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Praise for Palmerston's overhaul

Palmerston City Council's two year, intensive program of reviewing and implementing management processes has drawn the highest honour in the Management Category at Local Government Association of Northern Territory's Building Better Futures Awards 2000.

Council achieved the top award for its Continuous Improvement in Management Practices Program which has been an all encompassing look at how Council does business. Chief Executive Officer, Roydon Robertson, said the program has established a strong basis for ongoing improvement and enables Council to continue to go from strength to strength.

"Following the successful completion of the program, Palmerston can confidently state that it is now a professional, well managed organisation ready to pursue greater levels of achievement in the future," he said.

"This comprehensive program was designed to ensure a high level of contemporary management practices was introduced, a culture of continuous improvement developed, greater accountability and focus on performance instilled."

Roydon Robertson paid tribute to the people within the organisation who worked hard to meet the program's outcomes.

"The list of areas we looked at is extensive, and it has embraced our entire organisation," he said.

Council also received a number of other commendations at the 2000 Awards. While these have been awarded in different categories, Roydon Robertson believes they all partly result from the organisation's improved culture.

"We won the Community Service Award for our Animal Education Program," Roydon Robertson said.

"This program shifts the animal management focus from relying largely on enforcement to one which balances enforcement with education.

"Drawing on the successful experiences of other organisations, including Darwin and the South Australian Dog and Cat Management Board, we have developed a high quality program that is unique to Palmerston.

"Palmerston has a young population and a key feature of the program, the involvement of children and the town's youth, was a cost effective investment.

"Many local adult networks are formed around children and youth activities and we felt that young people often become family educators about such issues as responsible dog ownership.

"The education program also targets adults and the wider community."

Roydon Robertson said that since implementing the program, Council has had more positive media coverage and fewer complaints about the service. The Association also awarded Palmerston City Council's Community Crime Prevention Initiative with a highly commended award, and a merit certificate was presented for the Council's Local History Initiative.

"These awards all recognise the hard work we have put in to achieve best practice across the board," Roydon Robertson said

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