Weariness Over Queen’s Birthday Holiday & the Honours

Another tired old Queen’s Birthday holiday, a relic of the predominantly white Dominions and maybe a tired Queen at 94 years and 2 months, her real birthday being on 21 April. And with it comes that tired old warhorse, the Queen’s Birthday honours, all 933 of them. Not much to rejoice about even if 41 percent of the 710 awards made in the civilian division went to women this year (and off those only 28 percent of the gongs in the top two tiers went to women). As we have said before there are far too many Australian honours awarded. Once a year for Australia Day is more than enough. More important is the fact that this so-called Australian honours system has a structure approved by the Queen of England herself.

Here’s a good explainer written by Cai Holroyd: “Being appointed to the Order of Australia is really more of an honorary commendation for civilians, however, it is nonetheless structured as a more traditional order of chivalry. The reigning monarch (our Head of State ed) is the head and the Governor-General acts as chancellor. Australian are recognised twice a year to join the Order, on Australia Day and the day set aside in June to celebrate the Queen’s birthday.

Below the officials and any royal members, the order is separated into civilian and military divisions, with three ranks and one medal.

In order of ascending rank, the recipients are appointed the rank of a member or an officer or a companion of the order. Below these, anyone can receive a medal of the Order but this does not include them in the ranks.”

Clearly, it is hierarchical. By far the most awards, including the ones recognising community work, are the medals at the bottom and apart from the more deserving whose awardees are to be found in ranks. Most of the latter hail from “the establishment” and the upper middle class and are honoured for doing their paid jobs. In an egalitarian country like Australia, there should be one level of awards that recognises all recipients equally.

Read all of Cai’s article on the link. [“Why do we appoint people to the Order of Australia” by Cai Holroyd, The Canberra Times, print and online, 7 June 2020]

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