Daniel Andrews tops King’s Birthday Honours

Former premier Daniel Andrews and next governor-general Sam Mostyn have received the nation’s highest King’s Birthday honour.

North Melbourne president Sonja Hood, family violence researcher Thea Brown and Giorgio Angele, the patriarch of the Brunetti hospitality empire, are among the notable Victorians to receive awards. In total, 737 Australians have been recognised, including 493 people in the general division of the Order of Australia.

Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews.Credit: Getty Images

Andrews, who steered Labor to three state election wins before retiring from politics in September, has been awarded the highest of these honours, the Companion of the Order of Australia.

He is joined by fellow Labor luminaries the late Simon Crean and former West Australian premier Mark McGowan. The three make up half of those honoured in the most prestigious category.

Andrews, who led the state through the pandemic and constructed a legacy through his Big Build of rail and road projects, was recognised for “eminent service to the people and parliament of Victoria, to public health, to policy and regulatory reform, and to infrastructure development”.

“I’m honoured to have been nominated for this award and grateful to every Victorian who contributed to some of our state’s best times and who worked so hard to see us through our most challenging,” the former premier said in a statement.

“I thank the Victorian community for their support for me and my team in leading our state for nine years. That remains the greatest honour of my life.”

Andrews led parliamentary Labor from 2010, won back government from the Coalition after one term in 2014 and was elected with thumping lower-house majorities in 2018 and 2022 before announcing his shock retirement last year.

Alongside projects such as the Metro Tunnel, North East Link, Suburban Rail Loop and West Gate Tunnel, his government has overseen social changes such as the safe injecting room in North Richmond and introducing laws for voluntary assisted dying and medicinal cannabis.

Simon Crean, who died last year, has been made a Companion of the Order of Australia.Credit: Neil Eliot

He led Victoria through Australia’s longest lockdowns and the highest numbers of COVID deaths in the first two years of the pandemic. His profile rose nationally as he stared down criticism over the state’s outbreaks and the strict restrictions imposed to limit them, including clashing with the Morrison government.

Andrews has previously been a public supporter of the Australian Republic movement, including in 2016, when he said before Australia Day that it was “time to stand on our own two feet, on paper and in practice”.

Crean, a federal Labor leader and ACTU president who retired from politics in 2013, died last year. He has been recognised for service to the people and parliament of Australia and service to tertiary education, industrial relations and business. McGowan, who also became known during the pandemic for his hardline border controls, has been honoured for service to public health, education and international trade relations.

Composer and festival director Sir Jonathan Mills; epidemiologist and inaugural director of the cancer-policy focused Daffodil Centre Professor Karen Canfell; and Sam Mostyn, a businesswoman and equality activist who will succeed Governor-General David Hurley on July 1, were also made Companions of the Order of Australia.

Sydney cancer epidemiologist Professor Karen Canfell was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia.Credit: Edwina Pickles

In a separate list, 34 people have been honoured for their contribution supporting Australia’s response to COVID-19.

Greg Combet, a former Labor minister, industry superannuation director and boss of the $212 billion Future Fund, has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia. At the start of the pandemic, he was a member of the National COVID-19 Co-ordination Commission.

Dr Sonja Hood has been honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia for her work with social welfare organisations and service to sports administration as North Melbourne’s president since 2022. She has been chief executive of Community Hubs Australia since 2015.

Hood said she reads the list of honours every time they are published to learn about all the ways Australians are improving their country.

Sonja Hood pictured on Sunday. Credit: Wayne Taylor

She said the highest job satisfaction came from the people she met, including cheer squad members, barbecue operators, leaders in community hubs and women who moved to Australia to give their children a better life.

“It’s the best country in the world because people roll in and make it that way, and at that local community level we see that all the time.”

Kevin Bell was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia.

Hood said there was currently a significant amount of division nationally but this wasn’t the case at a community level. She wanted to use the award to promote the importance of social cohesion. “Locally, people are connecting and coming together on the things that matter to them, and that are important to them.”

The honour tops off a good weekend for Hood, with the Kangaroos scoring their first victory of the season over West Coast on Saturday.

Family violence and child protection researcher Thea Brown, also appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, said it felt good to see her work recognised at a time when the nation was grappling with a domestic violence crisis.

“The work that we’ve been doing has been very valued. It’s often ignored,” she said. “We do have to keep talking about it because our systems are still not responding to it in the best way possible.”

Brown said people were trying to drive change in key services. She said court services, child protection, mental health and police enforcement were all areas that needed improvement.

Victorians Professor Sharon Goldfeld and Dr Ida Kaplan were both appointed Members of the Order of Australia for their research work. Goldfield was noted for her service to paediatric medicine and public health, while Kaplan has supported community health by improving understanding of trauma recovery.

Former Supreme Court judge and Yoorrook Justice Commission commissioner Kevin Bell becomes an Officer of the Order of Australia for his work on human rights and justice.

In the Medal of the Order of Australia division, Jason Ball has been recognised for his advocacy for LGBTQ sports players and Giorgio Angele was named for his service to hospitality through the Brunetti cafe empire.

Others recognised include ASIO head Mike Burgess, Australian cricketing legend Glenn McGrath, three-time winner of the Australian Masters and Australian PGA championship Peter Senior, TV personality Hamish Blake and renowned ballet artist Noelle Shade.

“I would like to congratulate all those recognised in today’s Honours List. Some names are well-known, but the vast majority are not – they are people who work tirelessly and selflessly to make a difference in our community,” the governor-general said ahead of award ceremonies.

Hurley said he had been honoured to preside over the honours and awards system but said they belonged to all Australians and encouraged more people to nominate to reflect the diversity of the community.

Anyone can nominate an Australian for an award in the Order of Australia now.

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