Premier's Awards for Excellence

The Heritage Minerals-led project to reinvigorate the historic Mount Morgan gold mine is creating 133 mining jobs in the regional community, which has faced economic challenges since gold mining ceased in Mount Morgan in 1990. The project will establish a tailings processing plant to recover gold and copper, re-commercialising the remaining resources while delivering environmental remediation benefits.

This innovative project, which extends to 2028, will create 266 construction jobs and generate $40 million in new mining royalties to the state over its first seven years of operation. Given the amount of gold and copper remaining at the site, the tailings’ processing plant has the potential to continue operation for decades to come, creating long-term employment opportunities in Central Queensland.

Inter-agency collaboration between the Department of Resources and Queensland Treasury has been fundamental in planning and delivering this project, which has received financial support from the government’s Invested in Queensland program.

The Queensland Train Manufacturing Program (QTMP) will meet the increasing demand for rail transport in South East Queensland over the next 10 years. It will build 65 new six-car passenger trains at a purpose-built manufacturing facility near Maryborough and construct a rail facility at Ormeau for stabling and maintenance. Construction has commenced on both sites, with Downer as the head contractor.

QTMP is creating local jobs during construction and throughout operation of the facilities. The program has developed a comprehensive local content management plan that facilitates genuine, quality, secure and ongoing jobs, and enhances employment and training outcomes for trainees, apprentices and marginalised sectors within society. The plan also focuses on capacity building and supply chain resilience through participation of local suppliers and workforces, and enhances opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and First Nations owned businesses.

The program is dedicated to delivering high value, enduring legacy outcomes to the people of Queensland.

First Nations Digital Program is a nation-leading digital transformation program aimed at improving digital opportunities and economic growth in regional communities by providing digital skills, jobs and economic diversification in First Nations communities across Queensland, through digital career and regional workforce initiatives and the establishment of digital service centres.

Australia’s first Indigenous-owned and operated on-Country digital service centre opened in Cherbourg on 23 March 2022. Staffed by residents from the Cherbourg community, the centre is delivering services for foundation partner Fujitsu, government agencies and other commercial clients.

On 16 June 2023, a second on-Country digital service centre launched on Palm Island, a partnership between Telstra, Queensland Government, Palm Island Community Company and Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council. As community owned and controlled enterprises, the centres create sustainable opportunities to prosper and grow in the digital economy.

The Queensland Venture Capital Development Fund (QVCDF) has been established to retain and attract high-performing start-ups in our state, supporting new industries, new market growth and more jobs for Queensland. High growth start-ups have the potential to create thousands of new jobs for Queenslanders at a faster rate than other sectors.

More than 80 venture capital firms and accelerators have applied for the QVCDF to provide local start-ups with greater access to early-stage capital, enabling them to scale up and fast-track their growth. Through support from Queensland Treasury and Queensland Investment Corporation, the QVCDF will stimulate new investment in innovation with a strong focus on the HealthTech, AgTech, climate, energy and water sectors.

The Fund will enable entrepreneurs to start, grow and stay in Queensland, further boosting the state’s economic diversity and its reputation as an attractive investment destination.

The Alternative Learning Centre at Ipswich State High School is a fully implemented alternative schooling option for students who are disengaged from the mainstream environment. All enrolled students have a diagnosed emotional, mental, physical and/or social condition impacting their ability to consistently attend mainstream classes. An emotionally insecure student is not automatically an intellectually insecure student. With extra assistance, they too can succeed.

The overarching goal is for the student to re-engage with their senior schooling, in an environment that is stable, welcoming and encouraging. The Alternative Learning Centre provides students with the opportunity to work towards their Queensland Certificate of Education through the completion of Vocational Education and Training (VET) work, whilst also engaging in a range of cross-curricular activities to build on their wellbeing. This includes designing and maintaining their community garden, attending equine assisted lessons, hosting and participating in a range of workshops with outside providers, learning AUSLAN and fundraising for societal causes.

The Frontline Forensics Project was a three-month pilot project in Logan District, bringing together research in the Scenes of Crime (SOC) response to property crimes, in particular break and enter offences, and significant savings in frontline Queensland Police Service (QPS) officer responses.

As sole responders for the QPS to victims of property crime, this new response model achieved greater victim engagement, collected additional forensic data in 47% of cases to prevent and solve crime, and achieved over 96% positive community satisfaction.

SOC police successfully diverted 87% of break and enter offences from other frontline police during the project period, which can save a projected total of over 187,000 frontline police response hours each year. This model will now be implemented state-wide in Queensland as the new SOC response for the QPS.

The Inner City Brisbane Homelessness Response is a new model for tackling homelessness in the Brisbane CBD with a successful outcome of housing people in a short time frame. The response includes a dedicated outreach team, the Critical Response Team, operating a mobile housing office across Brisbane homelessness hotspots, working directly with people experiencing homelessness, or at risk of homelessness, on a pathway out of homelessness.

This is the first time the Critical Response Team is providing an on-the-ground outreach service using a co-responder model to proactively engage with people experiencing homelessness, enabling much faster service delivery. The team works with other stakeholders, such as Brisbane City Council and specialist homelessness services, to provide comprehensive support. By collaborating, the team deliver person-centred approaches extending beyond just housing needs.

Additional benefits to the housing system are delivered by transitioning people through to longer-term accommodation, freeing up supported accommodation which many rough sleepers need.

Inala Child Safety Service Centre established Safe Care and Connection Yarns to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in care are looked after in a way that supports cultural, community and family connections.

The initiative brings together First Nations staff, partners and community members to make recommendations regarding critical decisions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

Yarns recognise stronger connections to culture, community, and family, inspire positive outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, and acknowledges potential impacts of child protection decisions on identity and connection to culture.

Feedback has been extremely positive with community members feeling their voices are heard and families are being provided with the opportunity to safely care for their children. The approach has delivered positive results, with some children returning to live safely with their parents and families, returning to their communities, and families successfully reducing risk.

Gold Coast Health is transforming clinical workflows and patient care with its pioneering clinical photography application.

Clinicians can now use their smartphone device to take high-quality images that can be uploaded directly to patient records within minutes to support rapid, accurate assessments. The app significantly cuts down on manual documentation, printing and storage, reducing administrative burden and freeing clinicians to devote more time to direct patient care. It also fosters better communication between clinical teams, ensuring quick access to critical visual information for immediate multidisciplinary, integrated care.

The app stands as a testament to the teams resolve to embrace digital solutions, make healthcare more accessible and continuously evolve service delivery to meet and exceed the expectations of the communities served.

The commencement of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021 was a significant and historic milestone for Queenslanders, providing further choice to eligible people at the end of their life.

Queensland Health established the rigorous clinical and administrative arrangements necessary for voluntary assisted dying (VAD) to be safe, accessible, person-centred and compassionate, for 1 January 2023.

Successful implementation was achieved through sensitive and robust engagement spanning the health and aged care systems. The project delivered training and education; regulatory changes; a Review Board; a secure IT system; a support and pharmacy service; a regional, rural and remote access scheme; clinician and consumer resources; and an authorised workforce available to support people through the process.

This has allowed Queenslanders who are suffering and dying to make an informed decision about ending their life, on their own terms. By 30 June 2023 almost 600 people had commenced the process.

The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) Clinical Hub is a multidisciplinary health unit initially established in 2019 during the COVID-19 pandemic to address increasing demand and mitigate patient safety risks. Since this time, the Clinical Hub has evolved to provide 24 hour-a-day statewide secondary triage, early clinical advice, alternate pathway referral and health navigation for up to 1100 patients per-day at the point of the Triple Zero (000) call.

The Clinical Hub is now home to a multidisciplinary team of paramedics, doctors, mental health clinicians, social workers and registered nurses, providing support to health consumers who can be safely navigated and supported into equivalent healthcare pathways in the community including in-home care, outreach services and virtual care.

The Clinical Hub is now at the stage of full implementation, with ongoing expansion of both the QAS workforce and the services provided to all Queenslanders statewide.

The Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service’s Day Case Hysterectomy project is an innovative and highly beneficial program for women, and also happens to be an Australian first. Typically, patients requiring a hysterectomy remain in hospital for one to three nights. However, the highly skilled team at the Gold Coast University Hospital has now developed a protocol that allows patients to be discharged from hospital hours after their procedure. Women are followed up by a specialist nurse consultant postoperatively using telehealth.

Director of Gynaecology, Dr Graeme Walker has developed a surgical technique for laparoscopic hysterectomy which limits pain and an anesthetic protocol, developed by Dr Guy Amey enables patients to wake up more alert, both supporting early discharge. The team has worked together to develop other aspects of the protocol to allow patients to recover in their own home. This process also reduces healthcare costs as patients require a hospital bed for a much shorter period.

Biosecurity (being pest-free) is a vital part of safeguarding the health of Queensland’s islands. The Great Barrier Reef and Marine Parks Region of Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Partnerships (QPWS&P) looks after the conservation values of over 420 protected area islands.

In 2016, there were limited tools available to facilitate effective biosecurity practices and so the region committed to developing these. One of these is Island Watch, an interactive tool which prompts staff to undertake pest surveillance. In conjunction with Island Watch, the Island Biosecurity Risk Prevention Protocols were established and implemented along with the Biosecurity During Incident Responses to cater to responses after disasters, in particular cyclones.

The region has worked hard to keep improving internal work procedures to ensure the activities they and management partners undertake is pest-free. This requires a high level of pest hygiene to prevent pests arriving, and vigilant surveillance for pests so that the right management responses can be deployed early. The overall vision is to ensure that island biosecurity is robust and serves as a best practice example for tourism and transport operators.

The Marine Protected Area Policy team within the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation led the first comprehensive review of the Great Sandy Marine Park (GSMP) Zoning Plan since it was declared in 2006.

A key result of the review is that Marine National Park (green) zones in the GSMP will more than triple, from 3.9% to 12.8% by area, affording high-level protection to all 23 habitat types present in the marine park. Other changes include prohibiting the use of commercial large mesh gill nets and ring nets that present a high risk to threatened species; measures to increase protection of threatened species (e.g. shorebirds, turtles, dugong, grey nurse sharks); and measures to protect cultural and amenity values.

The zoning plan changes will also provide better connectivity between the marine park and terrestrial protected areas, including protecting natural and cultural values of the adjacent K’gari (Fraser Island) World Heritage Area and Great Sandy National Park.

The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation’s Threatened Species Assessment Team was established to implement the Common Assessment Method (CAM) for Queensland threatened species. CAM is a nationally consistent approach to the listing of threatened species using the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria.

The team prepares CAM nominations for the Species Technical Committee’s endorsement and incorporation into State and Commonwealth environmental protection legislation. As at 30 October 2023, the team of 11 had assessed over 142 endemic Queensland species, including the iconic Mary River Cod of South East Queensland and several little-known filmy-ferns of the Wet Tropics.

The team ensures nominations are completed using the best available information from internal and external stakeholders. They have also provided updated, practical threat mitigation actions and developed resources to increase transparency for the community. In implementing the CAM, the team is delivering on recommendations from the Queensland Audit Office’s ‘Conserving Threatened Species’ report.

The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) Agreement Making and Policy team is honouring and embracing Queensland’s rich and ancient cultural history by creating opportunities for First Nations Queenslanders.

The team successfully co-developed innovative agreements with Waanyi Prescribed Body Corporate and the State of Queensland, which were signed at an historic ceremony at Parliament House on 23 June 2023.

The agreements formalised the return of 378,333 hectares of Boodjamulla Country to the Waanyi People through a staged approach:

• 352,900ha to create a positive future aligned with the Waanyi People’s aspirations to cooperatively manage Boodjamulla National Park (Aboriginal Land)
• 25,433ha to empower the Waanyi People towards self-determination through employment, business and tourism opportunities on Aboriginal freehold.

This is the first lease back arrangement on a national park in Queensland and the first National Park (Aboriginal Land) tenure in Queensland.

Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water and Sunwater have successfully delivered the Rookwood Weir Project aligned with key Queensland Government commitments to deliver safe, secure, affordable, and sustainable water resources throughout Queensland to drive prosperity in the regions.

Queensland and Australian Governments and Sunwater funded the $568.9 million project which was delivered by a construction alliance led by Sunwater as the construction authority, operator and water marketer. The project has been successfully completed, amid six river inundations and significant COVID-19 impacts during construction.

Located on the Fitzroy River, 66 kilometres south-west of Rockhampton, the weir is the biggest to be constructed in Australia since World War II, with a yield of 86,000 megalitres at full supply capacity and at least 50 per cent allocated for agricultural use.

The storage will enable Fitzroy Basin landholders to expand existing operations and/or transition to higher value ventures including irrigated cropping, horticulture and intensive livestock production. It also creates industrial opportunities in Central Queensland and provides urban growth water security in Rockhampton and Gladstone.

The $48.6 million Southern Moreton Bay Islands (SMBI) Ferry Terminals Upgrade project delivered new ferry terminals at Russell, Macleay, Lamb, and Karragarra islands in consultation with island communities, Traditional Owners, SeaLink, and other key stakeholders.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) through TransLink contracts SeaLink to operate a ferry route from Redland Bay to service these islands. SeaLink's ferries run every day of the year with approximately 1.5 million passenger trips annually on these services. Built in the 1990's, the ferry terminals are essential community infrastructure, but by 2014 had reached the end of their useful life.

The project involved planning, consultation, design, and construction phases with successful completion of all four ferry terminals in October 2023. Project delivery was led by TMR’s Maritime Safety Queensland Branch with TransLink and Redland City Council part of the project team.

Key outcomes included larger waiting areas with more seating; significantly improved weather protection; wider gangways and enhanced circulation spaces; exceeding disability access standards; larger, dual berthing pontoons; new amenity blocks and new landside shelters. The existing ferry pontoons have been repurposed for recreational boating and fishing, with passenger and recreational users now separated.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads, Far North District, successfully delivered an upgrade of the Bruce Highway located just south of Cairns between Edmonton and Gordonvale (E2G) in October 2023.

The project marks significant advancement in infrastructure, focusing on the duplication of a 10.5km stretch of the Bruce Highway, realignment and upgrade of 4.5km of Queensland Rail’s North Coast Line, over 8km of new local service roads connections and a 10.5km off-road cycleway to connect Gordonvale to south Cairns.

Throughout the delivery of the project, the E2G project team has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to achieving sustainable social and environmental outcomes, prioritising road safety, fostering community connectivity, and preserving the legacy of Traditional Owners.

By championing sustainability, road safety, community connectivity, and Traditional Owner legacy, the project has set a new standard for excellence in road construction and enhanced the lifestyle of Queenslanders through planning and infrastructure.

The devastating 2021-22 southern Queensland flood event impacted thousands of people. Widespread damage meant Queensland faced one of its biggest recovery operations on record.

The Resilient Homes Fund (RHF) was developed by the Queensland and Australian governments to help people recover from this catastrophic event, as well as improve their safety ahead of future flooding events.

The program included voluntary home buy-back for homes most severely impacted and at greatest risk of future flooding, and resilience works such as retrofitting, raising, demolishing and rebuilding, and relocating.

The RHF was the first household resilience program of its kind to be offered in Australia. To date, 476 homes have been bought back and 560 grants have been approved for resilience works with program works remaining in progress.

The commencement of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021 was a significant and historic milestone for Queenslanders, providing further choice to eligible people at the end of their life.

Queensland Health established the rigorous clinical and administrative arrangements necessary for voluntary assisted dying (VAD) to be safe, accessible, person-centred and compassionate, for 1 January 2023.

Successful implementation was achieved through sensitive and robust engagement spanning the health and aged care systems. The project delivered training and education; regulatory changes; a Review Board; a secure IT system; a support and pharmacy service; a regional, rural and remote access scheme; clinician and consumer resources; and an authorised workforce available to support people through the process.

This has allowed Queenslanders who are suffering and dying to make an informed decision about ending their life, on their own terms. By 30 June 2023 almost 600 people had commenced the process.