State government agencies continue to dominate Australia’s professional recognition of project management, with Queensland’s planning for the G20 netting almost half the national awards last week.
Queensland Police Service took out the national project of the year award at the Australian Institute of Project Management’s 2016 achievement awards in Hobart last week.
AIPM CEO Yvonne Butler says their efforts resulted in the safest G20 Summit in history and was an outstanding success considering the complexities involved. “The Queensland Police Service showed the world once again that Australia is a world leader in successfully delivering high profile and extremely complex projects.”
Katarina Carroll, who was in charge of Queensland Police’s G20 security response, spoke with The Mandarin earlier this month about rising to the challenge:
“I think when you saw how it played out on that weekend, it was truly successful. I think it was because we invested two years of not paying lip service to the lessons of the past, but learning from them, and addressing what the issues actually were.
“I think one of the biggest lessons is that you’ve got to learn from the past and you have to change things, because your practices from the past will not work in an event like this.”
Queensland also saw global success earlier this month when Steve Gibson from the local council-owned Queensland Urban Utilities picked up the International Project Management Association’s highest individual award, Project Manager of the Year, in Panama City. Gibson netted the award for his work upgrading the sewerage network at Woolloongabba in Brisbane.
Last year’s local winner of the AIPM’s Young Project Manager of the Year, Department of Defence public servant Ben Burrows, took out the bronze award at the international awards this year.
Meanwhile, this year’s Young Project Manager of the Year is Penelope Blunden from Major Projects Victoria.
The full list of project management awards:
NATIONAL PROJECT OF THE YEAR
Organisation: Queensland Police Service (QLD)
Project: G20 Project Group
CONSTRUCTION / ENGINEERING
Organisation: Shire of Campaspe (VIC)
Project: Flood Recovery Project
DEFENCE / AEROSPACE
Organisation: Brisbane Airport Corporation (QLD)
Project: The G20 Project: an airport within an airport
ICT / TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Organisation: Department of Science Information Technology and Innovation and Telstra Corporation (QLD)
Project: Government Wireless Network for the G20 (GWN-G20 Project)
ORGANISATIONAL / CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Organisation: Queensland Police Service (QLD)
Project: G20 Project Group
SMALL PROJECTS
Organisation: Department of Police and Emergency Management (TAS)
Project: Police Infringement Notice System
REGIONAL PROJECTS
Organisation: Incitec Pivot (QLD)
Project: Mount Isa Sulphuric Acid Plant Major Turnaround 2014
COMMUNITY SERVICE AND/OR DEVELOPMENT
Organisation: Department of Infrastructure (NT)
Project: Cyclone Recovery Works at Ramingining and Millingimbi
SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS
Organisation: Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (TAS)
Project: Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Project
INTERNATIONALLY FUNDED HUMANITARIAN AID PROJECTS
Organisation: Aspen Medical (ACT)
Project: Ebola Response in West Africa
PROGRAM/PROJECT DIRECTOR
Winner: Marcus Frommolt (QLD)
Organisation: Ranbury Management Group
PROJECT MANAGER
Winner: Elena Zagorenko (SA)
Organisation: ElectraNet
YOUNG PROJECT MANAGER
Winner: Penelope Blunden (VIC)
Organisation: Major Projects Victoria
PROJECT TEAM MEMBER
Winner: Anna Perera-Cameron (NT)
Organisation: AECOM
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