2019 award recipients

Works for Queensland is a $600 million program to support regional local governments in undertaking job-creating maintenance and minor infrastructure projects.

It provides funding for a variety of maintenance and minor infrastructure works that are about creating local jobs, boosting local economies and increasing liveability in towns and cities across regional Queensland.

Councils estimate the 501 new projects announced this year will create or support more than 4600 jobs, on top of more than 16,400 jobs supported by the first two rounds of Works for Queensland.

Works for Queensland is valued by councils and a great example of two levels of government working together to deliver outcomes for local communities.

The guidelines for the current round were updated to encourage employment opportunities for young (15–24 years) people who are currently not in employment, education or training.

Sediment run-off is one of the biggest pressures on the Great Barrier Reef, with gully and streambank erosion contributing significantly to sediment entering waterways flowing to the Reef.

Since 2016, the Rebuilding Strathalbyn project has trialled innovative techniques to restore heavily eroded gullies on Strathalbyn Station, a grazing property inland from Ayr in the Burdekin region.

The project is testing a variety of restoration techniques, from reconstructing gully walls and revegetation to rock shutes and improving soil structure. The work is particularly important as the Burdekin region has been identified as the largest single source of sediment pollution to the Reef.

Around 50 locals have been employed over four years to carry out the works and trial different techniques. This has provided significant opportunities to share knowledge to the wider community.

The $2 million project is a joint initiative between the Office of the Great Barrier Reef and Greening Australia and includes collaboration with Griffith University and the National Environmental Science Program.

The Back to Work Employment package is a $383 million package that provides businesses with financial support to employ jobseekers and boost regions facing challenging economic times.

The Back to Work team consists of a Brisbane-based team that oversees the overall management of the program, assesses and processes applications and claims, and oversees the compliance functions of the program. The team is also supported by a network of regionally based employer officers and jobseeker officers throughout the state.

The program was originally offered in regional Queensland with two levels of support payments available. It has since grown to include other payment tiers including the popular Youth Boost payment.

The reach of the program has also expanded into South East Queensland with the introduction of Back to Work SEQ in July 2017. More than 19,500 Queenslanders have been supported by the Back to Work program.

The Spit is one of the Gold Coast’s most iconic and treasured landscapes, but its future has been contested for several years between advocates and opponents of development.

In August 2017, the Queensland Government committed to delivering a community-led master plan to revitalise The Spit and increase its benefit to the Gold Coast as a community asset. It sought to preserve The Spit’s unique character and identify opportunities to create jobs through tourism, entertainment and recreation.

The master plan was led by the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning and in collaboration with the City of Gold Coast and Gold Coast Waterways Authority.

The final master plan was released in May 2019 accompanied by a $60 million funding announcement towards implementation. It delivers a cohesive blueprint for The Spit’s future, built on a foundation of inclusiveness, collaboration and consensus between stakeholders and the community.

Stanton Lodge caters for identified Tier 2 and 3 behaviour state school students, which nominates them to attend a program based on personal and social capabilities from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority framework, in order to improve their behaviour for learning.

This program was developed, modified and is differentiated to meet students' individual needs using aspects of evidence-based programs, including but not limited to Second Steps, Sensibility, Mind Up, Zones of Regulation, Skill Streaming, Mindfulness, Brain Talk Therapy, Neuroplasticity, Trauma Informed Practice, Restorative Practice, Drumbeat, Rock and Water. It is in full implementation with the initiative constantly under review for its efficacy and results, with a view to further improvement in outcomes for all students.

Other curriculum areas include literacy (with a focus on reading), numeracy, manual arts, home economics, art and health, and physical education used to reinforce the skills taught in the personal/social capabilities curriculum.

Remote Kindy is part of government’s commitment to provide all children a great start and access to quality kindergarten regardless of where they live.

Remote Kindy enables Queensland children in selected remote communities the opportunity to attend kindergarten at their local state school. Children have improved opportunities to socialise with peers, an important part of achieving positive learning outcomes in early childhood.

The program builds on the highly successful distance kindergarten program, eKindy. This successful model of kindergarten delivery has grown from a pilot in 11 schools in 2016 to an ongoing program with more than 68 schools by 2020.

Eligible schools must be located more than 50 kilometres from the nearest approved kindergarten. These programs ensure children and families living in rural and remote locations have access to the same quality kindergarten program as those children and families in regional and metropolitan areas.

In 2016, the Office of the Queensland Chief Scientist (OQCS) developed an Engaging Queenslanders in Science strategy to increase the number of Queenslanders engaging in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities. Students and those influencing subject and career choices (parents, teachers, grandparents and the community) were the main target audience.

Over the last three years, the OQCS has delivered all programs forming the strategy and has directly reached 68,820 students and community members, not including the more than 500,000 engaged through the partnership with Queensland Museum to deliver World Science Festival Brisbane. The office has also delivered a number of events and activities held in every region in Queensland and sent 68 scientists across Queensland.

A Queenslanders' Perceptions and Attitudes to Science benchmark research report was commissioned by OQCS and helped to inform strategy development.

Due to the success of the programs under the strategy, OQCS has been able to attract funding for a further 12 months to continue building momentum.

Navigate Your Health is a co-designed, cross-agency and co-funded initiative delivered in partnership between Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women - Brisbane District, Moreton Region and the Brisbane Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service.

The two-year pilot is effectively delivering coordinated health screening and assessment, referral management and health care coordination while driving sustainable system reform to improve the health outcomes for children and young people in care.

Navigate Your Health commenced in January 2018 and four dedicated new health navigators have provided health care coordination to more than 500 children and young people in care.

Navigate Your Health is a key example of an inclusive approach to engaging community members and service users, successful partnerships, shared investment and cooperation in pursuing a shared agenda to improve health outcomes for children and young people in care.

The Rapid Assessment and Plastic Intervention Day (RAPID) Clinic initiative is the implementation of a new model of care for skin cancer surgery within the newly established Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Unit at Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

At the RAPID Clinic, patients present for assessment and surgery in the same visit. The project has already transitioned from concept, to full implementation and review, and is now ready to expand in less than 12 months.

The purpose of the RAPID Clinic was to deliver high quality patient care, meet the high community demand, with a highly efficient model of care maximising limited resources available.

The outcomes have shown a very high level of patient satisfaction, very high level of cancer clearance rates, reduced time from referral to treatment, reduced cost of surgical treatment and reduced administrative burden. Patients take less time off work during their treatment with high staff satisfaction levels.

The Acquired Brain Injury Transitional Rehabilitation Service (ABI-TRS) is a five-year pilot project within the Division of Rehabilitation, Princess Alexandra Hospital.

As part of the statewide brain injury rehabilitation service, the ABI-TRS aims to facilitate earlier discharge from hospital and improve community outcomes for clients with ABI and their families across Queensland.

Since commencing service in January 2017, specialist interdisciplinary rehabilitation has been provided to more than 200 individuals and their families, with a focus on maximising skills and independence in the home, supporting families, re-engaging with community, and facilitating skills for returning to work or study.

In addition to clinical services, the ABI-TRS is undertaking a research program to evaluate the benefits of the service to adults, their families, the broader community and the health system. Early results indicate significant clinical gains for clients and improved family outcomes following the ABI-TRS program.

Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service (WBHHS) has the highest number of people eligible for public dental services across Queensland. Demand for services is high; at the beginning of the 2018–19 financial year, patients were routinely waiting longer than two years for general dental care.

The number of people waiting an extensive length of time for treatment was increasing and peaked at 3547 people waiting more than two years for dental treatment.

In January 2019, WBHHS began a project to transform oral health services for Wide Bay residents. All elements were reviewed including processes, resources and patient flow. An action plan was developed and implemented by the multi-disciplinary team.

This transformation successfully increased monthly activity by 50 per cent with no additional resources meaning WBHHS now meets all Queensland Health KPIs regarding patient access and no single patient is waiting longer than two years for care.

The overall waiting time for patients to access dental services was reduced by 12 months.

The Lower Gulf Strategy Case for Change identified Queensland Health’s strengths in remote Indigenous North-Western communities are in acute care.  The document also identified that transitioning to Aboriginal community control was imperative to address the high morbidity burden caused by cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental disorders, chronic respiratory disease and cancer (all preventable). The report identified these health status indicators pointed to ineffective and fragmented primary health care services.

Through the Western Queensland Primary Health Network, the North West Hospital and Health Service and the regional Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO), Gidgee Healing, a tri-partite framework, was adopted to Close the Gap in Doomadgee, Normanton and Mornington Island.

The partners commenced full implementation of an integrated model of care in April 2017. The ACCHO model is tailored to each community, with integration of both acute and primary care services.

Operation Street CRED (Collaborate, Re-engage, Empower and Deter) commenced in June 2018 to establish a next step in directing vulnerable youth to appropriate support services.

It involves a multi-agency approach and aims to build and maintain positive relationships with young people at risk of engaging or engaged in antisocial behaviours and/or criminal activities; utilise diversionary strategies with a focus on linking and engaging the target group with external youth services to provide appropriate health, wellbeing and support; promote the re-engagement of young people with educational and employment pathways.

Implementation of the project has resulted in a reduction in offending by at risk youth; a reduction in risk of victimisation to the target group; the opportunity to deal with identified risk factors once, rather than having to continue with repeat interactions with no improvement; and enhanced whole-of-life prospects for the young people involved.

Queensland Corrective Services’ (QCS) Service Delivery Reform (SDR) Project has improved service delivery for people with disability and mental illness in contact with the corrective services system, including assisting them to access the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The SDR Project brings together expertise from across the department in disability support, research and program management. This innovative approach has enabled the SDR Project team to identify more than 1150 prisoners who may be eligible for the NDIS; support more than 170 prisoners to access the scheme, with an additional 550 prisoners being supported through the access application process; commission ground-breaking research to determine the prevalence of disability among the prison population and improve prisoner screening; strengthen governance, reporting, oversight, and stakeholder engagement to earn QCS the title of “gold standard” for NDIS readiness across Queensland Government agencies, with other jurisdictions seeking advice and support from QCS to inform their own NDIS transition.

The Lighting the Way project was a community safety initiative to increase the ability of the Queensland Police Service (QPS), Queensland Health and other emergency services to respond to urgent situations on five islands in the Torres Strait: Badu, Saibai, Iama, Moa and Masig.

The Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Remote Indigenous Land and Infrastructure Program Office worked closely with the Torres Strait Island Regional Council to manage the project on behalf of QPS and the Australian Government.

The project included providing mains connected hard-wired runway lighting, illuminated windsocks, pilot activated airport lighting control systems and back-up power supply to the existing airstrips on these five islands.

These communities now have 24-hour access to emergency services for health care and policing. The project is completed and the airstrip upgrades on all five islands are fully operational.

The State Crime Command Organised Crime Gangs Group launched a Domestic and Family Violence Strategy in 2018.  The pioneering approach was instigated to coordinate greater efforts to protect vulnerable persons in the outlaw motorcycle gang environment, a setting known for its significant violence, misogynistic values and behaviours.

A committee and domestic and family violence coordinators were established within the Gangs Group, a first nationally in gangs investigations squads.  The coordinating group has produced focused research, evidence-based training, innovation, and developed key partnerships.

The guiding principle is for gangs investigators to be informed, aware and proactively influence the environment they operate within to protect vulnerable people. The strategy and group effort have delivered significant results safeguarding vulnerable persons and pursuing offenders.

The strategy and research have been showcased nationally through the national taskforce Morpheus, inspiring a national dialogue and policy and recognition of the merit and opportunity of this approach.

Sediment run-off is one of the biggest pressures on the Great Barrier Reef with gully and streambank erosion contributing significantly to sediment entering waterways flowing to the Reef.

Since 2016, the Rebuilding Strathalbyn project has trialled innovative techniques to restore heavily eroded gullies on Strathalbyn Station, a grazing property inland from Ayr in the Burdekin region.

The project is testing a variety of restoration techniques from reconstructing gully walls and revegetation to rock shutes and improving soil structure. The work is particularly important as the Burdekin region has been identified as the largest single source of sediment pollution to the Reef.

Around 50 locals have been employed over four years to carry out the works and trial different techniques. This has provided significant opportunities to share knowledge to the wider community.

The $2 million project is a joint initiative between the Office of the Great Barrier Reef and Greening Australia and includes collaboration with Griffith University and the National Environmental Science Program.

Queensland’s first ever Climate Week was hosted by the Queensland Government and held between 2 and 8 June 2019 in Brisbane.

Throughout the week, Queensland led a series of meetings with political, business and community representatives aimed at resetting policy, improving coordination and driving forward ambition on climate action.

Climate Week QLD 2019 brought together representatives from countries across the Asia-Pacific region; sub-national governments from across Australia; Queensland First Nations peoples; and business and community leaders, to join the conversation on climate action and showcase their innovation and leadership.

Due to the scale of this event, eight third party providers were contracted to support delivering aspects of the week. In order to ensure the successful delivery of Climate Week QLD 2019, the Climate Week QLD Committee was established and was composed of a project manager, policy officers, communications and media personnel, and regional engagement officers.

Sunny Queensland is the perfect place for renewable hydrogen, and the Queensland Hydrogen Industry Strategy is designed to bring the industry to life. Released in May 2019, the strategy sets out a vision for Queensland to be at the forefront of renewable hydrogen production in Australia by 2030.

Hydrogen produced using renewable sources is a clean, flexible energy carrier that can help reduce carbon emissions from transport, power generation and industrial sectors. A strong renewable hydrogen industry in Queensland provides an opportunity to create highly skilled jobs in regional Queensland and protect the environment.

The strategy’s focus areas include supporting innovation, facilitating private sector investment, ensuring an effective policy framework, building community awareness and confidence, and facilitating skills development for new technology.

Strategy implementation is underway, with the opening of the Hydrogen Industry Development Fund in July 2019.

The Complete Nutrient Management Planning for Cane Farming project was created in 2016 by the Office of the Great Barrier Reef in an effort to work with the Queensland sugar cane industry to expand improved fertiliser management practices and improve outcomes for the Reef.

The project provides cane growers with the opportunity to receive a tailor-made premium nutrient management plan that considers and helps improve whole-of-farm management, and a year of on-farm agronomic support, for a reduced fee. This assists growers to improve their productivity and profitability while safeguarding one of Queensland’s most prominent natural wonders.

The project is an extension of successful learnings from past award-winning nitrogen trials conducted in the Burdekin region, and has since expanded to 156 farms.

The project has achieved a nitrogen reduction of almost 200 tonnes and is set to further expand with an additional Australian Government investment.

Navigate Your Health is a co-designed, cross-agency and co-funded initiative delivered in partnership between Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women – Brisbane District, Moreton Region and the Brisbane Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service.

The two-year pilot is effectively delivering coordinated health screening and assessment, referral management and health care coordination while driving sustainable system reform to improve the health outcomes for children and young people in care.

The program commenced in January 2018 and four dedicated new health navigators have provided health care coordination to more than 500 children and young people in care.

Navigate Your Health is a key example of an inclusive approach to engaging community members and service users, successful partnerships, shared investment and cooperation in pursuing a shared agenda to improve health outcomes for children and young people in care.

The sun is finally out. It’s almost 38 degrees, the humidity is unbearably high. In a cramped, un-air-conditioned room of a vacant tenancy in Walker Street, Townsville, a diverse group has gathered, some sitting, some standing, all fanning hot faces against the humidity and lingering smell of dampness. In a normally busy city, a strange feeling of disquiet fills the space.

The Director of Customer Engagement and Partnerships, Department of Employment, Small Business and Training, her team and the Townsville Regional Office have gathered everyone who wants Townsville small businesses back on their feet.

The first Small Business Recovery Centre emerged, co-designed across all levels of government and community a few days after the disaster was declared, and it continues to this day—non-stop caring and support for small business owners who have lost so much.

A new model for disaster recovery in Queensland, recognising economic recovery for businesses is an essential step to restoring communities.

As a monsoon approached Townsville on 31 January 2019, the Department of Housing and Public Works stood up and leapt into action. Townsville's average annual rainfall of 1200mm fell in just seven days contributing to a 'one-in-100-year' flood event.

The broad, coordinated response from the department was unprecedented with department staff helping more than 1800 people who sought housing support.  Approximately 770 government assets were repaired/rebuilt resulting in more than 3000 individual tasks which were completed by more than 225 contractors, 99 per cent of whom were local.  Smart Service Queensland responded to more than 70,000 disaster-related calls and Queensland Shared Services ensured more than 67,000 people received more than $33 million in community recovery payments.

New initiatives such as the Rental Recovery Hub enabled a quick, targeted response to emerging community needs. These positive outcomes were driven by the department's commitment to putting customers first to help Townsville get back on its feet.

Queensland Health’s Care at End of Life (CareEOL) is a current statewide project aiming to integrate end‐of‐life care as a core element of healthcare. This enables the entire system to be responsive to patients’ choices and needs, and high-quality care becomes business as usual for everyone.

The team implemented Australia's first government‐led campaign in 2017–18, aiming to increase community and clinician awareness of end‐of‐life issues. Using a range of communication strategies, the campaign’s purpose was to build awareness and a common language about end‐of‐life care, and help ‘normalise’ public discussion about death and dying; promote end‐of‐life and advance care planning tools and services; motivate Queenslanders to plan their end‐of‐life care.

The campaign achieved outstanding outcomes. Communication strategies reached more than one million consumers, 84,000 staff, 3371 GPs and 1027 residential aged care facilities. Impact evaluation found 83 per cent of the campaign audience reported taking action related to end‐of‐life care planning.

Sediment run-off is one of the biggest pressures on the Great Barrier Reef with gully and streambank erosion contributing significantly to sediment entering waterways flowing to the Reef.

Since 2016, the Rebuilding Strathalbyn project has trialled innovative techniques to restore heavily eroded gullies on Strathalbyn Station, a grazing property inland from Ayr in the Burdekin region.

The project is testing a variety of restoration techniques from reconstructing gully walls and revegetation to rock shutes and improving soil structure. The work is particularly important as the Burdekin region has been identified as the largest single source of sediment pollution to the Reef.

Around 50 locals have been employed over four years to carry out the works and trial different techniques. This has provided significant opportunities to share knowledge to the wider community.

The $2 million project is a joint initiative between the Office of the Great Barrier Reef and Greening Australia and includes collaboration with Griffith University and the National Environmental Science Program.