From a social campaign to rehome lost pets to an online community engagement tool, regional councils have dominated NSW local government awards.
The state’s regional councils have ended Local Government Week on a high note, with rural councils taking out all but one of the respected RH Dougherty Awards.
The multiple gongs are welcome news for regional councils, who for months have been crippled by a state-wide drought.
The awards on Thursday, hosted by the state’s council peak LGNSW, recognised a total of 28 councils across eight award categories including excellence in communication, reporting, innovation in events and arts and culture awards.
In the RH Dougherty Category, Upper Hunter Shire Council, Bathurst, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Mid-Western Regional, Bega Valley, Tweed Shire, Bland Shire, Queanbeyan and Rous County were all applauded for their innovation, while Randwick was the only metro council in the category.
Among the highlights include Bathurst Council’s social media campaign to help re-home lost animals, Bland Shire Council’s football event which attracted thousands to a town of 500 people, a library in the Snowy Valley which partnered with the Indigenous community for NAIDOC and an emergency dashboard from Tweed Council which helped the community in the midst of a disaster.
Leading the pack in the Culture Change Innovation and Excellence Award was North Sydney Council, whose redevelopment of the Coal Loader Centre was applauded alongside Coffs Harbour’s PlaceScore – an online tool to engage with the community.
Local Government NSW President Linda Scott applauded the councils for their creativity.
“As the closest tier of government to the local community, it is critical that councils engage in best practice communication with the people they serve,” Clr Scott said.
“Great two-way communication strengthens local democracy and helps ensure we all have a say in our future.”
NSW Local Government Awards winners
| RH DOUGHERTY AWARDS
Excellence in communication in local government |
|
| Category A – Councils with populations up to 30,000
Winner: Upper Hunter Shire Council Highly Commended: Parkes Shire Council |
Judge’s Comments:
A statement of belonging for the community and a strong brand
|
| Category B – Councils with populations between 30,000 and 70,000
Winner: Bathurst Regional Council |
Judges’ Comments:
All councils should have this initiative, ensuring animals get returned or rehomed using social media. This is a clear winner. |
| Category C – Councils with populations over 70,000
Winner: Port Macquarie-Hastings Council Highly Commended: City of Canada Bay |
Judges’ Comments:
Created a little family that people connected with. Innovative, good distribution and a great promotion to educate users
|
| Reporting to Your Community | |
| Category A – Councils with populations up to 30,000
Winner: Mid-Western Regional Council Community News Bulletin |
Judges’ Comments: Impressed with impact on community for the dollar and value of money spent. It was also a great use of social media |
| Category B – Councils with populations 30,000 – 70,000
Winner: Bega Valley Shire Council We’ve Got You Covered |
Judges’ Comments:
Informative, concise, innovative with a good visual presentation.
|
| Category C – Councils with populations over 70,000
Winner: Tweed Shire Council Highly Commended: Inner West Council |
Judges’ Comments:
When the Tweed community was facing devastation, hardship and tragedy the Tweed Emergency Dashboard was pulled together quickly for the service of the community |
| Innovation In Special Events | |
| Category A – Councils with populations up to 30,000
Winner: Bland Shire Council Highly Commended: Edward River Council |
Judges’ Comments:
The tiny village of Ungarie (population 557), managed to attract 2,000 people to this event. It’s an innovative way of acknowledging a special local family, and it also stimulated tourism for the local economy.
|
| Category B– Councils with populations between 30,000 and 70,000
Joint Winners:
· Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council – Queanbeyan’s Music By The River Highly Commended: Cessnock City Council |
Judges’ Comments:
Bega Valley Shire Council –
Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council |
| Category C – Councils with populations over 70,000
Winner: Randwick City Council Highly Commended: Waverley Council |
Judges’ Comments:
Excellent use of social media helped deliver significant growth and the development of the festival, and with creating better ecological outcomes. |
| Category D: Division ROCS and County Councils
Winner: Rous County Council |
Judges’ Comments:
A good project for County Councils to be involved in to promote an appreciation of the natural environment. The Community Lecture Program is noteworthy. |
| OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION | |
| Winner: George McCormick
Walgett Shire Council
|
Over a 13 year period George has delivered quite profound results in his engagement with young people in his community. He has made an outstanding contribution to the betterment of the communities of Walgett Shire, and in particular the younger generation. |
| LEO KELLY ARTS AND CULTURE AWARDS
|
|
| Category 1 – Councils with populations up to 30,000
Winner: Snowy Valleys Council |
NAIDOC Week 2018 – Celebrating Wiradjuri
The Tumut Library, on behalf of Snowy Valleys Council, partnered with the local Wiradjuri community and National Parks and Wildlife Service to deliver events during NAIDOC. This is the first time the community of Tumbarumba has marked NAIDOC Week in many years. |
| Category 2 – Councils with populations between 30,000 and 70,000
Winner: Bathurst Regional Council
|
RE-ORG Bathurst
The RE-ORG model has made an invaluable contribution to the professional housing, management and long-term preservation of Councils Collection. |
| Category 3 – Councils with populations over 70,000
Joint Winners:
|
City of Canada Bay While You Are Here … Virtual Traces of RhodesA creative collaboration between the City of Canada Bay and the Rhodes Multicultural Community Association. Eight performers of Chinese heritage worked with Council to record their stories and performances to create an Augmented Reality experience.Mosman Council New Sacred ExhibitionAn exhibition developed by Mosman Council in partnership with City of Parramatta Council which resulted in efficiencies greater than could normally be achieved by two separate councils. |
| LGNSW PLANNING AWARDS
Excellence in Leadership Award for Outstanding Individual Contribution |
|
| Category A – Rural/Regional Councils
No nominees |
N/A |
| Category B – Large Regional Councils
Winner: Elizabeth Lambert
|
Judges’ Comments:
Elizabeth and her team led a committed engagement process, ensuring feedback informed improvement to services. Elizabeth is a worthy recipient and example of excellence in leadership. |
| Category 3 – Metropolitan Councils
Winner: Monica Cologna Cumberland Council |
Judges’ Comments:
Monica’s leadership of the Cumberland Employment and Innovation lands Strategy exemplifies excellence in leadership. Monica led a collaborative approach to development of the strategy as an evidenced-base and expansive vision for council. |
| Culture Change Innovation and Excellence Award | |
| Category 1 – Rural/Regional Councils
No nominees |
N/A |
| Category 2 – Large Regional Councils
Winner: Coffs Harbour City Council PlaceScore and Planning for a Compact City Highly Commended: · Byron Shire Council – Car Share Pilot · Cessnock City Council – Braxton Town Centre |
Judges’ Comments:
Coffs Harbour’s use of the PlaceScore tool was an innovative approach to engaging with different communities on their thoughts on what makes their LGA a desirable place to live. The data captured through the tool was then able to be harnessed by council to inform the direction of other policy documents. |
| Category 3 – Metropolitan Councils
Winner: North Sydney Council Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability Highly Commended: · Randwick Council – ICARE Values · Inner West Council – Creating the Greenway |
Judges’ Comments:
North Sydney Council’s entry for its Coal Loader Centre was the clear winner as it shows what can be achieved through long-term planning. It demonstrates innovation in environmental sustainability by integrating community gardens and rainwater recycling into the layout while educating visitors about the site’s historical significance. It also exemplifies how early stakeholder involvement can really help to promote community buy-in from the outset. |
| NSW YOUTH WEEK AWARDS
Recognise and acknowledge the role played by councils in assisting young people to coordinate Youth Week programs. |
|
Joint Winners:
|
Best Local Youth Week Program |
| Winner:
Walgett Shire Council |
Best Small Council with the Most Outstanding Youth Week Program |
| Winner:
Brewarrina Shire Council |
Most Innovative Youth Week Program |
Joint Winners:
|
Best Ongoing Commitment to Local Youth Week Programs |
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