Recipients of awards are granted insignia as a visual expression of the honour conferred on them. There is an established order of precedence for the wearing of Australian honours and awards. When a person holds more than one honour or award, they must be worn in the order set out in the Australian Order of Wearing Honours and Awards.
The order of wearing honours and awards is determined by the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. The most recent Order was published on 7 November 2025 and is available to view or download from the Governor-General of Australia's website.
A number of medal ribbon posters have been produced by various commercial entities. These have been produced as a visual reference guide for medal ribbons and should not be used as an authority for wearing awards.
The Australian Order of Wearing Honours and Awards includes honours and awards which are administered within Australia by different organisations, not just Defence. These organisations include:
- The Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat at Government House
- The Honours and Symbols Section at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Foreign awards
Foreign awards are worn immediately after all Australian honours or awards, in the order of date of approval to wear. The only exceptions are listed below:
- All foreign awards are approved on the same date. The awards may be worn in the order of precedence of the awarding country.
- In cases where more than one foreign award from the same nation has been given to an Australian Defence Force member, they may be grouped according to the order of wearing of that nation.
For awards issued under the Honours System of the United Kingdom the following applies:
- Imperial British honours and awards issued before 5 October 1992 are considered Australian awards. They should be worn according to the Australian Order of Wearing Honours and Awards, and approval is given to use any appropriate post-nominals.
- Awards issued by the Honours system of the United Kingdom after 5 October 1992 are considered foreign awards and should be worn accordingly. Approval is not given to use post-nominals for awards issued after 1992.
Foreign awards fact sheet (PDF, 349.29 KB)
Schedule of approved countries
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, on the advice of the Prime Minister, determines whether Australian citizens can accept and wear foreign awards. The Governor-General’s website has a Schedule of Approved Countries and Awards, and further information about Accepting and wearing of foreign awards by Australians.
Post-nominal and titles associated with decorations awarded by a foreign nation are not to be used, other than for British Imperial awards issued prior to 1992.
When a foreign award that has previously been approved for wearing by Defence is lost or stolen, members can obtain a replica from a reputable medals dealer at their own expense. Replicas are high-quality and can be difficult to distinguish from the originals.
To apply for approval to accept and wear foreign awards, submit an application with a certified true copy of the award certificate.