Canberra man Luke Dorsett is one of 89 people recognised for selfless acts in the 2024 Australian Bravery Decorations.

Mr Dorsett, who was in one of the rafts and died in the 2016 Dreamworld crash, received a posthumous commendation for bravery for sacrificing his own life to save his niece.

“Mr Dorsett immediately placed his arm across his niece to prevent her falling from the raft. Sadly however, Mr Dorsett fell from the raft himself, and tragically died at the scene after becoming caught in the ride,” the bravery citation reads.

Six people were on the Thunder River Rapids Ride when it malfunctioned, causing four people to die – Luke Dorsett, Kate Goodchild, Roozbeh Araghi and Cindy Low. Their raft crashed into another and overturned, killing the victims almost instantly. Two children were on board but survived the accident.

The Governor-General paid tribute to all the recipients.

“In a moment of peril, each of the people we are recognising today decided to come to the aid of someone else – some, someone they knew, others a total stranger,” he said. 

“Often their actions were at a cost to themselves. Tragically, two recipients lost their own lives.”

With AAP