Michael John Taylor AO (18 October 1948 – 2 June 2023) was an Australian public servant and policymaker, and later an Independent Director of the Bushfire CRC.
[6][7] In the years after he was a departmental secretary, Taylor took up several board positions, including as an Independent Director for the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre,[8] and as chairman of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.
[9] When he retired from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority Board, Taylor urged the Australian Government to "reconsider the next phase" of a controversial plan to restore the health of the Murray Darling river system.
[10] During his time as Chair on the Authority, he was personally criticised by people concerned that the proposed cuts to water entitlements under the plan would harm their towns.
[14] In June 2007 Taylor was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for 'service to the management of natural resources and industry policy development at the Federal level and also in Victoria, particularly in the area of agriculture, and through contributions to transport, water, food and safety standards'.