The StateWest Achievement Awards recognise the best of WA’s public servants, as Noel Dyson reports.
THE Department of Agriculture has made a clean sweep of the two individual categories in the 2003 StateWest Achievement Awards.
Likewise, the Department of Industry and Resources – through its work to help secure the $25 billion natural gas deal with China – also fared well picking up one major award and a special merit award.
The awards have been running for more than a decade and recognise Western Australian State, Federal and local government employees and the organisations they represent for: outstanding service to the community; initiative demonstrated in a job role; significant productivity improvements; and exceptional performance in a job role.
The awards were presented during a black-tie function at the Perth Mint on December 10. More than 30 nominations were received this year.
Department of Agriculture Indigenous management officer Kim Carter won the ‘employees in a non-managerial position’ award from City of Wanneroo’s Harminder Singh and Department of Industry and Resources protocol officer Linda Franssen.
Mr Carter’s award came for his work to help a remote WA community reach a previously unrealised commercial potential.
He worked with the Noonkanbah people, who operate a pastoral lease covering 170,000 hectares.
Ms Franssen received a special merit award for her work that helped the State secure the $25 billion, 25-year liquefied natural gas contract with China.
Department of Agriculture research officer Rob Randall won the ‘employees in a managerial/professional position’ award over Screen West’s Tania Chambers and the Department of Housing and Works’ Leanne Fotakis.
Mr Randall was rewarded for creating the world’s largest compilation of weed species – A Global Compendium of Weeds.
The compendium is designed to help counter the weed threat in natural and agricultural systems throughout the world.
Peter Murphy and others from the Department of Industry and Resources won the category for ‘groups or a number of colleagues involved in a project’ over Government Health Nurses and the Supervised Care Unit at Fremantle Hospital.
Dr Murphy’s team was recognised for the work it did to help secure the $25 billion China LNG deal.
That deal is thought to be the largest single trade contract signed by both China and Australia and came from years of positioning, coordination between China, the Australian and WA Governments and Australia LNG – the project’s marketing arm in China.
The Fremantle Hospital care unit received a special merit award for creating the first unit designed to treat patients with dementia and behavioural problems associated with their medical condition in an Australian acute hospital.
The unit was developed in response to a need to develop a policy to minimise the use of patient restraints.
The Western Australian Tourism Commission secured the marketing excellence category award for its Western Australian Wildflower Holiday Guide.
The WATC won ahead of the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection’s WA Scamnet and the Department of Health’s 20 Years of Quit campaigns.
The WATC’s guide has been produced for the past eight years and is designed to provide information about WA’s wildflower season to self-drive holiday makers and those guided on wildflower coach tours.
Besides the trophy and accolades of their public sector colleagues, the winners also received a 12-month subscription to WA Business News.
The StateWest awards concept is unique to Western Australia.
StateWest Credit Society State manager retail Tony Romano said there were no other awards in Australia that recognised public sector employees.
“Some of the work that gets done by these employees is amazing but it never gets noticed by the public,” he said.