The National Emergency Medal is being made available to both employed and volunteer emergency service workers who tackled some of the worst fires in living memory during Australia's 2019-20 bushfire period.

Deputy Prime Minister and Member for Riverina Michael McCormack said the medal will be available to those who responded directly to the fires.

"In the Riverina, especially the Dunns Road fire, and in other bushfire disaster areas around Australia I saw and heard of the enormous work done by our emergency services workers for fire victims, be it saving their properties from the flames or caring for them in the aftermath of tragedy," he said.

"I cannot think of a group more befitting of this recognition."

The Black Summer bushfires burnt 17 million hectares, destroyed 3109 homes and claimed 33 lives.

Eligible service must be in the protection of lives and property, or in the service of interests, which are not their own, in direct response to the emergency, including support which enabled or facilitated the emergency response.

The minimum duration for sustained service is five days during the periods when the fires were at their most severe.

The Australian Honours and Awards Secretariat at Government House will notify relevant organisations that the National Emergency Medal is available to personnel.

As each nomination for an individual to receive the award requires verification from the deploying emergency response organisation, nominations from the deploying organisations are preferred.

The declaration outlining eligibility criteria, and further information, is available here.