The Commonwealth Awards for Excellence in Risk Management celebrate Australian Public Service organisations for their outstanding risk management systems, practices and activities.
These awards highlight strong leadership, innovation and a commitment to building a risk-aware culture. They demonstrate that when managing risk is prioritised and proactive, it has powerful effects. The efficient allocation of resources, proactive risk mitigation and collaboration with partners exemplifies how risk management strengthens and maintains public trust in the work of the APS.
Showcasing and sharing the design and delivery of different risk management programs can inspire and help other Commonwealth entities to:
- enhance risk maturity
- improve decision making
- promote innovation and continuous improvement
- provide working examples of good risk management
- understand the benefits of managing shared risk well.
All Commonwealth entities are eligible to nominate in one or more of the following categories:
- Enterprise-wide: for excellence in developing, implementing and/or embedding an entity’s risk management framework, practice and/or process.
- Risk initiative: for excellence in risk management demonstrated by a specific program, project or service delivery initiative.
- Risk in focus: the topic of this category changes each year. In 2025 it was responding to new and emerging risk . This category asked entities to share their initiatives that demonstrate how they manage and plan for one or more new or emerging risks.
Celebrating the winners
At the National Museum of Australia on 11 December 2025 the Department of Finance along with Australian Public Service leaders and colleagues celebrated successes and excellence in risk management.
Keynote address
The keynote address was given by Assistant Secretary a/g Tracie-Ann Maher PSM of the Risk and Insurance branch, Risk, Claims and Regulatory Reform Division, Department of Finance.
She spoke about how risk has evolved over time from long before the introduction of the PGPA Act in 2013 through to now:
“…Our risk culture is evolving thanks to investment in training, mentoring and sharing experience. Leaders who empower their teams and encourage learning from failure are driving positive change… and this gives us confidence to pursue bold programs knowing that we are prepared for when things don’t go as planned.”
She spoke of the importance of risk management and that “the Awards are a platform to shine a light on why risk management is so vitally important and needs to be recognised by all of us” which we can do by sharing the award winners’ stories to help build collective risk management capability. This “builds our capacity to respond quickly and thoughtfully… which protects [the Australian] people, our information and our assets.”
Awards presentation
The Awards were announced and presented to recipients by the Department of Defence’s Deputy Secretary Governance Group and the current Chair of the Commonwealth Risk Committee Mr John Reid PSM.
Award for excellence in enterprise-wide risk management
Nominations in this category demonstrate how the Commonwealth Risk Management Policy underpins their entity’s risk management framework. They demonstrate how it contributes to their entity’s strategic planning, management and decision-making processes.
Winner – Australian Taxation Office
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) was recognised for its outstanding achievement in enterprise-wide risk management and awarded as the enterprise-wide category winner for 2025.
Mr Reid said that “in 2024, the ATO undertook a transformative refresh of its Risk Management Framework. They set out to align it with the Commonwealth Risk Management Policy and address key findings from the APSC Capability Review. Their initiative was not just a policy update; it was a cultural shift.”
The ATO’s revised framework embedded risk into every layer of their organisation, from governance and planning to daily operations. The framework integrated emerging risks, such as quantum computing and generative AI, into planning and decision-making.
They introduced six positive risk behaviours, supported by a dynamic communications campaign. Staff were empowered through tailored training, capability statements, and bite-sized learning modules. The ATO’s approach demonstrated measurable results:
- improved staff engagement
- enhanced risk literacy, and
- a marked increase in innovation as reflected in their APS Census data.
ATO’s risks are now escalated and actioned more consistently, with risk appetite and tolerance guiding strategic priorities.
Award Judges praised the ATO’s initiative as “sophisticated, mature, and exemplary. A model for other agencies on how risk management can be a driver of innovation, resilience, and public trust.”
Congratulations to the Australian Taxation Office for their excellence in enterprise-wide risk management.
Highly Commended – Australian Communications and Media Authority
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) were awarded a Highly Commended Award in the enterprise-wide category.
ACMA dedicated a project team to lead a comprehensive transformation of their approach to risk, fraud and corruption maturity. This was done across the key dimensions of governance, culture, capability, and business resilience.
Mr Reid mentioned that “their initiative was marked by strong executive support, early engagement with senior leaders, and creative communication strategies. They incorporated “facts and snacks” sessions to demystify risk.”
ACMA delivered training across all levels and saw a 90% participation rate in voluntary risk activities.
Award Judges praised ACMA’s top-down and bottom-up approach and its cultural change efforts because they “now benefit from a common risk language, improved strategic engagement, and stronger governance.”
Congratulations to ACMA for its outstanding contribution to enterprise-wide risk management.
Honourable Mention – Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) received an Honourable Mention Award in the enterprise-wide category for their risk management initiative.
Mr Reid said that “following a machinery of government change, DEWR’s Enterprise Risk team undertook a phased transformation of its enterprise risk management approach.”
DEWR’s initiative addressed change fatigue and compliance challenges through a staged, consultative approach to produce a new enterprise strategy which unified risk practices. They introduced a practical risk appetite and tolerance framework and integrated Whole-of-government risks into divisional planning.
The Awards Judges commended the initiative’s “comprehensive planning and implementation” and noted its transformative impact.
Congratulations to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations for its commendable efforts in advancing enterprise-wide risk management.
Risk initiative award for excellence in risk management
Nominations in this category demonstrate how their entity’s risk management approach for a specific program, project or service delivery initiative contributes to significant risk management outcomes for their entity.
Winner – Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency
The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency’s (TEQSA) was awarded the risk initiative category winner for their nomination describing how they reshaped how regulatory risk is managed in Australia’s higher education sector.
Mr Reid said when presenting the award that “when faced with a surge in higher education re-registration applications, TEQSA developed a risk-based, tiered assessment model that introduced mandatory self-assurance reporting and complexity categorisation.”
TEQSA allocated resources more effectively, focused effort where risk was highest and streamlined low-risk assessments.
TEQSA’s initiative was said to have fostered a culture of risk awareness and accountability across the sector and improved provider engagement as well as regulatory compliance. Their initiative has influenced other regulatory functions and inspired cross-sectoral learning.
Award Judges commended TEQSA’s “planning, implementation, and sustainability stands as a powerful example of how risk-informed strategies can deliver measurable outcomes and sector-wide benefits.”
Congratulations to TEQSA for its contribution to the advancement of risk management best practice in the APS.
Honourable Mention – Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) were awarded an Honourable Mention Award in the risk initiative category.
Established in response to the Powering Australia policy, their Climate and Energy Project Board provided coordinated oversight across a growing portfolio of high-risk projects. It uses strategic frameworks and dashboards to prioritise risks and support project teams.
Mr Reid said that “it appears to have improved governance standards, assisted in maintaining oversight of key risks, and received positive feedback from project teams.” The model has been recognised as best practice within DCCEEW and is being considered for expansion across the department.
Award Judges commended the initiative’s “practical and efficient approach” and agreed that the initiative “stands out as a scalable and sustainable approach to risk oversight.”
Congratulations to DCCEEW for its innovative contribution to risk management.
Honourable Mention – Department of Home Affairs – Immigration group
The Department of Home Affairs were awarded an Honourable Mention Award in the risk initiative category for its work in uplifting risk management in the Immigration Group.
Their initiative was described by Mr Reid to appear to “address gaps in oversight and inconsistent practices.” The project team developed tailored branch-level risk registers, established a practitioner network, and launched a SharePoint-based resource hub to achieve an increase in capability, collaboration through regular forums, and alignment with enterprise frameworks.
The Award Judges commended the initiative’s “practical tools and engagement mechanisms that laid the foundation to become a sustainable model for risk management.”
Mr Reid spoke of how “the initiative reflects the strong commitment Home Affairs’ Immigration Group has to improve operational risk practices and to foster collaboration across branches.”
Congratulations to the Department of Home Affairs Immigration Group for its impactful and forward-looking initiative.
Past winners and additional resources
Profiles and case studies of past Award winners are available here:
- 2024 Commonwealth Awards for Excellence in Risk Management
- 2023 Commonwealth Awards for Excellence in Risk Management
- 2022 Commonwealth Awards for Excellence in Risk Management
- 2021 Commonwealth Awards for Excellence in Risk Management
- 2019 Awards for Excellence in Risk Management
- Implementing the Commonwealth Risk Management Policy (RMG 211)
- Commonwealth Risk Management Policy
- Risk Management Toolkit
- Education microbites
