2024 ARA Handbook

In this section

Communication Award

Best Cover Design

Best First Time Entry

Governance Reporting Award

Integrated Reporting Award

Online Reporting Award

Work Health & Safety Reporting Award

Special Awards

Over the past 25 years ARA has progressively introduced Special Awards to focus attention on important aspects of annual reporting, and to emerging changes in reporting and the reporting process. For example, a Special Award for Integrated Reporting was introduced to support this new international approach to annual reporting, and the Online Reporting Award was introduced to encourage the development and effective use of digital technology to increase the ease of navigation and comprehension of annual reports published online.

The Special Awards are assessed by panels of adjudicators who have expertise and experience relevant to the Award category.

Best First Time Entry

CLP Holdings is a major sponsor of the ARA and the sponsor of this award.

This is the 26th time the Award for the Best First Time Entry has been presented since it was introduced in 1999. In 2014, CLP Holdings was the first ‘First Time Entrant’ to receive a Gold Award and also win the Report of the Year Award. Subsequently, CLP agreed to become an ARA sponsor.

This year, in addition to new entrants from around Australia there were more first time entrants from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. The entries from countries in the Asia-Pacific region reflect respect for the rigorous ARA assessment process, and appreciation of the opportunity to obtain constructive feedback.

This year, none of the first time entrants achieved a Gold Award and three Silver Award recipients were selected as Finalists, namely:

Haycarb PLC
IOI Properties Group
Socam Development Limited

Winner: IOI Properties Group Berhad

The CLP Holdings Award for the Best First Time Entry was presented by Justine Lau, Senior Corporate Communications Manager, CLP Holdings Limited, Hong Kong, and accepted by ARA Director, Dr Maria Balatbat on behalf of IOI Properties Group Berhad, Malaysia.

Best Cover Design

Design Davey is a major sponsor of the ARA and the sponsor of this award.

This Award was introduced in 2018 in association with Design Davey and the Australian Graphic Design Association to recognise the importance of design in achieving effective communication in both print and online reporting. To win this Award a report cover must be purpose-designed to engage the reader and clearly reflect the purpose of the organisation, and/or the underlying theme of the report.

The finalists for the 2024 Best Cover Design Award:

City of Swan
Hornsby Shire Council
Royal Flying Doctor Service Victoria

Winner: City of Swan

The Judges said, “The cover is comprised of a well-composed montage of images of bushland along the Swan River on one side, and land use for farming and a historic building on the other. This is overlaid with an image of a thoughtful young indigenous Australian looking ahead. Overall, it indicates City of Swan aspires to be an inclusive community, conscious of its history, and willingly encompassing cultural diversity.”

The Design Davey Special Award for the Best Design Cover was accepted by Liam Croy, Coordinator Media and Communications of the City of Swan from Rory O’Brien of Design Davey.

Online Reporting

Tangelo Software is a major sponsor of the ARA and the sponsor of this award.

This Award acknowledges the special nature of the digital medium and the opportunities it presents to facilitate navigation through an annual report and enhance the presentation of information on-screen to attract, engage and effectively inform the reader.

Online Reporting in the Private Sector

The finalists for Online Reporting in the Private Sector:

CLP Holdings Limited
Mineral Resources Limited
Petroleum Nasional Berhad

Winner: CLP Holdings Limited

The Judges said, “This is a concise status report on the health of the company. It provides a comprehensive, easy to navigate, and easy to read and understand summary of CLP’s activities and performance for the year, and upcoming changes to its operations. Stakeholders who want more detailed information are directed to the full PDF report.”

The Tangelo Award for Online Reporting in the Private Sector was accepted by Justine Lau of CLP Holdings Hong Kong from Erwin Groenendal, Co-Founder of Tangelo Software.

Online Reporting in the Public Sector

The finalists for Online Reporting in the Public Sector:

Glen Eira City Council
Main Roads Western Australia
Professional Standards Councils

Winner: Main Roads Western Australia

The Judges said, “The dynamic video background on the landing page immediately engages the reader and the clarity of the excellently designed presentation throughout makes the report easy to view. Effective navigation is achieved with an anchored top menu bar which leads to sub-menus and highlights the heading of the section currently being viewed. In addition, relevant content links help the reader to move around the website.”

The Tangelo Award for Online Reporting in the Public Sector was accepted by Alan Colegate, Acting Executive Director Strategy and Communications, Main Roads WA, from Erwin Groenendal.

Online Reporting in the Not-for-Profit Sector

The finalists for Online Reporting in the Not-for-Profit Sector:

Argyle Community Housing Ltd
Australian Financial Complaints Authority
Breast Cancer Trials
Hong Kong Housing Authority

Winner: Breast Cancer Trials

The Judges said, “Well-designed pages with two brand colours providing contrast between copy and graphics, and a good balance of copy and images make the report easy to read. The top of screen menu bar and sub-menus make navigation intuitive and a well-presented duplicate menu at the bottom of the screen acts as a site map. Inclusion of well-presented videos that share valuable personal experiences add to the written words.”

The Tangelo Award for Online Reporting in the Not-for-Profit Sector was accepted by Anna Fitzgerald, Communications Manager of Breast Cancer Trials from Erwin Groenendal.

Governance Reporting

This Award was introduced in 1998 in association with the Governance Institute of Australia (then Chartered Secretaries Australia) to recognise the quality and completeness of disclosure in reporting on governance.

Governance Reporting in the Private Sector

Winner: PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad

The Judges said, “The report illustrates the transparency and effectiveness of the Board’s approach to assessing areas for improvement, particularly with respect to reporting on current and emerging strategic risk management and risk mitigation control systems. A noteworthy feature was external certification against international standards for anti-bribery and corruption.”

The Governance Award in the Private Sector was accepted by Azlik Ishak of Petronas Chemicals Group Berhad from Dr Maria Balatbat, ARA Director.

Governance Reporting in the Public and Not-for-Profit Sectors

The finalists for Governance Reporting in the Public and Not-for-Profit Sectors:

Audit Office of New South Wales
Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation
Main Roads Western Australia

Winner: Audit Office of New South Wales

The Judges said, “The Audit Office of NSW effectively adopted relevant private sector governance principles while meeting public sector requirements. Report highlights included: measuring performance with respect to impact and value; improvements in workforce strategy; and engaging and reporting to stakeholders. Performance benchmarking included comparisons with other Auditor-General Offices.”

The Governance Award in the Public and Not-for-Profit Sectors was accepted by Emma Wallhead, Executive Director Professional Services of the Audit Office of New South Wales from Dr Maria Balatbat.

Communication

CtrlPrint is a major sponsor of the ARA and the sponsor of this award.

The Communication Award was introduced in 1998 to recognise excellence in communicating with stakeholders in printed annual reports.

Communication Award in the Private Sector

The finalists for the Communication Award in the Private Sector:

Auckland International Airport Limited
Port Otago Limited
Wesfarmers Limited

Winner: Auckland International Airport Limited

The Judges said, “The report stood out for its very clean, uncluttered design and clear messaging, especially about the key performance numbers. The text is well written in an engaging style and the presentation of the business model was particularly well-executed. Good photos are used well to convey a friendly personality with lots of warmth.”

The CtrlPrint Australia Award for Communication in the Private Sector was accepted by Libby Middlebrook, Head of Corporate Affairs of Auckland International Airport Limited from Aileen Zhou, Business Development, CtrlPrint Australia.

Communication Award in the Public Sector

The finalists for the Communication Award in the Public Sector:

Clean Energy Finance Corporation
Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority
Main Roads Western Australia

Winner: Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority

The Judges said, “The attractive design, logical structure and well-prioritised content of this report make it easy for the reader to find and absorb information, and well-paced presentation helps to maintain the reader’s interest. It includes helpful maps and infographics, and engaging case studies which illustrate the Authority’s spread of activities.”

The CtrlPrint Australia Award for Communication in the Public Sector was accepted by Jessica Chappell, Corporate Affairs Manager of Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority from Aileen Zhou.

Communication Award in the Not-for-profit Sector

The finalists for the Communication Award in the Not-for-Profit Sector:

Neurological Foundation
Royal Flying Doctor Service Victoria
UnitingCare Queensland

Winner: Royal Flying Doctor Service Victoria

The Judges said, “This is a clear, concise report that presents easy to absorb information about current shortcomings in healthcare in rural areas and the expansion of RFD services to address them. The operations and revenue distribution sections are well executed. The arresting aerial cover photo and other images are effective in setting the report in a rural environment.”

The CtrlPrint Australia Award for Communication in the Not-for-Profit Sector was accepted by Jonathan Green, Manager Communication (Centre) and Christian Langdon of Royal Flying Doctor Service Victoria from Aileen Zhou.

Integrated Reporting Award

Nova is a major sponsor of the ARA and the sponsor of this award.

Since 2010 there has been growing interest and increased activity around the world in integrating the reporting of financial performance with other information such as strategies, governance, prospects and risks to enable organisations to better communicate about their ability to create value in the future. ARA introduced a Special Award for Integrated Reporting in 2013 to support this international initiative and contribute to the evolutionary process.

The finalists in the 2024 Integrated Reporting Award:

CPA Australia
Petronas Chemicals Group Berhad
RHB Bank Berhad
UEM Sunrise Berhad

Winner: UEM Sunrise Berhad

The Judges said, “This <IR> compliant report is robust, informative, well-presented and a good read. It demonstrates a mature approach to integrated thinking and excellent understanding of capitals and the value creation process. Material topics are well covered with consideration of value creation from the perspective of both stakeholders and UEM. Coverage of trade-offs, and value preservation and erosion, indicate good balance in disclosures.”