n 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 or AD; not awarded since 1986)
Companion (AC)
Officer (AO)
Member (AM)
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
History
The Order was established by
letters patent of
Elizabeth II (in her capacity as
Queen of Australia) 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, a new patent was issued countersigned by then
Australian 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 the
Australian Labor Party Government. On
March 3,
1986 letters patent countersigned by then Australian Prime Minister
Bob Hawke, revoked the category of Knight or Dame. Existing Knights and Dames were not affected by the new patent.
The Prince of Wales is a Knight of the Order of Australia.
The
Queen of Australia is
Sovereign of the Order while the
Governor-General of Australia is Principal Companion and Chancellor of the Order.
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. While the Order of Canada has only been awarded to twelve non-Canadians to date, more non-Australians have received the Order of Australia honour by comparison.
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. The Order is awarded twice annually: on
Australia Day, and on the
Queen's Birthday public holiday in June, when public announcements are made about new awards.
Appointments to the Order are not made posthumously; however, if a nominee dies after accepting an appointment but before the relevant announcement date, the appointment still stands and it is announced as having effect from the date of the nominee's death.
Insignia
The ''badge'' of the Order of Australia 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 and dames 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.
The Order's insignia were designed by
Stuart Devlin.
Image:Companion_of_the_order_of_australia.jpg|Companion of the Order of Australia.
Image:Off_of_the_order_of_aus_mal.jpg|Officer of the Order of Australia.
Image:member_of_the_order_of_aust.jpg|Member of the Order of Australia.
Image:Medal_of_the_order_of_australia_front.jpg|Medal of the Order of Australia.
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 all the
states and territories of Australia.