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Tennant Creek and Baw Baw take out National Awards

A software package which monitors, records and responds to customer requests, and an innovative community involvement program have won the 1996 National Award and National Rural Award for Innovation in Local Government.

The Awards recognise and encourage innovative practices in Local Government, and raise community awareness of Local Government achievements.

In a first for the Northern Territory, Tennant Creek Town Council won the National Rural Award. Also winning the Community Services category, its unique program called Streetwatch has achieved 'unprecedented levels of community participation'.

Objectives of the program include litter control, maintenance and improvement of streetscapes, pet control, shared responsibility for streetwater and the provision of a forum for the discussion of civic issues. In addition to the clear desirability of these objectives in themselves, the encouragement of all residents to participate contributes to the much broader and far reaching objectives of participation, ownership and reconciliation in a remote town with a large indigenous population.

Mayor Paul Ruger clearly proud of his Town's achievement said the Award brings National attention to Tennant Creek. He encourages people to visit and experience the Town's warm hospitality.

Baw Baw Shire Council in Victoria won the National Award for its Customer Action Request System (CARS) which monitors and responds to customer requests. This information is then fed into Council's planning processes.

The system was developed in-house at Baw Baw but has wider applicability. Already it has been sold to Councils within Victoria and interstate Councils have also shown interest.

Baw Baw's officers can now respond immediately to requests for information. The system provides consistent and accurate information in a diverse region which includes large urban centres like Warragul, numerous small townships, tourist routes including snowfields and extensive farming areas.

A full coverage of all 1996 Innovation category winners will be featured in the July edition of FOCUS.

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