Senior public sector leaders including chief executives, agency heads and senior human resource leaders and directors were invited to identify and nominate eligible individuals and teams within their agencies. Nominations for the 2021 Awards were open from Tuesday 7 December 2021, and closed on Friday 7 January 2022.

A new category was included in the 2021 Premier’s Excellence Awards in recognition of the public sector's purpose statement 'Making a difference so South Australia thrives'.

Download the category and criteria information here.

Congratulations to everyone who has been nominated in the 2021 Premier's Excellence Awards, for your hard work and dedication across our public sector, making a difference and supporting the South Australian community to thrive.

We celebrated all of our finalists and winners at 10:30am Wednesday 9 February 2022, and invite you to view the event recording here.

Excellence in Service Delivery

Recognises an individual or team’s exemplary service to the community of South Australia. Their program, service or initiative has had a far-reaching, positive impact.

Individual

• WINNER | Ruth Mussger, Department for Education
• FINALIST | Katy Haynes, Department of the Premier and Cabinet
• FINALIST | Liana McCurry, Department for Education

Group

• WINNER | Single-Use Plastic Bans Initiative, Green Industries SA and South Australian Environment Protection Authority
• WINNER | Child and Adolescent Virtual Urgent Care Service, Women’s and Children’s Health Network
• FINALIST | Paringa Seasonal Worker Quarantine Facility, Department of Primary Industries and Regions, SA Health and SA Police
• FINALIST | Pop-Up Medics, SA Health and SA Police

Excellence in Service Delivery - Emergency Response

Recognises an individual or team’s exemplary service to the community of South Australia in an emergency. Their program, service or initiative has had a far-reaching, positive impact.

Individual

• WINNER | Nick Secomb, Department of Primary Industries and Regions
• FINALIST | Stephen Boucher, South Australian Country Fire Service
• FINALIST | Brenton Hastie, South Australian Country Fire Service

Group

• WINNER | South Australia Police COVID-19 Border Operations, SA Police
• FINALIST | Business Support Grant Team, Department of Treasury and Finance
• FINALIST | Fruit Fly Emergency Response Team, Department of Primary Industries and Regions
• FINALIST | COVID-19 SAPOL Support Program, South Australian State Emergency Service
• FINALIST | COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Project, Wellbeing SA

Public Sector Values

Recognises an individual or team’s demonstration of the South Australian public sector values in their service delivery.

Individual

• WINNER | Annette Groat, Department for Child Protection
• FINALIST | Georgina Auri-Cockatoo, Department for Child Protection
• FINALIST | Amy Selway, Department for Child Protection
• FINALIST | Richard Webster, Department for Energy and Mining

Group

• WINNER | Community Connections Team, Department of Human Services
• FINALIST | Specialist Services Team – Disability and Development Services, Department for Child Protection
• FINALIST | MFS COVID Taskforce, South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service

Making A Difference – Living the South Australian Public Sector Purpose

Making a Difference so South Australia Thrives is the public sector’s purpose statement and this award recognises those who have exemplified the public sector purpose statement through their role and their service to the community. Through their passion, commitment, and action they have made a positive difference to the lives of South Australians.

Individual

• WINNER | Shalini McCarthy, Department for Child Protection
• FINALIST | Mark Connelly, Department for Education
• FINALIST | Jessica Ciccarello, Lifetime Support Authority

Group

• WINNER | COVID-19 QR Code Contact Tracing, Analytics and Technical Support Team, Office for Data Analytics, Department of the Premier and Cabinet
• FINALIST | Interpreting and Translating Centre, Department of Human Services
• FINALIST | Puti on Kaurna Yerta, Department of Human Services
• FINALIST | Marine Scalefish Fishery Reform, Department of Primary Industries and Regions