The RTA Contact Centre, First Nations Songlines service and 4 customer experience staff were recognised among Queensland’s best, with the RTA taking home 2 wins at the Auscontact Queensland State Excellence Awards held in Brisbane on Friday 4 September 2026.

The annual awards recognise and celebrate excellence in customer service, contact centres, customer experience and employee experience. 

Songlines is the RTA’s dedicated phone service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander customers and was the state winner in the employee experience category.

RTA Chief Executive Officer Steve Davidson celebrated the RTA’s achievements at the awards, particularly the award-winning recognition of Songlines and our customer contact professional of the year, Alexandru Rusu.

‘Songlines demonstrates how thoughtful, inclusive design, guided by culture and community, can create an environment where both customers and employees can have a valuable experience,’ Mr Davidson said.

‘Creating an inclusive and supportive employee experience was key to launching Songlines and to delivering great outcomes for our First Nations customers that use this service.

‘As well as congratulating everyone involved in the Songlines service, I’d also like to congratulate our 4 individual nominees, including our state winner, Alexandru, and 2 finalists. Their recognition highlights our continued focus on delivering excellent customer service.’

You can read a summary of our initiative, team and individual nominations below.

Employee Experience Initiative of the Year – Culture, Engagement and Inclusion (Songlines) (state winner)

Songlines is the RTA’s dedicated phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander customers, launched in July 2025. The nomination recognised the inclusive and community-led approach to establish the service. First Nations voices were central at every stage, helping shape both the service model and the training framework.

Songlines staff have developed a deeper understanding of the communities they serve and the significance of delivering culturally safe interactions.

For the RTA’s First Nations customers, Songlines is a safe and culturally responsive entry point, helping to break down barriers for accessing rental assistance in Queensland.

Contact Centre of the Year (state finalist)

The RTA Contact Centre was recognised for strong employee collaboration and engagement, our approach to learning and development and a sense of belonging and connection within the team. The RTA Contact Centre has built a resilient and highly engaged workforce that consistently delivers quality customer outcomes.

Individual awards

Team leader/team manager – recognising leaders who inspire and drive team performance to deliver exceptional results.

• Susan Cridland (state finalist) has demonstrated consistent leadership excellence throughout her 5 years with the RTA. She is highly regarded for her empathetic, people-focused approach, creating a safe and supportive environment where staff feel empowered to perform at their best.

Customer contact professional – recognising individuals who consistently provide outstanding customer interactions, leadership and service excellence.

• Alexandru Rusu (state winner) is highly regarded for his professionalism, resilience, strong work ethic and ability to role model positive behaviours in the RTA Contact Centre. Alex consistently supports colleagues, willingly helps the leadership team and actively contributes wherever needed.
• Lachlan Brett (state finalist) consistently delivers exceptional customer service across the RTA’s phone, written and face-to-face channels. He has also mentored and supported the development of new team members, reflecting his commitment to building capability within the RTA.
• Andi Lai (state nominee) has an unwavering commitment to customers, colleagues and organisational success. He approaches challenging situations with calmness and confidence, while remaining organised, adaptable and accountable in everything he does.

The RTA’s state winners – the Songlines service and Alexandru Rusu – will now go on to compete at the Auscontact National Excellence Awards held in Sydney this November.