Australia's health and community services stars recognised at the 2026 HESTA Excellence Awards
HESTA
The 2026 HESTA Excellence Awards winners have been announced, celebrating exceptional work in health and community services across the country.
The eight winners were selected from 24 finalists and more than 340 nominations nationally, with individual and team awards across four sectors: aged care, allied health, disability services and community services. The winners were spread across Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT.
Among those honoured were a team delivering free, disability-competent preventive dental care in Parramatta, a clinical psychologist transforming access to perinatal mental health care in Williamstown and the co-founder of a health service who has restored access to care for rural and remote Northern Territorians.
HESTA CEO Debby Blakey congratulated the winners at the awards ceremony last night in Melbourne.
“This year's winners represent the very best of Australia's care sector. Each of them shows what it looks like to deliver critical services in the community with skill, dignity and heart. On behalf of HESTA, I congratulate every winner and finalist,” Ms Blakey said.
“So many of our members dedicate their working lives to these sectors, and we see the difference they make every day. The HESTA Excellence Awards are our way of shining a national spotlight on that work and celebrating the people behind it.”
Each of the eight category winners will receive $7,500 to put towards personal or professional development, or to enhance services or processes in their workplace. The prizes are funded by AIA Australia, a leading life and health insurer.
“The winners personify the dedication of a workforce that is essential to our nation’s health and wellbeing and we’re delighted to stand alongside HESTA to recognise those who go above and beyond for their communities every day,” AIA Australia Chief Executive Officer Damien Mu said.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 HESTA Excellence Awards:
Disability Services – Individual Leadership
Carol Jennings – WaterWombats, ACT
Carol Jennings is recognised for founding WaterWombats, an innovative allied health service that uses aquatic therapy as a gateway to broader therapeutic support.
Carol said it was incredibly meaningful to be recognised in the 2026 HESTA Excellence Awards.
"There are many people across the disability sector doing extraordinary work, often quietly and without recognition, so I do not take this lightly. The most meaningful part of WaterWombats' work is seeing families move from stress, isolation or uncertainty into confidence, connection and belonging.”
Carol plans to use the prizemoney to strengthen the systems behind WaterWombats' rapid growth – investing in staff training, family resources and service pathways, as well as her own development in areas like trauma-informed practice and clinical supervision.
Disability Services – Team Excellence
Northcott Healthcare & Clinical Governance team – Parramatta, New South Wales
The Northcott Healthcare & Clinical Governance team is recognised for delivering free, disability-competent preventive dental care, in partnership with the University of Sydney School of Dentistry.
Scott Williams, General Manager Marketing & Communication, said being recognised in the 2026 HESTA Excellence Awards was a powerful acknowledgment of what can be achieved when disability services, healthcare professionals, academia and people with lived experience work together to address long-standing barriers to care.
“This recognition belongs to the people with disability who have helped shape the initiative, shared their experiences, and trusted us to support their healthcare journey. It also reflects the dedication of our multidisciplinary team and university partners who have worked together to build a sustainable model that improves access to care.”
The team plans to invest the prizemoney directly back into the dental initiative – funding specialised products, sensory supports, clinical equipment and take-home oral hygiene resources that help people with intellectual disability and complex support needs take part more comfortably in their care.
Aged Care – Individual Leadership
Glen Williams – OneCare Limited, Hobart, Tasmania
Glen Williams is recognised for his leadership on clinical governance. His 'Last 1000 Days' framework integrates frailty, reablement, palliative and end-of-life care, improving outcomes, dignity and choice for older Australians.
Glen said being recognised meant a great deal.
“I have been a nurse for more than 20 years, and aged care has shaped who I am as a clinician and leader. It has taught me that good care is not only about managing risk or meeting standards. It is about seeing the person, understanding what matters to them and helping them continue to live with dignity, purpose and choice.”
Glen plans to use the prizemoney to look beyond aged care for ideas – learning from high-risk, complex fields like remote health services and expedition leadership, then bringing that thinking back to OneCare to strengthen its clinical governance systems and Last 1000 Days approach.
Aged Care – Team Excellence
Embedding Specialist Palliative Care Nursing in Aged Care Residential In-Reach Team – Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria
The team is recognised for embedding specialist palliative care expertise within hospital residential in-reach services, supporting aged care residents to get faster access to palliative and end-of-life care that has improved health outcomes.
Associate Professor Peter Poon, Palliative Care Physician at Monash Health, said being recognised in the 2026 HESTA Excellence Awards was a profound affirmation of the shared, values-driven work they had undertaken to improve palliative and end-of-life care for people living in residential aged care.
"It acknowledges not only innovation and measurable system-level outcomes, but also the collaborative team effort and quiet, everyday commitment from our frontline staff to ensuring that frail older people can receive care that genuinely aligns with their preferences and dignity at the end of life."
The team plans to use the prizemoney to continue its implementation-focused research — covering practical costs like open-access publication fees, educational resources for health and aged care services, and ongoing data analysis to refine the model and help scale it across the state.
Allied Health – Individual Leadership
Frances Bilbao – Mums Matter Psychology, Williamstown, Victoria
Frances Bilbao is recognised for her work as a clinical psychologist transforming access to perinatal mental health care, including establishing Mums Matter Psychology in 2015. Frances' innovative model of care has expanded nationally, removing cost and geography barriers to accessing specialist care for women and families across Australia.
Frances said it filled her with pride and gratitude to be recognised by peers for her work.
"Women and families accessing our service tell us that they would never have got help if we didn't exist and in many cases have changed their lives, and sometimes saved it entirely. That feels really worthwhile."
Frances plans to use the prizemoney to enhance the service's awareness efforts, so all new parents know affordable help exists.
Allied Health – Team Excellence
Family Safety Team – Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria
The Family Safety Team at The Royal Melbourne Hospital is recognised as a leader in hospital-based family violence response. Through policy development, digital innovation, evidence-based education, specialist clinical support and practice-informed research, the team has embedded family violence care across the health service.
Hannah Barker, Family Safety Team Lead, said recognition was an opportunity to acknowledge the commitment, expertise and passion of staff working every day to improve outcomes for victim survivors.
"It reinforces that family violence is preventable and supports our ongoing commitment to building a health system where safety, dignity, accountability and recovery are at the centre of care. One of the most rewarding aspects of this work is seeing victim survivors feel heard, believed and understood."
The team plans to use the prizemoney to support victim survivors directly and advance its research – funding the next stage of a family violence brain injury screening tool being co-designed with First Nations communities, along with practical support like phones and a crisis support fund to help people stay safely connected to services.
Community Services – Individual Leadership
Kylie Straube – Remote Territory Healthcare, Berry Springs, Northern Territory
Kylie Straube is recognised for co-founding Remote Territory Health Care, which restored primary care to 7,500 rural Territorians after her local community's only medical clinic closed its doors.
Kylie said the recognition would give her a platform to showcase her model of care, and an opportunity to change the conversation around health and wellbeing in rural and remote Australia.
“A true primary health care approach embeds self-determination, economic development, skill development employment opportunities and our clinic strives for this in all areas of practice.”
Kylie said the prizemoney will help them align the service with the intended action plans for primary health care across governments, health systems, service providers and communities by creating a shared national policy foundation.
Community Services – Team Excellence
Women’s Homelessness Prevention Project – Justice Connect, Melbourne, Victoria
Justice Connect’s Women's Homelessness Prevention Project is recognised for delivering Victoria's only integrated legal and social work service keeping women and children safely housed.
Hannah Lewis, Manager of Justice Connect Homeless Law, said being the award was recognition of a collective effort over the 12 years the project has been running.
"When we talk about homelessness, the conversation can sometimes focus on statistics rather than people. Yet behind every number is a person who is trying to maintain a tenancy, reunite with family, recover from trauma, resolve a debt, access services, or build a more secure future."
The team plans to use the prizemoney to provide direct financial support to clients — such as food vouchers, help with rent arrears, rent in advance, removalists and assistance paying for medication — practical support that helps women and children stay safely housed.
Ends.
About HESTA
HESTA is one of the largest superannuation funds dedicated to Australia’s health and community services sector. An industry fund that’s run only to benefit members, HESTA now has more than one million members (around 80% of whom are women) and currently manages approximately $105 billion* in assets invested around the world.
*Information is current as at the date of issue.
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HEA Winner - Carol Jennings -
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HEA Winner - Glen Williams -
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HEA Winner - Frances Bilbao -
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HEA Winner - Family Safety Team -
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HEA Winner - Embedding Specialist Palliative Care Team -
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HEA Winner - Kylie Straube -
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HESTA Excellence Award winners with HESTA CEO Debby Blakey, Virginia Trioli and AIA's Chris Healey -
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HEA Winner - Justice Connect.jpg
HEA Winner - Justice Connect
