Legislative Council Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1) 52 1 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Local Government Managers Association Leadership Excellence Awards LOCAL GOVERNMENT MANAGERS ASSOCIATION LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE AWARDS The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO Legislative Council LOCAL GOVERNMENT MANAGERS ASSOCIATION LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE AWARDS The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (17:02): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for State/Local Government Relations a question about the Local Government Managers Association 2010 Leadership Excellence Awards. Leave granted. The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO Legislative Council The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO: LGMA SA represents professionals working in local government in South Australia. It is a membership-based organisation, and its main roles are to encourage professionalism and involvement in policy decision-making, to provide a forum for discussion and networking between managers, and to pursue the educational and professional development of members. I understand that the minister recently attended the 2010 Leadership Excellence Awards. Will she inform the council of the award outcomes? The Hon. G.E. GAGO Legislative Council Minister for State/Local Government Relations Minister for the Status of Women Minister for Consumer Affairs Minister for Government Enterprises Minister for the City of Adelaide The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (17:03): I thank the member for her important question. In April this year, I was privileged to be able to present awards to the winners of the LGMA 2010 Leadership Excellence Awards. The Leadership Excellence Awards program recognises excellence and contributes to the advancement and improvement of local government as a sector. Awards presented on the night included: Advancement of Women Program—the City of Salisbury; Emerging Leader of the Year—Roderik Vincent, City of Onkaparinga; Excellence in Asset Management within Local Government—Angelo Catinari and Joseph Ielasi, City of West Torrens; LGMA Management Challenge—The City of Charles Sturt, which, if I remember correctly, was an all women's team; Risk Manager of the Year—Desma Fraser, Coorong District Council, and Patty Therrios, City of Marion; Excellence in Sustainability within Local Government—The City of Onkaparinga; Zero Waste SA Award for Environmental Leadership—City of West Torrens; and Leadership and Management Excellence—Dee O'Loughlin, Adelaide Hills Council. I am sure that all members will join me in congratulating those award winners on their achievements. I also provided $5,000 of funding for the Partnerships for Growth Award for 2010 in conjunction with the Office for State/Local Government Relations. The opportunity to fund the Partnerships for Growth Award reinforces the direction I have taken in encouraging councils to develop strategic partnerships on a regional basis. This is a worthwhile opportunity to promote and share initiatives that have been or are delivering a positive result for councils and their communities. In the coming weeks, the LGMA National Congress will be held in Adelaide. The theme of this year's national congress is Re-Generation and will focus on the challenges and opportunities facing local government through major climatic events and changes to local economics or industries and the capacity of local government to meet these and other challenges. As 2010 is the Year of Women in Local Government, a number of concurrent sessions of the congress will focus on achieving greater diversity in the local government sector.