National Emergency Medal
The National Emergency Medal is an operational service medal which recognises significant or sustained service to others in response to declared nationally-significant emergencies in Australia.
The National Emergency Medal Regulations 2011 were approved by Queen Elizabeth II in October 2011. The Medal is administered by the Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat at Government House, who provide secretariat support to the National Emergency Medal Committee.
Eligibility
Eligibility criteria for the National Emergency Medal are event-specific and determined by the National Emergency Medal Committee in the declaration for each emergency.
The emergencies declared nationally-significant for the purpose of the National Emergency Medal to date are listed below. Please review the Declared Nationally-Significant Emergencies page for further information specific to each emergency.
- Floods February 2022
- Bushfires 2019-20
- North Queensland Floods 2019
- Tropical Cyclone Debbie 2017
- Queensland Floods 2010-11 and Cyclone Yasi
- Victorian Bushfires 2009
Types of service
The National Emergency Medal is awarded to members of approved organisations or to individuals who render service during the response phase of an event and who meet the eligibility criteria.
The Medal may either be awarded for sustained service or significant service.
Sustained service
When declaring a nationally-significant emergency, the National Emergency Medal Committee will provide advice to the Minister on the duration of the declared emergency and the minimum period of service required to qualify for the award.
A person’s service must have occurred during the duration of the emergency and for the minimum period as outlined in the emergency declaration.
Awards for sustained service are made on the recommendation of the Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat.
Significant service
For service to be significant, it must be extraordinary.
A person who renders significant service does not need to meet the minimum duration or eligible dates criteria as they do for sustained service.
Significant service nominations are considered by the National Emergency Medal Committee on a case-by-case basis before a recommendation is made to the Governor-General.