 In 1993 she was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia, at the time, the highest civilian award in the Australian honours system for "service to Australian literature, to education and to the community".Kramer was deputy chancellor of the University of Sydney from 1989–91 and chancellor from 1991–2001, becoming the first woman to hold the position.In 1995, she chaired the judging panel of the Miles Franklin Award where Helen Darville was conferred the award for her novel "The Hand That Signed the Paper".