Winner Division B and Overall Winner
Bathurst Regional Council: Let’s Make It Last: water security communication and engagement program
"Water – Let’s Make It Last" is Bathurst Regional Council’s integrated communication, engagement, education and compliance program which has secured significant water savings by reducing residential consumption to a third over 18 months. Focusing on behavioural change, the community has complied with the council’s water restrictions in response to record-breaking drought conditions and the related depletion of the Bathurst water supply.
Read the case study
Winner Division C
Blacktown City Council: Climate change communications program
Blacktown City Council choose not to focus on the broad topic of climate change, but to engage with residents on specific issues. The climate change communication program tapped into everyday motivations, such as saving money and the need to remain healthy and feel comfortable during hot weather. From January 2019 – June 2020, the program engaged 533 people through eight events; more than 237,000 people through 29 Facebook posts on topics such as saving energy in the home and the "Get Prepared" app; and more than 14,000 people watched eight videos communications.
Highly Commended Division C
Campbelltown City Council: Koalatown
Koalatown aims to raise awareness and empower the community to actively support the conservation of koalas at their homes and in their neighbourhoods. Bringing everything the community does for koalas under the one brand optimises the value of each individual project. Koalatown connects with local schools, businesses, residents, expert scientists, land managers and wildlife carers and targets key issues relating to koala health such as habitat conservation, disease prevention, vehicle strikes and dog attacks.
Highly Commended Division C
Northern Beaches Council: Swap for Good Business Program
In 2019, the Swap for Good business program was created to provide direction and empower businesses to phase out single-use plastics. Waste educators worked with over 2,000 local food and beverage businesses to help facilitate a change in their procurement practices and operations to help reduce plastics. The program included face-to-face and online engagement, events, workshops, webinars and a resource kit with action plans, posters and supplier lists.