The Western Australia's Innovators of the Year (WAIOTY) Awards has showcased innovative and entrepreneurial individuals, businesses and creative minds since 2006
This year, an inaugural Government Innovators of the Year category was opened receiving a diverse array of applications showcasing innovation across the public sector.
The award category celebrates Western Australian government entity employees who are innovating, creating novel intellectual property and adding value to public service delivery. For the purposes of this program, Western Australian government entities includes government departments, and Government Trading Enterprises.
Meet the finalists:
Department of Fire and Emergency Services
Information and Communications Technology Directorate
Marine Radio over Internet Protocol (RoIP) Project
DFES have built a statewide connected Radio over Internet Protocol (RoIP) system allowing them to link every Marine Rescue Group in the state together enabling remote monitoring for radio messages including listening for distress calls statewide greatly enhancing our capability to respond. This system also records every transmission ensuring that no message is missed and can be instantly replayed. This innovation has already resulted in lives being saved by picking up a distress call that would have otherwise been missed.
Department of Justice
Corrective Services Division
Prisoner Employment Program
Prisoner Employment Programs provide prisoners with the opportunity to engage in meaningful and sustainable paid employment, work experience and vocational training. Innovative strategic partnerships have been established between Government, non-government, business and community organisations to give prisoners in regional and metropolitan areas a clear ‘through care’ pathway from industry-based training to employment opportunities. Research shows that prisoners engaged are 16% less likely to return to prison and those employment within 3 months of release were less than half as likely to return to prison.
Department of the Premier and Cabinet’s Office of Digital Government
Cyber Security Unit
WA Security Operations Centre (WA SOC)
The WA Security Operations Centre (WA SOC) was the first organisation in Australia to leverage the Microsoft Lighthouse platform to operate a Whole-of-Government Security Operations system. The innovation enabled WA SOC to connect to 90 (and counting!) WA Government entities’ ICT environments for monitoring. Prior to this innovation, WA Government entities’ cyber security teams operated in isolation with little threat intelligence sharing across government. With its innovation, WA SOC created a mechanism for whole-of-government information sharing and threat hunting.
The award is sponsored by the Australian Innovation Management Institute (AIMI), who will provide places for up to 5 team members on their AIMI Certified Innovation Catalyst Program.
The 2024 Innovators of the Year awards ceremony will be held on 28 October where all finalists will be recognised, and this year’s winners will be awarded.
The WA Innovators of the Year program is greatly supported by our sponsors Rio Tinto, Business News, Wesfarmers, Woodside, Griffith Hack, Nexia Australia, Biodesign Australia, Wrays, CERI, CSIRO, Moore Australia, Betterlabs and Australian Innovation Management Institute.
Find more information on the New Industries Fund webpage.
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