Firstly, I want to thank you, Emily, and your staff, who have been so generous with your time and expertise during my visits to the Mint in the last 12 months. 

My last visit, in April, was to buy a number of the Centenary of Royal Australian Corps of Signals uncirculated coins for my father and others associated with the corps.  

My father, now 90, served in the Australian Army for 40 years as a proud member of Signals Corps. 

He was absolutely delighted to receive the coin, admire its design, and start deciphering the encoded message embedded in its face.

It was an experience that speaks powerfully of the way in which the Mint’s place in our national life has grown and evolved so significantly since its official opening in Canberra in 1965 … as a mint, a cultural institution, and a teller of the stories that matter to all Australians. 

And today, with a great modern talent to design commemorative coins for the most diverse anniversaries and activities. 

I also have several special floral Christmas decorations, and several AFL team celebration coins. 

So, I am delighted to return to the Mint this morning for the opening of Reflection – 50th Anniversary of the Honours System. 

I am always excited to see an exhibition as it opens. There is great pleasure in being in the first audience, and knowing it will soon delight so many. 

I am very much looking forward to the moment we can explore some of these rarely seen objects comprising the anniversary of the Australian Honours system. 

To look closely at Stuart Devlin’s exquisite original designs of the insignia. 
… celebrate their rendering in the magnificent insignia that represent each honour and award … 
… and enjoy the connection between the insignia and the beauty of Australia’s national floral emblem, the wattle. 

I know this exhibition is the result of thoughtful and considered collaboration between the Mint and the Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat at Government House. 

Speaking of the staff at Government House, I would like to pay a tribute to them, and to thank them, for their dedication to our system of honours and awards, and their absolute belief in its importance over the past half century. 

In my almost first year as your Governor-General, reflection is something I have taken very seriously as an important part of my role. 

From my swearing-in speech until now, travelling across the country – from coast to coast and to so many places in between – regional, suburban or remote – I have been given the opportunity to reflect on who we are as Australians in 2025 -- what we value and how we care about each other and contribute to our communities and our nation … 

… As Sir Zelman Cowen recommended, I have tried to reflect back to all Australians the light and shade I have the privilege to experience across our remarkable, modern nation. 

In the 50th year of the Australian honours system, this exhibition provides another unique and timely opportunity to reflect. 

Over the last five decades, in a melding and merging of layers of experience and events, the Australian honours and awards system has come to represent a timeline of remarkable achievement. 

And each chapter carries with it an echo of the chapters before it. 

On Christmas Day morning last year, I joined over 1,200 people in Darwin, who had gathered to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the devastation of Cyclone Tracy. 

And I was delighted to discover that, in the very first honours list in 1975, there was recognition for people who had responded to the tragedy with acts of service, courage and strength – whether in Darwin during the acute phase of that disaster, or in the months that followed. 

What we honoured then, we honour today. 

Communities, first responders and frontline organisations responding with the same qualities of care, kindness and respect that have ever been a hallmark of the Australian system of honours and awards. 

And they are joined by recognition of thousands of Australians whose lives have a lasting impact on our communities, our country and the world. 

In just a few weeks, I will announce those who will receive honours in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours List.  

From its very beginning, our honours and awards system recognised the best of us.

And ever since, it has been a record of how Australians respond to the peril and promise of life in our country.

People whose service is quiet, focused, lifelong and intent – who pursue the minutiae of incremental discovery to arrive at the moment of breakthrough.

People who move through myriad careers and responsibilities, but carry with them a passion for equality, inclusion and diversity. 
People with wonderfully bold and creative spirits who devote themselves to sharing their athleticism, artistry and genius with the world.

And people whose selfless commitment to others is demonstrated in love and care for the most vulnerable among us, who walk alongside others in their hour of need, and stay by their side long after the challenge has passed.

From those first awards until now, our honours system has reflected our prized Australian values of selflessness, ingenuity and discovery, commitment to service, and compassion, both in good times and times of crisis and distress.

These values, beautifully represented in the unique objects and moments highlighted in this display, are the foundation on which the influence and importance of Australia’s honours system is built.

I am proud to congratulate the imagination, commitment and insight of all involved in the realisation of this exhibition.

It is a privilege to be here with you to launch Reflection – 50th Anniversary of the Honours System.