Women are for the first time outnumbering men in the list of people receiving the top Queen's Birthday Honours.
Six out of the 10 Australians being awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) on Monday are women.
Swimming legend Dawn Fraser, Federal Court judge Catherine Branson, and former Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation deputy chair Erica Smyth are among those recipients.
Ms Smyth, who is being recognised for her services to the community through her roles with charities and scientific organisations, says the rise in the number of women receiving the highest honours reflects a growing appreciation of the role they play in society.
"Often what women do traditionally has gone under the radar and now we are recognising more and more that there's so much everyone in our community does to make it work and women are part of that," she told AAP.
Ms Smyth, who has more than 40 years experience in the mineral and petroleum industries and currently chairs the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority, said everyone she had worked with in her career should share her pride in being awarded an AC.
"I would like to cut it up into little pieces and give everyone a piece," she said.
Overall a total of 778 awards and appointments were announced in the Order of Australia's General Division.
However, fewer than half - 289 - of the total number of recipients were women.
Dawn Fraser (left) is among those being awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). Source: Getty Images
Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove has led a push in recent years to encourage people to nominate more women for awards like the Queen's Birthday Honours and Australia Day awards in an attempt to end the domination of men on the lists.
Women made up just over a third of all nominations for this year's Queen's Birthday Honours, slightly more than the 31.8 per cent considered for Australia Day honours.
Nominations of women are 72 per cent higher than five years ago.
Australian women may be making gains, but they lag their British sisters.
By comparison, the proportion of British women receiving the highest Queen's Birthday Honours this year was 41 per cent.
Former Greens leader Christine Milne has been recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours. (AAP) Source: AAP
Among the 68 people being made Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), just under half were women, including Macquarie Dictionary publisher Susan Butler, author Kate Grenville, former Greens leader Christine Milne, and Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott.
Fashion designer Jenny Kee, Paralympian gold medalist Kurt Fearnley and comedian and writer Tom Gleisner were also among those being made an AO.
'Ordinary' Aussies honored
For 25 years, Canberra's Pam Beckhouse has found joy by looking at a humdrum day through the eyes of a child with disabilities.
Now, the retired special needs teacher's assistant has been recognised for giving children with disabilities the foundational skills they need to lead an independent and fulfilling life.
The 79-year-old is one of hundreds of so-called "ordinary people" awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia on Monday for their services to the community.
When Ms Beckhouse began her work at Black Mountain School in northern Canberra in the 70s, there was little public awareness about how to treat children with disabilities, especially in public spaces.
It became her mission to give them "daily life skills" to help them navigate an often ignorant community.
"It was about interacting with the students and encouraging them to do what they could for themselves," she told AAP.
"Things like keeping yourself clean, household chores, raking the garden, interacting with the public.
"Our kids had to be better than everybody else because they were so noticeable."
One of the highlights for the children was a school trip into town, with one girl regularly planting a kiss on the bus driver as a 'thanks' for taking them, she said.
Fellow award recipient Kate Rose Barnett has served another vulnerable community.
When the consultant and academic gives speeches about older Australians she refuses to patronise them.
"I'm an advocate for positive ageing and models of aged care that speak to how people want to live," she told AAP.
"I hate the way we ghetto-ise older people. When there's a patronising tone."
The 68-year-old South Australian has worked with multiple organisations dedicated to addressing the needs of Australia's ageing population.
"When they talk about the tsunami of the ageing population like we'll be swamped and drown by it - look at all the business opportunities. That's a very different take," she said.
Research shows having a purpose in life means people live longer and healthier, she said.
"We take that away from most older people. It's about not writing people off entirely and saying, 'You've got grey hair. Bye bye.'."
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