French hero gains Australian residency for confronting shopping centre killer

French construction worker Damien Guerot (Channel 7 via AP)

French construction worker Damien Guerot has been made an Australian permanent resident as a reward for his heroism during a knife attack in a Sydney shopping centre that left six victims dead and a dozen wounded.

Mr Guerot was nicknamed Bollard Man on social media after security camera footage showed the 31-year-old standing at the top of an escalator at the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre on Saturday and warding off knife-wielding Joel Cauchi with a plastic barrier post.