Work in nursing ethics, patient’s rights wins award

A career of more than 40 years supporting nurses and improving patient rights has seen Thornbury’s Dr Megan-Jane Johnstone recognised with a Queen’s Birthday honour. She joins five other Darebin residents who were recognised for their work.

Dr Megan-Jane Johnstone has been a nurse, researcher and author for more than 40 years.

A Thornbury woman who wrote the book on ethics in nursing has been appointed an Officer of the order of Australia.

Retiree Dr Megan-Jane Johnstone started her career working as a clinical nurse in Melbourne’s hospitals in the 1970s.

But she is best known for her contribution to ethics in nursing.

Her 1989 textbook, Bioethics: A nursing perspective, has been printed in seven editions and spent 30 years as an essential educational piece.

The book provides students and nurses with a framework to understand and deal with the unique moral and ethical problems they face every day.

Dr Johnstone said she moved into teaching and research because important nursing decisions, such as end of life treatment, flew under the radar.

“I did what I thought was necessary and that was to make visible to people outside of nursing the extraordinary ethical issues that nurses had to grapple with,” she said.

But Dr Johnstone said she also wanted to give nurses the tools they needed to navigate such difficult areas.

Dr Johnstone has served as academic chair for Deakin University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, as a director on Northern Health’s board, and a member of the International Council of Nurses in her more than 40 year career.

Australian actor Hugh Jackman was one of a number of celebrities recognised on the big day.

She has published more than 190 research items on ethics and patients’ rights and been cited more than 1550 times.

Dr Johnstone said issues of antibacterial resistance, politics of abortion and euthanasia, and the ethics of tolerance were all waiting to be written about.

Dr Johnstone, who was born in New Zealand, said she was honoured for the recognition from her “adopted country”.

She was one of six from Darebin to receive Queen’s Birthday honours.

MEMBERS OF THE ORDER

Preston’s Dimity Hawkins was appointed a Member of the Order for her ongoing campaign against the use of nuclear weapons.

The founder of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 and will return to the ICAN board this year.

Ms Hawkins said she felt overwhelmed by the honour and would continue her fight for as long as it was necessary.

“There’s no getting away from it. Until we get rid of nuclear weapons I’ll always be doing it,” she said.

Preston’s Dimity Hawkins was recognised for her fight to abolish nuclear weapons.

Northcote’s Robert Skinner was appointed a Member of the Order for his service to water management.

Mr Skinner said he was humbled by the accolade.

“You spend time doing things you love doing and getting an award for it is the icing on the cake, really,” he said.

Mr Skinner has spent his career improving water management around Australia but said he was most proud of his work securing a safe water supply for some of the poorest and most marginalised people in the world.

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Alphington’s William Apple was appointed a member of the order for his service to the superannuation sector and to trade unions.

Mr Apple joined the trade union fight for better pay, improved conditions and rights for people with disabilities when he moved to Australia from Canada.

He thanked the unions for giving him the opportunity to improve people’s lives and get jobs for hardworking people.

“You do it for the members, you do it for the workers,” he said.

MEDALS OF THE ORDER

Northcote’s Ian James was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his work in music rights and publishing, and Bundoora’s Ada Wilkinson was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to youth through Scouts.

@richardapearce