The Victoria Cross for Australia is the pre-eminent award for acts of bravery in wartime and is Australia's highest military honour.
It is awarded to persons who, in the presence of the enemy, display the most conspicuous gallantry; a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice; or extreme devotion to duty.
The Victoria Cross for Australia replaced the British or Imperial Victoria Cross, which was created by Queen Victoria in 1856 and made retrospective to 1854 to cover the period of the Crimea War.
Until the Victoria Cross for Australia was created in 1991, Australians were eligible for the Victoria Cross and other awards under the Imperial system of honours.
Corporal Mark Donaldson, VC (then Trooper) was awarded the first Victoria Cross for Australia, on 16 January 2009 and was the first Australian in almost 40 years to receive the nation’s highest military honour.
On 23 January 2010, Corporal Benjamin Roberts-Smith, VC, MG became the second recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia.
The most recent recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia is Corporal Daniel Keighran. He recieved the award on 1 November 2012.
How it is awarded
Medal design