Sydney’s The Hills Shire Council has won gold at the Australasian Reporting Awards (ARAs).
The Council received the coveted Gold Award for its 2021-2022 Annual Report, which outlines Council’s achievements and progress in reaching its long-term vision and goals for the region.
Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Peter Gangemi said the win highlights the expertise, creativity and dedication demonstrated by Council officers.
“We are incredibly proud to have been awarded gold for our Annual Report. It’s fantastic to see that our Annual Report meets the ARAs criteria, which are based on world best practice,” Mayor Gangemi said.
“Our Annual Report is an open and transparent document that includes highlights and challenges that we’ve faced as a Council, and it also looks to what we’ve planned for the future.
“It’s an exceptional achievement and I congratulate everyone involved,” Mayor Gangemi said.
The win marks Council’s fifth consecutive Gold Award for its Annual Reports, that are produced yearly by officers.
Council General Manager, Michael Edgar said the Council employed more than 600 people.
“Our Council officers work across many different areas including managing more than 300 parks and reserves, at four libraries, the Pioneer Theatre, in the community nursery, across five childcare centres, at the soon-to-be-opened Waves Fitness and Aquatic Centre, in Hills Community Care, and carrying out planning and providing customer service,” Mr Edgar said.
“The past two years has been tough on our community, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and in recent flooding events – four that have happened in the last 16 months.
“During this challenging time, our officers worked around the clock to ensure our residents remained connected to their local community, and could also access our facilities and services.
“I thank our officers for everything that they do and I am very proud of their work, which goes to supporting local families and residents to enjoy a great quality of life,” Mr Edgar said.
