Regional Queensland Leader of the Year

Awarded to a regional Queenslander who has made a difference to their local community through demonstrating best practice and fostering other regional employees.

Focus
Significant personal contribution to service delivery and to others over recent years.

Open to

  • Individuals only.
  • No age requirements.
  • Currently working in the public sector in regional Queensland, or having worked in the sector during the preceding financial year.

Nominated by
Self or third party

Criteria
Nominees must show how they have made a difference as a regional
Queensland public sector professional by demonstrating:

C1 Excellence in public administration and management over recent years.
C2 Active use of best practice in their role(s) in regional Queensland.
C3 Demonstrated active support and fostering of other public sector professionals in regional Queensland.
C4 Improved service delivery to their local community or to Queensland.

 

2010 WINNER of the Regional Queensland Leader of the Year

David Arber, Smart Service Queensland

David has been involved in promoting Queensland and the Queensland Government in many forms during the past three decades. He has been involved in the Queensland Government Agent Program (QGAP), providing a link for regional and rural communities to access the Queensland Government. 

David has been instrumental in developing and growing this program from 13 sites to the 78 sites currently operating. He played an integral role in an alliance being established between the Queensland Government and the Credit Union Industry, known as Creditcare to combine government and financial services in rural and remote locations in an initiative designed to return basic banking services to rural towns.

David has implemented quality and audit processes, including operational manuals and financial management manuals. He was also integral to the opening of a QGAP office at Yarrabah, a small aboriginal community south east of Cairns. Under David’s expert guidance, the first integrated Queensland Government Service Counter successfully opened its doors on 5 October 2009. Additional counters will be opening in Maroochydore and Cairns in 2010 and 2011. 

Relationships are an integral part of David’s role. To this end, he created the QGAP Managers’ forum. David is passionate about community initiatives, not only at work, but also in his personal involvement in the scouting movement and Men of the Trees, a non-profit, non-political international society dedicated to fostering the planting, maintenance and protection of trees.