A range of awards to recognise gallantry and distinguished service was introduced to the Australian system to replace Imperial awards in 1991. The only award retained from the Imperial system is the Victoria Cross, which was renamed Victoria Cross for Australia.
The key differences between the Australian awards and those of the Imperial system are that the awards are applied to all the Services, and that the level of the award is not restricted by rank but is determined by the quality of the action or service.
A further difference is the establishment of unit awards for gallantry and distinguished service, which were not previously available under the Imperial system.
You can search for an award name or ribbon by selecting the following:
Web page last updated 25 Oct 2007