Prime Minister’s National Veteran Employment Awards Terms and Conditions

To be eligible to submit a nomination for an Award, or to receive an Award in one of the Prime Minister’s National Veteran Employment Awards categories, applicants must agree to the following terms and conditions. Where applicable, they must also meet the specified eligibility requirements.

The Prime Minister’s National Veteran Employment Awards are administered by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA).

Awards Categories

Nominations are accepted for the following Prime Minister’s National Veteran Employment Awards categories:

  1. Employer of the Year – Small
  2. Employer of the Year – Medium
  3. Employer of the Year – Large
  4. Excellence in Supporting Veteran and Partner Employment - National
  5. Excellence in Supporting Veteran and Partner Employment - Regional
  6. Veteran Employee of the Year
  7. Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year
  8. Partner Employee of the Year
  9. Partner Entrepreneur of the Year

Please note that awards may also be given for the following two categories, however these categories are not open to public nomination.

  1. Outstanding Employer of the Year
  2. Outstanding Contribution to Veteran and Partner Employment

Applications 

Applications are open from 9:00 am (AEDT) Wednesday, 3 April 2024 until 11:59 pm (AEST) Friday, 31 May 2024.

Eligibility Requirements

For the purpose of these terms and conditions, the following definitions apply:

Private Sector Organisation is a business that:

  • is registered in Australia;
  • has been operating in Australia for at least 12 months on the closing date of nominations; and
  • has an Australian Business Number that has been active for at least 12 months on the closing date of nominations.

Public Sector Organisation includes:

  • organisations registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission; or
  • state/territory and Commonwealth agencies, statutory and local government authorities; or
  • Higher education institutions recognised under the Higher Education Support Act 2003.

To be considered for an award, the individual or organisation must meet all eligibility requirements for each category as provided below.

 

1. Employer of the Year – Small

Open to private or public sector organisations with fewer than 20 employees.

2. Employer of the Year – Medium

Open to private or public sector organisations with 20 - 200 employees.

3. Employer of the Year – Large

Open to private or public sector organisations with more than 200 employees.

4. Excellence in Supporting Veteran and/or Partner Employment - National

Open to public and private sector organisations, of any size (including individuals/sole traders).

5. Excellence in Supporting Veteran and/or Partner Employment - Regional 

Open to public and private sector organisations, of any size (including individuals/sole traders) whose principal business is located outside of Australia’s major cities as classified by the Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).

6. Veteran Employee of the Year

To be eligible for this award, the applicant must:

  • be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia
  • be 18-years of age or over
  • have served at least one day, full-time service in the Australian Defence Force
  • be employed by an organisation for a minimum of two years on the closing date of nominations, and
  • have their nomination endorsed by their employing organisation.

7. Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year

To be eligible for this award, the applicant must:

  • be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia
  • be 18-years of age or over
  • have served at least one day, full-time service in the Australian Defence Force, and
  • own a business (either solely or jointly) that:
    • is registered and based in Australia for at least 12 months on the closing date of nominations, 
    • is owned by a person who identifies as a veteran under DVA’s broad definition as anyone who is, or has served, at least one day, full-time service in the Australian Defence Force, and
    • has an Australian Business Number that has been active for at least 12 months on the closing date of nominations.

8. Partner Employee of the Year

To be eligible for this award, the applicant must:

  • be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia
  • be 18-years of age or over
  • be the partner (spouse or de-facto) of a serving or former Australian Defence Force member (who has served at least one day, full-time service in the Australian Defence Force)
  • be employed by an organisation for a minimum of one year on the closing date of nominations, and
  • have their nomination endorsed by their employing organisation.

9. Partner Entrepreneur of the Year

To be eligible for this award, the applicant must:

  • be an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia
  • be 18-years of age or over
  • be the partner (spouse or de-facto) of a serving or former Australian Defence Force member (who has served at least one day full-time service), and
  • own a business (either solely or jointly) that:
    • is registered and based in Australia for at least 12 months on the closing date of nominations; and
    • has an Australian Business Number that has been active for at least 12 months on the closing date of nominations.

10. Outstanding Employer of the Year

This category is not open to public nomination. The winner will be selected by judging panel leads from the pool of winners from all Employer of the Year categories.

11. Outstanding Contribution to Veteran and/or Partner Employment

This category is not open to public nomination and may not be awarded every year.

Further details on Awards categories and nomination criteria can be found here.

 

Applicants 

  • can only nominate the same nominee once in each category
  • must ensure that nominees meet the eligibility requirements
  • must advise the nominee that they have been nominated
  • must seek the nominee's agreement that, if they are selected as a finalist:
    • (for the Veteran or Partner Employee of the Year and Veteran or Partner Entrepreneur of the Year categories), they will take all reasonable steps to make themselves available to attend an interview with the judging panel(s)
    • they or their nominated representative will take all reasonable steps to make themselves available for the event held to present the Awards
    • they may be required to actively participate in presentations, media interviews and other Award related promotional activities
    • consent to use of photographs and/or video images in promotional material and products developed for the Veteran Employment Program
  • acknowledge that DVA and/or the judging panel(s) may request additional information or clarification in support of a nomination and, if so requested, such information or clarification must be provided within a specified timeframe;
  • acknowledge that individual feedback regarding unsuccessful nominations will not be provided
  • acknowledge that if shortlisted for consideration as a finalist, a limited integrity check may be undertaken.  This will comprise of a review of publicly available information and where relevant, identification by the Fair Work Ombudsman of any adverse findings.

All applications must

  • be submitted by 11:59 pm AEST on Friday 29 May 2024
  • be submitted online, with all supporting evidence
  • meet the specific eligibility requirements for the relevant award category
  • address the relevant award category nomination criteria, otherwise the nomination will not be considered
  • be factually correct
  • not exceed the relevant word limits, file size specifications as listed in the nomination form and Awards website. Word limits for each criterion will be reflected on the nomination form.

All applicants agree that:

  • any potential or actual conflict of interest must be declared, including, but not limited to, the existence and nature of any relationship that the organisation and/or the individual submitting the nomination may have with:
    • the Prime Minister and his staff
    • any staff of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
    • the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel, and his staff
    • any staff of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
    • any member of the Industry Advisory Committee on Veterans' Employment
    • any company sponsoring the Awards
    • any judge involved in the Awards
  • the judging panel(s) reserve the right to move nominations into alternate categories where appropriate
  • the judging panel(s) reserve the right to not select finalists and/or allocate an award in a particular category where, in its opinion, there are no nominations of sufficient merit. In such cases applicants will be advised accordingly
  • the decisions of the judging panel(s) are final and no correspondence will be entered into
  • in the event that a nominee that has won an award category but has not complied with the terms and conditions of the Prime Minister’s National Veterans’ Employment Awards, the judging panel(s) may decide that:
    • the nominee shall not be entitled to the relevant award;
    • the relevant award may be provided to another nominee; and/or
    • the relevant award may not be allocated
  • in the event that:
    • an applicant or nominee is involved in, or suspected to be involved in, conduct or activity (including of a personal or business nature) that is illegal, fraudulent or causes harm, or 

    • the judging panel(s) are of the view that the consideration or granting of an award to the applicant or nominee has the potential to cause harm or reputational damage, to the Australian Government, the judging panel(s), the Industry Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Employment or Award sponsors, 

      a nomination may not be considered or an award received by a nominee may be withdrawn

  • there will be no cash prizes or gift vouchers provided to Award winners
  • in submitting the application, the applicant warrants that they own the material included in their application (including any supporting evidence) and agrees to provide a licence to the judging panel(s) and the Australian Government to use that information for the purposes of the Prime Minister’s National Veterans’ Employment Awards and the Veteran Employment Program
  • in submitting the application, the applicant gives DVA permission to publish details of the nomination (such as but not limited to biographies and photographs), for the purposes of promoting the Prime Minister’s National Veterans’ Employment Awards and the Veteran Employment Program including publication on the Veteran Employment Program website, the DVA website, DVA social media channels and in other promotional materials and media
  • if an applicant nominates an individual or another organisation for an award, the nominee (or their nominated representative if applicable) will be requested to provide DVA with permission to publish details of the nomination (such as but not limited to biographies and photographs), for the purpose of promoting the Awards, and the Veteran Employment Program including publication on the Veteran Employment Program website, the DVA website, DVA social media channels and in other promotional materials and media.

Privacy

  • The information provided on the nomination form is collected by DVA and may be made available to the judging panel(s) (and other contracted service providers), the Australian Government, and the Industry Advisory Committee on Veteran Employment solely for the purposes of the Awards and the Veteran Employment Program
  • All information provided with an application will be managed in accordance with DVA’s Privacy Policy. The DVA Privacy Policy contains information about the way DVA collects and uses personal information and the purposes for which it is held. It also contains information about how you can correct any personal information which you believe is incorrect, and how to make a complaint if you believe that your privacy has been breached.

 

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