36th Annual WS Lonnie Awards

Recognising Excellence and Accountability in Annual Reporting

The Institute of Public Administration Australia WA’s (IPAA WA) 36th Annual W.S. Lonnie Awards for excellence and accountability in annual reporting was held at the Hyatt Regency Perth on Friday 25th of June 2021.

IPAA WA Secretary, Emma Forrest, welcomed guests including the Honourable Kim Beazley AC, Governor of Western Australia and IPAA WA Patron.

The Awards attracted CEOs, Directors General and Commissioners from across State government agencies and statutory bodies, all hoping to take out the prestigious W.S. Lonnie Memorial Trophy – awarded to the best annual report for the year.

The primary vehicle for accountability in the Public Sector has been and always will be the way agencies report their performance. The W.S. Lonnie Awards recognise the importance of Annual Reports being accountable and transparent in a succinct and independent way. All State agencies are eligible and are automatically considered as part of the judging process.

Major Awards and Trophies

W.S. Lonnie Memorial Trophy

Awarded to the best annual report for the year.

WINNER: Office of the Auditor General

Judges’ Comments:
A very polished report with ample discussion of both the meeting of set goals and an explanation as to why some areas were not met. Provided a very clear explanation of performance, KPIs, and improvement options. The report has a very professional feel, good graphics and at a glance information at the beginning of each section.

Margaret McAleer Special Commendation

The award is presented at the discretion of the panel for an outstanding report that, in some respect, establishes a benchmark to which others should aspire.

WINNER: Western Australian Country Health Service

Judges’ Comments:
This report exudes commitment to purpose. It captures the context of WA country health very well. The look and feel of the report is very engaging. The report has great balance between pictures, text, graphics and data. It uses good story telling to highlight achievements. COVID response very well presented.

Allan Skinner Trophy

Awarded to the best annual report in the General Government Sector.

WINNER: WorkCover WA

Judges’ Comments:
Well structured, easy to follow; governance structures and processes well presented. A very solid report that demonstrates the agency is preforming well in terms of meeting or almost meeting KPIs and effectiveness indicators. The report links the values, vision and outcomes with clear government policy goals.

The Margaret Nadebaum Trophy

Awarded to the best annual report in the Government Enterprise Sector.

WINNER: Fremantle Port Authority

Judges’ Comments:
This report covers significant detail in a very accessible manner. The balance between text, pictures, tables and graphs is excellent. The report also has a very good overview of complaints in several sections with a more detailed discussion as to how the complaints were addressed over the year.

General Award Winners

Category 1 – Agencies with < 100 FTEs

Gold Award Winner: Office of the Information Commissioner

Judges’ Comments: 
A very polished report with ample discussion of both the meeting of set goals and an explanation as to why some areas were not met. The report has a very professional feel, good graphics and at a glance information at the beginning of each section.

Silver Award Winner: Commissioner for Children and Young People

Judges’ Comments: 
The report clearly outlines the strategies in place over the year and report’s progress with some put in place last year. It boasts clear and clean presentation, is logically structured and flows nicely. The agency continues to demonstrate a commitment to clear and appropriate communication with its intended users.

Bronze Award Winner (Joint): Small Business Development Corporation

Judges’ Comments: 
A solid report with a very people focused approach. The tone and structure is very accessible, with ample information as to the practices and processes followed over the year. Great use of case studies that show the extent of assistance offered by the agency.

Bronze Award Winner (Joint): Peel Development Commission

Judges’ Comments:
The organisation of this report is logical and the presentation engaging, while meeting the legislated requirements of an annual report. The discussion of the strategic goals and the links to the Commission was coherent and well considered. Good explanation of governance performance and the variance in costs and equity.

Special Commendations: 

Western Australian Electoral Commission

Category 2 – Agencies with 101 – 1,000 FTEs

Gold Award Winner: Office of the Auditor General

Judges’ Comments: 
A very polished report with ample discussion of both the meeting of set goals and an explanation as to why some areas were not met. Provided a very clear explanation of performance, KPIs, and improvement options. The report has a very professional feel, good graphics and at a glance information at the beginning of each section.

Silver Award Winner: WorkCover WA

Judges’ Comments: 
Well structured, easy to follow; governance structures and processes well presented. A very solid report that demonstrates the agency is preforming well in terms of meeting or almost meeting KPIs and effectiveness indicators. The report links the values, vision and outcomes with clear government policy goals.

Bronze Award Winner: Department of Health

Judges’ Comments: 
A very comprehensive report that covers in detail the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report is very clear, coherent, and readable with significant detail and description for all health areas covered. Good use of graphics, clear and thorough explanation of year’s highlights and challenges.

Special Commendation: 

Department of Water and Environmental Regulation

Category 3 – Agencies with > 1,000 FTEs

Gold Award Winner: East Metropolitan Health Service

Judges’ Comments: 
Effective combination of text, images, data and stories; was impressed by the section of values in practice. The report provides very good links to government goals, indicators outcomes and services. Also provides clear analysis of performance, calling out desirable/undesirable outcomes.

Silver Award Winner: Western Australian Country Health Service

Judges’ Comments: 
This report exudes commitment to purpose. Clear messaging and achievements appropriately covered and highlighted. It captures the context of WA country health very well. The look and feel of the report is very engaging. The report has great balance between pictures, text, graphics and data. It uses good story telling to highlight achievements. COVID response very well presented.

Bronze Award Winner (Joint): Department of Transport

Judges’ Comments: 
A polished report with a clear explanation of detail covered by the agency over the year. The structure of the report is good, with the explanation of the KPIs and effectiveness indicators well explained. Thorough and timely coverage of COVID response. Good detail to describe reasons for variances from target KPIs.

Bronze Award Winner (Joint): Main Roads Western Australia

Judges’ Comments: 
The report is of a high quality. It is both engaging and well considered with ample information, evidence and case study narratives to blend the technical and administrative with the personal and community. The development of a fully functional independent website is a real step forward in presenting an annual report in a modern way.

Category 4 Government Trading Enterprises

Gold Award Winner: Fremantle Port Authority

Judges’ Comments: 
This report covers significant detail in a very accessible manner. The balance between text, pictures, tables and graphs is excellent. The report also has a very good overview of complaints in several sections with a more detailed discussion as to how the complaints were addressed over the year.

Silver Award Winner: Pilbara Ports Authority

Judges’ Comments: 
The outline of government goals, themes, objectives and results was really good. One of the few agencies to clearly present achievements against government objectives. The section on performance results was informative and the narrative was well considered. The overview of the agency, the graphics, pictures and text were all very well considered.

Bronze: Western Australian Treasury Corporation

Judges’ Comments:
Very comprehensive and systematic reporting. The report is easy to read, clear well-structured and has a good flow. It was professional, succinct and with good connections to additional material for interested readers. The graphics are good, and the balance between text and graphics is great.

Specialist Awards

There are seven Specialist Awards presented on the day.

Office of the Auditor General Award for Transparency and Accountability

WINNER: Department of Transport

Judges’ Comments:
A polished report with a clear explanation of detail covered by the agency over the year. The structure of the report is good, with the explanation of the KPIs and effectiveness indicators well explained. Good detail to describe reasons for variances from target KPIs. Thorough and timely coverage of COVID response.

Special Commendation: 

Pilbara Ports Authority

WorkCover WA, Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, and Insurance Commission of Western Australia Award for Occupational Safety Health and Injury Management

WINNER: Gold Corporation

Judges’ Comments:
The panel noted a strong commitment statement, mental health taking a high priority and excellent statistics. The report was well presented and while not strictly OSH related, the environmental focus is excellent.

State Records Commission Award for Excellence in Compliance Reporting

WINNER: Department of Justice

Judges’ Comments:
The Department’s Annual Report has again comprehensively considered all aspects of records management across its complex business, and demonstrates an investment in continuous improvement in a way that integrates records management with other aspects of information governance and digital transformation.

Ombudsman Western Australia Award for Complaints Handling

WINNER: Fremantle Port Authority

Judges’ Comments:
This report covers significant detail in a very accessible manner. The balance between text, pictures, tables and graphs is excellent. The report also has a very good overview of complaints in several sections with a more detailed discussion as to how the complaints were addressed over the year.

CPA Australia Award for Performance Reporting

WINNER: WorkCover WA

Judges’ Comments:
Strategic initiatives report brought focus to the key priorities which aided in understanding the organisational strategies. It was good to see a clear statement that indicated no changes had been made to the performance indicators from the prior year and also when the last changes had been made. The Performance snapshot/scorecard was upfront and linked in well with the other highlights.

Special Commendation: 

Department of Water and Environmental Regulation

Public Sector Commission Award for Good Governance

WINNER: Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety

Judges’ Comments:
The report provides a strong account of how the Department adapted and re-focused strategic priorities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report strongly reflects the principles of good governance in a well-structured manner that achieves readability without compromising accuracy and factual detail.

Special Commendation:

Metropolitan Cemeteries Board

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand Award for Chief Financial Officer of the Year

WINNER: Ravi Proheea, WA Museum

Comments from submission:
Ravi Proheea was appointed Chief Finance Officer (CFO) at the WA Museum in 2016. Since this time, the financial management, accounting procedures, performance monitoring and risk management have been revolutionized. Ravi not only espouses, but epitomises, the core values of the Museum: supporting its accountability, governance, financial performance and focus on public values, whilst at all times acting with integrity.

Photos

If you would like to request a high-quality version of any photo, please contact us and quote the photo number.

Back To Top