The 2026 King's Birthday Honours List includes 949 Australians recognised for their contributions across fields including mathematics, advocacy, journalism, community service, and medicine.
The list features 230 women and 471 men in the general division, a ratio Governor-General Sam Mostyn AC described as not yet reflective of the community.
Top Honours: Companion of the Order (AC)
The following individuals were appointed Companions of the Order of Australia (AC):
- Natasha Stott Despoja AC – Recognised for service to the prevention of domestic, family and sexual violence. She chaired South Australia's Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and serves on a United Nations committee. Stott Despoja stated she understood the “enormity and generosity” of the honour and hoped it would highlight efforts to eliminate domestic violence.
- Professor Terence Tao AC – Recognised for service to mathematical sciences and academia. He served on the US President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and contributed to improving MRI scan times.
- Elisabeth Calvert-Jones AC – Recognised for philanthropy.
- William Hodgman AC (former Liberal Tasmanian premier) – Recognised for service to the state and parliament.
- Professor William Rawlinson AC – Recognised for medical research and service.
Officers of the Order (AO)
Notable appointments at the Officer level include:
- Fran Kelly AO – Recognised for broadcast journalism, social justice, and LGBTQIA+ advocacy. Kelly described the recognition as “special” and noted the importance of LGBTQIA+ inclusion.
- Gerald Murnane AO – Recognised for service to literature.
- Pat Turner AO – Recognised for service to First Nations communities.
- Professor Katie Allen AO (posthumous) – Appointed for service to paediatric allergy and gastroenterology research and to federal parliament. Allen, a former Liberal MP for Higgins, died of bile duct cancer in December at age 59. Her husband Malcolm Allen expressed pride and sadness.
Members of the Order (AM)
Notable appointments include:
- James Valentine AM (posthumous) – Recognised for significant service to media.
- Jason Steinberg AM – Recognised for service to the Jewish community in Queensland and establishing the Queensland Holocaust Museum.
- Christine Holgate AM – Recognised for significant service to business.
- Simon Tedeschi AM – Recognised for using music to promote harmony.
- Terrence Roe AM – Recognised for service to veterans and their families.
- Ro Allen AM – Recognised for human rights advocacy.
Medal of the Order (OAM)
Notable recipients include:
- Mechelle Turvey OAM – Recognised for service to Indigenous communities. She is Assistant Director of Aboriginal Affairs at WA Police.
- Ziaul Ahmad OAM – Recognised for service to journalism and the Muslim community.
Gender Imbalance
Governor-General Sam Mostyn AC stated the awards should reflect the community. In the general division, 230 women and 471 men were honoured, which she described as a slight improvement but still a marked gender imbalance. Mostyn urged more nominations of women.
2026 Australian of the Year Awards Nominees
Separately, eight individuals have been nominated for the 2026 Australian of the Year awards across categories including Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year, and Local Hero. These nominees were put forward by members of their communities.
Australian of the Year Nominees
- Professor Rose McGready (ACT) – Spent 30 years delivering healthcare to displaced populations on the Thailand-Myanmar border. Her research led to World Health Organization-adopted treatments for maternal malaria.
- Alison Thompson OAM (NSW) – Founded Third Wave Volunteers after the 9/11 attacks. The organisation coordinates over 30,000 volunteers providing relief in disaster and war zones, assisting more than 18 million people.
- Dr. Felix Ho ASM (NT) – Medical practitioner serving remote Northern Territory communities and volunteer mentor with St John Youth Program.
- Dr. Rolf Gomes (QLD) – Established the Heart of Australia mobile "Heart Truck" initiative, bringing cardiac care to remote communities. The trucks visit over 30 towns and have served more than 20,000 patients since 2014.
- Katherine Bennell-Pegg (SA) – First Australian to qualify as an astronaut under the Australian flag through the European Space Agency program.
- Dr. Jo Kippax (TAS) – Emergency doctor who was part of a specialist rescue team that performed an underwater leg amputation to save a whitewater rafter's life. Accepted Lithuania's Life Saving Cross award on behalf of his team.
- Carrie Bickmore OAM (VIC) – Established Beanies 4 Brain Cancer, which has raised over $27 million for research. Founded The Brain Cancer Centre in 2021.
- Dr. Daniela Vecchio (WA) – Leads mental health and addiction services at Fiona Stanley Hospital. Founded Australia's first publicly funded gaming disorder clinic, which has treated over 300 patients.
Senior Australian of the Year Nominees
- Heather Reid AM (ACT) – Pioneer in women's football; founded Canberra's first female football club and served as first chief executive of Capital Football.
- Professor Henry Brodaty AO (NSW) – Co-founded the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing in 2012; advanced dementia research and risk understanding.
- Jenny Duggan OAM (NT) – Known as Katherine's "rubbish warrior"; collected hundreds of kilograms of litter from the Katherine River banks and advocated for plastic wine bottles to reduce broken glass.
- Cheryl Harris OAM (QLD) – Increased volunteerism on the Sunshine Coast; created Pathways to Employment program.
- James Currie (SA) – Sound designer for films including "Breaker Morant" and "Wolf Creek"; continues to mentor emerging talent.
- Malcolm Benoy (SA) – Volunteer citizen scientist who organised digitisation of over 90,000 handwritten 19th-century weather records for the Bureau of Meteorology.
- Julie Dunbabin (TAS) – Founded the School Lunch Program, providing over 14,000 nutritious, locally sourced lunches weekly to students across 45 schools.
- Bryan Lipmann (VIC) – Established Wintringham, providing housing and care for 3,000 elderly individuals at risk of homelessness.
- Professor Kingsley Dixon AO (WA) – Recognised for contributions to native plant conservation; discovered in 1992 that smoke triggers germination in Australian plants after bushfires.
Young Australian of the Year Nominees
- Sita Sargeant (ACT) – Founded She Shapes History, a historical tourism business conducting guided walking tours highlighting women's contributions to Australian history.
- Nedd Brockmann (NSW) – Completed a 3,900 km run across Australia in 46 days, raising over $2.6 million for homelessness support. His subsequent Nedd's Uncomfortable Challenge raised an additional $8 million.
- Jarib Branfield-Bradshaw (QLD) – Established a youth neighbourhood centre in Cunnamulla, providing a safe environment for young people; case-managed 200 young individuals.
- Chloe Wyatt-Jasper (SA) – Advocates for mental health awareness; successfully lobbied the Premier for $5 million to improve youth mental health services.
- Alyssia Kennedy (TAS) – Founded Life After School, a program teaching students life skills such as budgeting, taxes, and car maintenance.
- Jaiden Dickenson (NT) – Tennant Creek Mob Youth Diversion Officer; assists young people in addressing trauma and contributed to reduced youth reoffending rates.
- Abraham Kuol (VIC) – Co-founded Black Rhinos soccer and basketball club to mentor at-risk youth; helped raise over $3.5 million for programs supporting African-Australian families.
- Dr. Haseeb Riaz and Gareth Shanthikumar (WA) – Co-founded Man Up, providing educational workshops on positive masculinity to thousands of students.
Local Hero Nominees
- Ben Alexander (ACT) – Co-founded Running for Resilience, a community running group working towards a suicide-free ACT by 2033.
- Theresa Mitchell (NSW) – Founded Agape Outreach Inc. in 2009, providing meals to homeless individuals; now serves over 1,500 hot meals weekly across the Northern Rivers and Gold Coast.
- Ian Gay (QLD) – Volunteered with the Disabled Surfers Association Gold Coast and Disabled Surfers Association of Australia for over two decades.
- Ayesha Safdar (SA) – Founded the Adelaide Pakistani Women's Association in 2010 to assist newly arrived migrant and refugee women.
- Emily Briffa (TAS) – Established Hamlet Cafe, a social enterprise in Hobart employing individuals with disability, mental health concerns, and neurodivergence.
- Ron Green (NT) – Volunteer in Katherine, recognised for hundreds of hours of community service during crises, including bushfires, cyclone recovery, and intervening in an assault.
- Linda Widdup (VIC) – Founded Aussie Hay Runners in 2019, delivering hay to drought-affected farmers; the group has 70 trucks and has delivered over 90,000 bales.
- Frank Mitchell (WA) – Co-founded three construction companies creating over 70 upskilling positions for First Nations people; companies employ over 200 full-time staff.
2025 Australia Day Honours List
The 2025 Australia Day Honours List recognised 732 Australians. The awards included 10 Companions of the Order (AC), 38 Officers (AO), 160 Members (AM), and 472 Medals of the Order (OAM). Among 680 civilian awardees, 496 were men and 184 were women.
Companion of the Order (AC) – Notable Recipients
- Cathy Freeman AC – Recognised for eminent service to athletics, positive social impact, contributions to the reconciliation movement, and as a role model to youth. Freeman had previously declined an upgrade from her 2001 OAM due to concerns about accepting an award on Australia Day, which some First Nations people refer to as Invasion Day. She accepted after discussions with former Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates, who noted other prominent Indigenous community members had accepted the honour. Freeman stated she now felt a responsibility due to her position in the community and expressed interest in unity and reconciliation.
- Annastacia Palaszczuk AC – Former Queensland Premier, recognised for service to the state's people and parliament, with additional acknowledgment for educational equity, multiculturalism, and public health.
- Mathias Cormann AC – Former Western Australian Senator and Finance Minister; currently serves as Secretary-General of the OECD.
- Professor Michelle Simmons AC – Recognised for pioneering work in atomic electronics, establishing Australia as a global leader in atomic-scale manufacturing and quantum computing research.
- Emeritus Professor Bruce Armstrong AM AC – Recognised for a lifetime of cancer research and improving cancer screening.
- Professor Peter Cook AC – Recognised for two decades of developing carbon capture and storage technology.
- Chief Justices Andrew Bell and Christopher Kourakis, Professor Anne Kelso, and Paul Fox were also appointed AC.
Officer of the Order (AO) – Notable Recipients
- Kristina Keneally AO – Former New South Wales Premier, recognised for service to the parliaments and people of Australia and New South Wales.
- Ken and Jocelyn Elliott AO – Recognised for service to international relations through humanitarian medical care, following their kidnapping by militants in Burkina Faso.
Member of the Order (AM) – Notable Recipients
- Rob Hirst AM (posthumous) – Co-founder and drummer of Midnight Oil, recognised for service to the performing arts.
- Tanya Hosch AM – Indigenous social activist and former AFL executive, recognised for her work including the Recognise movement and role as the AFL’s social inclusion manager.
- Graeme Base AM – Children's book author and artist, known for works including Animalia and The Eleventh Hour.
- Steven Marshall AM – Former South Australian Premier, recognised for service to the state, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Felix Ho AM – Paramedic-turned-doctor, recognised for decades of service and volunteering, including leading St John's 3,000-strong youth volunteer program.
Medal of the Order (OAM) – Notable Recipients
- Julie Inman Grant – Australia's eSafety Commissioner, awarded a Public Service Medal for her work improving online safety, including implementation of a social media ban for individuals under 16.
- Maurice Kensell OAM – Recognised for service to the Jewish community and preservation of history.
- Nicholas Pearce and Marcus Crook OAM – Co-founders of HoMie, recognised for not-for-profit work supporting young people experiencing homelessness.
- Eliza Hull OAM – Musician, author, and advocate, recognised for disability advocacy and service to the arts.
- Zeynep Sertel OAM – Principal at Ilim College, recognised for work within the Muslim community and as a mentor.
- Robert Higgins OAM – Recognised for service to billiards and snooker, and community contributions including role as deputy chair of Foodbank Tasmania.
- Frank Ahmat OAM – Recognised for service to sporting organisations and the Indigenous community in the Northern Territory.
- Renton Millar OAM – Head skateboarding judge for the Paris Olympics, recognised for nearly 40 years of contributions to the sport.
Gender Imbalance
The Council of the Order of Australia noted that 72% of recipients in the 2025 Australia Day Honours List were male. The Council issued a call for Australians to nominate more women to achieve better gender balance across all award levels.
Nomination Process
Any Australian citizen can be nominated for an award in the Order of Australia. Nominations can be submitted via www.gg.gov.au. All recipients must be alive at the time of nomination and are informed of their honour prior to public announcement.