Prime Minister Tony Abbott wasn’t joking when he announced plans to reintroduce Knights and Dames last year, it has emerged.

What was thought at the time to be a light-hearted, self effacing dig at his British heritage, has turned out to be a fully-costed and endorsed policy.

The genuine nature of the policy has caught many by surprise.

“I honestly thought it was just for a laugh. Like when Joe Hockey said the age of entitlement was over,” Sydney woman Jennifer Mulbury said today.

Australia’s new Knights will be sworn in next week, before moving into their new castles early next month.

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