Banksia Foundation

The recipient is selected from the winners of the Banksia Category Awards.  It is awarded to the individual or organisation which, in the judges' opinion, has made the contribution most worthy of extra recognition and acknowledgement.

PLEASE NOTE:  There are no separate applications required for this award - your entry into the Category Awards, if successful to Winner status will automatically be considered for the Gold Award

The Gold Banksia Award Winner aims to represent the most significant issues facing the environment industry and the organisations and projects that are focusing on those issues.

2012 Gold Banksia Award Winner

Target 100
Meat & Livestock Australia, NSW

Incredibly well thought-through and undertaken with deliberation and determination and already demonstrating notable outcomes early in the game, so the ongoing benefits seem extremely exciting. The judges were extremely impressed by the commitment from those involved, from individual producers and providers across the country to high profile ambassadors and heavyweight industry organisations. It shows how empowering social media tools can be when put to important use by bringing disparate people (i.e. farmers and university researchers) together for mutual benefit.

As caretakers of almost half of Australia's landmass sheep and cattle farmers know firsthand the importance of a healthy environment. Their commitment to a sustainable future is embodied in Target 100 - an initiative by Australian cattle and sheep farmers, along with their broader industry, to deliver sustainable farming by 2020. Harnessing social media and other communication channels, Target 100 revolves around 100 research, development and extension initiatives that aim to make cattle and sheep farming more sustainable and case studies of individual farmers. Target 100 encourages behavioural change by exposing farmers to the practices of other producers and the latest environmental research by leading Australian universities and research institutions. It is inspiring the adoption of sustainable practices on a growing number of farms. It is also about bridging the city-country divide between those who produce food and those who consume it. Target 100 provides the platform that allows farmers and consumers to directly communicate about environmental and other issues in lamb and beef production. With more than 100 farmers sharing their sustainability efforts on the Target 100 website and 17,000 visits to the site since its launch in March Target 100 is well on its way to achieving its goal of engaging farmers and consumers on the sustainability journey.

Past Winners of the Gold Award

• 2011 - Gippsland Water Factory - A New Way to Care for Water - Gippsland Water, VIC
• 2010 - Yellow Crazy Ant Management Project - Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation, NT (in partnership with CSIRO, Rio-Tinto, Alcan)
• 2009 - Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses
• 2008 - WWF Australia Earth Hour Australia
• 2007 - Westpac: Unlocking Value
• 2006 - Australian Arrow Pty Ltd: Visualising Our Environmental Footprint
• 2005 - mecu goGreen® car loan
• 2004 -  Visy "we make it, we take it"
• 2003 -  Marine and Coastal Community Network