendar year.
- Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
- Awarded for service worthy of particular recognition. There is no quota limit on awards of the Medal of the Order.
[edit] Military Gallantry Decorations
- Victoria Cross (Australia) (VC)
- Star of Gallantry (SG)
- Medal for Gallantry (MG)
- Commendation for Gallantry
[edit] Australian Bravery Decorations
- Cross of Valour (CV)
- Star of Courage (SC)
- Bravery Medal (BM)
- Commendation for Brave Conduct
- Group Bravery Citation
[edit] Distinguished/Conspicuous/Nursing
Distinguished Service Decorations
- Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)
- Distinguished Service Medal (DSM)
- Commendation for Distinguished Service
Conspicuous Service Decorations
- Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC)
- Conspicuous Service Medal (CSM)
Nursing
- Nursing Service Cross (NSC)
[edit] Meritorious
- Public Service Medal (PSM)
- Australian Police Medal (APM)
- Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM)
- Ambulance Service Medal (ASM)
- Emergency Services Medal (ESM)
- Australian Antarctic Medal (AAM)
[edit] Australian Service/Campaign
- Australia Service Medal 1939-1945
- Civilian Service Medal 1939-1945
- Australian Active Service Medal 1945-1975
- Australian Service Medal 1945-1975
- Vietnam Medal
- Vietnam Logistic and Support Medal
- Australian Active Service Medal
- International Force East Timor Medal
- Australian Service Medal
- The Rhodesia Medal
- Police Overseas Service Medal
- Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal
- Afghanistan Medal
- Iraq Medal
[edit] Champion Shots
- Champion Shots Medal [1]
[edit] Commemorative
- 80th Anniversary Armistice Remembrance Medal [2]
- Australian Sports Medal [3]
- Centenary Medal [4]
- Anniversary of National Service 1951-1972 Medal [5]
[edit] Long Service Awards
- Defence Force Service Medal
- Reserve Force Decoration (RFD)
- Reserve Force Medal
- Defence Long Service Medal
- National Medal
- Australian Cadet Forces Service Medal
- Australian Defence Medal
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Bruce Knox (1998). "Honours", in Graeme Davison, John Hirst and Stuart MacIntyre (eds.): The Oxford Companion to Australian History. Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-553597-9.
