Order of Australia
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The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service". The Order was established on February 14, 1975, when Queen Elizabeth II signed Letters Patent instituting the Order. Before this date Australian citizens received British honours. There were originally Knights and Dames of the Order, who were entitled to the prefix "Sir" or "Dame" and the post-nominal initials AK or AD. However, the award of the AK and AD was discontinued in the late 1980s by the mutual agreement of the Australian Labor Party Government and the Liberal-National Party coalition Opposition.
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 five foreigners to date, the Order of Australia is often awarded to foreigners: (for a typical example) the French keeper of an Australian war cemetary in France.
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Descriptions and post-nominal entitlement
The Order formerly consisted of four grades and a medal, in both general and military divisions:
- Knight / Dame of the Order of Australia (AK / AD) - general division only; no longer awarded.
- Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) - for eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or to humanity at large.
- Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) - for distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or to humanity at large.
- Member of the Order of Australia (AM) - for service in a particular locality or field of activity or to a particular group.
- Order of Australia Medal (OAM) - for service worthy of particular recognition
The Queen is the Sovereign of the Order. The Governor-General of Australia is the Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order. Any person may nominate any Australian citizen for an award; the nominations are reviewed by the Order of Australia Council, independent of any political interferences, and then approved by the Governor-General. There are no posthumous awards in the Order. The Order is awarded twice annually: on Australia Day, and on the Queen's Birthday public holiday in June.
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 disk (gold for ACs and AOs, gilt for 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. 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 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 male insignia if so desired.