At its annual conference dinner in February, LGPro announced the winners of its Awards for Excellence, which acknowledge the outstanding contribution made by Local Government professionals in Victoria. Divided into seven categories, the finalists and winners highlight the creative and thoughtful approaches to the ever changing needs of the diverse communities Local Government is involved with.
Latrobe City Council swept the pool, taking out the Service Delivery Initiative Award for the second year running. This year it was for its City Flood Warning System. Latrobe also took out the Special Projects Initiative category for its Bushfire Recovery Program.
Frankston City Council won the Innovative Management Initiative Award for its staff development and continuous improvement program, while Hobsons Bay City Council and Buloke Shire Council were joint winners of the Community Partnerships Initiative Award.
Hobsons Bay and Buloke Councils were recognised for their Urban-Rural Alliance Initiative, which involved the signing of an MOU to overcome the divide between urban and rural Councils in Victoria.
The Community Assets and Infrastructure Initiative category was won by Towong Shire Council for its innovative business development project – the Corryong Innovation Space.
Darebin City Council’s Climate Change Action Plan, with Council aiming to be carbon neutral by 2020, was also recognised, taking out the Sustainability Initiative Award.
Aidan Mullen, Urban Designer at Maribyrnong City Council, was this year’s winner of the Young Achiever Award. Other finalists in this category were Latrobe City Council’s Environmental Planner, Michelle Hutchins, and Manningham City Council’s HR Administration Officer, Natalie Church.
