Controversial tennis great, Margaret Court, is set to be recognised in the Australia Day honours list.

The tennis champion already holds an Officer of the Order of Australia, but will be made a Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia on Tuesday.

The names of those receiving honours are sent under embargo to media outlets in advance.

But a freelance journalist, who says he was made aware of the honour through “other sources”, not the embargoed information, today made the information public.

Court has attracted controversy in recent years for comments during the marriage equality debate.

Premier Daniel Andrews has slammed the decision to honour the controversial tennis great.

“I’m quite sick of talking about that person every summer,” he said.

“I don’t believe that she has views that accord with the vast majority of people across our nation, that see people particularly from the LGBT community as equal and deserving of dignity, respect and safety.

“I would prefer not to be giving oxygen to some of these views.

“I don’t give out those gongs.

“That’s a matter for others. You might want to speak to them about why they think those views, which are disgraceful, hurtful and cost lives, should be honoured.”

Click play to hear more from Peter Ford on 6PR Breakfast. 

(Photo: Cameron Spencer / Getty)