Australians who have had a positive impact on water and the environment were among those who received Australia Day honours this year.
This includes Barwon Water Deputy Chair Elaine Carbines, who was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to conservation and the environment.
Carbines is the CEO of the G21 Geelong Regional Alliance, a collection of government, business and community organisations working together to improve the lives of people within the Geelong region.
She was a Victorian MP from 1999 to 2006 and was a Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment and for Education. She has been involved in a number of environmental campaigns, including an attempt to ban logging in Victoria’s Otways forest and vetoing a rowing course on the Barwon River.
Fellow Geelong resident and Southern Rural Water Deputy Chair Michael Malouf was made an AM for significant service to local government and to the Victorian community.
Malouf has been on the Southern Rural Water board since 1 October 2015 and was named Deputy Chair in October 2019. He has also been Managing Director of Barwon Water and has held CEO positions at Melbourne, Geelong and Wyndham City Councils.
A civil engineer, he has had voluntary board roles with the Committee for Geelong, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Regent Theatre.
“I get a lot more satisfaction out of community and not-for-profit boards than any others due to the projects we’ve built or the outcomes we’ve achieved,” Malouf said.
“You can see the benefits to the community.”
Goulburn-Murray Water Director Alana Johnson was recognised as an AM for her service to women through leadership and advisory roles.
Johnson is a strong voice for rural women. She is a founding member of Australian Women in Agriculture and former President of the Foundation for Australian Agricultural Women.
In addition, she is Deputy Chair of the Victorian Catchment Management Council and a former Director of the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.
Across the Tasman, Dr John Wettenhall was appointed an AM for service to the international community through water, sanitation and medical programs.
He has been Chair of the Care for Africa Foundation since 2019, and was the Director for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene before that. A gastroenterologist, he has been travelling to Africa to help provide adequate water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure since 2013.
Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) employee Christine Ferguson received a Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to policy and program delivery in Victoria.
She is currently Assistant Deputy Secretary, Forest, Fire and Regions, but has made a significant contribution to the public sector across a range of portfolios in regional Victoria during a career spanning more than two decades.
Find the full list of 2020 Australia Day Honours here.