The Australian Order of Wearing Honours and Awards 2025

Government House 

CANBERRA ACT 2600 

 15 October 2025

 THE AUSTRALIAN ORDER OF WEARING HONOURS AND AWARDS 2025

The Governor-General notifies for general information the positioning of the wearing of honours and awards. This document contains the Schedule of all approved honours and awards and the Gazettal documentation can be found on the Federal Register of legislation. The manner of wearing honours and awards by Australians is in accordance with the Guide to Wearing of Insignia on the Governor-General's website.

This Schedule, together with the Annexes to the Schedule, incorporates the positioning of these awards, and supersedes the Schedule notified in Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No S192 of 28 September 2007.

Honours and awards listed in the Schedule fall within three categories:

• Imperial awards – awarded through the British Imperial system before the establishment of the Australian honours and awards system in 1975, up to 1992.
   
• Australian awards – awarded through the Australian honours and awards system from 1975 to the present day.

Between 1975 and 1992 Australians were recognised in both the UK and Australian honours systems.
 

• Foreign awards – awarded to Australians by foreign governments. Awards made to Australian citizens after 5 October 1992 from the UK honours system are foreign awards and should be worn accordingly, except for those awards The Sovereign has honoured Australians within Their personal Order or other honours which are wholly within Their own gift. Foreign awards are listed in the Schedule of Approved Countries and Awards on the Governor-General's website.

The Schedule

Honours and awards in the Schedule and Annexes in bold print are those within the Australian honours system and foreign awards which have been authorised by the Governor-General.
 

Honours and awards conferred by The Sovereign in exercise of the Royal Prerogative; Their personal Order or other honours which are wholly within Their own gift are identified with an asterisk (*).

UK (Imperial) honours and awards are listed in the Schedule and Annexes in un-bolded print.

Insignia are worn with the highest-ranking award closest to the centre of the chest. A detailed Guide to Wearing of Insignia is available on the Governor-General's website.

By Her Excellency’s Command

Gerard Martin PSM

Official Secretary to the Governor-General

The Schedule (continued)

Notes:

1.          Refers to the Imperial Victoria Cross (1856-1991).
2.          Provision for further awards at this level within the Order of Australia were reinstated by Queen Elizabeth II on 19 March 2014 on the advice of the Prime Minister and removed on 29 October 2015.

3. Listed to indicate where any awards within the Order of St John should be worn; however, the Service Medal of the Order of St John should be worn as a Long Service Medal after all other Imperial Long Service awards. Post-nominals within the Order of St John are not recognised as notified in the Governor-General’s media release of 14 August 1984.

4. The Australian Antarctic Medal was known as the Antarctic Medal until 18 December 1997.

5.  The Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct (1952-1994) and King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct (1939-1952) is now known as the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery (1994 and subsequently).

6. Clasps to these medals should be worn on the ribbon in order of date of approval commencing from the bottom of the ribbon.

7. Includes Imperial Efficiency and Long Service Awards.

8.  Foreign awards listed on the Schedule of Approved Countries and Awards are worn on the left side after all Australian honours or awards in the order of the date on which they were awarded, with some exceptions for Australian Defence Force personnel. Australian Defence Force personnel should consult the relevant Service for further guidance on wearing foreign awards.

General Notes:

The Unit Citation for Gallantry, the Meritorious Unit Citation and the Group Bravery Citation are not positioned in The Australian Order of Wearing Honours and Awards.  For members of uniformed services, they should be worn in accordance with the dress rules of the Service. Civilian personnel awarded the Group Bravery Citation should wear the insignia on the left lapel or left breast.  Should other honours or awards have been awarded, the Group Bravery Citation should be worn centrally on the left lapel or left breast, approximately 10 millimetres above these.

The insignia for The Queen’s Commendation for Bravery (Brave Conduct) is worn directly on the coat after any medal ribbons.

The Mentioned in Despatches, (MiD) is a UK award. It is not positioned in The Australian Order of Wearing Honours and Awards. The Department of Defence provides advice on the wearing of the emblem, as the positioning is specific to an individual’s circumstances.

Annex 1 to the Schedule

WAR MEDALS, CAMPAIGN MEDALS, ACTIVE SERVICE MEDALS AND SERVICE MEDALS (1901 onwards)

Notes to Annex 1:

1.          Recipients of the 1914 Star are not eligible for the award of the 1914-15 Star.
2.          The order of wearing of the Naval General Service Medal 1915-62 and General Service Medal 1918-62 (Army and Air Force) will vary from person to person depending on when the person earned the first clasp. If the first clasp relates to service between World War I and World War II, the medals should be worn immediately after World War I war medals. If the first clasp relates to service after 2 September 1945, the medals should be worn immediately after the United Nations Service Medal for Korea.
3.          Clasps to these medals should be worn on the ribbon in order of date of approval.
4.          No more than five stars may be awarded to one person. The retrospective introduction of the Artic Star in 2013, meant that a sixth star could be awarded and worn. In all cases, it is only the Arctic Star that is the sixth star that can be worn. Those who qualify for more are awarded a clasp with the title of one of the stars to which they qualify. The clasp is then attached to the ribbon of one of the other stars.
5.          A person who qualifies for the Atlantic Star, the France and Germany Star and the Air Crew Europe Star is awarded only the Star first earned. A Clasp is awarded with it denoting the service which would have qualified for the second Star. No individual may be awarded more than one clasp to the Star even if the person qualifies for all three Stars. 
6.          A person who qualifies for both the Pacific Star and the Burma Star, is awarded only one of these, the Star first earned. A Clasp is awarded denoting the service which would have qualified for the other Star.
7.          Uniquely, although a foreign award, the United Nations Service Medal for Korea is worn immediately after the Korea Medal. All other foreign awards for which official permission has been given to accept and wear are worn as Foreign Awards.
8.          A person who has been awarded the Vietnam Medal, or who is eligible for the award of the Vietnam Medal, is not eligible for the award of the Vietnam Logistic and Support Medal. These medals are of equal status.
9.          The Australian Operational Service Medal (AOSM) replaced the Australian Active Service Medal (AASM) and the Australian Service Medal (ASM). For Australian Defence Force members, the Australian Operational Service Medal is awarded as the standard medal with a unique ribbon for each operation. Multiple awards are worn in order of approval. For Defence civilians and other classes of civilians, the Australian Operational Service Medal is in the form of the standard medal with a unique civilian service ribbon. Each operation will be denoted by a clasp to the medal.

Annex 2 to the Schedule

CORONATION, JUBILEE, REMEMBRANCE AND COMMEMORATIVE MEDALS (1) (1901 onwards)

Notes to Annex 2:

1.          The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal and the King Charles III Coronation Medal were awarded after the introduction of the Australian honours system and should be worn as foreign awards.

1.          The Australian Sports Medal was instituted on 23 December 1999 for the purpose of commemorating Australian sporting achievement or contribution in the year 2000.  Following changes made on 4 December 2020, the Australian Sports Medal is now awarded to commemorate Australian sporting participation in certain multi-sport events.