Andrew Gee (Calare, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. It was recently announced that emergency responders, volunteers and community workers involved in the February-March 2022 floods in northern New South Wales and Queensland may now rightly be eligible for the National Emergency Medal. The Central West New South Wales 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. Will you support the National Emergency Medal being extended to those who served with such distinction in that emergency?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Calare for his question. I have visited Eugowra with the member for Calare on two occasions, as well as visiting other areas that were affected in the member for Riverina's electorate. I'm aware of the issue and the minister representing Minister Watt will respond to the question.

Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Calare for his question, and can I just say, on behalf of the government, how much we respect the manner in which he engages with us from the crossbench, and I understand the spirit in which this is asked.

We're all aware of the ways in which your community was affected by this terrible series of natural disasters, in particular Eugowra, as the Prime Minister has mentioned. One thing we see right across this chamber is that it's sometimes at those worst moments for our country where we see the very best of the Australian spirit, and I know across your community, Member for Calare, you saw acts of bravery and heroism that you think are appropriate to be acknowledged.

Let me say a few quick words about the government's overall response to this, and then I will get to the direct question, about the medal, that the member has raised. As the Prime Minister has noted, he was there in the community in March talking to your constituents about how this has affected your local area. The Albanese government has delivered a range of different funding supports to support the Central West in the recovery from this very significant event. Late last year the government announced a cost-sharing agreement for $100 million—a package which included $60 million to assist in mitigation measures and up to $40 million in cost sharing for a housing program to support people who were displaced by this event.

In relation to the National Emergency Medal, there is a National Emergency Medal committee which manages this process on behalf of the Commonwealth government. It's not a decision for ministers about who is able to access this. There's quite a lengthy criteria that the National Emergency Medal committee looks at, which includes the scale and community impact of the disaster, how many casualties resulted and how much critical infrastructure was destroyed in the disaster. I believe they've made an initial decision which does not account for people in the member's electorate. I say that, from their perspective, this doesn't diminish any of those efforts that were gone to.

At the request of the member, the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister has taken the very unusual step of writing to the committee and asking them to give reconsideration to the matters the member has raised here. I can see why he has raised this matter, and I can understand him representing his constituents in that way. We will be very pleased to liaise with the committee and come back to the member when we have a response, and I'm sure that at any time, to the local member and anyone in this House experiencing natural disaster, the Minister for Emergency Management or myself are always available to meet and talk further about these matters.