Tweed Shire Council has been recognised for its innovative approach to tackling incivility, winning the People, Workplace and Wellbeing Award at the 2026 Local Government Excellence Awards last night.
In a statement, Council said the award recognises the ‘Part of your everyday’ campaign and Council’s broader psychosocial safety initiatives, which improve workplace wellbeing, empower teams to drive positive change, and respond to a clear organisational need.
“The ‘Part of your everyday’ campaign was developed by Council staff, for Council staff, in response to rising antisocial behaviour and normalised ‘council bashing’, which can create psychosocial hazards for staff, particularly those in public-facing roles”.
Tweed Shire Council General Manager, Troy Green, said the award was a welcome recognition for the organisation. “I’m so very proud of our team at Tweed,” Mr Green said. “The need for a campaign targeting incivility was incepted by our staff at a grassroots level to highlight that Council staff are members of our community who have lives outside of their uniformed roles.
“They are proud to serve the Tweed community and should not be subject to incivility or abuse when doing so.
“This campaign has helped to highlight that, and I couldn’t be prouder of the small team that led it.”
He says the campaign featured real Council staff from across the organisation, including outdoor crews, customer-facing teams and office-based roles, showing the people behind the essential services the community relies on every day.
Water Meter Reader Mickey Coleman, who featured in the videos, said he had noticed a real change in the way some people interacted with him since the campaign.
“Before the campaign, I always felt I was treated well when I was out in the community without my uniform on, but something could change when I put the uniform on,” Mr Coleman said.
“Now, people recognise me when I’m out reading water meters. They’re much friendlier, they stop for a chat and say they’ve seen the campaign. It makes a big difference to feel like the community sees you as a person, not just the uniform.”
Manager People and Culture, Aimee Austin, said the success of the initiative was in its authenticity.
“This campaign works because it is real. It is our staff, telling our story, in a way that invites the community in,” she said. “It reminds people that behind every road repair, customer service call, park, pool, library, waste service, development assessment or community program are local people doing their best for the place they also call home.”
The award recognises initiatives that improve workplace wellbeing, celebrate the power of teams to champion positive change and respond to a clear organisational need. ‘Part of your everyday’ was recognised for doing this in an innovative and repeatable way, using pride-based storytelling to humanise Council staff. Developed by a small staff-led project team, with input from frontline employees and support from leaders across the organisation, the team focused on a more positive and authentic approach that showed staff as local people who are proud to serve the Tweed. The ‘Part of your everyday’ initiative sits within Council’s Psychosocial Safety Framework to create a system-wide approach that prevents and responds to harmful behaviour.
Council congratulates the nine other finalists in the People, Workplace and Wellbeing category (Councils with a population under 100,000) and all winners recognised at the 2026 Local Government Excellence Awards. Tweed Shire Council also thanks Local Government Professionals for hosting the event and providing an opportunity to celebrate the people, projects and partnerships making a difference across the local government sector. We’re proud to be part of your everyday. Thank you for being part of ours. Explore the ‘Part of your everyday’ campaign at tweed.nsw.gov.au/part-of-your-everyday
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