The Australia Day honours were announced this morning and, as usual, the diversity of the list is under scrutiny.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of Australians honoured are once again older, white males with high levels of education. And while I am sure that those elderly white well-educated males are very deserving of their honour, surely they deserve to be joined by others who make up our rich society.
![Former Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, now the CEO of the YWCA in NSW, is being appointed a Companion of the Order of ...](/web/20170126112934im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/x/h/n/7/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtyn0w.png/1485379831893.jpg)
The good news is that women make up 34.7 per cent of all those honoured today – up from an average of 31.4 per cent over the past 5 years. This year, both former PM Julia Gillard and former Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, were named a Companion of Australia, the top honour – with six men and four women in that category.
The bad news is that the number of women on the list still falls far short of the 50 per cent that you might reasonably expect.
Also not such good news is that most of the names on today's list appear to be of Anglo-Celtic origin. Figures from 1975 to 2016 agree that those born overseas (one of the few measures of diversity recorded) were only 12.4 per cent, coincidentally almost exactly half the percentage of Australians who were born overseas according to 2016 ABS data.
Other measures of diversity, such as age, identified disability, educational attainment, sexual orientation and cultural background based on other than place of birth are harder to track as this is not information routinely collected or reported on. It's possible to look at city-based versus regional and rural awardees with some crunching of the postcode data provided.
The first step towards change – acknowledgement that there is a problem – has been taken. "Australia's honours and awards system operates to acknowledge the contributions and service of all Australians and there is opportunity for greater diversity and representation," says a spokesperson from the Australian Honours and Awards Branch.
Maybe the branch will look to Britain, which has overcome its conservative heart to give more than half their New Year's honours to women and nearly 10 per cent to both those from a black, Asian or other minority ethnic background and those who consider themselves to have a disability.
As individuals, we are far from powerless to influence future diversity. There is something concrete that each and every one of us can do.
You can nominate someone for an honour. You can nominate a woman, nominate someone of Asian or African or Indigenous descent, nominate someone who is loudly proud of their same-sex relationship, nominate someone from a refugee or immigrant background, nominate someone under the age of 50.
The process of nominating is not a small task, but it is worth the effort and is rewarding. How do I know? I nominated someone who was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2008.
The person was Lorraine Blackbourn, a woman who had been my ballet teacher since I was three years old. It was my sister's idea and, like all good older siblings, she delegated the legwork to me. We nominated her because Miss B (as she is known) had instilled a love of dance in her many students and mentored many who learned to teach under her guidance. We think she is exceptional, though she is far from a household name. Chances are you will know someone who inspires you from another walk of life whom you could similarly nominate.
Completing the nomination was time consuming. Compiling information, contacting referees and completing the application involved many hours of work. It was also greatly rewarding. After all, anyone you would consider nominating is, by definition, someone who you admire, respect and consider worthy of some effort.
Discovering that the nomination was accepted, and seeing Miss B's delight in receiving her honour is a highlight of my life.
Seeing her name on the list made the honours system seem more real. Though the "higher" honours are usually granted to people whose names are known in many households, reading through the other lists shows that people come from many walks of life.
Knowing the effort that a nomination requires, it is heartening to know that, for today's list, nearly three-quarters of all nominations resulted in an award. That's much better odds than applying for a grant and far better than buying a lottery ticket. The specific figures for women are slightly higher (nearly 80 per cent).
I hear you protest that you wouldn't consider nominating someone as the honours system is old fashioned and meaningless in this modern day. I agree there are elements of this, but only if we allow it to remain unrepresentative of our communities. If young people were nominated (and nominating) and people from all walks of life were receiving honours, they would soon lose their stuffy feel.
There is no doubt that the aspects of the nomination system could do with reform. The nomination I made took 18 months from submission to awarding; simply too long in these days of rapid fire information.
Despite the limitations of the current system, by having the majority of honours awarded via nomination, the honours list is accessible to everyday Australians. If the final list is not reflective of our diverse society, the best way to influence the outcome is to nominate someone.
So, before you scroll through today's honour list and hear the media talk about more old, white males who can add some letters to the end of their name, think about someone from a different walk of life who you could nominate.
Then start on the nomination process. It will take time and effort and won't necessarily see the light of day even by Australia Day 2018 but it will hopefully be a rewarding project for you, an awarding outcome for someone you know, and a concrete step towards making the honours system better reflect our society.
Vivienne Pearson is a freelance writer: viviennepearson.com.