The process of awarding Orders of Australia has come under scrutiny in recent years, after a series of contentious appointments sparked elements of backlash in Australia. However, Bayleaf Honours are well positioned to ensure that you have a strong chance of success in your quest to get an Order of Australia.
Get an order of Australia
So you have identified or worked with someone whom you believe is thoroughly deserving of recognition for the sterling work in the community and would like to get an order in Australia for them.
The first thing we can help with is to explain how the process works, and who decides on how long it takes to get an order in Australia.
The awards are considered by an independent body called the Council for the Order of Australia.
Nominations in Australia can be made by any member of the public by submission to the council. The experienced staff at the council conduct any additional research they feel is required and contact the listed referees. The council then fully appraises the nomination and decides whether to recommend it to the governor general, to not recommend, or defer pending further research or request for more information.
Officially, the Governor General, Mr David Hurley, then considers and approves the award appointments, but he does seek the advice of the council.
The council itself has 19 members, who are appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister.
Orders of Australia are awarded twice a year, currently on 26 January and the Queen’s birthday which takes place in June.
There are four levels of award within the Order of Australia. Margaret Court, for example, had already been made an Officer of the Order of Australia (the second highest honour) in 2007, and was made a Companion of the Order, the highest rank, in 2021.
Consideration of a nomination can take up to between 18 months to two years. Nominators will be contacted approximately one week prior to the official publication of the honours list for which the nomination was considered. Successful nominees receive a written offer of an award in the Order of Australia.
Can awards be challenged?
Awards can be reviewed by the council, and concerned parties can also write to the governor general, who can then refer the award to be reviewed by the council.
When the governor general receives correspondence including requests to terminate or cancel an award it is referred to the council for advice and possible action.
When you use Bayleaf Honours, we fully appraise your supporting nomination information, to ensure that the likelihood of a challenge is minimised.
Can awards be revoked?
Yes, awards can be revoked when a person has behaved or acted in a manner that has brought disrepute to the Order.
In the council’s view and as a general principle, for the order to be brought into disrepute, a conviction, penalty or adverse finding must have occurred. In essence, the council uses law as the threshold for termination and cancellation.
They added that political or social views would not be grounds for disrepute.
In a system that recognises hundreds of people each year, it is inevitable that each list will contain individuals who others believe should not be nominated.
And finally
The percentage of people who win awards after being nominated is generally quite high, and in 2019, there were a total of 1,374 nominations for the Queen’s birthday honours and 993 were granted, making it 72% awarded.
Bayleaf Honours strive to ensure that this percentage is maintained or increased with our mix of expertise, diligence, research and advice, giving you a winning nomination.
Start your nominees journey towards getting an order of Australia today.