Recipients were selected by popular vote for having made outstanding contributions to Australian society in any field of human endeavour.
[1] In 2004, the list was refreshed with 15 new names, following the deaths of some people on the list and the exclusion of former Justice Marcus Einfeld who was imprisoned after his retirement for perjury and perverting the course of justice relative to a speeding ticket,[2][3] following an identical process to that used in 1997 – a public nomination and vote.
They were announced, amid controversy, on 4 March 2012, when the National Trust refused to endorse the NSW branch's listing of the mining magnate Clive Palmer as one of the members.
"[5] However, the next day it was reported that "trust president Ian Carroll said the titles recognised that the country's culture was more than just our buildings and natural heritage.
[7] On 30 July 2014, the board of the National Trust of Australia (NSW) voted to remove Rolf Harris from the list after his conviction on 12 charges of indecent assault between 1969 and 1986 and to also withdraw the award.