Constituent Services

Congratulatory messages

Australians who are celebrating a special birthday or wedding anniversary can receive personal congratulations from the Prime Minister, Governor-General or The Queen.

Who is eligible for a congratulatory message?

• The Prime Minister will send a message of congratulations to people turning 90 years of age or more.
• The Queen and Governor-General will send a message on a 100th birthday.
• On request, the Prime Minister and the Governor-General will write again every year and The Queen will write again every five years following the 100th Birthday.
• The Prime Minister and Governor-General send messages to couples celebrating 50 years of marriage and subsequent wedding anniversaries.
• The Queen will send messages to couples celebrating 60 years of marriage and will write every five years after that on request.

Congratulatory Messages Eligibility

How do I arrange the message?

You can arrange a congratulatory message through Kelly O’Dwyer’s office by:

• Calling the office on 03 9822 4422; or
• Visiting the electorate office at Suite 1, 1343 Malvern Road, Malvern; or
• Completing the submission form below.

If you are applying for a message on behalf of a relative or friend who lives in another electorate, their local federal member will be notified so they can send a message too.

You will need to provide supporting documentation such as birth certificates or marriage certificates.

If these are not available you can provide a statutory declaration. Statutory declaration forms are available at any post office or from the electorate office.

Supporting documentation in the form of a statutory declarations can be posted or hand delivered to Suite 1, 1343 Malvern Road, Malvern. Supporting documentation in original form such as birth certificates or marriage certificates must be hand delivered to Suite 1, 1343 Malvern Road, Malvern.

Where appropriate, your request to the Prime Minister will be passed on to the Governor-General and The Queen so you only have to make one application.

When should I arrange the message?

You can lodge a request for congratulatory messages up to two months before the celebration.

You can also request a belated message up to one month after the birthday or wedding anniversary has passed.

Where will the message be delivered?

Congratulatory messages can be posted directly to the recipient’s home address or alternatively to care-of address (such as a friend or relative) for surprises.

Please fill in the form below to request a congratulatory message:

Honours, Awards, Medals and Grants

GrantsLINK

http://www.grantslink.gov.au/

The GrantsLINK directory has information about federal, state and local government funding programs that can help you:

• develop solutions to local and national problems
• fund ideas and initiatives
• get assistance in times of hardship.

Local Sporting Champions

www.ausport.gov.au/champions 

The Local Sporting Champions program is an Australian Government initiative designed to provide financial assistance for juniors towards the cost of travel, accommodation, uniforms or equipment when competing, coaching or officiating at an official national sporting organisation (NSO) endorsed state or national sporting competition or a School Sport Australia national championships. See the website for application details or contact (link) Kelly O’Dwyer’s office or phone 03 9822 4422.

National Service Medal and Australian Defence Medal

http://www.defence.gov.au/medals/

These medals help commemorate and recognise the contribution made to Australia by people in our community. Application forms may be obtained from and submitted to Kelly O’Dwyer’s office by emailing (link) or phoning 03 9822 4422.

More information about Australian Government honours and awards can be found at http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact my office on 03 9822 4422.

Saluting Their Service

Certificates of Appreciation are available under the Australian Government’s Saluting Their Service Commemorations Program. They are a way of expressing the nation’s gratitude to those who served in the defence forces or on the home front in the Second World War or in wars, conflicts and peace operations overseas since the Second World War.

Certificates of Appreciation are available in respect of the following conflicts and events:

·         Second World War, for service in the Australian armed forces or on the home front;

·         British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) Japan;

·         Korean War;

·         Malayan Emergency;

·         Indonesian Confrontation;

·         Vietnam War;

·         Gulf War;

·         Iraq War; and

·         Peace Operations.

If you require any further information please contact Kelly’s office on 9822 4422

Application forms can also be downloaded at http://clientforms.dva.gov.au/clientforms