The Order of Australia is the only Australian order of chivalry. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, to recognise Australian citizens and other persons for achievement, meritorious service, or for both. At that time, Companion of the Order of Australia was the highest of three grades of the order (companion, officer, member).
On 24 May 1976, the grade of Knight or Dame of the Order was established, displacing companion as the highest grade. On 3 June 1986, the knight/dame grade was abolished, and companion was once again the highest grade.
On 25 March 2014, the knight/dame grade was re-established, companion once again being relegated to the second highest grade of the order. The knight/dame grade was again abolished on 2 November 2015.
Divisions The order has two divisions: general and military. In general, recipients who are not Australian citizens are appointed honorary companions, though there have been certain exceptions. (For example, Prince Philip's appointment as AC (mil.) was substantive.1988 Queen's Birthday Honours , 13 June 1988, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, Special Issue No. S159, pg.1)
Knights and dames Seven companions have later been promoted to knight or dame of the Order of Australia: Sir John Kerr, Sir Gordon Jackson, Dame Quentin Bryce, Sir Peter Cosgrove, Dame Marie Bashir, Sir Angus Houston and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Australian companions
General Division
Name Born Died Notability AwardedDate AwardedA or AD = Australia Day List (26 January)K or KB / Q or QB = King's/Queen's Birthday List (Second Monday in June) NotesThe primary content of this "Notes" column is the reference to the recipient's entry in the "It's an Honour" data base - refer to the #It's an Honour section of this page for more information. The intention is that the number of references to the "It's an Honour" data base will be equal to the number of references in the "It's an Honour" data base. (In early January 2017 there were 501 references in both this article and the "It's an Honour" database.) Secondary contents are explanatory references and comments - refer to the #Notes section of this page for more information.At least seven recipients do not appear in the "It's an Honour" database:
Sister Mary Bernice Elphick Appointed 2006 Australia Day Ian MacDougall Appointed 1993 QB (Military division) Resignations Nugget Coombs Appointed 1975 QB. Resigned 1976. Patrick White Appointed 1975 QB. Resigned 1976. Richard Pratt Appointed 1998 QB . Resigned 22 Feb 2008. Dyson Heydon Appointed 2004 QB . Resigned 14 Oct 2022. Cancellations