Detective Inspector Jon Rouse has been recognised as the 2019 Queensland Australian of the Year after implementing Australia’s first operation proactively targeting internet child sex offenders, Task Force Argos.
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He is one of four Queensland Australian of the Year Award recipients to represent his state at the national awards on January 25 in Canberra next year.
Inspector Jon Rouse, 55, has served 34 years with Queensland police and started investigating crimes against children in 1996 before he joined Task Force Argos, which began 17 years ago.
He gained national support for the development of the Australian National Victim Image Library project to assist police officers to identify the child victims depicted in images seized from sex offenders.
Inspector Rouse has also dedicated significant time to global awareness, delivering training and presentations on online child exploitation investigations to law enforcement officers across Australia and internationally.
Currently sub-group chair of the Interpol Covert Internet Investigators Group and a director with The Society for the Policing of Cyberspace, Detective Inspector Rouse is the recipient of four Commissioners Certificates for operational leadership.
He has also received two excellence awards for Child Protection Prevention, the Queensland Police Medal, the National Service Medal, the Exemplary Conduct medal, the National Police Medal and in May 2018 the Champion for Children Award in New York from the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.
Inspector Rouse will be joined at the national awards next year by the other Queensland category winners.
Queensland Senior Australian of the Year is Professor James Dale, Queensland Young Australian of the Year is model and activist Angel Dixon and Queensland Local Hero is Elijah Buol.
Scientist, researcher and humanitarian Professor Dale, 68, founded Australia’s first molecular farming company, Farmacule Bioindustries.
His groundbreaking work included seeking a solution to vitamin A deficiency, which leads to death of an estimated 670,000 children in developing countries, and blindness in another 400,000.
Gold Coast woman Ms Dixon, 28, was the first agency-signed model with a physical impairment to feature in a national television campaign and has sought to challenge society's perception of disability.
She wears many other hats, including her role as the advocacy manager for not-for-profit organisation, Starting With Julius, and chief executive officer of the Attitude Foundation.
Criminologist Mr Buol, 33, is an advocate for young and disadvantaged people after arriving as an unaccompanied minor from South Sudan.
The former refugee, father of four and director of Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland has helped young and disadvantaged community members integrate successfully into Australian society.
Elijah’s advocacy work was instrumental in helping remove children under 18 from adult prisons in Queensland.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said this year’s recipients were remarkable Queenslanders that had positively influenced their communities, state and nation.
“This prestigious annual awards program celebrates the achievements and contributions of Australia’s finest,” she said.
“It is with great pleasure that I acknowledge these remarkable individuals as Queensland recipients who have impacted the lives of many.
National Australia Day Council chief executive officer Karlie Brand said the recipients’ work was making a real difference for people in the community.
“We look forward to welcoming these great Queenslanders to Canberra in January for the national awards,” she said.
Fairfax is the media partner of the Australian of the Year Awards.
