Australian Public Service Medal
Awarded for Australia Day 2012
DR TERENCE DONALD
Recommended for outstanding public service in the area of
child protection services.
In 1988 Dr Terence Donald was appointed Unit Head of the Child
Protection Services (CPS) at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and
has since been a pioneer and leader in assessment, management and
protection of children who have been victims of abuse.
As the head of the CPS, Dr Donald provided outstanding leadership
and management to a multidisciplinary team providing specialised
forensic assessment and therapy services to children experiencing
abuse or neglect. As a result of his influence, the CPS is now a
nationally recognised centre of excellence in the assessment and
management of children who have been victims of abuse.
During his twenty years in this key role, he has been a tireless
advocate for change. He has been instrumental in ensuring children
receive properly conducted medical examinations by well trained
specialist doctors, encouraged community involvement in the
responsibility for child protection and the introduction of a whole
of government systems management approach to child protection.
Despite slow rates of change being achieved, his persistence and
passion has ensured success and improved services.
Dr Donald has been influential in the development of child
protection policy within the South Australian Government through his
involvement in committees such as the “Interagency Code of Practice
(Child Protection), Interagency Committee for establishing protocols
for the management of Sudden, Unexpected Deaths in Infants and Young
Children, and various task groups in relation to the South
Australian Child Protection Review (Interventions, Justice and
Therapy). He was also given responsibility for the implementation of
the SA Child Protection Review Recommendations for the Department of
Health.
Dr Donald has a strong commitment to teaching and mentoring
clinicians in a variety of disciplines to ensure the best outcomes
for child protection. He has developed and coordinated annual
courses at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital that attract
professionals from all parts of Australia and New Zealand. He has
also trained many of the Forensic Physicians in the child protection
field in Australia.
Dr Donald has held various university lecturing positions in the
area of child protection, community child health and forensic
medicine. He has contributed to a number of text books and handbooks
on the identification and management of physical and sexual abuse
and continues to research and publish papers on the topic. He is
also highly respected by the legal profession and the court system
as an expert witness both within Australia and internationally. He
has had a positive influence on the often difficult relationship
between health and statutory child protection services.
Many in this field have benefitted from Dr Donald’s level of
expertise, high ethical standards, sound judgement, compassion and
respectful approach to vulnerable children and their parents. He has
devoted his career to the public service and continues to work as a
Senior Consultant, Paediatric Forensic Physician in the Child
Protection Unit at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
MS MARGOT FOSTER
Recommended for outstanding public service in the area of
education
In a career spanning over 30 years, Ms Margot Foster has provided
outstanding service to South Australian education through her
tireless efforts to build quality teaching and learning environments
in government schools and children’s services. She has influenced
the learning experiences of both educators and young people
throughout the South Australian public education system and beyond.
Ms Foster has always been an advocate for the voice of children and
young people in education. This has been the case in her role as a
highly effective teacher and school leader in disadvantaged
communities and through broader district leadership roles and
positions she has held as a senior public servant.
In 1998, Ms Foster was seconded to the Department of Education and
Children’s Services to establish and lead an innovative, state-wide
research project – ‘Learning to Learn’. Under Ms Foster’s visionary
leadership, the success of this program in terms of its effect on
school culture, leadership and learning outcomes exceeded
expectations, attracted international interest and resulted in the
policy initiative ‘Teaching for Effective Learning’. Ms Foster
worked with 170 schools and successfully engaged the South
Australian teaching profession to build their capacity to improve
learning outcomes. Her leadership ensured that the research and
professional development project recognised that educators are also
learners and was translated into practical materials for use by
teachers. These critical tools for improving the quality of teaching
was distributed on request to over 27,000 educators and every South
Australian region has sought the support of Ms Foster’s educational
leadership.
Ms Foster devotes many hours of her time, both personal and
professional, in meeting with educators and engaging with
stakeholders. She has worked tirelessly through direct engagement
with all levels of the education sector and is renowned for her
presentation skills and current knowledge of research and learning
processes.
Ms Foster is held in high esteem by national and international
colleagues and is often acknowledged in published literature and
research. As a result of her work on the ‘Teaching for Effective
Learning’ project, the South Australian Department of Education and
Children’s Services has been invited to become a partner in an
international coalition of researchers and educators to progress the
focus on pedagogic change for 21st century learning.
Ms Foster’s commitment to quality learning and teaching for all
students, particularly those from disadvantaged communities, goes
above and beyond her job description. Her inspirational leadership,
vision and exceptional level of service to public education have
made a significant difference to the South Australian teaching
profession and the learning experience of children and young people.
MR ANDREW JOHNSON
Recommended for outstanding public service in the area of
environment and natural resource management.
For over 30 years, Mr Andrew Johnson has made a significant
contribution to the reform of natural resource management at both
state and national level.
In 1989, Mr Johnson was given lead responsibility for the Soil
Conservation program and the establishment of the National Landcare
Program in South Australia. Since that time land management has
become a major initiative at both state and national level. He
played a pivotal role in delivering the Decade of Landcare, helping
to build community awareness and capacity for improved natural
resources management in South Australia in the 1990s.
Mr Johnson was a leader in the negotiations between the Commonwealth
and States for the successful delivery of the Natural Heritage Trust
and the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality in South
Australia. In order to increase the research effort to better
understand the policy issues, he also established the Centre for
Natural Resource Management.
Mr Johnson has represented South Australia on a number of national
committees. Through these roles he has been responsible for
developing strong inter-governmental relations in natural resource
management, Lake Eyre Basin, Murray Darling Basin policy
arrangements, broader climate change, Aboriginal affairs and
legislative and legal policy development.
He has dedicated many years to the South East, specifically the
Upper South East Dryland Salinity and Flood Management Program
resulting in increased agricultural productivity while protecting
significant environmental assets. Successful delivery of this high
profile joint Commonwealth and State funded project was due to his
work ethic, outstanding leadership and ability to build consensus
across broad community interests.
Mr Johnson has been a key player in policy issues such as native
vegetation management, cost recovery for water planning and
management, cultural access to water, irrigation reform and
state-wide water conservation issues. He has also been a significant
contributor to key natural resource related legislation.
Mr Johnson is highly respected in regional communities for his
honest, informed and considered approach when engaging with the
community. His ability to think strategically, his passion,
innovation and insight in developing major projects to successful
outcomes has established him as a leader who has made a significant
impact on communities and the environment in South Australia.