A Melbourne-based academic once likened to Hitler's deputy and described as "the most dangerous man on earth" is one of eight Australians to be awarded the top Queen's Birthday accolade.

As a philosopher and bioethicist, Professor Peter Singer, 66, is no stranger to controversy.

Today, he has been recognised for his varied contributions with a Companion in the Order of Australia (AC) for his communication of ideas regarding animal welfare, global poverty and the human condition.

The other Australians awarded the AC today are:

former Victorian premier Joan Kirner

former Victorian premier former Queensland premier Peter Beattie

former Queensland premier former foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans

former foreign affairs minister medical researcher Ian Frazer

medical researcher former federal frontbencher Robert Hill

former federal frontbencher biologist Stephen Hopper

biologist Western Australian Chief Justice Wayne Martin

Who received Queen's Birthday honours near you? Find out using our map.

In 1975, Professor Singer made headlines around the world with his book Animal Liberation, focusing on the animal rights movement. He has also spoken about abortion, euthanasia and the human condition - becoming the subject of heated debates and even death threats.

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Disability activist Diane Coleman once described him as a "public advocate of genocide" and "the most dangerous man on earth today".

In 1989, while on a trip to Germany for a conference, he was compared to a member of the Third Reich for his views on disabled children and infanticide.

But he has also been referred to as the most influential philosopher alive today.

In 2006, in an interview on ABC TV, he explained his views on the exploitation of animals and the quest to live true to his own ethics.

Professor Singer says he is delighted to be recognised on the Queen's Birthday honours list and embraces the controversy his views generate.

He says it has been the philosopher's role since Socrates to force people to challenge their own assumptions that they have taken for granted.

"There will be people in the community who are opposed to [my ideas], but I think that what this shows is that you don't just have to be a conformist in order to get honoured," he said.

"You can dissent, and we respect that, we recognise diversity of opinion and even honour it."

Professor Singer is currently writing a book about the foundations of ethics, and the problems associated with trying to reason with ethics at all.

But he says today he is most interested in the issues of human suffering, as well as climate change, despite "nobody doing enough about it".

"That's a huge moral issue that I plan to go back to," he said.

"And I want to look at questions about how can we essentially reduce suffering in the world. It seems to me to be one of the key questions - how can we reduce suffering and make both people and animals better off?"

He says he will be celebrating the honour with his wife and family in Melbourne.

Other notable Australians on the Queen's Birthday Honour list include: Dr Thomas Calma : service to the Indigenous community in human rights and social justice (AO).

: service to the Indigenous community in human rights and social justice (AO). Peter Carey : service to literature as a novelist, through international promotion of the Australian identity (AO).

: service to literature as a novelist, through international promotion of the Australian identity (AO). Rolf Harris : service to the performing and visual arts, charitable organisations and promotion of Australian culture (AO).

: service to the performing and visual arts, charitable organisations and promotion of Australian culture (AO). Mark Vaile : service to the Parliament of Australia, support for rural and regional communities (AO).

: service to the Parliament of Australia, support for rural and regional communities (AO). Bruce Ackerman : service to the Marysville community during and after the deadly 2009 bushfires (AM).

: service to the Marysville community during and after the deadly 2009 bushfires (AM). Craig Lowndes: services to motor racing and road safety (OAM).

Companions in the Order of Australia

Along with Professor Singer, the other seven recipients of the prestigious Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia are:

Peter Beattie

Former Queensland premier Peter Beattie. ( Ian Waldie: Getty Images )

Retired Labor MP Peter Beattie has been recognised for his services to Parliament and Queensland. He served as premier from 1998 to 2007 and before his election to Parliament, was a solicitor at the Supreme Court in Brisbane.

Mr Beattie was behind the "Smart State" Queensland campaign, which aimed to focus on education and a skilled workforce, as well as research and development.

He has been recognised for his initiatives in biotechnology, information technology and aviation industries, as well as the promotion of international trade.

Gareth Evans

Professor Gareth Evans at the ANU. ( AAP:Alan Porritt )

Former foreign minister Gareth Evans, who spent more than two decades in Australian politics, has been chancellor of the Australian National University since early 2010.

He is perhaps best-known for his role in developing the UN peace plan for Cambodia in the wake of the Khmer Rouge's terrifying control over the developing country.

He was named one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers for 2011 by Foreign Policy magazine "for making 'the responsibility to protect' more than academic".

Formerly a lawyer specialising in the constitution and civil liberties, Professor Evans was a Labor Senator by 1978 and became foreign minister in 1988.

He has been honoured this year for his service to international relations, particularly in the Asia-Pacific.

Ian Frazer

Professor Ian Frazer. ( Mick Tsikas): AAP )

Professor Ian Frazer has been thrust under the spotlight since his groundbreaking medical breakthrough in protecting women against the human papilloma virus.

The Brisbane-based scientist was named Australia of the Year in 2006 for his work in developing the Gardasil vaccine, which was rolled out to Australian school girls as part of a campaign to prevent cervical cancer.

Today, more than six million doses of Gardasil have been distributed in Australia alone, and more than 54 million doses have been given to young women worldwide.

Since his discovery, Professor Frazer has been working with a team to guard against common skin cancers, and hopes to release the first vaccine before 2020.

He has been recognised for his leadership roles in higher education and as a supporter of charitable funds, including his role as the director of Immunisation and Cancer Research at the University of Queensland.

Robert Hill

Carbon Trust chair Robert Hill. ( Tony Phillips: AAP Image )

Professor Robert Hill, who spent almost two decades in Australian politics, is currently the chancellor of the University of Adelaide.

He became a Liberal senator in 1980 and served under John Howard after the party's electoral victory in 1996 as minister for the environment and defence.

In 2009, he was appointed Adjunct Professor in sustainability at the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, developing the Dow Sustainability Program.

He was Australian ambassador to the United Nations from 2006-2009, and is chairman of the Australian Carbon Trust today.

Professor Hill has been honoured for his services to the Parliament of Australia, his contributions to international relations and his representation at the United Nations.

Stephen Hopper

Professor Stephen Donald Hopper. ( Supplied: www.kew.org )

Plant conservation biologist Professor Stephen Hopper is perhaps best-known for his pioneering research in south-west Australia.

He has been honoured for his service as a global leader of science, particularly the delivery of research into the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems.

He has authored more than 250 publications in his long career, and developed new theory on the evolution and conservation of biodiversity on some of the world's oldest landscapes.

Professor Hopper currently lives in the UK and is the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew.

Joan Kirner

Joan Kirner in 2007. ( ABC TV )

Joan Kirner, a former school teacher and minister for education, became Victoria's first female premier in 1990.

She has been recognised for her service to the Victorian Parliament and to the community, including the Landcare movement.

She is particularly passionate about gender equality, and has been integral in setting female candidate targets in winnable electorates for the Labor Party.

Wayne Martin

Chief Justice Wayne Martin in 2011. ( AAP: John Mokrzycki )

Western Australian Chief Justice Wayne Martin has been an outspoken voice on the need to improve the legal system, most recently the severe resourcing difficulties in the WA Family Court.

Before his appointment in 2006, he served as president of the WA Bar Association and chaired the WA Law Reform Commission.

He has been honoured for his service to the judiciary and the law, as well as to the community in general.