Damn you Brian for calling in to disrepute Carla Zampatti who has done so much for fashion in Valcluse and Toorak.

I won't have her name sullied when street kids are allowed to beg (that's right - beg!) wearing classic hand me downs and urban street wear right under our noses. Our NOSES, Brian.

The Australian fashion industry has done so much - so very much - to cloth kids, provide hot lunches, provide money for Aboriginal health care, AIDS, mental health for homeless people, services for country women, suicide prevention, the environmental movement, - you name it -that it's hard to reconcile that Carla Zampatti didn't receive the the Big One -whatever that is.

I pray to God - God Brian - that the Catholic Church recognises the works she has done with her skirts and blouses, and that maybe, just maybe, a canonisation is in the offing.

Yours

Ordering Australia as we like it

Mareelorraine raises an interesting issue - is it appropriate to receive an honour for the very same thing you have already been paid for?
Must honours only be for unpaid work?
I understand and am sympathetic to the issue but see some problems.
What of small stipends or reimbursement of expenses, do they count?
I also agree with the general trust of the article, I think that there is too much recognition of the 'shiny' characters, particularly the arts community. I would love to see more recognition going to the quiet achievers but, that said, there are always examples of them on the list - but sometimes they aren't highlighted so much by the media and often their awards are in the lower orders.

What a total joke. Order of Australia. Order of recognising the right wing community in the main, and throwing a few crumbs to everyone else.

How many ethnic Australians do you ever see in this list? Too few mate.

How many volunteers who have given so much to hospital auxiliarys, to the Blood bank, to sports at the local level (coaches, refs, aaaadminuistrators...), to school council members (not teachers as they get paid)...

How many under thirty, unless they are sports stars?

The whole thing is a blasted joke

Matthew T
"The whole thing is a blasted joke" I agree!

MAREELORRAINE
"it is simply the best way for the Government of the day to pay back all their friends" Not the best way but sure the easy way! I agree with you.

plantagenet
"Those who work hard for charity all their lives in most parts of Australia get the lowest honour, the OAM, if they're lucky"
Not only charities or honours and awards BUT the whole system run with this way.
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaid

Yup, all the above, and more. Its our half ars*d post colonial joking attempt at the House of Lords. Why three levels? Why not four, why not one? The whole thing is patronising royalist lunacy. But remember it was Napoleon who wrote, "a man will fight hard and long for a piece of ribbon." And the scrappers love it don't they?

It would be an interesting piece of demographic analysis by postcode...

From what I have read, most haven't or are prejudiced to any awards
given on HM Queen's Birthday. You realize as a constitutional monarchy any Australian can be awarded a knight or dame of the British Empire.

However nominated by the Australian Commonwealth. New Zealand has just nominated one of their own as a Sir ...? Australians have refused to nominate their nationals for equivalent awards.

However some of our elders have received the equivalent to overseas awards but non from the British because they are staunch republicans. Something prejudiced against this perhaps?

I know local people in New England NSW, Mr Chris Ross-Smith and my friend Mr Melvin Duffy who were not in the employment of the establishment who rightfully received the Order of Australia for their commitments and abilities in performing arts and visual arts.

There are many categories for British and Australian National Awards.
Some are given for those who have worked within the so called Establishment areas, military etc. But many are available for other
people involved in the community or relevant services and also the arts. All they need to gain these awards is to be nominated.