Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced that Australia will no longer appoint knights and dames under the honours system.
Mr Turnbull said the titles were “not appropriate” in modern Australia, and that Queen Elizabeth had accepted the cabinet’s recommendation to drop them.
“It is a long way from being the most important issue in Australia today,” he said.
“This reflects modern Australia.
“Knights and dames are titles that are really anachronistic, they’re out of date, not appropriate in 2015 in Australia.”
The old-style honours were reintroduced by former prime minister Tony Abbott in 2014 which became the subject of ridicule and controversy.
“The decision to give Prince Philip a knighthood was hugely unpopular in Australia and seen as one of the biggest blunders of Tony Abbott’s brief time in office” writes BBC Correspondent in Sydney, Jon Donnison.
“Now the new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who in 1999 led Australia’s unsuccessful campaign to abandon the monarchy and become a republic, has dropped knights and dames.”
Since 2014, the honour has been bestowed upon Governor-General Peter Cosgrove, former governor-general Quentin Bryce, Prince Phillip, former Defence Force chief Angus Houston and former NSW governor Marie Bashir.
Mr Turnbull said they would not be affected by the changes.
