Local Sarah Barnbrook recently accepted the Best Volunteer prize at the Australian Women in Security Awards.
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A local Seymour advocate has been appointed to five adviser positions with the National Council of Women Victoria for 2025/26.
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Sarah Barnbrook will serve as adviser for human rights, for rural and regional women, for youth, for ICT, for social media and mass media, and as co-ordinator of communications.
These roles strengthen the voice of regional Victoria in statewide advocacy, ensuring that the perspectives of country women, young people and families are represented.
“I am proud to take on these roles with NCWV,” Ms Barnbrook said.
“Being based in regional Victoria, I see how gaps in services and policy affect families and young people.
“These positions allow me to amplify local voices and make sure our communities are part of the solutions.”
Ms Barnbrook’s appointments come at a time of growing recognition for her leadership.
At the Australian Women in Security Awards, she was named Best Volunteer for her outstanding voluntary service advancing cybersecurity and online safety across Australia and globally.
Sarah Barnbrook (far right) attended the National Council of Women event at parliament with (from left) National Council of Women Victoria vice president June Anderson, standing committee convenor Robyn Byrne, Soroptimist International Shepparton member Elizabeth Butler, Soroptimist International Melbourne member Maggie Mitchell, and National Council of Women Victoria individual member president Sheila Byard.
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The award citation commended her leadership in empowering under-represented communities, championing digital wellbeing, ethical technology and safety by design.
Ms Barnbrook also serves as chief revenue officer of Women 4 STEM, supporting pathways for women and girls across the STEM pipeline, and represents Victoria on the Soroptimist International Australia National Advocacy Committee, contributing to policy recommendations on child safety and online exploitation.
Ms Barnbrook recently featured on the Voices from the Edge podcast, where she spoke about online harms, the risks of artificial intelligence and deepfakes, the government’s proposed social media age restrictions, and the importance of trauma-informed digital safety approaches.
Looking ahead, she is developing workshops to help families prepare for the upcoming social media age restrictions, and has reached out to local councils and shires, and is calling on schools and youth groups to collaborate on youth-led programs over the summer holidays.
“This is an opportunity to put young people at the centre of solutions,” Ms Barnbrook said.
“I’d love to work with schools, councils and youth groups to co-design programs that support our communities during this change.
“I invite you to reach out.”
With her NCWV appointments, national award recognition and grassroots workshops, Ms Barnbrook continues to bridge community seeds with state-level advocacy, ensuring that regional Victoria is not left behind in shaping safer futures.
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