Business and Regional Development
Sponsored by the Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services: Rural Transaction Centres Programme
Category Winner: City of Playford, South Australia
Best Practice Economic Development Model for an Industrial Council
The City of Playford has developed a best practice economic development model to contribute directly to long-term and sustainable economic development in the region. The model arises from the development of new markets and export opportunities with more than 200 companies participating in the project.
Contact Mr Rodin Genoff
Telephone (08) 8254-0229 Fax (08) 8254-1190
Email rgenoff@playford.sa.gov.au
National Award for Excellence and Category Rural Winner: Tumut Shire Council, New South Wales
Development of a Paper Mill in Tumut Shire
See above.
Community Services
Sponsored by the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services
Category Winner: Melbourne City Council, Victoria
Relocated Project
The project’s objectives were to document the demolition and redevelopment of the Kensington public housing estate, to celebrate the contribution made by tenants to the local community, and to acknowledge the impact of the redevelopment on the community. Relocated Project has shown the benefits of Local Government making long-term investment in cultural development projects. The longer time frame of the project necessitated planning across financial years and allowing flexibility of outcome. Nevertheless, this investment means the positive impact for the communities involved of a project working to a community’s timeline.
Contact Ms Jane Crawley
Telephone (03) 9658-9935 Fax (03) 9658-8436
Email jancra@melbourne.vic.gov.au
National Award for Innovation and Category Rural Winner: Shire of Gingin, Western Australia
Perth North Region Emergency Service Directory and Avon Emergency Services Directory
See above
Engineering, Infrastructure, Planning and Urban Design
Sponsored by the Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services: National Office of Local Government
Category Winner: Hervey Bay City Council, Queensland
Access Hervey Bay
A cooperative whole-of-council approach contributed to the success of Access Hervey Bay. The desire was to improve physical access to the area and access to communications and information technology, to make accessibility a marketable commodity, and to stimulate private sector investment and community involvement in the area. These objectives translated into specific projects, three of which were laying fibre optic cabling along the corridor for future communication needs; improving access to the beach for people with a disability; and modifying roads, footpaths, shopfronts and public amenities to eliminate barriers. Community awareness of disability issues increased and the local economy benefited from growth in private sector investment and tourism.
Contact Mr Doug Mackay
Telephone (07) 4197-4301 Fax (07) 4197-4455
Email dougm@herveybay.qld.gov.au
Environment – Natural Resource Management: Partnerships for Biodiversity Conservation
Sponsored by the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Heritage: Environment Australia
Category Winner: Rockhampton City Council, Queensland
Wombat Research Facility
The Wombat Research Centre at Rockhampton Botanic Gardens and Zoo is making a major contribution to the recovery of the endangered Northern Hairy-Nosed wombat, Queensland’s most endangered mammal. Research at the centre is currently focused on the closely related but more numerous Southern Hairy-Nosed wombat. In just 18 months, two of the three major components of the Wombat Research Centre have been completed and 17 Southern Hairy-Nosed wombats have arrived from the wild in South Australia. The centre was built by a Work for the Dole team and will become a valuable educational facility and encourage a boost for tourism in Central Queensland.
Contact Mr Tom Wyatt
Telephone (07) 4922-1654 Fax (07) 4922-8704
Email wyattt@rcc.qld.gov.au
Rural Winner: Burdekin Shire Council, Queensland
Building Community Partnerships
This local and regional programme’s aim is to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources; pollution control over waste discharge; appropriate levels of air and water quality; minimal soil erosion and degradation; and the protection of some areas in their natural state. The Burdekin Shire Council has been the lead agency to neighbouring Councils and water boards on this programme, which has been implemented through the State Government Burdekin Rangelands–Reef Initiative and achieved outstanding results and community acceptance. Successes have been seen in aquatic weed eradication, contributing to improved waterways and wetlands in the region; pest management strategies involving cooperation and support from individuals, rural landholders and companies; and major tree planting programmes that are tackling water quality and salinity issues.
Contact Mr Mervyn J Pyott
Telephone (07) 4783-9870 Fax (02) 4783-9999
Email merv.pyott@burdekin.qld.gov.au
Environment – Sustaining Local Communities: Local Agenda 21
Sponsored by the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Heritage: Environment Australia
Category Winner: City of Swan, Western Australia
Integrated Planning Framework
The City of Swan’s integrated planning framework was developed to align the city’s external community planning needs with its own internal corporate planning processes. The city also wanted to ensure that its planning, implementation and performance measurement systems operated within an integrated framework based on sustainability. This approach involves community, private sector and government partnerships and a shift in approach from the delivery of functional outputs to the achievement of sustainable community outcomes.
Contact Mr Martin Richardson
Telephone (08) 9267-9286 Fax (08) 9267-9444
Email mrichardson@swan.wa.gov.au
Rural Winner: Derwent Valley Council, Tasmania
Lachlan River Community
Lachlan River Community Holdings Pty Ltd is the result of a joint venture partnership between the Derwent Valley Council and private sector business development company Isle Property Group Pty Ltd. Lachlan River Community is being created as a sustainable complex community of business, cultural and community activity at the site of an abandoned State Government hospital. The site has more than 100 buildings, some of which date back to the early years of Tasmania’s colonial settlement. A mix of activities being undertaken for regional development are best illustrated through the EARTH strategy, where E = education, A = age care, R = rural projects, T = technology and H = heritage and tourism..
Contact Mr Stephen Mackey
Telephone (03) 6261-8512 Fax (03) 6261-8546
Email dvcouncil@dvc.tas.gov.au
Financial Management
Sponsored by the Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services: National Office of Local Government
Joint Category Winner: City of Gosnells, Western Australia
Resource Allocation Model
The Resource Allocation Model (RAM) project successfully linked the annual budget and the goals and strategies of the City of Gosnells strategic plan. This enabled the city to evaluate and rank unlike expenditure and to allocate the city’s scarce resources on a non-political, equitable basis. The RAM process is unique in Australian Local Government. Use of the cost-benefit analysis tools applied through the RAM has meant the Council can demonstrate the most efficient and effective use of its finite resources as applied to competing priorities, and it has gained widespread acceptance by key stakeholders.
Contact Mr Ron Bouwer
Telephone (08) 9391-3250 Fax (08) 9398-2922
Email rbouwer@gosnells.wa.gov.au
Joint Category Winner: City of Onkaparinga, South Australia
Financial Directions
This project is about ensuring the long-term financial viability of Council, and making the priority setting process of proposed project and capital works publicly transparent. The City of Onkaparinga conceived and developed a financial directions framework and process that incorporates a corporate financial model and Council-endorsed resource allocation strategies and criteria. The framework is a recording and decision making tool that is applicable to all Councils because of the common financial parameters and categories of project and capital works.
Contact Ms Debra Just
Telephone (08) 8384-0649 Fax (08) 8384-0713
Email debjus@onkaparinga.sa.gov.au
Health Services and Aged Care
Sponsored by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing
Category Winner: City of Melville, Western Australia
Who Said it’s Easy Being a Guy? – A Self-help Resource for Young Men
Who said it’s easy being a guy? is a health resource for young men by young men and is relevant to the majority of young males in Australia. The book arose from community feedback suggesting the need for a health resource for young males. Using direct quotes and a number of ‘true life’ stories to illustrate issues relating to young men, it provides the target audience with a range of helpful contact points for further advice and assistance. Who said it’s easy being a guy? has proved popular with high schools and community organisations throughout Australia; more than 9,000 copies have been circulated. The project has helped raise awareness of young men’s issues within the community and State Government, particularly in community and education areas.
Contact Ms Janet Amarego
Telephone (08) 9364-0280 Fax (08) 9316-2421
Email jamarego@melville.wa.gov.au
National Rural Award for Innovation Winner and Category Rural Winner: Kingaroy Shire Council, Queensland
Kingaroy and South Burnett Medical Workforce Strategy
See above
Information Technology
Sponsored by the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources: Business Entry Point
Special Award for Outstanding Achievement and Category winner: Whittlesea City Council, Victoria
FoodSmart – Food Safety Plans Online
See above
Rural Winner: Crows Nest Shire Council, Queensland
Smart Community Strategy
Crows Nest Shire’s Smart Community Strategy empowers local communities through the take up of information and communication technology. It does this through a community portal; affordable, high speed and reliable internet services; lifelong learning opportunities; computer-related solutions, resources and infrastructure and friendly planning and development policies. There have been 195,000 ‘hits’ to CNnet in the past 12 months, an additional 230 homes connected to the internet through CNnet, 137 homes supplied with computers in the past six months, training provided to 118 residents, and a high level of public participation in all components of the strategy. Results have been achieved at very little cost to ratepayers.
Contact Ms Bronwyn Cairns
Telephone (07) 4698-1155 Fax (07) 4698-1717
Email bronywn@crowsnestshire.qld.gov.au
Organisational Practices
Sponsored by the Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services: National Office of Local Government
Category Winner: Baulkham Hills Shire Council, New South Wales
Event Management Guide
The Event Management Guide is a complete guide to planning and implementing a safe and successful community event. The guide was originally written to standardise the information sent to Council’s community events management committees and to facilitate the smooth and consistent flow of required details back to Council’s Civic Events Department. It has now expanded to become a document that explains best practice tips and procedures for event management. As a result, all community events management volunteers are better equipped to plan and implement their events on time and within budget. Information in the guide is currently distributed via hard copy and on CD-ROM.
Contact Mr Don Kemble
Telephone (02) 9843-0421 Fax (02) 9843-0118
Email dkemble@bhsc.nsw.gov.au
Joint Rural Winner: Pilbara Regional Council, Western Australia
Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management Plan
The Pilbara Regional Council’s Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management Plan aims to broaden the diversity and cultural understanding of Local Government workforces in the Pilbara. The plan has meant correctly identified training requirements for staff and councillors so that the cultural values and beliefs present in the work environment are better understood. The plan can also be used as a model by organisations wanting to diversify their workforce; it has already been obtained by the Western Australian Local Government Association and is the recommended model/ benchmark in Western Australia.
Contact Mrs Amanda Hutchins
Telephone (08) 9186-8510 Fax (08) 9143-1388
Email prc@roebourne.wa.gov.au
Joint Rural Winner: Shire of Kellerberrin, Western Australia
The Joint Shire Agreement
Kellerberrin Shire Council and the Tammin Shire Council have developed a partnership to improve services, cut costs and show a level of cooperation to provide a viable alternative to amalgamation. It became obvious that a number of services offered by both Councils, or similar tasks that were performed individually, could be examined for possible greater resource sharing. So began what is now known as the Joint Shire Agreement. This agreement eliminated duplication of services and introduced greater employee specialisation. Both Councils have benefited considerably: savings have been made through the reduction of administration overlap and waste and through a reduction in administration staff. There is now only one management team employed to manage both shires.
Contact Mr Stuart Taylor
Telephone (08) 9045-4006 Fax (08) 9045-4437
Email shirekel@agn.net.au
Special Award for Strengthening Indigenous Communities
Sponsored by the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services
National Rural Award for Excellence and Category winner: Town of Port Hedland, Western Australia
Courthouse Arts Centre and Gallery
See above
Youth Services
Sponsored by the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services: Youth Bureau
Category Winner: City of Onkaparinga, South Australia
The City of Onkaparinga Youth Development Model
In 1997 the City of Onkaparinga decided to define its role as it related to youth issues and to provide a guide for the Council’s work in the area of youth development. The result is the Onkaparinga Youth Development Model. The primary aims of the model are to develop community dialogue and participation and to encourage the development of integrated services. Based upon a strong policy framework and coherent, creative strategies, the model has achieved the outcome of increased capacity for enterprise in local young people.
Contact Mr John Davis
Telephone (08) 8384-0762 Fax (08) 8384-0797
Email johdav@onkaparinga.sa.gov.a
Rural Winner: Alexandrina Council, South Australia
GoolwaSkill
The GoolwaSkill programme is about involving older and younger members of the community in common and useful endeavours through skill and knowledge sharing. This sharing improves social cohesion and understanding and encourages mutual respect and employment within the community. Young people are encouraged to be the engine that drives the programme, while local businesses, community groups and volunteers are encouraged to provide support through shared time, expertise and materials. Older residents are encouraged to participate in the GoolwaSkill programme and to remain respected, healthy, active citizens within their community.
Contact Mrs Heather Grant
Telephone (08) 8554-2640 Fax (08) 8555-3603
Email alex@alexandrina.sa.gov.au
