'Pre-eminent' Australians to be made knights or dames under a new award, PM Tony Abbott says

Updated

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has brought back the titles of knights and dames for "pre-eminent" Australians, nearly three decades after the honour was abolished by the Hawke Labor government.

The honour will be known as a knight or dame in the Order of Australia and will be the nation's highest award.

It will be automatically bestowed on the serving governor-general with up to four created per year by Her Majesty the Queen on the recommendation of the prime minister.

The first dame is the outgoing Governor-General Quentin Bryce and the first knight will be her successor, former Defence Force chief General Peter Cosgrove, who will take on the title of "sir" when he is sworn in on Friday.

"This new award will go to those who have accepted public office rather than sought it and who can never by virtue of that office ever entirely return to private life," Mr Abbott said.

The Prime Minister, a former leader of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy and an avowed monarchist, said he thought this was an important "gracenote in our national life".

He said he did not believe the current honours available to Australians were enough to acknowledge the achievements of some.

"That is for eminent achievement. This is for pre-eminent achievement," he said.

"The existing companions, officers and members of the Order of Australia continue as they should, but this will be a higher honour."

He said it was his intention that politicians would not receive the honour but he could not rule it out.

"It doesn't preclude anyone except people who have not given service of extraordinary and pre-eminent nature," he said.

"My anticipation is that the people who may receive this honour will be those who have accepted rather than sought public office.

"Politicians of course have sought public office. That's the nature of the business that I'm in."

Abbott made decision after 'pondering' new GG

In December, Mr Abbott appeared to have ruled out restoring the honour in an interview with a News Limited newspaper.

But he said that was in response to a specific issue of whether Australia would follow the lead of New Zealand and convert the Companion of the Order of Australia to knighthoods.

"I made a quite specific comment in December. I said that we weren't intending to do what New Zealand has done," he said.

Mr Abbott said he had made the decision in the past few weeks when "pondering" the change at Yarralumla from Dame Quentin to General Cosgrove.

"I don't want to put words in anyone else's mouth," he said.

"But when I broached the subject with them they carefully considered the proposition and both were happy to accept."

Bernardi welcomes move as Shorten questions PM's jobs plan

Liberal Senator and monarchist Cory Bernardi told the ABC he welcomed the Prime Minister's decision.

"Some months ago I thought my hopes for reform were dashed but the decision today [Tuesday] is a just and proper one," he said.

The Opposition has questioned the Government's priorities.

"It's good to see the Government has a plan for knights and dames - where's their plan for jobs?" Labor leader Bill Shorten said to ABC News Online.

"I'm concerned the Abbott Government thinks this is a priority - what about jobs, health and education?"

Republicans question 'retrograde step'

The Australian Republican Movement's national director, David Morris, said the announcement was surprising.

He said it turned back the clock "to another frame of mind, a colonial frame of mind, one that we've outgrown".

"We used to think of ourselves as British to the bootstraps ... but today Australians don't think that way," he said.

Prominent businesswoman and republican Janet Holmes a Court has questioned Mr Abbott's reasoning for bringing back the titles, saying they are not needed in Australia.

"If someone has made a contribution they can be recognised with an Order of Australia," she told ABC Local Radio 720 Perth.

"We've been doing it since 1983 or something. I just think [Mr Abbott] must have had a little bit too much red last night or something."

She says most people will find the "retrograde step" strange.

"I think people will think this is some kind of joke and we will all wake up and think this is some kind of bad dream," she said.

Australians for Constitutional Monarchy earlier sent Mr Abbott their congratulations over the move.

Topics: awards-and-prizes, human-interest, governors-general-and-state-governors, government-and-politics, federal-government, australia

First posted