After a request from Cr Bilal El-Hayek, Canterbury Bankstown Council has written to newly appointed Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience, Steph Cooke, to “adequately fund the presentation nights”.
Cr El-Hayek says the SES are a group of selfless men and women who put the community first, ahead of their own safety, and as everyone has seen, they have kept the community safe during the recent storms and floods.
“They deserve the chance to recognise and reward the efforts of their dedicated men and women and enable them to share their successes with community members,” he said.
“Outrageous is an understatement, especially when you see the State and Federal Government politicians turning up at disaster zones for picture opportunities and singing their praises.
“It is mean-spirited, penny pinching by the NSW Government to abandon the Annual Awards Night.”
In fact, Cr El-Hayek said the Mayor raised this issue in 2018 and his pleas fell on deaf ears.
“Well, the time has now come for the gloves to come off again and we must fight for a better outcome for these local heroes,” he said.
He said the State Government offer of a $300 barbecue just wouldn’t cut it – “that wouldn’t pay for a bread roll and a snag each”.
“Our local SES units deserve better,” he said.
Bring back SES awards urged
THE State Government has been urged to reinstate the awards nights for State Emergency Service (SES) units at Canterbury and Bankstown to recognise and reward their efforts.