Daily Program

Thursday 1 May 2025

On this day …

On Thursday, in the morning, at Government House, Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM hosted an Investiture Ceremony for the following recipients of Australian Honours and Awards: Dr Peter Aitken PSM; Mr Alister Cullen PSM; Mr Shaun David Ferris PSM; Dr Keith Graham PSM OAM; Ms Belinda Lewis PSM; Mr David John Mackie PSM; Ms Deidre Ann Mulkerin PSM; Mr Silvio Giovanni Trinca PSM; Assistant Commissioner Christopher John Stream APM; Superintendent Glen Edward Pointing APM; Retired Chief Inspector Gai Bolderrow APM; Acting Inspector Jacinta Maree Pannowitz APM; Detective Senior Sergeant Brett Devine APM; Detective Sergeant Stuart Andrew Butler APM; Mr Craig Mann APM; Mr David Brian Brazel AFSM; Mr Andrew Houley AFSM; Mr Christopher David Markwell AFSM; Mr Mark Andrew Sellin AFSM; Mr Terrence George Whitehead AFSM; Mr William Douglas Buchanan ASM; Mr Vaughan Alexander Mason ASM; Mr John Wesley Rowan ACM; and Ms Lauren Maree Thompson ACM.

Following, at Parliament House, Her Excellency presided over a meeting of the Executive Council.

In the afternoon, at Government House Her Excellency hosted an Investiture Ceremony for the following recipients of Australian Honours and Awards: Ms Felicity June Young AO; Mr Adrian Guido Di Marco OAM; The Late Mr Neil Donaldson OAM; Mrs Celia Egerton OAM; Mr Raymond Eric Fisher OAM; Mr Thomas James Gallagher OAM; Mr Charles John Garwood OAM; Mrs Pamela Joyce Hamilton-Smith OAM; Ms Suellen Hardie OAM; Mrs Phyllis Diana Hopf OAM; Mrs Natasha Leila Johnston OAM; Ms Wendy Ann Paterson OAM; The Late Mr Gunther Eugen Schmida OAM; Mr Callum Simpson OAM; Mrs Beverley Ann Smith OAM; Miss Keira Kristina Stephens OAM; Mrs Pamela Ann Tranter OAM; The late Ms Frances Lavinia Wager OAM; and Ms Amanda Joy Young OAM.

In the evening, at Suncorp Stadium, Milton, Her Excellency attended the Ampol Women’s State of Origin.

Speeches given on the 1 May

Representing the Acting Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service, Deputy Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon APM; Representing the Commissioner of the Queensland Fire Department, Deputy Commissioner Kevin Walsh AFSM; Representing the Commissioner of the Queensland Ambulance Service, Deputy Commissioner Dee Taylor Dutton ASM; Commissioner of the Queensland Corrective Services, Commissioner Paul Stewart APM; Representing the President of the Institute of Public Administration Australia, Queensland, Mr Samay Zhouand; families, friends and colleagues of the recipients; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here this morning.

This is a special year for the Australian Honours and Awards system because it marks 50 years since Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, as our Sovereign, signed the Letters Patent granting Australia its own system for the first time.

Until then, the only way Australian citizens could be acknowledged for their outstanding service was through the British Imperial honours system—even though the six Australian colonies had united to form an independent nation more than 70 years earlier.

It was a bold move by the government of the day, but on the 14^th of February 1972, Her Majesty gave consent to the establishment of our unique national system and to the three proposed honours—the Order of Australia, the Australian bravery decorations, and the National Medal. Those three honours included just nine separate awards; today, the number of medals and decorations that can be awarded totals 60.

This growth has come about because it was quickly realised that, as a nation, we needed to be able to acknowledge the many men and women who make an exceptional contribution to Australian society in other ways, including through their employment as public servants, or as members of an Australian police force, or fire, ambulance or corrections service.

Of the five different medals awarded today, the first to be established was the Australian Police Medal in 1986, followed over the next three decades by the Australian Fire Service Medal, the Public Service Medal, the Ambulance Service Medal, and finally, in 2017, the Australian Corrections Medal.

Those five, together with the Emergency Service Medal, the Australian Intelligence Medal and the Australian Antarctic Medal, form a unique suite of honours referred to as Meritorious Awards, each of them granted in recognition of outstanding and distinguished service by those who work in occupations that provide services for the community, particularly in times of emergency or disaster.

On behalf of all Queenslanders, I once again congratulate you on the medals you have received today and thank you for the dedicated service that you have given, especially at a time in our history when those who provide public service can sometimes be perceived as being inefficient, resistant to change or lacking in accountability and transparency.

The citations for the honours presented today make it very clear that nothing could be further from the truth – words such as excellence, dedication, integrity, resilience and professionalism clearly demonstrate that each of you has striven to give exemplary service and to lead innovative, transformative change during your careers.

As a result, you have created both a lasting positive impact on the communities you serve, and an enduring legacy within the services where you are employed.

The honours you have received today have been awarded only after a long and stringent process following the recommendation of relevant federal, State and territory ministers.

First, nominations for the police, ambulance, corrections and fire service medal come initially to a coordinating body.

That body, in turn, submits recommendations to the relevant minister, before the nomination, supporting documentation and references are further considered by the fully independent Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat in Canberra.

Only then, is a nomination forwarded to the Governor-General for a final decision.

Similarly, the various Commonwealth, State and territory Public Service Medal committees meet twice a year to consider nominations before recommending proposed recipients to the Minister or Premier.

And only then, does the Governor-General receive the nomination for approval.

It is a thorough and carefully controlled process that has served Australia and Australians well and has helped ensure that the international reputation of the honours you have received today is protected and their integrity preserved.

These are not rewards for long service or acknowledgement of a single action—they are honours that recognise tireless commitment to excellence and to making Australia a safer, fairer, kinder and more resilient country—and for that, once again, I thank you.

Representing the Commissioner of the Queensland Fire Department, Chief Officer Kaylene Jones; Representing the President of the Order of Australia Association Queensland Branch, Mrs Jennifer Gregory OAM; Immediate Past State Commissioner of Girl Guides Queensland, Mrs Kathryn Pearson; families, friends and colleagues of the recipients; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here this afternoon.

Today’s investiture is a very special occasion for our medal recipients, their families and colleagues, and I am delighted that you have all been able to join us here at Government House for this formal ceremony.

I look forward to meeting and chatting with you all later when we gather on the lawn to celebrate the contribution and achievements of the awardees.

This wonderful heritage building is not just Government House; it a house for all Queenslanders and I extend a warm welcome to each of you, and especially to the three family members who have accepted Medals of the Order of Australia of loved ones passed, being The Late Mr Neil Donaldson, The Late Mr Gunther Schmida, and The Late Ms Frances Wager.

One of the most respected features of Australia’s unique system is that the honours of the Order of Australia can be awarded posthumously – although you must be alive to be nominated – and I thank those family members for being here today to accept these honours. By doing this, you have given us all the opportunity to remember and celebrate the significant contributions they made to Australian society during their lifetimes.

Another special feature of the Australian system of honours and awards is that, since 1992, all Australian athletes who win gold medals at Olympic or Paralympic Games automatically receive the Medal of the Order of Australia and I am delighted that we have been joined this afternoon by three Queenslanders who won gold in Paris last year as part of the highly successful Dolphins swimming team, helping the team to a total of 27 medals.

The Australian system is managed by an independent unit in the Office of the Governor General in Canberra – the Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat, and the decision to confer Medals of the Order of Australia automatically on gold medallists is an example of the constant effort made by the Secretariat in the to ensure that our Australian system remains fair and fit for purpose.

The decision was made in 1992 because by then it had become clear that, while some Olympians had been awarded honours in the past, there were many equally deserving athletes who had not – simply because they had not been nominated.

A recommendation was therefore made to the Australian Government that the Medal of the Order of Australia – the OAM, be awarded automatically not only to those who had won gold in Barcelona that year, but retrospectively to those who had done so in previous Olympic and Paralympic Games.

As well as being acknowledged for its fairness, the Order of Australia has earned respect world-wide for the exceptionally diverse range of individuals who can be recognised. It does this through the highly egalitarian, democratic method of allowing any Australian to nominate any other person for an honour and by ensuring that each nomination is carefully scrutinised and researched by the Secretariat in Canberra before being approved by the Governor-General and announced.

In the 50 years since the Order was created, almost 36,000 individuals have been appointed to the Order of Australia and the system has thoroughly justified its international reputation for integrity.

Today, we have admitted 19 more Queenslanders to this society of honour and I congratulate you all again on the tireless, selfless work you have done and the contribution you have made to Australian society through your efforts.

In the citations read earlier, you’ve heard of contributions to public and community health, drought relief, swimming, information technology, the livestock industry, the Paralympics, emergency services, Girl Guides, basketball, the road transport industry, museums and galleries, music, agricultural shows, wildlife photography, and individual communities across our vast State.

It is a truly astonishing range but while the honours presented today range from the Medal of the Order – the OAM, to Officer of the Order, the second highest honour, all of them recognise the vital contribution that each individual has made to building a sustainable, resilient, respectful Australia.

Each recipient’s individual story reminds us that determination, commitment, generosity of spirit and sheer hard work are qualities that we value, admire and respect as Australians. Their achievements, collectively, help us to define who we are as nation and tell our common story, and on behalf of all Queenslanders, I thank you for this and, once again, congratulate you on the honours you have received.