Thursday, 5 February 2026

 Anthony CARBINES (Ivanhoe – Minister for Police, Minister for Community Safety, Minister for Victims, Minister for Racing) (10:01): I rise to acknowledge and congratulate several local residents and identities who were acknowledged in recent Australia Day awards: Marcus Wigan AM in Eaglemont, for significant service to engineering, to road safety and to tertiary education; the Honourable Bruce Atkinson AM, who is a previous upper house MP, for significant services of the people and Parliament of Victoria and to the region of Nunawading; and Jeffrey Borland AO, for distinguished service to business as a labour market economist, to tertiary education, to microeconomic research and to public policy development. The Public Service Medal went to Anne Congleton in Ivanhoe, for outstanding public service in policy and service design, corporate resource management and operational service delivery – I have worked with her across disability services in the past; and to Jodie Geissler PSM, our CEO at Austin Health, for outstanding public service in health and mental health sectors in Victoria, who is overseeing the $275 million emergency department redevelopment by the Allan government. The Australian Police Medal went to Detective Sergeant Jenelle Hardiman from forensic services, Inspector Susan Nolan and the counter-terrorism legal unit, Inspector Kate O’Neill and the Whittlesea police service area and Acting Sergeant Nick Parissis and north-west metro for the Neighbourhood Watch program. I want to thank them and congratulate them. And in racing, to Maryjane Crabtree AM at Racing Analytical Services, as our chair, for her work and significant legal, professional and community health work, and of course to sport.