The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the
Australian Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...
in 2001.
It was established to commemorate the centenary of the
Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or government".
It was also awarded to centenarians, Australian citizens born on or before 31 December 1901 who lived to celebrate the centenary of federation on 1 January 2001. Nominations were assessed by a panel chaired by historian
Geoffrey Blainey
Geoffrey Norman Blainey (born 11 March 1930) is an Australian historian, academic, best selling author and commentator. He is noted for having written authoritative texts on the economic and social history of Australia, including '' The Tyranny ...
.
Medal
Design
The obverse of the medal features a seven-pointed
Commonwealth Star representing the six Australian states, with the seventh point representing Australia's territories. At the centre of the star is an Indigenous styling of Aboriginal traditions at the heart of the continent.
Around the rim are 100 dots depicting 100 years of federation. The reverse features a seven pointed star, with the words "For Contribution Made to Australian Society" around the rim.
Bar and ribbon
The colours in the ribbon are crimson, which represents federation, and blue and gold for the beginning of the 21st century. The seven gold and red lines signify the states' pathways to federation.
The bar and ribbon are the same so that a recipient can be identified as such.
References
{{Australian Honours System
Civil awards and decorations of Australia
Awards established in 2001
2001 establishments in Australia
Centenary of Federation of Australia