Recognised "individuals or groups who have made outstanding contributions to the growth and enhancement of Australia, the Australian people and the Australian way of life".
The Advance Australia Foundation (AAF) was established in 1980. The AAF recognised "individuals or groups who have made outstanding contributions to the growth and enhancement of Australia, the Australian people and the Australian way of life". It was wound up in the mid-1990s.[1]
Award recipients
Awards given by the AAF included the Advance Australia Award and the Special Merit Advance Australia Award. Recipients of the Advance Australia Award included:
The AAF was for several years partly funded by the Federal Government. This ended in 1986 when the AAF become involved in the Australian Made campaign, which the Government decided it would prefer to fund directly.[8]
Since 2012, the Federal Government has funded annual Advance Awards, for innovation and achievement, to Australian citizens who live overseas or who have done so in the past.[9]
^Thomson, Kelvin; Fahey, John (12 May 1998). "House of Representatives, Questions on Notice, Advance Australia Foundation". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 5 May 2019. Mr Kelvin Thomson asked the Minister for Finance and Administration, upon notice, on 2 March 1998: (1) Has the Advance Australia Foundation (AAF) been declared insolvent; if so, will he provide details and identify the source of his figures. (2) Did the AAF prepare an annual report for 1995–1996; if so, (a) was it distributed; if not, why not, and (b) will he provide me with a copy. (3) Is the AAF being disbanded because of insolvency; if so, (a) has it taken 18 months for this to be publicised; if so why, and (b) were licensees informed; if not, why not. (4) Did the AAF's annual report for 1994-95 list $3 million in licence fees and $800 000 in cash reserves; if so, (a) what has become of the sums, (b) who is accountable for the sums and (c) what safeguards and procedures apply. Mr Fahey (Finance and Administration) —The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows: (1) No. (2) No. (a) N/A. (b) N/A. (3) No. (a) N/A. (b) N/A. (4) Yes. (a) Remaining funds of the AAF are now in the process of being transferred into a trust fund held by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry pending new arrangements for administering the Australian Made Logo. (b)and (c) KPMG Chartered Accountants wound up the financial affairs of the AAF
^Robinson, Ian; Hawke, Bob (24 September 1986). "House of Representatives, Questions Without Notice, Advance Australia Foundation". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 18 August 2019. Mr IAN ROBINSON - My question is directed to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Australian-made campaign and the launching, on 31 August last by the Prime Minister, of a specially designed green and gold logo which is to be the centrepiece of the campaign. I ask the Prime Minister: Did the Government provide any financial backing for the campaign? Further, will he seek to have the Advance Australia Foundation moderate the minimum licence fee of $200 for small businesses and cottage industries to participate, and also the fee on annual budgeted gross income which is inhibiting small business from participating in that all important campaign? Mr HAWKE - Some financial assistance was provided to the Advance Australia Foundation. There had been such assistance previously. That stopped when the Foundation indicated that it wished to be of assistance to and involved in the Australian-made campaign. It seemed to the Government that it was appropriately placed to do so. A small amount of financial assistance-as I recall, it was a quarter of a million dollars-was made available to it. All I can say is that in the discussions that I have had with the Advance Australia Foundation and its Chairman and Executive Director, Mr Norman Spencer, I have not had any indications that the small charges to which the honourable member referred have acted as an inhibition in the way he indicated. In the light of the honourable member's question, I am more than happy to take the matter up with Mr Spencer and to see whether the Foundation's experience suggests that there is such an inhibition and, if so, whether there is some way in which it can be modified.
