PRIME MINISTER
FOR MEDIA 27 NOVEMBER 1989
Four new awards the Public Service Medal and three
Defence Force awards have been established under the
Australian honours and awards system. The Queen has
approved Letters Patent and Regulations establishing the
Public Service Medal, the Nursing Service Cross, the
Conspicuous Service Cross and the Conspicuous Service
Medal. The Regulations provide for the Public Service Medal to
be awarded for outstanding public service by officers of
Australian public services and other government and
official authority employees.
Award of the medal will be made by the Governor-General
on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, State
Premiers and the Chief Minister of the Northern
Territory. The first awards may be announced in the 1990
Australia Day Honours List.
The Medal will carry an entitlement to the use of the
post nominals ' PSM'.
The new award will be placed directly above the
Australian Police medal in the Australian Order of
Precedence of Honours and Awards.
Arrangements are in hand for the manufacture of the
insignia of the award which was designed by Mr Stuart
Devlin AO CMG.
The three new Defence Force awards mean that six new
awards for the Defence Force have recently been approved
by The Queen oh the recommendation of the Government.
The Nursing Service Cross will be used to recognise
outstanding performance of nursing duties in both
operational and non-operational situations. The
Conspicuous Service Cross will recognise outstanding
achievement or devotion to duty and the Conspicuous
service Medal will recognise meritorious achievement or
devotion to duty. The Conspicuous Service Decorations
will be awarded for service in non-warlike situations.
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The Nursing Service Cross will carry an entitlement to
the use of the post nominals ' NSC', the Conspicuous
Service Cross, the post nominals ' CSC' and the
Conspicuous Service Medal, the post nominals ' CSM'. The
awards will be made by the Governor-General on the
recommendation of the Minister for Defence.
The Conspicuous Service Cross and the Nursing Service
Cross respectively will be placed immediately after the
Member of the Order of the British Empire in the
Australian Order of Precedence of Honours and Awards.
The Conspicuous Service Medal will be placed after the
Bravery Medal.
In September last year The Queen approved the first three
of a total of 15 new awards for the Defence Force. They
were the Australian Active Service Medal, the Australian
Service Medal and the Champion Shots Medal.
A further announcement will be made when the remaining
awards, which will recognise service in warlike
situations, receive The Queens' approval.