Special Honours Announcements
Honours lists are announced in January and June.
Bravery announcements are also made twice a year - typically in March and September.
In addition to these announcements, Honours announcements can be made on an ad hoc basis.
These special announcements can recognise:
- historic acts of gallantry that have only recently considered and recommended to the Governor-General
- ad hoc occasions where the Councils recommend an award be made outside of the twice annual lists
- honourary appointments to the Order of Australia
- awards of the Antarctic Medal
- military awards, including the Champion Shots medal, that fall within the Australian Honours and Awards system.
Ad hoc honours are gazetted and listed in the It's an Honour database. This page includes recent announcements.
Honorary Appointments
You do not need to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident to receive a meritorious, operational or bravery award. Non-Australians can be honoured for their outstanding service and contributions to Australia.
In the Order of Australia this is done by making honorary appointments and awards in either Division (General or Military), as appropriate. Non-citizens who are permanent residents are considered by the Council for the Order of Australia and recommendations are made to the Governor-General. Any resulting awards or appointments are made in the General Division, and are announced in the regular honours lists.
The Prime Minister considers nominations for non-citizens who are not permanent residents, and makes recommendations for honorary awards in the General Division. These announcements may be gazetted and announced at any time.
The Minister for Defence recommends honorary awards for members of foreign defence forces in the Military Division. Honorary awards recommended by the Prime Minister and Minister for Defence may be gazetted and announced at any time.
Approval of any award or appointment to a foreign citizen (including permanent residents) requires permission from the person’s home country.