(1) The Order of Australia (hereinafter called "the Order") shall consist of a General Division and a Military Division.

(2) A person appointed to the Order shall be appointed in the General Division or in the Military Division.

(3) Appointments to the Order shall be as Companion, Officer, or Member.

(4) There shall be a Medal of the Order called the 'Medal of the Order of Australia'.

(5) Every Australian citizen appointed to the Order or awarded the Medal of the Order is a member of the Order, and every other person appointed to the Order or awarded the Medal of the Order is an honorary member of the Order.

(1) The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia shall be the Chancellor of the Order and the Principal Companion in the General Division.

(2) Where a person ceases to hold office as Governor-General, he or she shall continue to be a member of the Order in the General Division in the class of membership that he or she held immediately before ceasing to hold that office

(1) The Governor-General shall have precedence, after the Sovereign, of all other members of the Order.

(2) His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales, shall have precedence in the Order immediately after the Governor-General.

(1) There shall be a Council for the Order, hereinafter called "the Council" which shall consist of-

(a) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

(b) the Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council;

(c) the person for the time being occupying, or performing the duties of, the office prescribed for the purposes of this paragraph by the Minister responsible for the administration of the Australian honours system or any Minister or member of the Executive Council acting for or on behalf of that Minister; and

(d) the person for the time being occupying the office of Chief of the Defence Force or, if another office is prescribed for the purpose of this paragraph, the person occupying the office so prescribed; and

(e) 16 persons appointed by the Governor-General, of whom:

(i) 8 shall be nominated by the Prime Minister; and

(ii) one shall be nominated by the State of New South Wales; and

(iii) one shall be nominated by the State of Victoria; and

(iv) one shall be nominated by the State of Queensland; and

(v) one shall be nominated by the State of Western Australia; and

(vi) one shall be nominated by the State of South Australia; and

(vii) one shall be nominated by the State of Tasmania; and

(viii) one shall be nominated by the Northern Territory of Australia; and

(ix) one shall be nominated by the Australian Capital Territory.

(2) A member of the Council referred to in paragraph (1) (e) shall hold office for a period of two years from the date of appointment and is eligible for reappointment.

(3) The Governor-General shall :

(a) on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, appoint one of the members appointed under subparagraph (1) (e) (i) to be Chairman of the Council; and

(b) in the event of the Chairman being unavailable to act in the office, appoint another member appointed under subparagraph (1) (e) (i) to act as the Chairman of the Council.

(4) If a member of the Council is absent or unable to act in that capacity, the member may be represented on the Council:

(a) if the member is the Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council - by another member of the Federal Executive Council under summons chosen, in accordance with arrangements made by the Governor-General, to act in the member's place as a member of the Council; or

(b) if the member is a member referred to in paragraph (1) (c) or (d) or subparagraph (1) (e) (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), (vii), (viii) or (ix) - by a chosen person, in accordance with arrangements made by the Governor-General, to act in the member's place as a member of the Council

The Council shall -

(a) consider nominations of Australian citizens for appointment to the Order and for the award of the Medal of the Order;

(b) make recommendations to the Governor-General in relation to those nominations; and

(c) advise the Governor-General on such other matters concerning the Order as the Governor-General may refer to the Council for consideration.

(1) 10 members of the Council constitute a quorum for the transaction of the business of the Council.

(2) In this section, 'Member of the Council' includes a person chosen to act, under subsection 4 (4), in the place of a member mentioned in paragraph 4 (1) (b), (c), (d) or (e).

(1) There shall be a Secretary of the Order who shall be appointed by the Governor-General.

(2) The Secretary shall maintain the records of the Order and of the Council and shall perform such other functions in respect of the Order as the Governor-General directs.

(1) Australian citizens including members of the Defence Force, are eligible to be appointed to the Order as members in the General Division.

(2) Persons other than Australian citizens are eligible to be appointed to the Order as honorary members in the General Division.

(3) The Medal of the Order in the General Division may be awarded to Australian citizens and other persons.

(1) Appointments as Companions or honorary Companions in the General Division shall be made for eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or to humanity at large.

(2) Notwithstanding sub-section (1), a distinguished person who is not an Australian citizen may be appointed an honorary Companion in the General Division where it is desirable that the person be honoured by Australia.

(1) Appointments as Officers or honorary Officers in the General Division shall be made for distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or to humanity at large.

(2) Notwithstanding sub-section (1), a distinguished person who is not an Australian citizen may be appointed an honorary Officer in the General Division where it is desirable that the person be honoured by Australia.

(1) Appointments as Members or honorary Members in the General Division may be made for service in a particular locality or field of activity or to a particular group.

(2) Notwithstanding sub-section (1), a person who is not an Australian citizen may be appointed an honorary Member in the General Division where it is desirable that the person be honoured by Australia.

(1) Any person or organisation may submit to the Secretary of the Order for consideration by the Council a nomination of an Australian citizen for appointment to the Order as a member in the General Division, or a nomination of a person for the award of the Medal of the Order in the General Division.

(2) Upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister, appointments to the Order as honorary members in the General Division may be made by the Governor-General.

(1) The following are eligible to be appointed to the order as members in the Military Division:

(a) members of the Defence Force; and

(b) former members of the Defence Force whose Defence Force service has ceased for not more than one year; and

(c) other persons determined by the Minister for Defence for the purposes of this paragraph.

(2) Members of the armed forces of a country other than Australia are eligible to be appointed to the Order as honorary members in the Military Division.

(3) In any calendar year, the number of appointments, other than honorary appointments, to the Military Division, shall not exceed one-tenth of one per cent of the average number of persons who were members of the Defence Force on each day of the immediately preceding year.

(4) The Medal of the Order in the Military Division may be awarded to:

(a) members of the Defence Force; and

(b) former members of the Defence Force whose Defence Force service has ceased for not more than one year; and

(c) other persons determined by the Minister for Defence for the purposes of this paragraph.

(1) Appointments as Companions or honorary Companions in the Military Division shall be made for eminent service in duties of great responsibility.

(2) The Governor-General may, in any calendar year, appoint as Companions in the Military Division, other than honorary Companions, a number of persons that is not greater than the number of persons that most closely approximates to five per cent of the total number of persons who may be appointed under sub-section 20 (3) to all categories of membership, other than honorary membership, in the Military Division in that year.

(1) Appointments as Officers or honorary Officers in the Military Division shall be made for distinguished service in responsible positions.

(2) The Governor-General may, in any calendar year, appoint as Officers in the Military Division, other than honorary Officers, a number of persons that is not greater than the number of persons that most closely approximates to twenty per cent of the total number of persons who may be appointed under sub-section 20 (3) to all categories of membership, other than honorary membership, in the Military Division in that year.

(1) Upon the recommendation of the Minister for Defence, appointments to the Order as members in the Military Division and awards of the Medal of the Order in the Military Division may be made by the Governor-General.

(2) Upon the recommendation of the Minister for Defence, appointments to the Order as honorary members in the Military Division may be made by the Governor-General.

(1) A person does not cease to be a member or honorary member of the Order by reason only of that person ceasing to be eligible to be appointed to the Order or to be awarded the Medal of the Order.

(2) A person ceases to be a member or honorary member of the Order upon -

(a) the death of the person;

(b) the resignation of the person from the Order in writing, which resignation shall have effect from the day on which it is accepted by the Governor-General;

(c) the termination of the appointment of the person to the Order by Ordinance; or

(d) the cancellation of the award to the person of the Medal of the Order by Ordinance.

(3) An appointment that has been terminated, or an award of the Medal of the Order that has been cancelled, may be restored by Ordinance.

(1) Except as otherwise provided by Ordinance, the insignia of the Order shall remain the property of the Order.

(2) Where a person ceases, otherwise than by death, to be a member of the Order, that person shall forthwith return to the Secretary of the Order the insignia of the Order.

The Governor-General may make Ordinances, not inconsistent with this Constitution, prescribing all matters that are required or permitted by this Constitution to be prescribed, or necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to this Constitution and, in particular, prescribing matters for:

(a) the government of the Order;

(b) the insignia of the Order;

(c) the designations of members of the Order and persons who have been awarded the Medal of the Order; and

(d) investitures; and

(e) terminations and cancellations.

This level within the Order was instituted by amending Letters Patent signed by The Queen dated 24 May 1976 on the recommendation of the then Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Malcolm Fraser, CH, MP. The "Knight/Dame" level was removed from the Order, but without prejudice to those who had already been recognized at this level, on 3 March 1986 when The Queen signed further amending Letters Patent on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of the Day, the Honourable Bob Hawke, AC, MP.

There have been twelve Knights and two Dames appointed to the Order, in date order as follows: