The previous award was the OAM (which my Dad has), not the AOM.
The essential criteria for an Australian award is that the recipient must have done something outstanding in the field for which he/she is nominated: not just 'doing his job'. That's what often intrigues me, since many well known awardees are really just well known or 'connected'.
I have a very good friend who is on the panel which vets the nominations in Victoria: I trust him implicitly and would hate to say that there is anything untoward in the process, but the preponderance of recipients who seem to be known only for their public relations is notable.