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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-04-05 Daily Xml
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PREMIER'S AWARDS

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (14:53): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Public Sector Management a question about the public sector awards.

Leave granted.

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO: Since 2007, the Premier's Awards have been recognising outstanding work by both work groups and individual employees which has contributed to the achievement of the South Australian Strategic Plan objectives. Will the minister inform the chamber about last night's awards?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises) (14:54): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. Last night I had the pleasure of opening the 2011 Premier's Awards. The awards are about promoting excellence in the Public Service, and it was very pleasing to see that the awards received a high number of really impressive applications from a number of different agencies.

All of the finalists demonstrated that government can go about doing business in very unique ways. The finalists demonstrated creativity and innovation, strategic partnering and groundbreaking research that promotes South Australian nationally and also internationally. All of the initiatives exemplified the principles of the committed public sector. Awards highlighted the capacity of the workforce to approach their work with flexibility and adaptability to meet the evolving needs of the community and provide models for the way in which work can be constructed across the sector.

The initiatives demonstrate a high level of collaboration across not only the public sector but between the various employment sectors and the community itself. These collaborations are designed to gain specific outcomes for the public in the most effective and efficient manner. They show excellence in their initial conceptualisation and in the manner in which they are implemented.

Last night, six South Australian public sector work groups and one individual were honoured with the Premier's Award for their contributions to the state. Each winner related to a strategic plan priority area, and I would like to take this opportunity to outline, very briefly, the winners and, again, offer my congratulations on these remarkable achievements. The winners were:

Growing Prosperity Award—Science and Information Economy Directorate in DFEEST for the 'AdamMax-Shining the Light on Broadband Blackspots';

Improving Wellbeing Award—Children, Youth and Women's Health Service and Blood, Organ and Tissue programs in SA Health for the 'BloodSafe e-Learning' project;

Attaining Sustainability Award—Science, Monitoring and Information Division, Department for Water for the Safeguarding South Australia's Water Supply Through The Management of River Murray Salinity Project;

Fostering Creativity and Innovation Award—Office of the Chief Information Officer in DTEI for the StateNet Regional Broadband Program;

Building Communities Award—Sustainable Systems Division within PIRSA for the SA Drought Support Program;

Expanding Opportunity Award—Science and Information Directorate in DFEEST for the Remote Indigenous Public Internet Access—Oodnadatta Initiative.

Finally, the individual award winner was Luke Mosley of the Water Quality Branch of the Environment Protection Authority. Luke was honoured for his work, Assessing and Managing Water Quality Risks in the Lower River Murray and Lakes During Extreme Drought. Luke's project helped to protect precious aquatic ecosystems and the community from harms that emerged from declining water quality as a result of the drought.

Work group award winners received a grant of $5,000 and the individual award winner received a grant of $2,000. The grants are to be used for the benefit of the work group, work of the initiative or the work environment. I am sure members would agree that these innovative and important projects are a testament to the good work being done by public sector agencies, and they are an example of the dedication and drive that exists within the public sector. They are indeed to be congratulated for their amazing efforts.

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