The Order of Australia was instituted by Her Majesty the Queen on 14 February 1975 as 'an Australian society of honour for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service.' The Order is comprised of a General Division and a Military Division with four levels in each. The four levels of the Order are as follows; Companion (AC), Officer (AO), Member (AM) and Medal of the Order (OAM). Her Majesty The Queen approved amendments to the Constitution of the Order on 3 March 1986 removing the Knight/Dame level in the General Division, without prejudice to existing appointments.
In 1981 the Queen approved a further amendment to the Constitution of the Order admitting His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales, as a Knight in the General Division. Today the order consists of Her Majesty, as the Sovereign Head of the Order, His Excellency the Governor-General as the Principal Companion, HRH the Prince of Wales and such members and honourary members as the Governor-General with the Sovereigns approval shall appoint.
The Governor-General is charged with administering the Order as Chancellor of the Order. The Official Secretary to the Governor-General is also the Secretary of the Order. The Order's Secretariat is located at the Governor-Generals official residence, Government House, Canberra.
The Council for the Order, which is a broad - based group of 19 persons representative of the Australian people, considers all nominations for appointments and awards in the General Division of the Order. The Council makes its recommendations, independent of the Government, direct to the Governor-General. Awards in the Order are made by the Governor-General as Chancellor and are formally approved by The Sovereign.
The Awards are decided slightly differently in the Military Division. The Minister for Defence makes recommendations to the Governor-General for members of the Defence Force and members of the Defence Forces of other countries to receive, respectively, appointments or awards or honorary appointments or awards in the Military Division.
The two principal dates when the honours are announced are Australia Day, and on the Official Birthday of Her Majesty The Queen in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. Recipients are entitled to have the appropriate post nominals placed after their names an all such occasions where the use of such letters would be customary.
The design of the Orders insignia, created by Mr. Stuart Declin, AO, CMG, was inspired by a single wattle blossom. The livery colours of the Australian Arms - gold and royal blue - were adopted for the ribbon. The disc is surmounted with an enamelled crown signifying the Sovereign as the Head of the Order. The Military Division is distinguished from the General Division by a narrow gold band on each edge of the ribbon.
Nominations may be made by any person or organisation to the Australian Honours Secretariat. Nominations are then researched by the Secretariat before being submitted to the council for the Order of Australia for consideration. Nominations are then passed to the Governor-General as Chancellor and then to the Sovereign for approval.
