Awards and honours help define, encourage and reinforce excellence. Australia has a system of honours and awards so its citizens can be recognised for excellence, achievement or meritorious service. Australia’s distinctive honours system began in 1975 with the creation of the Order of Australia, to recognise service to the nation. Many sportswomen have been recognised over the years through the Australian honours system for their contribution to sport and society. Although Australian Government awards are not gender specific, it is significant that sportswomen can be recognised in this way for their achievements.
Australian Honours Seach Facility. Contains over 265,000 entries of people who have been honoured since federation through to the present day. New listings are generally added to this facility when honours announcements take place - on Australia Day, the Queen’s Birthday or through Bravery Decorations announcements.
Advancing Women: women and the Order of Australia, Women’s Leadership Institute Australia (2011). Since the Australian honours system was introduced in 1975, a great number of deserving Australians have been recognised and rewarded for their contribution to society, yet women remain under-represented in the number of nominations and this flows through to the number of people receiving honours. The Australian honours system has been uniquely designed to ensure that any member of the community can nominate an Australian citizen for an award. This guide provides valuable information about the nomination process.