Awards

Awards in 2024

Keep Australia Beautiful NSW Sustainable Cities Awards
Council received the Resource Recovery Award for our We give a FUD – FOGO in Multi Unit Dwellings Rollout’ project. The recognition reinforces Penrith’s leadership in resource recovery and responsible waste management.

Local Government Excellence Awards
In the 2024 Local Government Excellence Awards, Council received a Highly Commended in the category of Special Project Initiative. The project was a collaborative effort between Council and the NSW Department of Customer Service – Spatial Services to facilitate the consummation of State Government Spatial Data directly into Council’s Geographic Information System.

Awards in 2023

Keep Australia Beautiful Sustainable Cities Awards

Council won two sustainability awards at the 2023 Keep Australia Beautiful Sustainable Cities Awards, including the Overall Sustainable City Award and the Circular Economy Award for our Recycled Coffee Cups in Road Base initiative.

Local Government Week Awards
Council took home two awards at the 2023 Local Government Week Awards including the Local Government NSW Planning Award in the category of Culture Change Innovation / Excellence (Division C) for our St Marys 2041 project; as well as the RH Dougherty Award for Excellence in Communication (Division C) for our outstanding communications strategy promoting the 2022 Trees for Mum project.

Australasian Reporting Awards
Council was honoured with a Gold Award from the 2023 Australasian Reporting Awards for our 2021-22 Annual Report. It’s the 8th consecutive year that Council has won the Gold Award which recognises organisations who achieve excellence in reporting.

AILA Landscape Architecture Awards
In partnership with Transport for NSW and five other councils, Penrith City Council won the Community Contribution Partnership Award at the AILA 2023 Landscape Architecture Awards. This honour was achieved for our Places to Love program titled, Live, Work, Play Grid - which saw Council test and trial temporary interventions of infrastructure and programming along a 1.2km walking trail in Kingwood to make the public space more vibrant and active.

Planning Institute of Australia’s National Awards for Planning Excellence
Council’s City Planning team won the Climate Change and Resilience category at the Planning Institute of Australia’s National Awards for Planning Excellence. This accolade was achieved for the team’s Urban Heat Planning Controls Package, helping to reduce urban heat impacts from the urban environment and provide our community with a liveable, active and healthy lifestyle throughout summer.

NSW Local Government Excellence Awards
Council received a highly commended People, Workplace, Wellbeing Award at the 2023 NSW Local Government Excellence Awards. The achievement was received for our in-house and custom-built Capability Framework which provides many benefits to Council, including enhancing our overall organisational capability, performance and culture – ultimately driving positive outcomes for our community.

NSW Landscape Architecture Awards
Council took home a Small Projects award in the 2023 NSW Landscape Architecture Awards. This honour was received for our Let It Bee Wildflower Meadow project which was designed to improve soil quality and prepare tree beds for planting through the installation of a temporary wildflower meadow along the Great West Walk, a 65km walk from Parramatta to the base of the Blue Mountains.

National Awards for Local Government
Council received an Honourable Mention in the Road Safety category for the 2023 National Awards for Local Government. This recognition was received for our Community and Road Education Scheme (CARES), a purpose-built bicycle safety education facility located in St Marys that gives school students an interactive and fun way to learn about road safety. Council manages the facility and CARES program as the leading entity with sessions presented by NSW Police Officers and funding provided by Transport for NSW under their Road Safety Program.

Awards in 2021-22

Keep Australia Beautiful NSW Sustainable Cities Awards

Council’s Bushcare Management team won the Habitat and Wildlife Conversation category for its Fish Habitat Restoration – Resnagging project that counteracts devastating habitat degradation due to desnagging. The Waste and Resource Recovery team won the Recycled Organics category for its Baby Steps with a Big Impact project, an initiative to introduce the City’s youngest citizens to the Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) system and educate them on the benefits of Penrith’s 3-bin system and the circular economy through age-appropriate activities. The awards reward and recognise sustainability initiatives of NSW metropolitan councils, businesses and community groups.

Project Management Achievement Awards  

Council’s Property Development Department won the Australian Institute of Project Management Award 2021 in the Project Management Office (PMO) category for its Project Lifecycle. This industry award recognises outstanding achievement and leadership in the application of project and program management in Australia. Staff developed a successful PMO which enables Council to achieve its strategic objectives; it has already been used to undertake several major projects as we revitalise the City. 

NSW Local Government Excellence in the Environment Awards  

During this year’s virtual event, Council was named winner of the Division C - Community, Education and Empowerment category for its Supporting Sustainable Choices Scheme, winner of the Roadside Environmental Management Award for Division C and Overall for our Roadside Vegetation Management Project (RVMP), and received a Highly Commended in the Asbestos Management category for Council’s Asbestos Management Framework. The Awards recognise outstanding achievements by NSW councils in managing and protecting the environment. These results are testament to the innovative programs delivered by Council’s Waste Services and Divisional Assurance teams from City Services Division.

NSW Awards for Planning Excellence 

Council and our project partners won the Strategic Planning Project Award 2021. We received this accolade for our Local Infrastructure Planning for the Aerotropolis – a collaboration between Council, Liverpool City Council, IDC and GLN Planning. Judges commended the project for delivering an innovative solution to infrastructure delivery across local government boundaries. Both councils are committed to working together to deliver the best future for our existing and future communities as the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport and new city take shape in our shared footprint.  These awards recognise excellence and showcase leading practice across a range of planning disciplines and sectors.

Local Government Week Awards  

Council took out the Reporting to your Community category in the RH Dougherty Awards, which celebrate innovation in communication and events, for Our Place – Penrith’s community newsletter. Council’s Communications department launched this quarterly newsletter for print and online in 2020, to tell a bigger story about our City and the once-in-a-generation transformation Penrith is undergoing. Printed on sustainable paper and delivered in a compostable wrap, Our Place covers everything from crisis news to updates on major projects and facility upgrades. These awards recognise the outstanding and innovative contributions councils make to their communities.

Awards in 2020-21

NSW Local Government Excellence Awards
Council’s Thursday Night Live Lockdown Series won the Connected Communities and Regions category at the 2021 NSW Local Government Excellence Awards. The weekly one-hour livestreamed music event featured local artists performing from a Penrith based studio to deliver a quality, safe entertainment experience at home. The series received over 50,000 performance views from people tuning in from across the globe.

Awards in 2019-20   

Australian HR Awards
Council received an Excellence Award in the Employer of Choice category (NFP and Public Sector) at the 2020 Australian HR Awards. The Australian HR Awards celebrates the outstanding achievements of the country's top HR leaders, companies and teams.

Environmental Health Excellence Awards
In the 2020 Environmental Health Excellence Awards, Council was recognised with a Highly Commended in the NSW Environmental Health Team of the Year category. Council’s Trainee Environmental Health Officer, Stevie McCormack, won the NSW Environmental Health Student of the Year award. The awards showcase the achievements, success and innovation of environmental health officers within the profession and the wider community.

Local Government NSW Excellence in the Environment Awards
In October 2020, Council was the Winner for Division C and Overall Winner in the Climate Change Adaptation Award Category for our Cooling the City Masterclass event. Council’s Steamroller Park Remediation Project received Highly Commended in the Asbestos Management Category. The awards recognise outstanding achievements by NSW councils in managing and protecting the environment.

NSW Local Government Excellence Awards - Oxley Park Door Knock Project
The Oxley Park Door Knock project received Highly Commended in the Community Development and Services (population over 100,000) category of the 2020 NSW Local Government Excellence Awards. The project demonstrated innovation, leadership, practicality and resourcefulness. During the project, the team visited over 700 properties and met with a large cross-section of residents to gain valuable insights about local waste issues.

NSW Local Government Excellence Awards – Journey to Remuneration, Reward and Recognition Excellence
Council’s Journey to Remuneration, Reward and Recognition Excellence project received the Excellence in People and Culture (population over 60,000) Award at the 2020 NSW Local Government Excellence Awards. The award acknowledges our journey following the 2017 Employee Engagement Survey to become an employer of choice and an industry leader in remuneration, benefits and recognition. It also celebrates a range of significant policy improvements and initiatives introduced by the People and Culture Department.

Certificate of Appreciation Award – Australian Defence Force
This award was presented to Council from the Australian Defence Force in appreciation to our response and support during the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire crisis.

Civic Risk Mutual Excellence in Risk Management Award
The City Services Department received the 2019 Civic Risk Mutual Excellence in Risk Management Award for its development and implementation of a Street and Park Tree Management Plan. The management plan offers a defendable risk-based approach to tree management and fosters a reduction in reactive tree maintenance requests. It also supports appropriate tree species selection within the road reserve to reduce the need for other works.

Advocacy Award
This award was presented at the 2019 National Growth Areas Alliance Congress Awards. Council received this award for our City Economy and Marketing Department’s Advocacy Strategy and Implementation Plan. Our Strategy and Plan have allowed Council to develop campaigns; supported by compelling evidence for why more infrastructure is needed in Penrith. Our desire to become good advocates on behalf of our community is now recognised by other levels of government and City stakeholders alike.

Leadership in Growth Areas Award
This award was presented at the 2019 National Growth Areas Alliance Congress Awards. Nathan Burbridge, Council’s City Economy and Marketing Manager, was Highly Commended in the Leadership in Growth Areas Award. Nathan has been on the Executive Committee of the NGAA demonstrating leadership through the guidance and support he has given the Executive Officer and his enthusiasm in championing the NGAA within Council and NSW more broadly.

Planning Institute Australia (PIA) NSW – Best Planning Idea – Small Project and Hard-Won Victory
In 2019, the Property Development department was recognised by the Planning Institute Australia (PIA) NSW with two awards for its Open Space Reinvestment Project in Erskine Park in the Best Planning Idea – Small Project and Hard-Won Victory categories. After winning, the project was nominated as the NSW entrant for the above two categories in the PIA National Awards for Planning Excellence.

2019 National AUSTSWIM Recognised Swim Centre of the Year
Ripples Leisure Centre was awarded with the 2019 National AUSTSWIM Recognised Swim Centre of the Year Award. This is a national governing body award that is voted on across all states for public and private providers. The award capped off an outstanding year for Ripples which saw the centre receive awards from Swim Australia (Best Swim School Marketing, Promotions and Customer Service) and the Australian Swim Schools Association (ASSA Community Service Award).

2019 Margaret Hind Memorial Award
Suzie Gates, Environmental Health Administration Officer, received a Highly Commended Award (Environmental Health and Compliance) in the 2019 Margaret Hind Memorial Awards. The awards celebrate outstanding commitment to the environmental health industry including integrity, work ethic and achievement.

Local Government NSW Excellence in Environment Award
The City Services Department secured an Asbestos Management Award at the 2019 Local Government NSW Excellence in the Environment Awards. Council received both the Category C and Overall Division awards for Asbestos Management. Sponsored by SafeWork NSW, the award recognised the excellence of our ‘all of Council’ Asbestos Management Framework, which City Services developed with key stakeholders to address asbestos matters in Council owned buildings, parks and open spaces.

Partnerships – Building Connections Award
This award was presented at the 2019 National Growth Areas Alliance Congress Awards. Council received this award for our City Activation, Community and Place Department’s Penrith Health Action Plan. The Action Plan is a collaboration between Council, the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network, and the Greater Western Aboriginal Health Service and aims to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes of communities and residents in Penrith City.

Women in Traineeships or Apprenticeships for a Metropolitan Council Award
Council trainee, Sarah Tracy, won the 2019 Ministers' Awards for Women in Local Government. The awards celebrate the contribution of women to local government in NSW. Sarah was successful in the Women in Traineeships or Apprenticeships for a Metropolitan Council award category after excelling in her Business Administration traineeship. 

Awards in 2018-19

The Mountain View Reserve in Cranebrook Project

This initiative led by Council’s Environmental Health and Compliance Department using Federal Government funding, was named a winner in the Integrated Stormwater Design Category at the 2018 Stormwater NSW Awards for Excellence. 

The Jordan Springs Community Hub

This initiative won the Sustainable Infrastructure category at the prestigious Local Government NSW Excellence in the Environment Awards.

Climate-adapted bus shelter 

The climate-adapted project shelter in Kingswood project was Highly Commended in the Climate Change Action category at the prestigious Local Government NSW Excellence in the Environment Awards.

Penrith City Council Annual Report

Council received a Gold Award for the organisation’s 2017- 18 Annual Report in the prestigious Australasian Reporting Awards. This follows Gold Awards for the previous three reports.

Kylie Powell - Women in Leadership Award

Director of City Futures, Kylie Powell was awarded a commendation in the Women in Leadership Award for Excellence category at the UDIA NSW Annual State Conference. Kylie was recognised for her work with new release areas and rezoning in the South Western Sydney Growth Corridors and for her strong leadership role in delivering the Penrith New West initiative. 

Sarah Tracy - Ministers’ Awards for Women in Local Government

Council Trainee, Sarah Tracy won a prestigious award at the Ministers’ Awards for Women in Local Government. These awards celebrate the contribution of women to local government and Sarah was successful in the Women in Traineeships or Apprenticeships for a Metropolitan Council award category.

Meagan Heeley - Seven News Young Achiever Awards

Children’s Services Childcare Aide, Meagan Heeley was recognised at the Seven News Young Achiever Awards as a Semi Finalist for the NSW Department of Education Early Childhood Education Award. She was nominated for continuously implementing new ideas and techniques, her passion for sustainability and generously sharing knowledge with her colleagues.