Overlooked amid
the Dubya love-in has been the Prime Minister’s award of an honorary Order of
Australia to Harriet Fulbright, widow of Senator William Fulbright of Fulbright
Program fame.

We’re back
on a subject Crikey first put on the agenda a long, long time ago – John
Howard’s fondness for taking over various parts of the Governor-General’s role.

He now
seems to be investing people with the Order of Australia – a little outside his
brief. If he cannot award them with the substantive order, how can he invest
them with an “honorary” order?

Naturally,
the GG was a good little major-general and signed off on the paperwork – but
that little detail is missing from the press release.