The Defence Honours and Awards scandal is an ongoing debate about the validity of several decorations awarded to individuals within the distinguished service decorations suite of medals since its inception in 1993. The top two awards requiring the recipient to have distinguished themselves 'in action', however the top award had been awarded to individuals who were in some cases several thousand kilometres away from the front line.[1]
In 2024, an Australian Senate review was launched to investigate awards made under the Defence Honours and Awards system.[2][3]