Our Staff

Our Trainers

Environmental Trainers delivering Environmental education are senior environmental specialists with extensive skills within their respective industries and qualifications at graduate and post graduate levels, they also have experience in providing training and maintain a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

Environmental Trainers providing Spill Response courses are all experienced in environmental spill protection and pollution control and have qualifications which at a minimum include Certificate IV in On-site Environment Management and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

• Phil Abernethy, Managing Director and Trainer
• Martine Bissonette, Environmental Management Trainer and Assessor
• Pevlin Price, Environmental Management Trainer and Assessor
• Rob Nicholson - Spill Response and Environmental Awareness Trainer and Assessor

 Phil Abernethy, Managing Director and Trainer
Masters Business Administration (Technology Management)
BE Chem (Hon)
Post Graduate Studies in Environmental Impact Assessment
ISO 14001 Specifications Course (QAS 1998)
Certificate IV in Training and Assessment TAA40104

Phil Abernethy is an Environmental Educator and Consultant who developed Australia’s first Certificate IV in On-Site Environmental Management and Advanced Diploma of Environmental Management.

With a passion for the natural environment fostered from an early age, Phil is inspired to share his experiences and offer industry insight as part of his commitment to sharing environmental knowledge.

After graduating with a B.E. (Chem, Hons), M.B.A., and completing Post Graduate Studies in Environmental Impact Assessment, Phil had over three decades of experience in Chemical Engineering and providing Environmental Best Practice commissioning and operating Sugar Mills.

He established Absorb Environmental Solutions in 1996 and Absorb Training in 2009 and also founded the Institute of On-site Environmental Management.

Martine Bissonette, Environmental Management Trainer and Assessor
MS Chem
BS Chem
Certificate IV in Training and Assessment TAA40104

Martine has assisted with the development of the Certificate IV in On-site Environmental Management and the Diploma of Environmental Management. She is responsible for assessments and maintaining academic standards for these courses.

Martine has over 18 years experience in the areas of hazardous materials, emergency response, environmental site remediation and training. She has developed numerous scientific courses including a specialized hazardous materials training course for the New South Wales Fire Brigades State College and courses on the use of field analytical instrumentation for government and industry responders across Canada and the United States.

She has managed various research projects on innovative emergency response systems and environmental site cleanups. She has presented technical reports at international conferences, including being a speaker at the NATO Course on International Environmental Disaster Operations in Rosersberg, Sweden. Martine was a field team leader during the Columbia Shuttle Disaster recovery efforts. In this program, she managed a team of 70 personnel and coordinated efforts with over 10 agencies including NASA, National Forest Services, and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Pevlin Price, Environmental Management Trainer and Assessor
B Professional Studies
Grad Dip Asian Studies
Dip in Strategic & Defence Studies(Malaya)
Dip in Personnel & Resource Management
RABQSA Accredited Trainer / Examiner (OH, QM, EM, AU, TL)
Cert IV in Assessment and Workplace Training (BSZ40198)
Cert IV in On-Site Environmental Management
Cert IV in Public Safety (Defence Safety Coordination)
Cert IV in Competitive Manufacturing
TapRoot® Senior Investigator

Pevlin is an experienced management systems adviser and trainer. He has over 20 years experience in training and risk management in the realm of occupational health and safety, and in the last 10 years has extended this skill set to include environmental and quality management.

He has a service background in the Australian Army. He has previously undertaken teaching and training management projects in Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia. Currently as a reservist he is responsible for analysis, training and development in the ArmySAFE Advisory Service.

As an adviser to the manufacturing sector in NSW he links workplace safety with 'Lean' and 'Clean' manufacturing concepts to assist organisations achieve compliance and self-improvement.

He has been presenting and assessing training in EMS and auditing since 2006, and our Certificate IV in On-Site Environmental Management course since early 2010.

Rob Nicholson - Spill Response and Environmental Awareness Trainer and Assessor
TAA 40104 Certificate IV in Training & Assessment
BSZ 50198 Diploma in Training & Assessment Systems

Rob comes to us with a broad wealth of experience in the training field, having previous roles as a trainer in the military and within the VET sector and is currently completing his Certificate IV in On-Site Environmental Management.

Rob began his training and assessing experience as a military driving instructor as part

of over 20 years service in the Army. Rob’s previous VET training was as a trainer/assessor conducting training and assessment in Transport and Logistics. This also involved the development of training and assessment tools to support these activities.

In addition to assisting in the development of new course and the delivery of training in Absorb Basic, Plus and NRT, Rob will be your point of contact for Spill Response Training Bookings in the Queensland region. 

If you would like to enquire about employment, please contact us