The Local Government Association of Queensland and a CPA who managed the corporatisation of Wide Bay Water, an arm of Hervey Bay City Council, were both recently recognised for excellence in financial management by the nation’s largest accounting body. CPA Australia celebrated the achievements of public sector CPAs and organisations at the Queensland Public Sector Awards 2002 held in Brisbane on 27 November.
The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) and Ergon Energy were named joint winners of the Public Sector Organisation of the Year award. The Local Government Association of Queensland was recognised for its work in helping its member Councils to tap incentives available for implementing National Competition Policy (NCP) reforms. LGAQ’s Business Management Assistance Program was developed following evidence that some Councils were not adequately accessing around $70 million to $150 million in financial assistance available for NCP reform, because of lack of progress in this area. The program helped a large number of local authorities with NCP reforms by providing briefings, in house assessments, simple guidelines and staff training.
Wide Bay Water Commercial Manager, Joanne Collins, received the Public Sector CPA of the Year Award for her role in the successful corporatisation of Queensland’s first Local Government owned corporation (LGOC) earlier this year. Wide Bay Water has around $150 million in assets, a $20 million annual turnover and serves a local population of 45,000. Joanne Collins successfully completed the project within a tight timeframe, managing the legal, corporate finance, governance, industrial systems and other issues in the lead up to corporatisation on January 1 this year.
Winners of the Queensland Public Sector Awards will now contest the CPAs’ biennial National Public Sector Awards next year. The Queensland Public Sector CPA of the Year received $2,500 of CPA Australia professional development. The winners of the organisational award received $1,500 of professional development activities.
