No. The National Emergency Medal may be awarded to any person who satisfies the eligibility criteria. People who may be recognised include:

• emergency service personnel
• federal, state and local government employees
• private sector employees
• volunteer and community groups
• private citizens.
   

No. You do not need to be on the frontline of the emergency response to be eligible for the National Emergency Medal.

You must have rendered sustained or significant service during the nationally-significant emergency. 

The service must be in the protection of lives and property; or in the service of interests that are not your own; in direct response to the declared emergency.

Service in direct response to the declared emergency is service that is performed during the initial or active phase. Service following the event, such as clean-up, restoring infrastructure and utilities, or addressing the long-term needs of those impacted is considered recovery and is not eligible for award of the National Emergency Medal. 

For some emergencies, service that enables or facilitates the direct response may be eligible for the award of the National Emergency Medal. Service that facilitates the direct response is that which enables frontline workers to respond to the emergency.

Some examples of facilitation include distribution of equipment to first responders, manning an evacuation centre and having direct contact with the affected community, or providing specialised information to emergency responders from a command or operations centre. 

A description of sustained service and significant service is available on the National Emergency Medal page.

Each emergency is different. The National Emergency Medal Committee considers advice from relevant organisations and jurisdictions in determining the criteria for sustained service.

The sustained service criteria for each nationally-significant event are available on the Declared Nationally-Significant Emergencies page.

No. Recipients through both the sustained and significant service channels are awarded the same medal and relevant emergency clasp.

Yes. The National Emergency Medal Committee may advise the Secretariat whether the service requirements for the award of the medal for sustained service may be waived for a person who:

• died during the emergency; or
• was evacuated during the emergency due to illness or injury.

The Committee determines the outcome on a case-by-case basis.

For more information, refer to Section 4 10 (5) (a) and (b) of the National Emergency Medal Regulations 2011.

Yes. 

• days served do not need to be consecutive;
• service may be a combination of paid and unpaid service; and
• service may include up to two days of travel time.

For more information, refer to the criteria for Declared Nationally Significant Emergencies.

Yes. Up to two travel days may be counted towards the minimum duration of service – one day either side of the deployment.

A 'day' for the purposes of the National Emergency Medal refers to a calendar day. A minimum of four hours of service per day is required.

No. The award is not exclusively for Australian citizens. Any person who renders service in direct response and meets the eligibility criteria for the emergency can apply for the National Emergency Medal. 

Any person who renders service in direct response and meets the eligibility criteria for the emergency may apply for the National Emergency Medal.

You may apply for the National Emergency Medal again if you render service in another nationally-significant emergency.

If you have previously been awarded the National Emergency Medal, you will not receive another physical medal. You will receive the relevant emergency clasp, which will attach to the ribbon of the medal you were previously awarded.

No. You can only receive one clasp for each declared emergency.

No. The clasps for sustained and significant service for each emergency are the same. You can only receive one clasp for each nationally-significant emergency.

If you submit a significant service application but meet the sustained service criteria, the Secretariat may process your application as sustained service.

Templates are available for each emergency to assist organisations submit sustained service applications for multiple nominees at once. Applications are submitted via the Australian Honours and Awards Portal. If you do not already have an account, please email nem@gg.gov.au 

The following information is required for each nominee in an application:

• Service number (or AGS number)
• Title
• Full name, including any middle names
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Whether the nominee is deceased
• Dates of service
• Geographical location of service
• The title of the role or position the nominee held during the nationally-significant emergency
• A detailed description of the service
   

Your agency head (e.g. Chief Officer, Secretary, Director-General) must sign the covering letter. Alternatively, there may be another suitable recommending authority with the delegation to verify service. If uncertain, please email nem@gg.gov.au.

We only require one covering letter per application submission, regardless of how many individuals are on the application.

Yes. We recommend the group, organisation or agency that can verify the service of applicants (dates of service, location, roles, etc.) submits the applications. In most cases, this will be the agency that headed the deployment. 

No. Applications for the National Emergency Medal may be submitted at any time. 

Yes. There is no limit to the number of applications that agencies can submit.

No. The application template is locked to secure the input of data for our awards system. Please do not attempt to unlock the application template or add additional columns in the document. Please rely on templates provided on our portal for information and guidance.

NOTE: Please do not copy and paste onto the templates from our portal – it will corrupt the data and your application will be unable to be processed.

Service numbers are not mandatory; however, they assist the Secretariat to process applications efficiently. If you are unable to provide a service (or AGS) number, please leave this field blank.

Please leave the geographical area field blank on the application.

You should input as many dates of service as the application template allows. Please note in the comments field dates of additional service. 

The dates of service, type of service rendered and location of service must be verified by the Chief Officer (or other recommending authority) of the organisation, prior to submission to the Secretariat. 

It is the responsibility of the agency to provide accurate dates and to ensure that individuals on an application meet the sustained service criteria for the relevant emergency.

We may not accept applications without accurate dates of service. 
 

If you rendered service with a group, agency or organisation, the organisation will consolidate applications, verify your service and submit the application on your behalf. The Secretariat will liaise with the organisation and will advise them of the outcome. Please contact your primary service organisation for guidance.

Private citizens who rendered service may submit an application via the Australian Honours and Awards Portal. You will be required to create an account.

We need as much information as possible to verify your service and confirm your eligibility for the National Emergency Medal.

You must provide written evidence from a local government agency, independent community group, emergency services agency or other relevant persons who can confirm your service during the emergency. This should be on their letterhead or a Commonwealth Statutory Declaration and include the following information:

• Your role/position during the nationally-significant emergency;
• A description of your service, including specifics of activities carried out; and
• The duration and location of your service.

Failure to provide adequate evidence of service may result in your application being withdrawn. 

If you meet the sustained service criteria and minimum duration of service with one group, agency or organisation, please contact them in the first instance.

For those individuals who only meet the sustained service criteria through an accumulative total of service across more than one group, agency or organisation, you may submit an application as a private citizen via the Australian Honours and Awards Portal.

You will need to provide written evidence of your service from the various groups you served with. The Secretariat will verify your service with each group.

No. Applications for the National Emergency Medal may be submitted at any time. 

Your online application will save as a draft, which you can edit later. Drafts do not expire. 

Once submitted, you will be able to view details of your application in the portal, but you will not be able to edit your application further. 

Applications are processed in the order they are received in within 12-18 months, however, may take longer.

All applications are assessed for eligibility and additional information is sought if necessary. Relevant agencies and individuals may be contacted to confirm service, if required.

Following eligibility verification, the Secretariat makes a recommendation to the Governor-General for the award of the medal.

For more information on the functions of the Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat, refer to Section 5 12 (4) of the National Emergency Medal Regulations 2011.

For more information on sustained service, refer to Section 4 10 (4) and (5) of the National Emergency Medal Regulations 2011.

All applications are assessed for eligibility and additional information is sought if necessary. Relevant agencies and individuals may be contacted to confirm service, if required.

The Secretariat then prepares each nominee’s significant service application for consideration by the National Emergency Medal Committee. The Committee considers each application on a case-by-case basis, before making a recommendation to the Governor-General for the award of the Medal.

For more information on the functions of National Emergency Medal Committee, refer to Section 4 10 (1) to (7) the National Emergency Medal Regulations 2011.

For more information on significant service, refer to Section 4 10 (6) and (7) of the National Emergency Medal Regulations 2011.

If you applied for the National Emergency Medal as a private citizen or on behalf of another person, you will receive advice of the outcome in writing.

If your service was rendered as part of a group, agency or organisation, the Secretariat will advise the head of the organisation or specified recommending authority. 

The presentation of the National Emergency Medal is the responsibility of the primary service organisation. The Secretariat does not manage the presentation of medals for recipients.

If you applied as a private citizen, your medal will be posted directly to you. 

If your application for sustained service is unsuccessful, please seek advice from your group, agency or organisation who can review your dates of service and amend accordingly. You may then apply again if the dates meet the criteria.

You may also apply again through significant service, if you think you meet the significant service criteria. 

Unsuccessful applications may be reviewed if you are able to provide substantial additional information or evidence that was not previously considered. 

In establishing the criteria for sustained service for each nationally-significant emergency, the National Emergency Medal Committee seeks advice from relevant jurisdictions and organisations involved in the response.

The National Emergency Medal Committee then provides advice to the Minister about whether the emergency should be declared a nationally-significant emergency.

The Governor-General may, on the recommendation of the Minister, declare the emergency to be a nationally-significant emergency for the purposes of the National Emergency Medal Regulations 2011.

The National Emergency Medal was instituted in 2011. The National Emergency Medal Regulations 2011 provide that a recommendation for a nationally-significant emergency should only be made if the emergency happened during the previous three years. As such, earlier emergencies, such as Cyclone Tracy 1974, do not fall within the scope of the Regulations.

No. For the purpose of the National Emergency Medal, the COVID-19 pandemic is not a declared nationally-significant emergency.