AUSTRALIA Day is about honouring the country’s finest. But some recipients have been stripped of their appointments after proving far from honourable. In their ranks include some of Australia’s most famous faces from corrupt politicians to businessmen and judges.

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BRIAN BURKE

THE former West Australian premier was sentenced to three years jail for stealing more than $122,000 in campaign donations. He served six months. The mastermind behind WA INC — a scheme that cost the state an estimated $600 million. First appointed to the order in 1988, he was stripped of his honour as a Companion of the Order of Australia in April 1995.

MARCUS EINFELD

THE one-time Federal Court Judge lost his appointment as an Officer of the order of Australia in 2009, eleven years after his appointment for services to international affairs and human rights. Einfeld was sentenced to three years in jail, with a non-parole period of two years, after pleading guilty to false statements over a $77 driving fine. He later admitted he had lied in court when he claimed the driver of his speeding car was a woman, who later turned out to be dead. He was released from jail in March 2011.

EDDIE OBEID

THE disgraced former Labor powerbroker was stripped of his Order of Australia Medal (OAM) last year just days before he was due to make a court appearance in relation to an ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) investigation. The former NSW minister is at the centre of several ongoing investigations.

IAN MACDONALD

THE former Labor minister was stripped of his OAM last year after being charged with two counts of misconduct in office in November. He resigned from the upper house of the NSW parliament in 2010 after a government report found he misused public funds. He was found corrupt by ICAC in 2013.

ALAN BOND

IN 1997 the former billionaire, Channel Nine owner and America’s Cup hero was sentenced to four years in jail after pleading guilty to defrauding Bell Resources of $1.2 billion. In February of that year he was stripped of his status as an Officer of the order of Australia, 13 years after he received the honour.

RICHARD PRATT AND STEVE VIZARD

A NUMBER of Australia Day recipients have also voluntarily given up their honours — proving that their can be honour in dishonour.

Late billionaire Richard Pratt returned his Companion of the Order and his Officer of the Order honours in 2008 shortly before being formally charged with providing false and misleading evidence over price fixing.

Former TV funnyman Steve Vizard collected a gong in 1997 for services to the community but resigned from the Order in 2008, three years after being fined $390,000 and banned from being a company director for 10 years for insider trading while a Telstra director.