Nominations open for local government awards

Dept of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications

Now in its 35th year, the National Awards for Local Government are the premier annual showcase of the achievements made by local governments.

Assistant Minister for Local Government Kevin Hogan said the 2021 awards will recognise and celebrate local government achievements over the last 12 months.

“The past two years have been particularly challenging for local governments with bushfires, floods, droughts, and the pandemic.” Mr Hogan said.

“The awards are the perfect opportunity to recognise where councils have achieved outstanding outcomes and to share them on the national stage.”

This year the nomination process has been simplified to enable shorter online submissions. For the first time, Councils can recognise the work and achievements of their peers in the local government sector through an open voting system.

Voting will also be opened to the public, giving community members the ability to vote for projects across each category that display excellence, innovation, and replicability.

There are eight award categories covering the arts and culture, regional growth, road safety, promotion of Indigenous recognition, and addressing violence against women and children.

Mr Hogan said that he is proud to be part of an initiative that recognises local government achievements and service delivery.

“Many of these projects have the potential to change how councils across the country deliver for their communities.” Mr Hogan said.

“No matter the outcome of the awards, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all local governments for their outstanding work in continuing to deliver for communities throughout Australia despite the challenges of COVID-19.

“Your resilience and determination is a true testament to the Aussie spirit, and demonstrates just how vital this level of government is to every Australian.”

The category winners will be announced in December.

/Public Release. View in full here.