Australia Day honours 2020: Women dominate Companion of the Order of Australia

The number of women awarded an honour across all categories has risen sharply | FULL LIST

Margaret Beazley, AC, Bettina Arndt, AM, Cate Holmes, AC, Johanna Giggs, AM, and Rachel Griffiths, AM.

While some of Australia’s best known musicians, actors, sportspeople and political leaders are included among the 1009 people named in the Australia Day honours, it was the achievements of ordinary community members that has grabbed much of the spotlight this year.

Ranging in age from 19 to 97, many were honoured for their outstanding service or achievement in the community

There was also a big rise in the proportion of women receiving awards, up to 45 per cent from 37.4 per cent in 2019, in a trend the Governor-General David Hurley said he would like to see continue.

“Dedicated, committed, selfless — the people recognised today are outstanding and exemplify the best of Australia,” he said.

“Behind every medal and citation is a story. Whether through their service, sacrifice or significant achievement, these people help others and make our towns, communities and nation better.”

He said inspirational thing about the awards was that they recognised “people who look out for each other and, day-in-day-out, serve their communities in ways big and small”.

“We have seen countless examples of this sort of service during the bushfire crisis,” he said.

“Anyone can be nominated for recognition through the Order of Australia – if you know someone you think worthy of recognition, I encourage you to put them forward for consideration.”

Just five people were appointed as a Companion of the Order of Australia, the highest honour. This is in contrast to 2019, when 19 people picked up an AC.

The five are NSW Governor Margaret Beazley, Monash University vice-chancellor Margaret Gardner, Queensland Supreme Court chief justice Cate Holmes, endocrinologist and Medical Benefits Review chair Professor Bruce Robinson and theoretical physicist Professor Anthony Thomas.

Australia Day Honours

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In politics, Ted Baillieu, the former Victorian Premier, was made an AO, along with Campbell Newman, former Queensland Premierl as was Barry O’Farrell, former NSW Premier. Amanda Vanstone; the former South Australian Senator, ambassador to Italy and longest serving female cabinet minister, was honoured as were Dr Meredith Burgmann, former NSW MP, Charles Kemp, former Victorian Senator and Assistant Treasurer and Fred Riebeling, former Member for West Australia.

Professor Bruce Robinson, AC.

Professor Anthony William Thomas, AC.

In the world of sport, cricketer Ian Healy has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to cricket as a player, to the broadcast media and to the community.

Bettina Arndt, AM.

Johanna Griggs, AM

From media, Dr Robyn Williams, the ABC’s Science Show host, was honoured, as were Johanna Griggs, TV host and former Australian representative swimmer, Kate McClymont; award-winning investigative reporter, newsreader Peter Overton; and Robert Penfold, former foreign correspondent.

Bettina Arndt, author, journalist and former sex therapist, was awarded an AM, for “significant service to the community as a social commentator, and to gender equity through advocacy for men”.

Ms Arndt said she fully expected her award to anger feminists and sections of the media. “The mainstream media has unfortunately become dominated by a particular ideological clique which is totally out of whack with what quiet Australians think,” she said.

Keith Urban, AO.

Rachel Griffiths, AM

Those sharing in the honours include musicians Keith Urban, Deborah Conway and Glenn Shorrock, actors Rachel Griffiths and Hugo Weaving, and dancer Paul Mercurio.

Also honoured are rural and women’s’ advocate Georgie Somerset, indigenous playwright and Sydney Festival director Wesley Enoch, comedian Jane Turner, INXS composer Andrew Farriss.

In the general division of the awards, no women were nominated from the fields of engineering, transport, surveying or industrial relations.

However, six of the nine women working in the law who were nominated for honours won awards, compared with just 12 of the 21 men working in the legal field who were nominated.