Australia Day Achievement Medallion awarded to Dr Malcolm Robb

Western Australian water champion Dr Malcolm Robb was recently awarded an Australia Day Achievement Medallion in recognition of his lifelong commitment to the water profession.

Dr Robb, who is Chair of the Stakeholder Advisory Subcommittee for Program B at the CRC for Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC), was instrumental in developing Western Australia’s first ever water quality improvement plan, the first phosphorous binding clay Phoslock™ and the first comprehensive monitoring programs for catchments and estuaries, now considered one of the world’s best estuary data sets. He has collaborated internationally to develop innovative oxygenation technology in estuaries to reduce the risks of harmful algal blooms and fish kills.

Greg Claydon, WA Department of Water’s Executive Director of Science and Planning and CRCWSC Board member, said Dr Robb was an outstanding ‘knowledge broker’, bringing multiple agencies and skilled personnel together to build and share knowledge and understanding to inform and drive management actions.

“Within the Australian water science and water management industry, Malcolm is known for his pragmatic approach to problem solving and capacity to make things happen,” Mr Claydon said.

Mr Robb also won the Water Professional of the Year at the annual Australian Water Association WA Awards last November.

Professor Anas Ghadouani, CRCWSC Regional Executive Director (Western Region), said: “This is a very well deserved award for Malcolm for his distinguished and tireless work on improving the water quality of some of the most iconic environmental systems in the world. On behalf of the whole of the CRCWSC I warmly congratulate Malcolm for this award.”