Aussies Bestow High Honor Upon Courtney
WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney has received a high honor from Australia.
Last week, the Embassy of Australia in Washington, D.C. hosted an official dinner to appoint Courtney, the co-chairman of the Congressional Friends of Australia Caucus, into the Order of Australia as an Honorary Officer in the General Division.
The official dinner comes after Courtney’s appointment was announced late last month. As he voted on Election Day, Courtney said he was “deeply honored” in anticipation of the recognition.
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“Eastern Connecticut and Australia share an ironclad mateship – even at 11,646 miles apart,” Courtney said. “It was an honor to receive my appointment as an Honorary Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia from my friend, Ambassador Rudd. The work continues with the bipartisan Friends of Australia Caucus to advance the AUKUS security agreement and our two nations’ critical alliance.
“Ambassador (Kevin) Rudd is an outstanding partner in building strong bipartisan support for AUKUS in the United States. With his great relationships on both sides of the aisle – seen in full force at last week’s official Friends of Australia dinner – we’ve passed critical AUKUS enabling legislation in Congress. With Kevin here in Washington, the path forward for AUKUS could not be brighter.”
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Australian Ambassador to the United States, the Hon. Dr Kevin Rudd, said, “The Order of Australia is our highest national award. We don’t give them out like confetti. You are a seriously good man. You are a great member of the Congress. You are deeply engaged in the affairs of the world. And you’ve become deeply engaged over the years with the Commonwealth of Australia. Thank you, Joe Courtney, for everything you have done.”
The narrative accompanying the award Citation by Commodore David Frost, acting head of Australian Defence Staff read:
“Congressman Joseph David Courtney is appointed an Honorary Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia for distinguished service for Australia’s relationship with the United States. Congressman Courtney is a strong and tireless advocate of the alliance between the United States and Australia. He has been instrumental and committed to progressing Australia’s international and security interests, particularly advancing AUKUS enabling legislation required to make the AUKUS trilateral security partnership a success. The contribution of Congressman Courtney to champion a prosperous relationship between Australia and the United States, focused on ensuring global security in the Indo Pacific, make him worthy of recognition for distinguished service to Australia at the Officer level.”
The Order of Australia is the pre-eminent way Australians recognize achievements and service. Honorary awards and appointments in the Order of Australia are made to individuals who are not Australian citizens. Recommendations for non-citizens and non-permanent residents for Honorary appointments in the General Division of the Order of Australia are made to the Governor-General by the Prime Minister of Australia.
Previous appointees include Senator Roy Blunt, former Co-Chair of the Friends of Australia Caucus, Admiral Harry Harris, former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea and Commander of the Indo-Pacific Command, and General David Petraeus, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
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