Excellence in community services

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Carolyn Gowers

Fitzroy VIC

Carolyn Gowers is recognised for her transformative leadership of Project Respect, a unique Australian specialist organisation supporting people with experience in the sex industry, and those affected by sexual exploitation. Since joining in 2022, Carolyn has driven a series of key initiatives, including introducing free, trauma-informed specialised sexual violence counselling, and championing groundbreaking survivor-led research on the economic empowerment of modern slavery survivors as a catalyst for change.

She led Project Respect’s role in the original consortium delivering the Additional Referral Pathway. This program enables support pathways for modern slavery survivors without requiring initial contact with the Australian Federal Police - a previous barrier keeping many survivors invisible to the system.

Carolyn’s leadership on these and other initiatives is helping shape Australia’s critical response to sexual exploitation, and the provision of support to people with experience in the sex industry.

Zehrina Hajdic

Mission Australia
Coffs Harbour NSW

As State Leader Housing Operations at Mission Australia, Zehrina identified that frontline teams and managers – working daily with people experiencing homelessness, family violence and complex trauma – lacked consistent support to sustain this demanding work.

Her response included the introduction of structured reflective practice forums, a redesign of workload and escalation processes, and targeted leadership coaching. Recognising the gendered nature of the workforce, she also implemented flexible working arrangements, parental leave backfill planning and mentoring pathways for emerging female leaders. The initiatives have supported improved manager decision-making, higher retention and fewer unplanned absences. A passionate advocate for culturally responsive and inclusive services, Zehrina has equipped housing operations to work effectively with culturally and linguistically diverse communities and to respond appropriately to gender‑based violence and trauma.

The result of her work is more stable, confident teams delivering more consistent, compassionate care – with stronger housing outcomes for individuals, families and communities.

Kylie Straube

Remote Territory Healthcare
Berry Springs NT

Kylie is recognised for co-founding Remote Territory Health Care (RTHC), a multidisciplinary general practice 100km south of Darwin that restored local primary care to 7,500 rural Territorians following the closure of the Berry Springs medical centre. The closure had left nearby residents needing to travel more than 50km to the nearest clinic or go without medical care.

Rather than accept a stripped-down outreach model, Kylie built a fully equipped clinic to metropolitan standards — delivering chronic disease management, women's health, paediatrics, mental health care, minor procedures, and more across five communities. She leads a team of nurse practitioners, GPs, and allied health professionals, and has created First Nations nursing career pathways and a Northern Territory-first medical administration traineeship. She actively contributes to government policy submissions, mentors emerging nurse practitioners, and volunteers with national nursing colleges. 

Kylie’s practice is a documented, replicable model and her leadership is helping ensure remote communities can access the same quality of care as those who live in cities.  

CASS Care Ltd team

Campsie NSW

CASS Care is recognised for its pioneering volunteer management model, which is transforming how culturally and linguistically diverse seniors engage with community services.  

Founded in 1981 and supporting over 8,500 families weekly, CASS identified a double barrier facing older migrants: the challenges of ageing compounded by linguistic and systemic exclusion. In response, CASS developed a structured pathway — from seeding and nurturing through to autonomous, community-led governance — that empowers CALD seniors to lead over 55 activity groups across metropolitan Sydney to Wollongong. Volunteers from Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian and wider communities contribute over 36,000 hours annually, with more than 100 volunteers progressing into formal bilingual roles. 

Validated by the UNSW Social Policy Research Centre and recognised in Volunteering Australia's National Strategy for Volunteering 2023–2033, CASS demonstrates the power in building sustainable, scalable and culturally safe aged care within communities.

Pill Testing Australia Team

Harm Reduction Australia
Emu Plains NSW

The Pill Testing Australia Team (PTA) at Harm Reduction Australia is recognised for pioneering and advancing Australia's drug-checking services, delivering a high-impact, evidence-based public health intervention through a 100% volunteer workforce. 

The multidisciplinary team brings together analytical chemists, harm reduction workers, clinicians, and data specialists in a tightly integrated model that bridges laboratory science and frontline health care. In 2025–26, the team deployed mobile LC-UV-MS technology at event-based services — a national first — enabling real-time qualitative and quantitative analysis of substances. At a February service, the team identified heroin being sold as cocaine, confirmed results on-site, and issued a rapid national alert that reached 887,000 people.

Since inception, PTA has tested 1,400 samples for 1,865 clients, with 75 samples voluntarily discarded following testing. Its work reduces individual harm, strengthens early warning systems, and advances Australia's public health response to an increasingly complex drug landscape. 

Women's Homelessness Prevention Project

Justice Connect
Melbourne VIC

Women's Homelessness Prevention Project at Justice Connect is recognised for its pioneering wraparound model combining specialist legal representation and social work support to prevent homelessness for women and children across Victoria. 

Since 2014, the team has helped over 1,600 women and children safely avoid homelessness — 83% of whom had experienced family violence. The team's paralegals, lawyers, and social workers collaborate closely to provide trauma-informed, person-centred assistance covering eviction prevention, family violence tenancy protections, financial counselling linkages, and direct financial support. Their advocacy has helped secure the strongest residential tenancy protections in Australia. Digital tools Dear Landlord and Home of Your Own extend this impact further, collectively reaching over 142,000 renters with early intervention legal support. 

The WHPP stands as a model of best practice in preventing homelessness before it starts.