Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

It’s award season, and a good time to reflect on Australia’s highest awards: the Order of Australia. Fifty years ago, Prime Minister Whitlam announced that Australia would have its own Honours system to replace the Imperial Honours. It was a good step forward, but the system has failed to reflect the Australian population in all its diversity of education, socio-economic status, gender, cultural background, age and geographical location. It’s time for modernisation.

What do Elizabeth Alfred, Lisa Bellear, and Kath Williams have in common? Apart from all being women, none of them received an Order of Australia. We don’t know why. We don’t know if they were nominated or rejected. And if they were rejected, even their nominators don’t know why. The letter informing them will say something like ‘The Council recognises and values all types of service…however an award was not recommended on this occasion’. No further feedback is provided, even when requested.

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