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Peter Weir

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102-451: Peter Lindsay Weir AM ( / w ɪər / WEER ; born 21 August 1944) is an Australian retired film director. He is known for directing films crossing various genres over forty years with films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Gallipoli (1981), The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), Witness (1985), Dead Poets Society (1989), Fearless (1993), The Truman Show (1998), Master and Commander: The Far Side of

204-510: A HTTP stream to deliver video to the client. ABC Australia is an international satellite television service operated by the ABC, funded by advertising and grants from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade . The service is available via subscription to viewers across East Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, South-East Asia and Pacific Islands, including India, Japan, Vietnam, Afghanistan,

306-600: A bow on the left shoulder, although they may wear the same insignia as males if so desired. A gold lapel pin for daily wear is issued with each badge of the order at the time of investiture; AK/AD and AC lapel pins feature a citrine central jewel, AO and AM lapel pins have a blue enamelled centre and OAM lapel pins are plain. The different levels of the order are awarded according to the recipients' levels of achievement: Since 1976 any Australian citizen may nominate any person for an Order of Australia award. People who are not Australian citizens may be awarded honorary membership of

408-493: A catastrophic air crash. Though well reviewed, particularly the performances of Bridges and Rosie Perez —who received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress —the film was less commercially successful than Weir's two preceding films. It was entered into the 44th Berlin International Film Festival . After five years, Weir returned to direct his biggest success to date, The Truman Show (1998),

510-561: A challenge to take the prime ministership in September 2015. Two months after coming into office, the new republican prime minister announced that the Queen had approved his request to amend the Order's letters patent and cease awards at this level. Existing titles would not be affected. The move was attacked by monarchists and praised by republicans. The amendments to the constitution of

612-615: A chance to do a show at the National Art School . Sir Robert Helpmann saw the show and took it to the Adelaide Festival . Soon afterward Weir and Best were commissioned to write a Christmas special TV show for ABC Television titled Man on a Green Bike . Weir took a position with the Commonwealth Film Unit (later renamed Film Australia ), for which he made several documentaries, including

714-511: A digital-only television channel, was launched on 7 March 2005, running on a budget of $ 3 million per year. Minister for Communications Helen Coonan inaugurated the channel at Parliament House three days later. Genre restrictions limiting the types of programming the channel could carry were lifted in October 2006; ABC2 was henceforth able to carry programming classified as comedy, drama, national news, sport and entertainment. The ABC Guide

816-481: A director, instead being split across several functional divisions, with different teams producing different genres of content for television, radio and digital platforms. The Entertainment & Specialist (E&S) team focussed on comedy, kids' programs, drama, Indigenous-related programs, music, other entertainment and factual content; the new ABC Specialist team created content across the arts, science, religion & ethics, education and society & culture; while

918-471: A fantasy-satire of the media's control of life starring Jim Carrey . The Truman Show was both a box office and a critical success, receiving positive reviews and numerous awards, including three Academy Award nominations: Andrew Niccol for Best Original Screenplay , Ed Harris for Best Actor in a Supporting Role , and Weir himself for Best Director . In addition to the Academy Award nominations,

1020-609: A hard time. Russell Crowe and Johnny Depp broke him." In November 2022, Weir received an Academy Honorary Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . On the occasion of this award, he also gave his first interview in many years, to The Sydney Morning Herald . In the interview, he said Hawke's quote "must have been taken out of context. I find it puzzling." However, Weir confirmed his retirement, saying that "for film directors, like volcanoes, there are three major stages: active, dormant and extinct. I think I've reached

1122-540: A major Australian hit and further international praise with his next film, the historical adventure-drama Gallipoli (1981). Scripted by the Australian playwright David Williamson , it is regarded as classic Australian cinema . Gallipoli was instrumental in making Mel Gibson ( Mad Max ) into a major star, although his co-star Mark Lee , who also received high praise for his role, has made relatively few screen appearances since. The climax of Weir's early career

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1224-589: A member of the British Empire, members of the colonies and later federated nation of Australia were able to have achievement awarded under the British Imperial Honours system . However, existing criticism of the aristocratic nature of the awards grew following a cash-for-honours corruption scandal in the UK in 1922. Moves to abolish the awards federally and the states were unsuccessful; however

1326-539: A new logo was launched, featuring a modification to a three-dimensional metallic design, to celebrate the introduction of digital terrestrial television in Australia , when digital television was introduced to most of the network's coverage area on 1 January 2001, soon followed by the gradual introduction of widescreen and high definition programming. Between 2001 and 2003, the ABC operated two separate digital channels, ABC Kids and Fly TV , which opened soon after

1428-724: A press report Weir had read about two young English women who had vanished while on a driving holiday in France. With this film, along with the earlier Homesdale , Weir set the basic thematic pattern which has persisted throughout his career: nearly all his feature films deal with people who face some form of crisis after finding themselves isolated from society in some way – either physically ( Witness , The Mosquito Coast , The Truman Show , Master and Commander ), socially/culturally ( Picnic at Hanging Rock , The Last Wave , Dead Poets Society , Green Card ), or psychologically ( Fearless ). Weir's major breakthrough in Australia and internationally

1530-561: A production assistant on the groundbreaking satirical comedy program The Mavis Bramston Show . During this period, using station facilities, Weir made his first two experimental short films, Count Vim's Last Exercise and The Life and Flight of Reverend Buck Shotte . In 1969, the founders of Producers Authors Composers and Talent (now PACT Centre for Emerging Artists) attended a Sydney University Architecture Revue, with sets by Geoffrey Atherden and Grahame Bond . They invited Bond, Atherden, Weir, and Weir's friend, composer Peter Best ,

1632-585: A representation of the states (with whom Whitlam's government was constantly in dispute) through the state badges within the Commonwealth Coat of Arms . The original three-level structure of the Order of Australia was modelled closely upon the Order of Canada , though the Order of Australia has been awarded rather more liberally, especially in regard to honorary awards to non-citizens. As of July 2024 only 30 non-Canadians have been appointed to

1734-431: A school picnic on Valentine's Day 1900. Widely credited as a key work in the "Australian film renaissance" of the mid-1970s, Picnic was the first Australian film of its era to gain both critical praise and be given substantial international theatrical releases. It also helped launch the career of internationally renowned Australian cinematographer Russell Boyd . It was widely acclaimed by critics, many of whom praised it as

1836-447: A seven-day Electronic Program Guide (EPG) and give new logical channel numbers for all of ABC's television services. June 2010 saw ABC1's ABC HD , the high definition digital TV channel, terminated, to be replaced with a fourth channel, ABC News 24 (now ABC News). In the same month playout was moved to a new facility shared with WIN Television at Ingleburn . On 20 July 2014, ABC1 changed its name back to just "ABC TV" and at

1938-659: A short documentary about an underprivileged outer Sydney suburb, Whatever Happened to Green Valley , in which residents were invited to make their own film segments. Another notable film in this period was the short rock music performance film Three Directions in Australian Pop Music (1972), which featured in-concert colour footage of three of the most significant Melbourne rock acts of the period, Spectrum , The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band , and Wendy Saddington . He also directed one section of

2040-451: A small role, but this was to be his last significant screen appearance. Weir's first full-length feature film was the underground cult classic, The Cars That Ate Paris (1974), a low-budget black comedy about the inhabitants of a small country town who deliberately cause fatal car crashes and live off the proceeds. It was a minor success in cinemas but proved very popular on the then-thriving drive-in circuit. The plot had been inspired by

2142-424: A temporary measure, television programs from Adelaide were viewed simultaneously across the four eastern capitals. Videotape equipment, allowing the sharing of footage with much greater ease and speed, was installed in each state capital by 1962. The organisational structure and internal processes of the network developed and changed over time, with local coverage incorporated in a network structure, which allowed

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2244-477: A welcome antidote to the so-called "ocker film" genre, typified by The Adventures of Barry McKenzie and Alvin Purple . Weir's next film, The Last Wave (1977), was a supernatural thriller about a man who begins to experience terrifying visions of an impending natural disaster. It starred American actor Richard Chamberlain , who was well known to Australian and world audiences as the eponymous physician in

2346-647: A “television service as truly national in character as its resources will permit”. Commercial station TCN-9 Sydney was the first to broadcast in Australia, in September 1956. The ABC's Sydney station, ABN , started transmission on 5 November 1956. Its first television broadcast was inaugurated by Prime Minister Robert Menzies at the Gore Hill studios in Sydney, and a couple of weeks later, ABV transmission began in Melbourne on 19 November 1956, in time to cover

2448-444: Is a convex golden disc decorated with citrines, with a blue royally crowned inner disc bearing an image of the coat of arms of Australia. The ribbon of the order is royal blue with a central stripe of mimosa blossoms. Awards in the military division are edged with 1.5 mm golden bands. AKs, male ACs and AOs wear their badges on a necklet and male AMs and OAMs wear them on a ribbon on the left chest. Women usually wear their badges on

2550-434: Is a registered charity, whose stated purpose is "[t]o celebrate and promote outstanding Australian citizenship". It also supports the "community and social activities" of members and promotes and encourages the nomination of other Australians to the Order. The Order also runs a foundation that provides scholarships to tertiary students that show potential as future leaders and are involved in community activities. Branches of

2652-410: Is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II , Queen of Australia , on the advice of then prime minister Gough Whitlam . Before the establishment of the order, Australians could receive British honours , which continued to be issued in parallel until 1992. Appointments to

2754-455: Is composed of eight state- and territory-based centres, once separate stations with their own branding. In addition to the nightly 7   pm news, the stations used to broadcast weekly state editions of 7.30 on Friday evenings (until 5 December 2014), state election coverage and in most areas, live sport on Saturday and Sunday evenings. ABC iview is a video on demand and catch up TV service, which became available on 24 July 2008. This

2856-563: Is likely to feel a bit second-rate, and the public is likely to agree. We hate to be the first to say it, but there is no doubt that the Order of Australia (OA) will be labelled as the Ocker Award. Satire and mockery also greeted the awards, being dubbed "Gough’s Gongs" and "the Order of the Wombat". The newly elected Liberal Fraser government decided to once again make recommendations for imperial awards, whilst maintaining and expanding

2958-487: The 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. Outside broadcasting was also initiated on 5 November, from the ABC's first outside broadcast van. The van, now in the collection of the National Museum of Australia , was instrumental in the production of thousands of outside broadcasts. It was restored in time to be displayed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and was used to film the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to

3060-481: The ABC 's Jakarta correspondent and one of the few western journalists in the city during the 1965 attempted coup. The film also won Linda Hunt (who played a man in the film) an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role . The film was again produced by Hal and Jim McElroy , who had also produced Weir's first three films, The Cars That Ate Paris , Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Last Wave . Weir's first American film

3162-682: The Australian Government (some revenue is earned by ABC Commercial ), but has suffered progressive funding cuts under Liberal governments since the 1996 Howard government , with particularly deep cuts in 2014 under the Abbott government , and an ongoing indexation freeze as of 2021 . In spite of these cuts, in April 2023 social media platform X (formerly Twitter) tagged ABC as "government-funded media"; in August 2023, ABC announced

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3264-620: The Australian Government (then Liberal ) endorsed a proposal submitted to the Australian Communications and Media Authority by the ABC to launch a second digital channel targeted at children. The new channel, titled ABC Me , was to aim to provide at least 50% Australian-made content for children under 15. Unlike its predecessor, the ABC Kids channel, ABC Me would run from 6   am to 9   pm each day, and feature drama, comedy, animation and music. On 22 April 2009,

3366-488: The Australian Labor Party remained opposed and generally refused to recommend awards whilst in office, with this a part of the party's platform since 1918. This was confirmed in a resolution adopted unanimously by the party conference in 1921. However, the non-Labor parties remained supportive, with the long running Menzies government making significant use of the imperial system. The Order of Australia

3468-595: The Labor government announced its commitment to the proposal as part of its response to the Australia 2020 Summit conducted in 2008, and ABC Me was launched on 4 December. At midday on 8 February 2008, the original ABC Television channel was rebranded as ABC1 , complementing the existing ABC2 (as of 2021 ABC TV Plus ) digital-only channel launched on 7 March 2005. As of 2009, the ABC announced an Australia-wide upgrade to its digital service, and that it would provide

3570-455: The 1950s. The film was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Weir. It won Best Original Screenplay and launched the acting careers of young actors Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard . It became a major box-office hit and is one of Weir's best-known films to mainstream audiences. Weir's first romantic comedy Green Card (1990) was another casting risk. Weir chose French screen icon Gérard Depardieu in

3672-474: The 435 people who have received the nation's top Order of Australia honours since they were first awarded in 1975, shows they disproportionately attended a handful of elite Victorian secondary schools. Scotch College alumni received the highest number of awards, with 19 former students receiving Australia's [then] highest honour". On 26 January 1980 the Order of Australia Association was created as an incorporated body with membership open to award recipients. It

3774-457: The ABC as of 2021 operates five television stations within four channels, all of them non-commercial. These services are available nationally through digital terrestrial television , and all the digital TV services are also available through the VAST free-to-air satellite service. Although the ABC's headquarters in Sydney serve as a base for program distribution nationally, ABC Television network

3876-466: The ABC to build state-based audiences for coverage of sports and news. Live coverage of sports was still limited to the location of the studio, for example for the West Indies cricket series in 1960/61, live broadcasts were limited to the four cities which hosted the test matches. The separate production and broadcast centres could only reach about 100 kilometres (62 mi) from a broadcast tower. It

3978-418: The Order of Australia and the award of 199 Honorary Medals of the Order of Australia. Notable honorary awards include: Since 1975, just over 30 per cent of recipients of an Order of Australia honour have been women. The number of nominations and awards for women is trending up, with the 2023 Australia Day Honours resulting in the highest percentage of awards for women to date (47.1 per cent, 47.9 per cent in

4080-465: The Order of Australia is a convex disc (gold for AKs, ADs and ACs, gilt for AOs, AMs and OAMs) representing a single flower of mimosa . At the centre is a ring, representing the sea, with the word Australia below two branches of mimosa. The whole disc is topped by the Crown of St Edward . The AC badge is decorated with citrines , blue enamelled ring, and enamelled crown. The AO badge is similar, without

4182-597: The Order of Australia. This was done by with the addition of two additional award levels: Knight or Dame (AK or AD) above the level of Companion, and the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) below Members. The Civil Division was also renamed the General Division, so that awards could be given to those in the Defence Force for non-military achievement. These changes were made on 24 May 1976. The reaction to

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4284-486: The Order of Canada, while 537 non-Australians have been appointed to the Order of Australia, with 46 to the Companion level. Public reaction to the new awards was mixed. Only the state Labor governments of Tasmania and South Australia agreed to submit recommendations for the new awards, with the remaining governments affirming their committent to the existing imperial honours system. Newspaper editorials similarly praised

4386-439: The Order were gazetted on 22 December 2015. Yvonne Kenny AM represented the Order at the 2023 Coronation . King Charles III , when he was Prince of Wales , was appointed a Knight of the Order of Australia (AK) on 14 March 1981. As he is not an Australian citizen, even though he was the heir to the Australian throne at the time, this would have required the award to be honorary. To overcome this issue, his appointment

4488-594: The Order would be determined by the Council of the Order of Australia. Awards of the Order of Australia are sometimes made to people who are not citizens of Australia to honour extraordinary achievements. These achievements, or the people themselves, are not necessarily associated with Australia, although they often are. On 1 July 2024, the Australian Honours website listed appointments for 46 Honorary Companions, 118 Honorary Officers, 174 Honorary Members of

4590-578: The Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu , and broadcasts a mixture of English-language programming, including general entertainment, sport, and current affairs. ABC television services within Australia carry no advertising by external sources; it is banned under the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983 , which also ensures its editorial independence. The ABC receives most of its funding from

4692-441: The Queen to reinstate the level of knight or dame and the Queen co-signed letters patent to bring this into effect. The change was publicly announced on 25 March, and gazetted on 17 April 2014. Up to four knights or dames could be appointed each year, by the Queen of Australia on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the chairman of the Order of Australia Council. Five awards of knight and dame were then made, to

4794-640: The Regional & Local team focussed on regional and local content. The 1975 ABC logo was reinstated in February 2019. On 3 September 2019, several additional ABC Digital Radio channels were added to complement the ABC Jazz and Double J services being simulcast on digital TV. In May 2023, ABC announced a major restructure starting in July, but would not reveal how many jobs were at risk. Within Australia,

4896-753: The World (2003), and The Way Back (2010). He has received six Academy Award nominations. In 2022 he was awarded the Academy Honorary Award for his lifetime achievement career. In 2024, he received an honorary life-time achievement award at the Venice Film Festival ( Golden Lion ). Early in his career as a director, Weir was a leading figure in the Australian New Wave cinema movement (1970–1990). Weir made his feature film debut with Homesdale and continued with

4998-559: The association are in all the states and territories of Australia as well as the UK and the USA. Total inductees as of July 2024 . The order of wearing Australian and other approved honours is determined by the government. The award is parodied in the play Amigos , where the central character is determined to be awarded the AC, and uses persuasion, bribery and blackmail in his (ultimately successful) attempts to get himself nominated for

5100-502: The award to Prince Philip in a ReachTEL poll. The Australian Labor Party continued to oppose knighthoods and damehoods. Leader of the opposition Bill Shorten stated in March 2014 that the party would again discontinue the level if it were to win the next Australian federal election. The knighthood decision was a significant factor that caused Liberal party members to question Abbott's leadership, with Malcolm Turnbull succeeding in

5202-540: The award. During the 1996 season of the popular television programme Home and Away , the character Pippa Ross was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her years of service as a foster carer. ABC Television (Australian TV network) ABC Television is the general name for the national television services of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Until an organisational restructure in 2017/2018, ABC Television

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5304-411: The awards as an example of Australia's greater independence, whilst also noting that the awards would likely appear second-rate. The Australian stated that There is no longer a British Empire; everyone knows that. But somehow the phrase "imperial honours" still carries a ring of regal authenticity that somehow transcends nationalism. For the time being a recipient   ... of the Order of Australia

5406-519: The changes to the awards were similarly split along party lines. Following the 1983 federal election , Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke recommitted to the end of recommendations for imperial awards. No knighthoods were awarded during his first term in office and he advised the abolition of the knight/dame level after being re-elected in 1986. During the time the division was active from 1976 to 1983, twelve knights and two dames were created. On 19 March 2014, monarchist prime minister Tony Abbott advised

5508-614: The channel continued to broadcast programmes on popular music, including the pop show Hitscene , performance specials by groups such as Tully and Max Merritt & The Meteors , as well as the magazine-style programme GTK , which premiered in 1969 and screened for 10 minutes, four nights per week at 6:30 pm, immediately prior to Bellbird and the 7:00 pm news bulletin. The hugely popular rock music program, Countdown began in 1974, produced at ABC Melbourne's Ripponlea studios and hosted by Molly Meldrum , and ran until 1987. The weekly current affairs program Four Corners

5610-531: The citrines. For the AM badge, only the crown is enamelled, and the OAM badge is plain. The AK/AD badge is similar to that of the AC badge, but with the difference that it contains at the centre an enamelled disc bearing an image of the coat of arms of Australia . The colours of royal blue and gold are taken from the livery colours of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms , the then national colours . The star for knights and dames

5712-552: The closure of Fly and the ABC Kid's Channel. Also in 2002, to celebrate 70 years of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC TV's logo reverted to the "over and under" design seen in the previous decades; however it retained the three-dimensional metallic design. The channel's idents featured elements – fire, leaf and ice, and the slogan was updated to Everyone's ABC . The idents also featured

5814-400: The early 1960s. This meant that news bulletins had to be sent to each capital city by teleprinter , to be prepared and presented separately in each city, with filmed materials copied manually and sent to each state. A purpose-built television studio was built in Sydney, and opened on 29 January 1958, replacing temporary sound studios used since the ABC's television services launched in 1956. In

5916-518: The end of each ident was changed to "Yours". The new 2014 idents are all very similar to that of the 1996–1998, 1998–2000, 2003–2005, 2008–2011 and 2011-2014 ABC station idents in the past. On 6 December 2016, ABC upgraded its HD picture resolution from 720p to 1080i . Between July 2017 and June 2018, the whole of the ABC underwent an organisational restructure, after which the Radio and Television Divisions were no longer separate entities each under

6018-463: The exception of awards recommended by the soon to be independent government of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea ); however this did not affect the constitutional right of state governments to recommend imperial awards. According to the governor general's then-secretary Sir David Smith , Whitlam was furious when he first saw Devlin's design for the insignia of the order, due to the inclusion of

6120-505: The federal Television Act was passed, providing the initial regulatory framework for both the ABC and commercial television networks. Over the next three years, planning for the introduction of a national television service was put in place, land for studios and transmitters in Sydney and Melbourne was acquired, and overseas tutors were brought to Australia to assist with training. The ABC's 1956 Annual Report stated that it aimed to create

6222-720: The film won the 1999 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation . In 2003, Weir returned to period dramas with Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World , starring Russell Crowe . A screen adaptation from various episodes in Patrick O'Brian 's blockbuster adventure series set during the Napoleonic Wars , the film was well received by critics, but only mildly successful with mainstream audiences. Despite another nomination for Best Picture and winning two Oscars —for frequent collaborator Russell Boyd 's cinematography and for sound effects editing—the film's box office success

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6324-489: The general division). Advocacy groups such as Honour a Woman and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency have called for greater effort to be made to reach equal representation of men and women in the order. In December 2010, The Age reported a study of the educational backgrounds of all people who had received Knight/Dame and Companion level awards at that time. It reported: "An analysis of

6426-683: The governments of each respective state and territory, and three ex officio members (the chief of the Defence Force , the vice-president of the Federal Executive Council and a public servant responsible for honours policy). The Council chair as of August 2024 is Shelley Reys. The Council makes recommendations to the governor-general. Awards are announced on Australia Day and on the King's Birthday public holiday in June, on

6528-586: The governor-general to remove an individual from the order, who may cancel an award. Announcements of all awards, cancellations and resignations appear in the Commonwealth Gazette . Nomination forms are confidential and not covered by the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) . The reasoning behind a nomination being successful or unsuccessful—and even the attendees of the meetings where such nominations are discussed—remains confidential. As

6630-746: The historical epic The Way Back , about escapees from a Soviet gulag . The film, while generally well-received critically, was not a financial success. In 2012, it was reported that Weir would direct his own adapted script of Jennifer Egan 's gothic thriller The Keep the following year and shoot in Europe. Weir described the project as, "Basically, ... a studio-shoot movie." As the years passed, however, without an official announcement, he started to be described as "retired". Speaking in July 2022, speculating about Weir's unannounced retirement, Ethan Hawke said, "I think [Weir] lost interest in movies. He really enjoyed that work when he didn't have actors giving him

6732-539: The latter! Another generation is out there calling "action" and "cut" and good luck to them." He stated that he has enjoyed visiting ancient ruins and battlefields and diving on the WWII shipwrecks of the Truk Lagoon during his retirement. On 14 June 1982, Weir was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his service to the film industry. Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia

6834-528: The launch of DTV. In 2002, the ABC launched ABC Asia Pacific (now ABC Australia), the replacement for the defunct Australia Television channel operated previously by the Seven Network. Much like its predecessor, and companion radio network Radio Australia , the service provided a mix of programming targeted at audiences throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Funding cuts in 2003, meanwhile, led to

6936-446: The lead—Depardieu's first English-language role—and paired him with American actress Andie MacDowell . Green Card was a box-office hit but was regarded as less of a critical success, although it helped Depardieu's path to international fame. Weir received an Oscar nomination for his original screenplay. Fearless (1993) returned to darker themes and starred Jeff Bridges as a man who believes he has become invincible after surviving

7038-487: The mystery drama Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), the supernatural thriller The Last Wave (1977) and the historical drama Gallipoli (1981). Weir gained tremendous success with the multinational production The Year of Living Dangerously (1982). After the success of The Year of Living Dangerously , Weir directed a diverse group of American and international films covering most genres–many of them major box office hits–including Academy Award -nominated films such as

7140-417: The occasion of a special announcement by the governor-general (usually honorary awards), and on the appointment of a new governor-general. The governor-general presents the order's insignia to new appointees. Appointments to the order may be made posthumously as long as a person was nominated for an award whilst they were still alive. Awardees may subsequently resign from the order, and the Council may advise

7242-478: The order are made by the governor-general , "with the approval of The Sovereign", according to recommendations made by the Council for the Order of Australia . Members of the government are not involved in the recommendation of appointments, other than for military and honorary awards. The King of Australia is the sovereign head of the order, and the governor-general is the principal companion and chancellor of

7344-674: The order at all levels. Nomination forms are submitted to the Director, Honours Secretariat, a position within the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia , at Government House, Canberra , which are then forwarded to the Council for the Order of Australia . The council consists of 19 members: seven selected by the prime minister (described as "community representatives"), eight appointed by

7446-446: The order. The governor-general's official secretary , Paul Singer (appointed August 2018), is secretary of the order. The order is divided into a general and a military division. The five levels of appointment to the order in descending order of seniority are: Honorary awards at all levels may be made to non-citizens. These awards are made additional to the quotas. The order's insignia was designed by Stuart Devlin . The badge of

7548-457: The outgoing governor-general , Quentin Bryce ; her successor, Peter Cosgrove ; a recent chief of the Defence Force , Angus Houston ; a recent governor of New South Wales , Marie Bashir ; and Prince Philip . This last award was widely met with ridicule and dismay by many in the Australian media. The award was also heavily criticised in the community, with 72% disapproving and 12% in favour of

7650-649: The popular Dr. Kildare TV series. He later starred in the major series The Thorn Birds , set in Australia. The Last Wave was a pensive, ambivalent work that expanded on themes from Picnic , exploring the interactions between the native Aboriginal and European cultures. It co-starred the Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil , whose performance won the Golden Ibex (Oscar equivalent) at the Tehran International Festival in 1977, but it

7752-681: The prime minister alone, rather than by the Council of the Order of Australia, as is the case with all lower levels of the order. In accordance with the statutes of 2014, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , was created a Knight of the Order by letters patent signed by the Queen on 7 January 2015, on Abbott's advice. Prince Philip's knighthood was announced as part of the Australia Day Honours on 26 January 2015 and his appointment attracted criticism of what Abbott described as his "captain's call". Abbott responded by announcing that future recommendations for appointments as Knights and Dames of

7854-439: The same time, they introduced new idents featuring the 1975 Lissajous curve logo being drawn by itself of videos of people doing activities (taken from ABC Open's video library). Then, the words "It's (Insert Words Here)'s ABC" (the words change depending on the ident) fade in on the left side of the logo. The words then change to "#OurABC", which is the network's new slogan. In 2018, these idents were updated. The "#OurABC" slogan at

7956-404: The same year, technical equipment was also moved to permanent locations, while main transmitters were introduced to Melbourne and Sydney in 1957 and 1958, respectively. Direct television relays between Sydney and Melbourne were established in 1961, replacing temporary microwave relays as a means of simultaneously airing programs across multiple stations. In 1963, using microwave transmission as

8058-461: The silver ring that morphs into the ABC logo. This however did not last, as later in 2003, the channel's idents were modified to feature everyday Australians. In 2005, the ABC switched from the Supertext logo to their own closed captioning logo. On 19 December that year, the channel's idents were revamped featuring a modified ABC logo transforming to a television. ABC2 , a second attempt at

8160-859: The site of the National Museum in 2000. ABQ in Brisbane was the third ABC TV station to launch, in November 1959; it was followed in 1960 by counterparts in Perth ( ABW ), Hobart ( ABT ), and Adelaide ( ABS ). ABC (also known as ABC3) opened in Canberra in 1962, with ( ABD ) in Darwin (13 August 1971) finally completing the ABC's television coverage of every state in 1971. Although radio programs could be broadcast nationally by landline , television relay facilities were not put in place until

8262-533: The son of Peggy (née Barnsley Sutton) and Lindsay Weir, a real estate agent. Weir attended The Scots College and Vaucluse Boys High School before studying arts and law at the University of Sydney . His interest in film was sparked by him meeting fellow students, including Phillip Noyce and the future members of the Sydney filmmaking collective Ubu Films . After leaving university in the mid-1960s, he joined Sydney television station ATN-7 , where he worked as

8364-445: The television network. The ABC local stations in the capital cities carry opt-outs for local programming, used chiefly for nightly news broadcasts. ABC Television also broadcasts via its streaming and video-on-demand service, ABC iview , available via its website and a mobile app . ABC Television is one of five main free-to-air networks in Australia. The history of the ABC's television operations can be traced back to 1953, when

8466-452: The three-part, three-director feature film 3 to Go (1970), which won an AFI award . After leaving the CFU, Weir made his first major independent film, the short feature Homesdale (1971), an offbeat black comedy . It co-starred rising young actress Kate Fitzpatrick and musician and comedian Grahame Bond , who came to fame in 1972 as the star of The Aunty Jack Show ; Weir also played

8568-410: The thriller Witness (1985), the drama Dead Poets Society (1989), the romantic comedy Green Card (1990), the social science fiction comedy-drama The Truman Show (1998) and the epic historical drama Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003). His final feature before his retirement was the well-received The Way Back (2010). Peter Lindsay Weir was born in Sydney, in 1944,

8670-404: The time, with the use of light blue, orange, and white, with each slide using elements from the respective channel's on-air branding. It was removed from channel 20 on 1 January 2008 when ABC HD relaunched as a full-time simulcast of ABC TV, and closed on 8 February 2008 when ABC2 was moved from channel 21 to channel 22 and began 24-hour broadcasting. In the lead-up to the 2007 federal election ,

8772-534: The typecasting of his career-making roles in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series. Both films showed off his ability to play more subtle and substantial characters and he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his work in Witness , the only Academy Awards recognition in his career. The Mosquito Coast is also notable for a performance by the young River Phoenix . Weir's next film, Dead Poets Society ,

8874-512: Was a major international success, with Weir again receiving credit for expanding the acting range of its Hollywood star. Robin Williams was mainly known for his anarchic stand-up comedy and his popular TV role as the wisecracking alien in Mork & Mindy ; in this film he played an inspirational teacher in a dramatic story about conformity and rebellion at an exclusive New England prep school in

8976-540: Was a regular television broadcast shown during the off-air periods for both ABC HD and ABC2 on their respective channels. It was launched on 30 May 2006 and was initially available in Sydney, with all other digital ABC broadcast regions launching the guide at a later date. The channel provided a live audio-stream of DiG Radio , and also provided weather reports. The guide advertised new and popular television programs from both channels via informational slides. The design and colour scheme were based on ABC Online 's branding of

9078-522: Was also the name of a division of the ABC. The name was also used to refer to the first and for many years the only national ABC channel, before it was renamed ABC1 and then again to ABC TV. The Australian public broadcaster 's television service was launched in November 1956 from its first television station in Australia , ABN Sydney . This was the second one in the country, with the commercial channel TCN having launched two months earlier. An ABC television network covering every state and territory

9180-454: Was broadcast from Sydney from 1961, and in 1967, the weeknightly television current affairs programme This Day Tonight began. In 1989, Aboriginal dancers Lillian Crombie and Malcolm Cole were the first co-presenters for Blackout , a program developed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences. The ABC's television operations joined its radio and online divisions at the corporation's Ultimo headquarters in 2000. In 2001

9282-559: Was completed by 1971, and in 2000 the television operations joined the ABC radio and online divisions at the Corporation's Ultimo headquarters in Sydney in 2000. The ABC as of 2021 provides five non-commercial channels within Australia, headed by its flagship ABC TV channel, as well as ABC Australia , a satellite channel broadcast to South-East Asia , partially funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and advertisers. Some radio channels are also broadcast via

9384-447: Was created by an amendment to the constitution of the Order of Australia by special letters patent signed by the Queen, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser . In March 2014 the knight and dame levels, which had been abolished in 1986 by Prime Minister Bob Hawke , were reintroduced to the Order of Australia by Tony Abbott . At the same time, Abbott announced that future appointments at this level would be recommended by

9486-476: Was established in 1993. Australia Television was sold to the Seven Network in 1998; however, the service continued to show content from ABC News until its closure in 2001. ABC Television was one of the first television networks in Australia to embrace the rock 'n roll revolution of the late 1950s, most notably with Six O'Clock Rock , hosted by Johnny O'Keefe . During the 1960s and early 1970s

9588-498: Was established on 14 February 1975 by letters patent of Queen Elizabeth II , acting as Queen of Australia , and on the advice of the newly elected Labor prime minister , Gough Whitlam . The original order had three levels: Companion (AC), Officer (AO) and Member (AM) as well as two divisions: Civil Division and Military Division. Whitlam had previously announced in 1972 (on his third day in office) that his government would no longer nominate persons for British Imperial honours (with

9690-562: Was his first of several films to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture , it later won 2 for Best Film Editing & Best Original Screenplay . It was followed by the darker, less commercial The Mosquito Coast (1986), Paul Schrader 's adaptation of Paul Theroux 's novel. Ford played a man obsessively pursuing his dream to start a new life in the Central American jungle with his family. These dramatic parts provided Harrison Ford with important opportunities to break

9792-618: Was moderate ($ 93 million at the North American box office). The film grossed slightly better overseas, gleaning an additional $ 114 million. Weir had developed several other projects in the 2000s that never came to fruition, including an adaptation of The War Magician with actor Tom Cruise , an adaptation of Robert Kurson 's novel Shadow Divers , early development of a proposed Shantaram film starring Johnny Depp , and an adaptation of William Gibson 's sci-fi novel Pattern Recognition . In 2010, Weir resurfaced with

9894-421: Was only a moderate commercial success at the time. Between The Last Wave and his next feature, Weir wrote and directed the offbeat low-budget telemovie The Plumber (1979). It starred Australian actors Judy Morris and Ivar Kants and was filmed in three weeks. Inspired by an account told to him by friends, it is a black comedy about a woman whose life is disrupted by a subtly menacing plumber. Weir scored

9996-488: Was only after considerable developments in technology and construction of further infrastructure, that in 1970/71 that test cricket was broadcast live in every state and the ACT. Colour television was introduced in Australia on 1 March 1975. Teletext services were introduced to ABC TV in 1983 to allow hearing-impaired viewers access to closed captions . International television service Australia Television International

10098-432: Was the $ 6 million multi-national production The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), again starring Gibson, playing opposite top Hollywood female lead Sigourney Weaver in a story about journalistic loyalty, idealism, love and ambition in the turmoil of Sukarno 's Indonesia of 1965. It was an adaptation of the novel by Christopher Koch , which was based in part on the experiences of Koch's journalist brother Philip,

10200-498: Was the lush, atmospheric period mystery Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), made with substantial backing from the state-funded South Australian Film Corporation and filmed on location in South Australia and rural Victoria. Based on the novel by Joan Lindsay and set at the turn of the 20th century, the film relates the purportedly "true" story of a group of students from an exclusive girls' school who mysteriously vanish from

10302-531: Was the next step after the podcasting of radio programmes from July 2006. Iview can only be viewed by users in Australia. The iview website streams video at 650 kbit/s in the H.264 format, and uses the RTMP protocol, which makes it accessible to web browsers installed with Adobe Flash . Iview is also available through native apps for iOS and Android smartphones , tablets , and HDMI devices, as well as on some brands of internet-connected TVs . These use

10404-506: Was the successful thriller Witness (1985), the first of two films he made with Harrison Ford , about a boy who sees the murder of an undercover police officer by corrupt coworkers and has to be hidden in his Amish community to protect him. Weir directed Ford in his only performance to receive an Academy Award nomination, while child star Lukas Haas also received wide praise for his debut film performance. Witness also earned Weir his first Academy Award nomination as Best Director , and

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