City CEO Recognised for Commitment to Environment

City of Melville Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Shayne Silcox was recently recognised for his proactive approach to environmental management with a commendation at the Environs Australia 2009 Sustainability Awards in Melbourne.

The awards recognise excellence in sustainable development initiatives within local governments across Australia. They were presented following the first day of the Local Government Sustainable Development Conference 2009, on Tuesday 18 August.

Dr Silcox’s commendation – in the ‘Officer Leadership Award’ category – was for his work both at Melville and while CEO at the City of Belmont. His dedication to excellence in environmental management resulted in the City of Belmont becoming one of the first local governments accredited to the ISO environmental standard in Western Australia. He is now driving the City of Melville’s goal of developing best practice principles in environmental management and becoming the second local government in WA to achieve the ISO accreditation.

Dr Silcox was commended for his actions, including having established a comprehensive and integrated environmental management system for the City of Belmont, using the ISO 14001 quality standard framework. The City of Melville – under his direction and dedication to environmental management – has now made significant progress towards the implementation of its own Environmental Management System and the accreditation of ISO 14001. The process involves the development and implementation of an Environment Plan which is integrated with the City’s Strategic Plan. The Environment Plan identifies five areas of importance, being: water management and conservation; pollution; climate change; biodiversity; and community awareness.

City of Melville Staff Win LGMA Finance Award

City of Melville staff Debbie Whyte and Khris Yeoh were recognised for excellence in finance at the Local Government Managers Australia (LGMA) Finance Professionals Conference held on Friday, 27 February 2009.

Senior Management Accountant Debbie Whyte and Financial Accountant Khris Yeoh were recognised for their accomplishments when they each received the LGMA Finance Achievement Award.

The award is presented annually to local government staff who have demonstrated excellence in the finance area and outstanding service to local government and the community.

A maximum of five recipients each year receive the award from the talent pool of finance staff in Western Australia’s 139 councils. This year, only three awards were presented – two of which were received by City of Melville staff.

City of Melville Wins National Award for ‘People’

The City of Melville won the People category for its Human Resources (HR) practices at the 2009 Australian Business Excellence Awards held in Brisbane earlier this month.

Presented and managed by applied information services company SAI Global, awards recognise the achievements of competitive and progressive organisations that are innovative, sustainable and successful.

A team of four volunteers selected from appropriate industries evaluated the City in accordance with the application guidelines for the awards. Feedback from the team included that the City’s intent to create a positive culture which made the organisation ‘a great place to work’ was apparent in both the physical and people environment.

Disability Services Commission "Count Us In" Award for Local Government

The City of Melville has received a State award for two of its initiatives to improve access and inclusion for all people in the municipality.The City won the Local Government Category of the Count Us In Awards 2007 for its Activelink recreational program as well as the creation of the Piney Lakes Sensory Playground.

The annual awards, initiated by the Disability Services Commission and People with Disabilities (WA) Inc, were presented on International Day of People with a Disability on December 3 2007. The awards promote and recognise excellence in access and inclusion in Western Australian communities. 

Active Ageing Leadership Award
The City of Melville was announced as the winner in the category for Active Ageing Leadership Award in the Office for Senior’s Interests and Volunteering Active Ageing Leadership Awards (2006).

Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Dr David Kemp, today presented achievement awards to more than 40 local councils that have achieved significant milestones as part of the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Australia program, which is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.The City of Melville was the first WA council to reach milestone 5+ (how green is my Council) 2003.

Western Australian Water Awards

The City of Melville took out the Local Government Water Efficiency Category of the Western Australian Water awards in 2006. Held in Perth the Awards were presented by the Western Australian Department of Water and the Water Corporation.

2006 Community Service Awards

On the  17 March 2006 two individuals and the City of Melville were acknowledged for their exemplary roles in advancing multiculturalism and excellence in providing services at a community level. Ms Ruth Simms, Mr Nick Agocs and the City of Melville were all presented with Multicultural Community Services Awards and a cash prize of $500 by the Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, the Hon Margaret Quirk.

The Recognition of Support Certificate
The Defence Reserve Support Council sponsored Employer Support Awards are a means of formal public recognition for employers at the state and territory level. These awards acknowledge the contributions made by employers of Reservists. The City of Melville was nominated and received on the 29 November 2006 a Recognition of Support Certificate in relation to its supportive Defence Reserve Service leave policy and continued employment of Reservists.

Recognition of Support Certificates is presented to employers who are nominated by their Reservist employees as being supportive of their serving as a member of the Reserve. The certificate was  presented by His Excellency Dr Kenneth Comninos Michael, AC Governor of Western Australia to Mr Eric Lumsden Chief Executive Officer.