OUR FINEST LAUDED
MORE WOMEN, VOLUNTEERS PRAISED ... AND NO EX-FEDERAL POLITICIANS
FROM the heroes of the Covid-19 frontline to the God of Thunder, the Queen’s Birthday Honours List has recognised 1190 exemplary Australians.
Actor Chris Hemsworth, political commentator Peta Credlin, rugby league great Ricky Stuart and the Australian Ballet’s former artistic director David McAllister are among the big names to be included.
This year’s list is notable for its record representation of women (44 per cent of recipients are female), a noticeable bump in the number of surf lifesaving volunteers (10 in total), and – unusual for an Australian honours cohort – the complete absence of any former federal MPs.
Governor-General David Hurley said he was prioritising increasing awareness of the honours system among groups that were “historically under represented” and we were seeing “positive progress”.
Five people were appointed Companions of the Order of Australia (AC), the highest honour, including Mr McAllister, DFAT Secretary Frances Adamson, Federal Circuit Court Judge Barbara Baker, geophysicist Emeritus Professor Kurt Lambeck and the Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, Dr Phillip Aspinall.
Mr McAllister said his inclusion was “an incredible honour”.
“Sometimes in Australia we think of the arts as something that’s sort of fluffy and on the side, but it’s really fundamental to our cultural life,” he said.
“Especially since the pandemic, people are realising more and more just how important, having not been able to go to the theatre or see exhibitions or hear an orchestra.”
Several honorees were recognised for their efforts in the fight against Covid-19, including Clinical Professor Eugene Athan, director of the infectious disease department at Barwon Health, who was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
Prof Athan said he was “very humbled” by the recognition, and he was hopeful the vaccines would restore life as normal, either late this year or early in 2022.
“We’re finding our way,” he said. “We learnt many lessons in 2020. We’re much faster at identifying cases and dealing with contacts and containing small clusters than we were last year. Our systems are much more responsive. In Victoria, we’ve redesigned the public health system. We now have nine regional health units rather than the centralised model that we had last year.”
Criticisms of the Victorian government’s pandemic response boosted Peta Credlin’s already high profile over the past year. Her appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) completes a unique trifecta of honours that also includes a Walkley and a Logie.
The chief of staff to former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and now Sky News commentator said broadcasting and politics had similarities – “it’s still about the battle of ideas” – but a big key to success was in respecting one’s opponent.
“If you don’t respect the alternative view, you don’t respect other ideas beyond your own, or if you don’t respect the party that you’re up against at a general election, you’ll never beat them. I think that was one of the great mistakes Labor had with John Howard for so long; they never attributed his success to him being actually good at the ballot box,” she said
Ms Credlin herself has been touted as a future leader – possibly Victorian Premier.
Asked whether she would announce her candidacy, she had a good laugh.
“I am always up for hard work, and
16 years in politics tells you that I love a campaign, but it comes at a heavy toll,” she said.
“I am thoroughly enjoying being back home in Victoria, where
I grew up, and having more time with friends and family. I would be pretty reluctant to give that up.”