‘Hypocritical’ Dan should’ve followed republican Paul Keating in rejecting King’s honour, says Monarchist League chair

The head of Australia’s Monarchist League has labelled Daniel Andrews a hypocrite for accepting an award from the Royal Family despite backing the republican movement.

Politicians shouldn’t be eligible to receive King’s Birthday honours straight after leaving office, according to the head of the nation’s Monarchist League, who labelled Daniel Andrews a hypocrite for accepting an award from the Royal Family, despite backing the republican movement.

Questions have also been raised about the political links of the independent panel tasked with awarding the honours.

Australian Monarchist League national chair Philip Benwell said the former Premier, who has previously advocated for Australia to become a Republic, should have followed in Paul Keating’s footsteps by refusing the accolade.

“It is hypocritical being that the King is a sovereign of the Order and it is the King’s Birthday honours,” Mr Benwell said.

“Paul Keating refused to accept an Order of Australia because at the time the Queen was the sovereign of the Order. That shows a measure of integrity.”

The decision to recognise Mr Andrews, the longest-serving Victorian Labor Premier, for his “eminent service to the people and parliament of Victoria, to public health, to policy and regulatory ­reform, and to infrastructure development” has sparked a barrage of backlash.

Daniel Andrews has accepted the honour. Picture: Aaron Francis

The Council for the Order of Australia, the body which signed off on the award, is made up of 19 people – many of which are several high ranking people working close to politics, including senior bureaucrats, a union leader and the former boss of the federal Covid inquiry.

Former Liberal Premier Jeff Kennett has called on the council’s chair Shelley Reys to answer questions about Mr Andrews’ award.

“Reys owes the public an explanation of how her council could possibly justify this award to Andrews,” he said.

“Why was it clearly rushed through and who nominated him? It makes a mockery of all those so honoured and is an insult to the hundreds of Australians who have been nominated for an award but have to wait up to two years before their nomination is resolved.”

Of the six people to be made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), three are former Labor politicians (Mr Andrews, former Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan and former federal Opposition Leader Simon Crean, who died last year).

Philip Benwell said Mr Andrews should’ve followed in Paul Keating’s footsteps.

Mr Benwell said this year’s awards appeared to be “based on politics”, which he claimed “detracts from the integrity of the awards”.

“Three (awards for politicians) out of six sends an obvious message that the committee has been compromised,” he said.

“Both Daniel Andrews and Mark McGowan are controversial figures … Time should be allowed to pass before there is any consideration to awarding anything.

“The Order of Australia committee should exercise discretion in this regard. They should appreciate that awarding Australia’s highest honour to two former Premiers, who have only recently left office, is bound to create controversy.

“The awards, by this move, have been somewhat tarnished.”

Former federal health minister Greg Hunt cautioned against heading down the American path of rejecting recognition for people of the opposite political view.

“Recognition should neither be given nor withheld for political reasons,” Mr Hunt said.

“Generosity of spirit has always been an Australian trait and I hope will be going forwards. We should resist the polarisation of personal politics so evident in the US. And that applies to people of all sides.”