Community Partnership Award

To be eligible for the Community Partnership Resources Sector Awards, entries must relate to a partnership between a resource industry operation and a community group/s that provides positive outcomes for the Western Australian community. Submissions can be made individually by either of the parties, or as a joint entry by both parties. Individual entries must clearly demonstrate collaboration between the parties.

The award entry must relate to:

• A partnership between a Western Australian resource industry operations a community group.
• The Community Partnership assessment criteria as set out below.

The following definitions apply:

Resource Industry Operation

The resource industry operation (i.e. basic raw material, mineral, petroleum or geothermal exploration, extraction, mining or production) must operate, have facilities or logistic bases in Western Australia.  Any company or individual operating within Western Australia’s resources sector may be eligible to apply including industries that support the resource industry i.e. drilling companies, suppliers to resources sector etc.

Community Group

A community group/s is an association of individuals from a community, formed to advance a particular cause or interest. The community group/s must be based in Western Australia, and have a connection with a resource industry operation (as defined below).

It includes a formal or informal community group or organisation. Examples of a community group may include, but are not limited to, not-for-profit organisations, Aboriginal Corporations and Foundations, sporting groups, voluntary groups (for example, fire brigade or search and rescue), school parents and citizens associations, etc. When clearly demonstrating that they are acting in a supporting role with a relevant community group/s, local government agencies and service providers to communities may also be included together with the community.

Partnership

The parties mentioned above must be able to demonstrate that they are engaged in a collaborative partnership or alliance to provide sustainable and enduring benefits to the Western Australian community in which they are located. Entries can be for a collaboration which is a local activity or company-wide initiative but must be able to demonstrate positive outcomes for the community.

Those partnerships that are shortlisted will have an opportunity to present further information to the Assessment Panel later in the awards process.

Award entries must meet the eligibility criteria and clearly demonstrate how they meet the assessment criteria.

It is important to clearly establish how your application has met each of the four criteria.

1. Aligned Vision

The Partnership should have a clearly defined vision or mission, with a set of goals for each Partner that establish a clear direction and sense of purpose. The aligned vision for the Partnership should reflect a genuine community need with an achievable plan for delivery of the goals set.

The application should detail:

• The vision of the Partnership;
• What the goals are for the Partnership; and
• How they align with the requirements of the Resource Company and the Community.

2. Roles, Responsibility and Accountability

Each partner should have clear roles and responsibilities within the partnership that drive the Partnership to achieve results. These responsibilities and engagement between partners are managed appropriately, evident by effective communication strategies and accountability reporting.

The application should detail:

• What role each partner undertakes and how they work to accomplish their aligned vision/outcomes;
• How the Partnership tracks and reports on fulfillment of these goals; and
• How accountability for responsibilities are managed/tracked.

3. Community Impact

The Partnership should enhance the quality of life within the community by providing solutions to a genuine community need, whether that be by changing behaviours, educating others, or committing to social outcomes to positively contribute to community development.

The application should detail how the Partnership:

• Engages with the community;
• Has assisted in developing a vibrant, sustainable and inclusive community;
• Improves the quality of life of those within the community/region; and 
• Has already achieved measureable outcomes.

4. Capacity Building and Sustainability

Community capacity building supports the community to develop their leadership, organisational development, relationships and governance to be independent, empowered and able to self-manage the vision put forward by the Partnership.

The application should detail how the Partnership:

• Builds capacity in the community;
• Has been evaluated and improved over time; and
• Has the ability for the community to continue ‘partnership operations’ if the Partnership was to dissolve.

5. Going Beyond (optional)

This award publicly recognises outstanding achievements and leadership in building constructive community-resource industry partnerships that provide positive outcomes and promote strong guiding behaviour within the resources sector.

Please include any detail in which you think your Partnership goes above and beyond.

Note: This section will be used to support the other assessment criteria but is not be a requirement.

Each entrant has up to ten pages to succinctly describe their Partnership and how it meets the criteria.

The 10 page limit includes all pictures, diagrams, plans, graphs and tables. Videos can be uploaded separately.

It is best to include an introduction by providing a brief background of the resource industry operation and the company. This provides context for the Assessment Panel who are not all from the resources industry.

Details can include (but are not limited to):

• What the operation/project is addressing,
• its location, the size, the number of people involved; and
• the history to the project and its relevance to Western Australia;

The submission also needs to address each of the above criteria and include any supporting evidence and information such as photos, graphs, tables or testimonials that best demonstrate the main initiatives and results of the Partnership.

Once an entry is short-listed, nominees will have the opportunity to provide more information at the Presentation Day.

Remember:

1. Keep your entry succinct. You don't need to use all 10 pages.
2. Keep to the context. Your submission is trying to highlight the facts of your partnership in relation to the assessment criteria.
3. Divide your submission into sections to address each criteria individually and equally.
4. You can get information across easily in dot points, images and tables.

Additional to your application and submission, DMIRS also requires:

• Company logo;
• Four High Resolution Photographs of the project for publications; and
• 200 word summary for use in DMIRS publications and website.

If you experience any problems with the nomination form, or would like more information about the Community Partnership Resource Sector Awards, please contact the Community Partnership Resource Sector Awards Coordinator by emailing communitypartnerships@dmirs.wa.gov.au.

Each application is reviewed to ensure that it is eligible to be considered for an award subject to the above requirements and criteria. DMIRS will notify entrants of their eligibility by the end of May.

Throughout May and June, the Assessment Panel assesses each entry by undertaking a review of the written submissions. If shortlisted, entrants will be invited to provide a presentation to the Assessment Panel on the Partnership. Following the Presentation Day, the Assessment Panel will confer to select the award recipients.

The Assessment Panel is chaired by the Deputy Director General, Resource and Environmental Regulation, of the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety and representatives from government agencies, universities, community and industry organisations.

1. The following Terms and conditions of entry apply to all submissions for the 2023 Community Partnership Resource Sector Awards for Excellence.
2. DMIRS must receive submissions in accordance with the criteria by 5pm on 27 April 2023, to be eligible to participate in the 2023 Awards for Excellence. For reasons of fairness late applications will not be accepted.
3. It is the responsibility of an applicant to ensure that all information relevant to the submission is:
   • Provided in full and meets the page or word limit requirement; and
   • Correct – any information provided which, in the view of the judging panel, is misleading or deceptive in any way will result in disqualification
4. The judging panel has complete discretion and its decision is final and binding in:
   • Assessing a submission’s compliance with the terms and conditions of entry;
   • Assessing that submission against the assessment criteria;
   • Determining the winner or making no award if the eligible submissions are not within the required standard; and
   • Any other matters relating to the Resources Sector Awards for Excellence.
5. The assessment, conduct and results of the Resources Sector Awards for Excellence will not create any legal obligations between applicants and DMIRS.
6. DMIRS will not be responsible or liable for:
   • Any loss or damage to submissions; or
   • Any loss, injury or negative publicity to an applicant as a direct or indirect result of the Resources Sector Awards for Excellence.
7. DMIRS reserves the right to verify information contained in a submission, including requiring an applicant to answer questions or provide additional information relating to the submission at any time during the judging process.
8. All submissions will be treated as confidential except for purposes associated with the Resources Sector Awards for Excellence and the matters set out below.
9. By entering the Resources Sector Awards for Excellence you agree for your organisation to be part of any media publicity and for information provided in a submission to be used for promotional activities of DMIRS, if required.

2 March 2023
Nominations open.

27 April 2023
Nominations close at 5pm. In the interest of fairness no nominations will be accepted after 5pm (WST).

May 2023
Entrants informed whether their submission is eligible.

May – June 2023
Assessment Panel undertakes an assessment of submissions and shortlists entrants. Shortlisted entrants to be notified and invited to present their Partnership to the Assessment Panel.

July 2023
Presentation Day - Assessment Panel will select the award recipients.

Recipients of a Community Partnership Resources Sector Award will be interviewed on stage at the Awards Ceremony in September, so please ensure the person nominated to collect the award is familiar with the Partnership and has the ability to answer questions from the compare.

Assessment is merit based so there is no competition between entries. There may be more than one award presented as it is not possible to compare two completely different partnerships, which both demonstrate outstanding achievements and leadership in building constructive community-resource industry partnerships.