Everyday heroes
Published on 30 July 2026
Not all heroes wear capes. Peek behind the curtain with the environmental health officers keeping our city safe.
When asked what councils do, most people would say that they maintain roads and footpaths, operate libraries and community facilities, and collect waste.
While that’s true, councils Australia-wide are also charged with so much more. They provide many services and programs that communities rely upon and are legislated to undertake quiet but necessary work in the background to keep residents and visitors safe.
What does that work look like? Enter, the environmental health officers or, EHOs. You mightn’t have heard of them, or you’ve heard of them but are not quite sure what they do. Well, they don’t plant trees!
They do, however, manage local environmental factors to protect the community, prevent illness and contribute to making Onkaparinga a healthy place to live. Think clandestine drug labs, tattooists, body piercers, wastewater and public pool inspections. Auditing aged care facilities and childcare centres and working with residents who have hoarding and squalor issues.
In her role as Team Leader Community Health, Nicole Moore, advises the EHOs daily with their work. She explains that the primary role of the team is to protect public health through education, guidance, and by working collaboratively with businesses and the community. “Most of our work is focused on preventing problems before they occur. Whether it's helping a food business improve food safety practices, ensuring wastewater systems are not failing, investigating public health complaints, or responding to community concerns, our goal is to achieve practical, compliant outcomes rather than simply enforcing legislation.”
In practice that might include:
- ensuring tattooists and body piercers are using sterilised equipment in hygienic environments
- making sure food sold in restaurants, cafés and supermarkets is safe to eat and rainwater served in commercial premises is safe to drink
- investigating diseases such as Legionella and food poisoning to locate infection sources
- managing pest and disease risks such as mosquitoes and rodents
- ensuring septic systems and wastewater disposals operate correctly
- investigating public health complaints from residents.
No 2 days are the same! Ian Hawkins, Community Safety and Property Manager, oversees a broader team of people at the council who manage immunisation, community safety, fire prevention, property transactions, cemeteries, leases, licences and permits, community and contaminated land, and of course, environmental health. Phew! That’s no mean feat when it involves the largest council in the state by population (more than 184,000 residents).
You may ask: why is environmental health the council’s responsibility? Ian explains, “Public and environmental health is among the foundational reasons local government was established in the United Kingdom and later in Australia. Local government emerged largely in response to public health crises, particularly outbreaks of communicable disease”.
Aren’t we lucky our cape-less crusaders are up for the task. Environmental health officers or everyday heroes? You decide.
Environmental health officers are in high demand in councils across Australia. If you’re interested in becoming an everyday hero, Flinders University offers postgraduate environmental health courses. Visit: flinders.edu.au/postgraduate-environmental-health