Former prime minister Tony Abbott’s reinstatement of the honours, which led to a knighthood being given to Prince Philip, was used against him by critics to show how out of touch he was with public attitudes.

Turnbull said that following a recent Cabinet recommendation, the Queen had agreed to amend the Letters Patent which established the Order of Australia, meaning that knights and dames would no longer be appointed to the order.

“The Cabinet recently considered the Order of Australia, in this its 40th anniversary year, and agreed that knights and dames are not appropriate in our modern honours system,” he said in a statement today.

The change won’t impact existing knights and dames of the order.

Outgoing governor-general Quentin Bryce and her successor Peter Cosgrove were the first to receive the titles after they were reintroduced in March last year.

Former chief of the Defence Force Angus Houston was also made a knight in January this year.

At the time he brought back the knights and dames, Abbott described the move as “an important grace note in our national life”.

-with AAP