The Institute of Public Administration Australia WA (IPAA WA) celebrated individual and organisational excellence in public administration at its 10th annual Achievement Awards ceremony on the 3rd of December 2021.
Hosting this year’s ceremony were IPAA WA President and Co-Chair of the judging panel, Mr Mike Rowe, and IPAA WA Vice-President and Judge on the Main Judging Panel, Dr Yvonne Haigh. Mr Rowe commented on the quality of nominations this year in his opening remarks. “I am pleased to say that I have been directly involved in the judging process as Co-Chair this year, and the calibre of nominations demonstrates the high quality of those who deliver public services in this state.”
26 awards were presented across 18 categories, and the Awards saw an influx of nominations for COVID-19 related projects this year, which highlighted the incredible work being done across the WA public service during this challenging time to deliver better outcomes to the WA community.
The two collaboration award categories proved popular again this year, and Dr Haigh conveyed the sentiment from the judges, saying, “the judges believed that more than one project deserved recognition because of the quality of nominations as well as the sheer number of nominations received, so this year we are awarding a gold, silver and bronze awards for the top three projects”. Gold, silver and bronze awards were also awarded in the Best Practice in Innovation category, which furthermore highlighted the innovative projects and initiatives undertaken by the public service in WA.
The IPAA WA Patron’s Award, the highest accolade in public administration in WA, was the final award presented on the afternoon. This year’s Patron Award recipient was Sue Ash AO, who was presented the award for her significant contributions to public administration and public policy throughout her broad ranging career. As a leader in the community sector in Western Australia, Sue was recognised for her distinguished service to the community, particularly in the area of social policy development, reform and implementation, and to the provision of services to people in need.
Mr Rowe concluded the ceremony by congratulating all the winners for their commitment to best practice in the WA public service and community sector, highlighting that their contributions are positive accomplishments that deserves recognition.
For a full list of winners, click here.