16 October 2019

Shellharbour, Bourke named NSW’s most progressive, innovative councils 

Shellharbour City and Bourke Shire councils were named NSW’s most progressive and innovative councils at the Local Government NSW (LGNSW) Conference in Sydney this week.

Shellharbour City Council was selected as the 2019 Metropolitan/Regional winner, while Bourke Shire Council took the Rural Category of the state’s oldest and most prestigious local government award.

The A.R. Bluett Memorial Awards were established in 1945 to recognise the greatest relative progress of high-achieving councils in NSW.

They commemorate Alfred Robert Bluett, who served 30 years as the secretary and solicitor to the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW. 

As an authority on local government law, Mr Bluett was instrumental in drafting the state’s first Local Government Act in 1919.

“This award recognises a standard of excellence and innovation that should be the goal of all public service, in all spheres of government,” LGNSW President Linda Scott said.

“On behalf of LGNSW, I congratulate the elected representatives, general managers, council staff and communities of Bourke Shire Council and Shellharbour City Council on these well-deserved awards.”

Cr Scott noted the high standard of entries across the board and commended each council that had submitted an entry.

“There are only ever two annual winners of the A.R. Bluett Awards; one in the rural category and the other in the metropolitan/regional category,” she said.

“But the real winners are the communities who benefit from the hard work and commitment of their elected representatives and professional staff in the local government.”

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