New South Wales legislative council member Reverend Fred Nile stands outside the enterance of the state parliament house in Sydney on November 22, 2002. Nile's call for a ban on Muslim women wearing a traditional head-to-knee gown in public because t
In PHOTO: New South Wales legislative council member Reverend Fred Nile stands outside the enterance of the state parliament house in Sydney on November 22, 2002. Nile's call for a ban on Muslim women wearing a traditional head-to-knee gown in public because they could be used to conceal weapons has sparked outrage in Australia. Reuters/Tim Wimborne

New South Wales MP Fred Nile thinks the male hostages who fled the scene of the Sydney Siege should not receive bravery awards. The ordained Christian minister said that the men did not show bravery during the tragic event, and therefore are not worthy of such award.

On December 15 to 16, gunman Man Haron Monis took 18 staff and customers of the Lindt Chocolate Café at Martin Place hostage. The 16-hour lasted with two hostages dead and Monis shot by the police. Prior to the standoff, there were a few men and women who were able to flee the scene.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott recently requested Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove to honour fatal victims Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson, as well as the surviving hostages, with bravery awards. However, Nile thought the awards should be limited to the women and those who stayed until the last moment of the terrorist attack.

So every #sydneysiege hostage will get a bravery award? Even the men who fled leaving women behind? Don't shame, but don't reward. #teamnile

— Fred Nile (@frednile) January 11, 2015

“Obviously they [the hostages who fled] were wanting to escape and save their lives, but normally bravery awards are given for an act of bravery, that somebody actually does something, and they haven’t done anything,” he told Fairfax radio 2UE. Nile added that Johnson and Dawson deserve the recognition.

Nile also thought that with the men fleeing the scene, they may have put the lives of those who remained at risk. However, he cleared he was not suggesting the men were cowardly, but he just didn’t think they should be rewarded with bravery awards.

“Maybe they could have done something more to protect the women, but I guess when you’re with a dangerous Islamic terrorist with a shotgun, you’re not thinking about protocol, you’re thinking about how to save your own life,” he mused. “It was certainly traumatic, there’s no doubt about that.”

What they deserve, however, is community recognition for suffering through the ordeal, the MP said, adding that a newspaper award would be appropriate recognition. As for the bravery awards, they should be actually medals and must be given to the people who “actually did perform acts of bravery.” Giving them to others who don’t deserve bravery recognition “cheapens” the awards.

The New South Wales Coroners Court announced the inquest into the deaths of Monis, Johnson and Dawson will open on January 29.

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