The 1997 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 1997 by the Governor General of Australia, Sir William Deane.
The Australia Day Honours are the first of the two major annual honours lists, the first announced to coincide with Australia Day (26 January), with the other being the Queen's Birthday Honours, which are announced on the second Monday in June.
Order of Australia Companion (AC) General Division Recipient Citation Notes Franco Belgiorno-Nettis, For service to the arts, to Australian business through the engineering and construction industry and to the community Peter Charles Doherty For service to scientific research, particularly the role of major histocompatibility complex proteins in cell mediated immunity William Montague Charles Gummow For service to the law as a Justice of the High Court of Australia (Alan) Charles Mackerras, For service to music as an operatic conductor and for the promotion of the international status of Australian music
Officer (AO) General Division Recipient Citation Notes John Robert Booker For service to geomechanical engineering, particularly through research, teaching and educational administration Frederick Michael Chaney For service to the Parliament of Australia and to the Aboriginal community through the establishment of the Aboriginal Legal Service and mediation with the National Native Title Tribunal John Paul Coghlan For service to scientific and medical research and the Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine, particularly in the field of endocrinology and to the arts John Louis Dillon For service to education, particularly in the field of Agricultural economics and international development economics Thomas Michael Doyle For service to the Catholic Church and education, particularly as the chief executive director and chairperson of the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria John Allan Eisman For service to medical research, particularly in the field of metabolic bone disease and the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis Bryan Thomas Emmerson For service to medicine and research in the fields of nephrology and rheumatology Eric Lancelot French For service to scientific research Persia Elspbeth Galleghan, For service to the community, the arts and youth, particularly through philanthropy and personal support for many organisations including the Australia Red Cross Society, Australian Opera Foundation, Friends of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney City Mission Eric Roger Goldsworthy For service to politics, to the parliament of South Australia and to the community Hayes Gordon, For service to the arts, particularly the acting profession and the theatre and to the community Denis John Ives For service to industrial development and restructuring policies, to industrial relations, and to public sector management and reform. David Roy Lindsay For service to agricultural science and to the wool industry in the fields of reproductive physiology and quantitative breeding behaviour of sheep, and to the community Ian William Payne McCall For service to the law, particularly as Chief Judge of the Family Court of Western Australia, to legal education and to the community Graeme William McGregor For service to the accountancy profession, particularly in the improvement of the quality of Australian accounting and auditing standards, and to the community Heather May Munro For service to medicine in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, and to the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Kerry Walter Sibraa For service to the Parliament of Australia, to international relations and to the communityHagen Heinz Stehr For service to the commercial fishing industry and to education and training, particularly through the South Australian Fishing and Seafood Industry Skills Centre Inc. Colin Martin Tatz For service to the community through research into social and legal justice for people disadvantaged by their race, particularly the Aboriginal community, and to promoting the equal participation in community life of all AustraliansDavid Egmont Theile For service to surgery, particularly through the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Ian (Graham) Turbott, For service to the community, education, and the arts, particularly through the University of Western Sydney and the Australian Cancer Foundation for Medical Research George Henry Walters For service to the law as a judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia, to legal education, and to the community
Member (AM) General Division