Central West emergency responders, volunteers and community workers who courageously saved lives and property during the storms and floods of November 2022, should now be officially recognised for their selfless heroism, Independent Federal Member for Calare, Andrew Gee, has said.

They should be getting the same well-deserved recognition that first responders in other parts of eastern Australia have received for the same natural disaster, he argues.

“The Australian Government recently announced that emergency responders, volunteers and community workers involved in the Northern Rivers and South East Queensland floods of February/March 2022 are now rightly eligible for the National Emergency Medal,” Mr Gee said.

“While I certainly support their eligibility, the Central Western NSW floods of November 2022 saw extraordinary acts of courage and service across our communities, including the biggest helicopter rescue in Australia’s history at Eugowra.”

These local heroes of the region should now be entitled to the same recognition, he believes.

“In November 2022, I saw extraordinary acts of kindness and heroism that defied belief. Nobody who acted at that time did so seeking awards or medals, but it is only fair and just that, given residents in other parts of Australia are eligible for this medal, our community members are as well.

“It defies belief that the courageous residents of our area have been excluded from being nominated for a National Emergency Medal.”

Seeking to redress this perceived injustice, he asked Prime Minister Antony Albanese in Parliamentary Question Time about the issue.

“The Prime Minister answered briefly before the responsible Minister stated that, after I’d written to the Prime Minister about this, the Australian Government now asked the National Emergency Medal Committee to reconsider the decision to exclude our area’s residents from National Emergency Medal eligibility.

“I was heartened by the Australian Government’s response, and answer to my question. I will keep pressure on the government to expand National Emergency Medal eligibility to our area, and I’ve also started a Change.org petition which I would encourage everyone in our region to sign,” Mr Gee concluded.