Museum Locations

Museum of the Great Southern.

Residency Road, Albany.

Museum of Geraldton.

1 Museum Place, Batavia Coast Marina, Geraldton.

Museum of the Goldfields.

17 Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie.

WA Maritime Museum.

Victoria Quay, Fremantle.

Western Australian Museum — Perth. Perth Cultural Centre, James Street, Perth.

WA Shipwrecks Museum.

Cliff Street, Fremantle.

WA Museum Collections
and Research Centre.

49 Kew Street, Welshpool.

Western Australian Museum — Administration.

Wellington Building, 150 William Street, Perth.

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[ COVER ] Winning concept for The New

Museum for Western Australia, Perth

(C) WA Museum, image courtesy Multiplex, HASSELL+OMA

[ LEFT ] Rijksmuseum conservator Tamar Davidowitz at work on the Travellers and Traders exhibition at Maritime Museum.

Published by the
Western Australian Museum, 2017

ISSN 0083-8721 (PRINT) ISSN 2204-6127 (ONLINE)

museum.wa.gov.au

CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE 5

Message from the Chair 6

Message from the CEO 8

Highlights 10

New Museum 10

Celebrating 400 Years Since Dirk Hartog 10

Dutch Royal Visit 12

Sydney Kormoran Anniversary 12

Yurlmun Partnership Achievement 13

Hosting International Colleagues 14

Successful Offsite Activation Program 15

Awards and honours 15

Operational structure 18

Who we are 18

Responsible Minister and Legislation 19

Functional structure 20

Performance management framework 21

Outcome based management framework 21

Report on operations 22

Financial overview 22

Performance overview 22

Summary of Key Performance Indicators 24

Performance against Strategic PlaN 27

Sustainable growth 27

Heart of the community 30

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples 39

World leader 44

New Museum Project 50

Museum Supporters 53

Western Australian Museum Foundation 53

Foundation Patron 57

Western Australian Museum Foundation
Board of Governors 57

Western Australian Museum Foundation Investment Committee 57

Western Australian Museum Foundation Artefact Circle Committee 57

Friends of the Western Australian Museum 58

Volunteers at the Western
Australian Museum 58

Significant issues impacting
the agency 60

Current and emerging issues and trends 60

Economic and social trends 62

Disclosures and legal compliance 64

Independent Auditor’s Report 64

Certification of Financial
Statements 69

Financial Statements 70

Statement of Comprehensive Income 70

Statement of Financial Position 71

Statement of Changes in Equity 72

Statement of Cashflows 73

Notes to Financial Statements 74

Certification of Key
Performance Indicators 110

Detailed Key Performance
Indicators 111

Ministerial Directions 122

Other Financial Disclosures 122

Capital Works 122

Governance and Disclosures 124

Board of Trustees 124

Advisory committees 129

Other Legal Requirements 132
Budget Estimates 132

Advertising expenditure 135

Disability Access and Inclusion
Plan outcomes 135

Compliance with Public Sector
Standards and Ethical Codes 139

Record keeping plans 139

Government Policy Requirements 142

Substantive equality 142

Occupational safety, health and injury
management 142

Appendices 145

Sponsors, benefactors and
granting agencies 145

Temporary exhibitions 148

About this report

The Western Australian Museum’s 2016–17 Annual Report is a review of the Museum’s performance for the financial year ending 30 June 2017.

The report is produced in accordance with the provisions of the Museums Act 1969 (WA) and other relevant legislation that governs the Museum’s operations. It is provided to the Minister for Culture and the Arts, the Hon David Templeman MLA as the State Minister responsible, at 30 June 2017, for the Culture and the Arts portfolio within which the Western Australian Museum operated as a statutory authority. This report is tabled in the Parliament of Western Australia in accordance with the Financial Management Act 2006.

The object of this report is to ensure financial and performance accountability to the Western Australian Parliament, and to provide audiences, customers and stakeholders with an understanding of the Museum’s functions and operations.

This and previous annual reports are available in PDF form and in accessible formats on the Western Australian Museum’s website at museum.wa.gov.au/about/corporate-documents

Copies are archived in the State Library of Western Australia, the National Library Canberra and the Western Australian Museum Library located at Kew Street, Welshpool. For enquiries, comments or more information about the Museum please contact our Customer Relations Team on 1300 134 081 or email reception@museum.wa.gov.au

STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2017

Hon David Templeman MLA,

Minister for Culture and the Arts

In accordance with section 63 of the Financial Management Act 2006, we hereby submit for your information and presentation to Parliament, the Annual Report of the Western Australian Museum for the financial year ended 30 June 2017. The Annual Report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Management Act 2006.

A. Robson

Chair, Western Australian Museum Board

08 September 2017

S. Scudamore

Vice-Chair, Western Australian Museum Board

08 September 2017

MEssage from the chair

Emeritus Professor Alan Robson AO CitWA

Chair, Western Australian Museum
Board of Trustees

We live in a time of turbulent change, of economic uncertainty and the constant challenge of adapting our business practices to meet the constraints of ever decreasing resources. In such difficult circumstances, the Western Australian Museum has indeed been fortunate this year to consolidate many years of careful planning and actually begin work on building a new state museum for the benefit of future generations.

The announcement of Brookfield Multiplex as the managing contractor for the project, with its design team HASSELL + OMA, was met with widespread acclaim. The concept design was dramatic and inspired, creating a visual landmark for Western Australia. It is our intention to set new benchmarks for a dynamic and creative visitor experience and to provide opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds. Following the change of Government, I was delighted to witness the commitment of our Premier, the Hon Mark McGowan MLA, and Minister for Culture and the Arts, the Hon David Templeman MLA, to the continued development of the New Museum with a public ceremony to mark the official commencement of major works. Work is now proceeding apace to translate the stories of Western Australia’s extraordinary landscapes, environments and people into exciting and immersive visitor experiences for when doors open in 2020.

I am in my sixth year as Chair of the Board of Trustees and it continues to be a privilege to be part of the Western Australian Museum’s exciting, transformational journey. While supporting the delivery of a New Museum for Western Australia is the key organisational priority for everyone at the Museum, staff are as committed as ever to delivering the best museum experiences to as many people as possible, despite ongoing restrictions in recurrent funding. I am especially impressed with the success of the Museum’s new program of offsite activation which has engaged substantial new audiences. The challenge of growing audiences and keeping the Museum’s work in the public eye while the Perth site is temporarily closed, is significant, but the Museum has met this challenge with hard work, innovation and entrepreneurial flair.

The Western Australian Museum is changing – inside and out. It is building a national and international reputation as a world leader through its enhanced collaboration with the people of WA and beyond, to ensure that their stories are told through their own voices. Meanwhile, it continues its rigorous research, especially in the fields of biodiversity, Earth and planetary sciences and maritime archaeology, contributing significantly to the conservation and sustainable development of our State and its natural and human heritage.

The Museum’s achievements, this year, have been significant, based on a culture of increasing innovation and entrepreneurship. These are, however, difficult times economically for our State and for the Museum. The Board and the Museum’s Executive clearly understand and accept the requirement for all parts of government to contribute to the repair of the State’s budget, but we also look forward to working with Government, and with its support, to deliver the best possible outcomes for the people of Western Australia.

I would once again like to thank my Board colleagues, our staff and the Museum’s advisory committees for their ongoing support of, and commitment to, the Museum and all it aspires to achieve. The Museum’s Foundation has redoubled its fundraising efforts and is to be thanked and congratulated, and I thank the many sponsors, benefactors and partners for their incredible support throughout the year.

Once more, I thank Chief Executive Officer Alec Coles for his exceptional stewardship of the Museum during this period of extraordinary change and I would personally like to take this opportunity to thank him for his emphatic and resolute determination to lead the Western Australian Museum into a new era of inspiring, collaborative community engagement.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the commitment of this Government, in spite of difficult economic times, for its continued support of the development of a New Museum for Western Australia that will provide outstanding public outcomes for generations to come.

MEssage from the CEO

Alec Coles OBE

Chief Executive Officer

Western Australian Museum

What an extraordinary year it has been for the Western Australian Museum.

The significant progress made on the New Museum development is both heartening and humbling given the very hard work that has gone into the project in the past 12 months and, indeed, the years preceding.

The New Museum for WA, to be built in the Perth Cultural Centre, is a major project in every sense. It will support the State’s economy by creating jobs, both during its construction and subsequent to opening when it will attract national and international tourists. It will also play a major part in the regeneration of the Perth Cultural Centre and the Northbridge area, and will contribute to a vibrant, cohesive community.

During construction it will create an estimated 3,300 jobs and once complete, the new museum is expected to be a major tourism drawcard for the State. Offering free admission to its core collections, it will attract some 800,000 visitors in its first year. Importantly, it will be a valuable resource for every West Australian, providing spaces where people of all ages and backgrounds can celebrate and share their cultural heritage and identity.

The Museum and its partners are currently working hard to deliver a new Museum that will be a world-class destination, through innovative interpretation strategies, imaginative collection connections, cutting-edge research, inspiring programming and, most importantly, strong partner involvement.

These characteristics define all the work of the Museum and this has been particularly in evidence this year. The incredible success of the Yurlmun: Mokare Mia Boodja and Dirk Hartog 1616 projects were the result of extensive collaboration to ensure the stories of our State were shared in authentic, innovative and engaging ways and, critically, involving key community stakeholders. The sum of that work and the extraordinary outcomes achieved as a result have set the bar for future partnerships and provide a template for collecting institutions around the world to reconnect with source communities.

This year, with the temporary closure of the Perth site for redevelopment, the Museum has partnered with more cultural agencies, corporations, organisations, community groups and individuals than ever before, with the clear goal of keeping the Museum’s work, in all its manifestations, fresh in the minds of its communities. I am thrilled with the huge success of our offsite activation program and the knowledge that more than 186,000 people connected with the Museum in new places and different ways.

I would like to thank our very dedicated staff for their continued hard work and commitment to providing the best service and experience possible to all Museum visitors and users. In particular, I would like to thank the Executive Leadership Team for guiding the Museum through the challenges and opportunities presented in what has been a year of fundamental organisational change.

I also sincerely thank the Western Australian Museum Board of Trustees for its continued advocacy and support and, in particular, I thank the Chair of the Trustees Emeritus Professor Alan Robson AO CitWA.

Thank you to the advisory committees, the Museum’s many volunteers and Friends of the Museum for their wonderful work during the year. I would especially like to thank the generous support received this year from the Western Australian Museum Foundation and its benefactors — corporate, private and public, without whom we could not possible hope to achieve our ambitions.

The Western Australian Museum has a long and distinguished history but it also has an extraordinary future! There is, however, a significant amount of work still to do before we reach that goal. If we are truly to be a place that sits at the heart of its community, the Museum must continue to reform, reshape, and renegotiate its relationships with every part of that community so that every visitor and user feels engaged, respected and empowered.

The Museum has a powerful role to play in helping cultivate a progressive, cohesive, culturally rich society and it is up to all of us, individually and collectively, to make that happen.

HIGHLIGHTS

NEW MUSEUM

On 31 July 2016, the State Government announced the appointment of Brookfield Multiplex, with its team of international architects HASSELL + OMA, to design and build the New Museum for Western Australia in the Perth Cultural Centre, and revealed the exciting concept design inspired by OMA’s principal founder Rem Koolhaas. The design is accessible and permeable with entrances from every axis. It provides for designated and protected outdoor spaces which was a key theme that emerged from consultations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The ‘Activated Museum’ concept will ensure that all areas of the site are dynamic and active for public use. The site’s significant heritage buildings have been treated with great reverence – repurposed and integrated into a truly holistic design. The great cantilevered galleries over Hackett Hall provide an inspired way to frame the heritage building. The building becomes almost like an artefact in its own right and is given the respect it deserves. New and exciting exhibition spaces will be created – almost four times the area of those in the old Museum. The collections and displays that are being developed with the people and communities of WA will be displayed in dramatic gallery spaces, as well as in the exciting, content-rich circulation spaces. The unification of architecture and content in this extraordinary building will realise a truly world class museum for the State.

On 22 May 2017, the demolition of non-heritage additions to the site commenced and a ceremony marking the start of major works was attended by the Premier, the Hon Mark McGowan MLA, and the Minister for Culture and the Arts, the Hon David Templeman MLA.

CELEBRATING 400 YEARS SINCE DIRK HARTOG

The 400th anniversary of the first European contact with Western Australia by Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog at Cape Inscription, Shark Bay, in 1616 was commemorated by the State Government with major support from the Western Australian Museum, with a range of events in October 2016. The Museum was tasked by the State Government’s Department of Premier and Cabinet with delivering the interpretive elements on Dirk Hartog Island and at Denham. Outcomes included:

• An interpretive hub at Cape Inscription highlighting significant maritime historical events related to Shark Bay;
• An iconic landmark monument at Cape Inscription pinpointing the location of Hartog’s historic landing and incorporating exact replicas of the two engraved pewter dishes left by Hartog in 1616 and de Vlamingh in 1697;
• Interpretive signage highlighting early European contact with the Shark Bay region, which was part of a larger interpretive trail in Denham;
• A contemporary sculpture on the Denham foreshore;
• An innovative interactive multimedia experience in the Shark Bay World Heritage Discovery Centre covering 400 years of European voyages to southern oceans;
• A new website (http://museum.wa.gov.au/explore/dirk-hartog) commemorating the Dirk Hartog landing and presenting the story of early European involvement with Western Australia including contact with Indigenous peoples;
• A travelling exhibition called Accidental Encounters about early European contacts with Western Australia, went on display at the Perth Concert Hall, Kalbarri, Carnarvon and Shark Bay;
• The temporary exhibition Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World, co-curated with the British Museum. It featured significant objects including the original 1616 Dirk Hartog Dish, which was returned to Western Australia from the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands to be displayed here for possibly the last time, due to its fragile nature.

DUTCH ROYAL VISIT

Their Royal Highnesses King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands marked the 400th anniversary of the Dirk Hartog landing with a whirlwind two-day visit to Western Australia. The Museum was honoured to host a tour of its Fremantle sites: the WA Maritime Museum and the WA Shipwrecks Museum. At the Maritime Museum the Royal couple officially opened the Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World exhibition and unveiled the Hartog Dish, on loan from the Rijksmuseum, before touring the Australia II gallery, and receiving a personal overview of the New Museum concept design by David Gianotten of Dutch architectural firm OMA, one of the joint venture partners in the design. At the Shipwrecks Museum they explored our shared maritime history displays, including the extraordinary timbers excavated from the wreck of the Dutch VOC merchant ship Batavia (1629), and saw a photograph of the King diving on the Batavia wreck during his last visit in 1997.

SYDNEY KORMORAN ANNIVERSARY

The 75th anniversary of the devastating World War II loss of HMAS Sydney (II) and HSK Kormoran was commemorated at the Museum of Geraldton on 19 November 2016 with the official opening of a new display featuring From Great Depths, a powerful 12-minute 3D film showcasing the spectacular underwater footage captured during 2015 expedition to the wreck sites. Reflective rather than didactic, the footage is haunting and is prefaced by an interpretive display which sets the scene for this experience, as well as providing the opportunity to present other images, both historical and from the sea bed. A new book of the same title, published jointly by the Museum and UWA Press, was also launched at the special commemorative opening event.

YURLMUN PARTNERSHIP ACHIEVEMENT

Yurlmun: Mokare Mia Boodja means ‘returning to Mokare’s home Country’ and was a small but extraordinarily significant exhibition that illustrated the shared history of Albany’s Menang people and early European settlers through the historic objects on display, as well as addressing the important and current issues of reconciliation. Co-curated by the Albany Heritage Reference Group Aboriginal Corporation (AHRGAC), Yurlmun was an astounding project that forged new ground in relationships between collecting institutions and source communities. The loan of a whole collection of British Museum objects back to Country and community – to their place of origin – was unprecedented; it had certainly never happened before in Australia. The Western Australian Museum is grateful to the British Museum as well as our colleagues from the National Museum of Australia and, especially, the Menang people, for helping to make this event such a success. A major aspect of the accompanying program was a one-day symposium with speakers from the British Museum, the National Museum of Australia, Nyoongar writer Kim Scott (who gave his presentation in Nyoongar), as well as elders and local historians. The symposium was organised by AHRGAC and the City of Albany.

HOSTING INTERNATIONAL COLLEAGUES

The Museum's vibrant international exhibitions program this year meant that the Museum hosted a number of curators, couriers and conservators. Tamar Davidowitz, the Riksmusuem conservator who spent more than 1,000 hours preparing the Hartog Dish for loan, was invited to spend valuable time on Dirk Hartog Island to better understand the environmental conditions and collect samples from the landscape in which the Dish survived for more than 80 years. From the British Museum, the Museum hosted Head of Research Dr J.D. Hill, who co-curated the Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World exhibition, as well as Dr Lissant Bolton, Keeper of the Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas and her colleague Dr Gaye Sculthorpe, Curator and Section Head of Oceania, who safely couriered the precious Yurlmun objects to and from Albany. The Museum was very pleased to use these opportunities to continue key conversations and partnerships with our colleagues around the world.  

[ BELOW ] Rijksmuseum Conservator Tamar Davidowitz works on the Hartog Dish

SUCCESSFUL OFFSITE ACTIVATION PROGRAM

Following the temporary closure of the Perth site for redevelopment last year, a program of offsite activation was developed to ensure that the Museum remains front of mind with existing and new audiences whilst continuing to engage with the community through ongoing access to collections, exhibitions, programs and related content. As well as opening the new family-oriented Discovery Zone at the State Library of Western Australia, which will stay in place through to the opening of the New Museum in 2020, the Museum has established new initiatives such as its Inflatable Museum, and developed strategic partnerships with commercial and community groups alike to share its collections and content in new and surprising places. This year 186,820 people experienced the Museum in this way.

[ LEFT ] Concept for new Museum
(C) WA Museum, image courtesy Multiplex, HASSELL+OMA

CELEBRATING the 400th ANNIVERSARY OF THE first European contact with Western Australia by Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog in 1616

[ RIGHT ] Dutch Royal visit courtesy Department of Premier and Cabinet

• The Museum won this year’s MAGNA (Museums and Galleries National Awards) Award for Temporary or Travelling Exhibitions (Level 3), for its Lustre: Pearling & Australia exhibition, which is currently on national tour. The exhibition was developed in partnership with Nyamba Buru Yawuru, Broome’s Yawuru Aboriginal Corporation, and was re-curated for its national tour supported by Visions Australia. Judges described the exhibition and collaboration as: “An important story and lustrous exhibition. The incorporation of employment and skills development, consultation and inclusion throughout the project is powerful and authentic/genuine practice of enmeshing multiple cultures, voices, genders, ages in the stories told throughout the exhibition". Co-creation between communities and organisation is strong. Blending history, biology, geography and colonialism gives a huge scope but this is done very well. A thorough, comprehensive and fascinating topic that has been developed into a well-rounded and beautiful exhibition."
• The Museum also won the prestigious MAGNA Award for Indigenous Project or Keeping Place (Level 2) for its Yurlmun: Mokare Mia Boodja exhibition. Co-curated with the Albany Heritage Reference Group Aboriginal Corporation, and presented in partnership with the British Museum and the Australian National Museum, Yurlmun was the first time that the British Museum had worked with a museum and community in Australia to loan a full collection back to its place of origin, and with Traditional Owners deeply involved in the loan. Judges’ comments included: “An excellent project leading the way in how museums and communities can work together. This project is impressive in many ways – it arose from the cultural standpoint of Menang Elders and community, developing into an innovative, community-led project that addresses multiple issues of access to collections in distant institutions for source communities, collaboration and capacity building communities." The exhibition was visited by nearly 21,000 people and received strong community support.
• The Museum and its partners this year won two prestigious Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) achievement awards for excellence in outstanding collaborations that delivered extraordinary cultural experiences around significant Western Australian stories:
• Best Practice in Collaboration Across Government Agencies for the Dirk Hartog 1616 Project. The Museum led this project across government to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first European landing in WA at Cape Inscription in Shark Bay. Key partners included the Shire of Shark Bay, the Gascoyne Development Commission, the State’s Department of Premier and Cabinet, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
• Joint winner of Best Practice in Collaboration Between Government and Non-Government Organisations, for the Yurlmun: Mokare Mia Boodja exhibition. Co-curated with the Albany Heritage Reference Group Aboriginal Corporation, and presented in partnership with the British Museum and the Australian National Museum.
  
  The success of both endeavors was due to extensive collaboration to ensure the real stories of both communities were told in authentic, innovative and engaging ways.
• Beneath the Waves interactive documentary, an outcome of the Woodside Kimberley Collection Project and produced by the Western Australian Museum and partners Periscope Pictures and Hungry Sky, won several awards:
• West Australian Screen Award for Best Interactive Production;
• SAE Australian Teachers of Media Award for Best Educational Website:
• Australian Web Award for Innovation Category;
• Finalist in the Australian Web Award for Excellence in the Criterion of Content; and
• Finalist in the SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards in the Visual Media Experience Category, held in Austin, Texas, which honour the best and latest advancements in the digital industry.

  Beneath the Waves was the culmination of six years of Woodside Energy-funded marine biodiversity survey work undertaken in the Kimberley, and more than a year of digital production design. The documentary was funded by Lotterywest through ScreenWest. Partners in the Woodside Kimberley Collection Project include the Australian Museum, the Queensland Museum, Museum Victoria, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, and the Western Australian Herbarium.

• The 3D video experience From Great Depths 3D – Witnessing the Wrecks of HMAS Sydney (II) and HSK Kormoran  produced by the WA Museum using footage gained from its expedition to the World War (II) wreck sites with partners Curtin University, won Best-of-Show Live Action Category at an international conference honouring 3D innovation. The video was among 31 3D films shown at the 28th annual Stereoscopic Displays and Applications (SD&A) Conference.
• CEO Alec Coles OBE was a finalist for the Western Australian of the Year 2017 Arts and Culture Award.
• 92-year-old Aquatic Zoology Volunteer Glad Hansen was a finalist in the WA Lifetime Contribution to Volunteering Award.

Honours:

• CEO Alec Coles OBE was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Western Australia for services to the arts.
• Head of Maritime Archaeology Jeremy Green was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Western Australia for services to maritime archaeology.
• Museum Volunteer and Research Associate Kim Sarti was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for Service to Conservation and the Environment.
• Mammals Curator Dr Kenny Travouillon was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to visit museums in Europe and the USA to examine type and non-type mammal specimens, to discover new species and resolve taxonomic issues.
• Aquatic Zoology’s Dr Nerida Wilson and Jose Carvajal and colleagues’ discovery Xenoturbella churro named as one of the world’s Top 10 Species Discoveries by the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at the State University of New York.
• New Museum Project curator Jessica Brainard was one of 80 women selected world-wide to take part in the Homeward Bound initiative’s year-long leadership program, which aims to develop the skills and capabilities of women with a science background and encourage them to have a greater impact in science policy and decision-making.
• Molluscs Curator Dr Lisa Kirkendale was elected President of the Malacological Society of Australasia.

awards and honours

“Collaboration has come to define our work. There is no doubt that the outcome is much greater than the sum of parts.”

- Western Australian Museum CEO Alec Coles.

[ BELOW ] Yurlmun: Mokare Mia Boodja exhibition

WHO WE ARE

Our Mission

To inspire people to explore and share their identity, culture, environment and sense of place, and contribute to the diversity and creativity of our world.

Our Vision

To be an excellent and vibrant Museum service valued and used by all Western Australians and admired and visited by the world.

Our Values

We are dedicated to community value, which means we will be:

Accountable – we exist for the benefit of all the people of Western Australia and recognise that we are accountable to them and are custodians of their collections.

Inspirational, Inclusive and Accessible – we will inspire people to explore our world and will advance knowledge through study, research and life-long learning; making sure that our facilities, programs and resources are accessible to all.

Enterprising and Excellent – we ill be creative, resourceful, imaginative, innovative and entrepreneurial; we will be commercially astute and aspire to excellence in all that we do.

Sustainable – we will aspire to be socially, environmentally and economically sustainable and we will work in partnership with others to maximise public benefit and value for money.

we recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first peoples of Australia – we acknowledge the primary rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in their cultural heritage and will work collaboratively to advance understanding between all peoples.

operational structure

Responsible Minister
and Legislation

Responsible Minister

The Hon David Templeman MLA is the Minister responsible for Culture and the Arts.

As at 30 June 2017, the Western Australian Museum was a statutory authority within the Department of Culture and the Arts.

Enabling Legislation

• Museum Act 1969 (WA)

Legislation and Regulations administered by the Museum

• Museum Regulations 1973 (WA)
• Maritime Archaeology Act 1973 (WA)
• Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976 (Commonwealth); sections 10 (1), 11 (1), and 15 are administered by the Chief Executive Officer of the WA Museum, as Delegate in Western Australia for the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment.

• Liaison with Strategic Projects and DCA

• Museum requirements - definition and monitoring

• Content development and implementation

• Post-opening operational planning and transition management

Works with all operational areas of the Museum to plan and deliver the project.

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM FUNCTIONAL STRUCTURE

NEW MUSEUM PROJECT STEERING COMMITTEE

NEW MUSEUM
PROJECT

Trish McDonald

CORPORATE
STRATEGY

Eric Isailovic

COLLECTIONS
AND RESEARCH

Diana Jones

FREMANTLE MUSEUMS AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Jason Fair

CREATIVE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

James Dexter

ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Robin Ho

CHIEF FINANCE
OFFICER

Ravi Proheea

WA MUSEUM BOARD OF TRUSTEES

MUSEUM CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Alec Coles OBE

• WA Museum Collections & Research - site operations and volunteers

• Conservation and collection management

• Natural and Earth - research, content development

• Anthropology, archaeology, history - research, content development

• Maritime heritage collections - research and content development

• WA Maritime Museum and WA Shipwrecks Museum - site management, visitor services, programming and volunteers

• Off-site activation including volunteers

• ICT and online development

• Commercial activity - retail, publishing, venue hire, licensing

• Museum of the Great Southern, Museum of the Goldfields and Museum of Geraldton site - site management, visitor services and programming

• Exhibition and Design

• Learning and Creativity

• Regional and Outreach activity

• Strategic planning, performance, policy, governance and legal

• Human resource management and workforce development

• Risk, OHS, records management and audit

• Communications, media, marketing and audience research

• Organisation review and design

• Operations and workplace planning

• Business improvement

• Finance for Art Gallery of Western Australia and WA Museum

• $30 million endowment action program

• Partnerships/Sponsorships for exhibitions and strategic projects

• Existing and prospective WA Museum donor/supporter stewardship

WA MUSEUM FOUNDATION BOARD OF GOVERNORS

WA MUSEUM FOUNDATION

Jenny Allen

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

Outcome Based Management Framework

The Western Australian Museum’s annual appropriation (budget) from the Government is reported in the budget statements for the Department of Culture and the Arts (DCA).

Changes to Outcome Based Management Framework

There were no changes to the Western Australian Museum’s Outcome Based managed Framework during 2016-17.

Shared responsibilities with other agencies

The Museum did not share any responsibilities with other agencies in the reporting period.

Explanatory notes

• The non-sequential numbering of the Museum’s desired outcomes, services and measures reflects that they are a subset of DCA’s OBM structure.

Museum Service Summary

The WA Museum’s mission is to inspire people to explore and share their identity, culture, environment and sense of place, and contribute to the diversity and creativity of our world. This is achieved by developing, maintaining, interpreting and presenting the State’s unique collections and by providing inclusive and accessible public programs, exhibitions, digital content and education programs.

• A detailed description of the Outcome Based Management Framework is provided in the Key Performance Indicator reporting section.

REPORT ON OPERATIONS

Financial overview

The Western Australian Museum receives revenue from a variety of sources as mandated by the Museums Act 1969 (WA). The State Government provides the majority of revenue as an appropriation to fund services. In addition, the Museum receives grants, sponsorships, donations and bequests which fund most of the Museum’s science and research activities, and without which the Museum could not continue to break new scientific ground or capitalise on the significant research already conducted. Some of these donations and bequests are raised through the Western Australian Museum Foundation, the Museum’s independent fund-raising partner which exists to support the work of the Museum. The Museum also generates a proportion of its own revenue through fee for entry exhibitions at a variety of sites, and commercial activities including venue hire and retail sales. Total revenue of more than $31.7 million was received in 2016-17, of which $5.8 million was generated by the Museum from commercial activity and from public, private and charitable sources – a decrease of 36.3% on last year’s figure of $9.1 million. The decrease in revenue is attributable to several factors, including the temporary closure of the Perth site for redevelopment; below-expectation visitations to the Maritime Museum, which instituted a government-approved entrance fee increase, and a decrease in research grant revenue as resources are diverted to the New Museum Project as the Museum’s stated organisational priority. The 2015 Agency Expenditure Review of the Department of Culture and the Arts had an ongoing impact this financial year, as have annual efficiency dividends and the Government’s Workforce Renewal Program, with reductions in expenses scheduled to continue annually through to 2019. The required budget savings across all Museum operations this year was $1.348 million.

Performance overview

The 2016-17 reporting year has been one of dynamic change for the Western Australian Museum, with the temporary closure of the historic Perth site for redevelopment causing an expected decrease in visitation (42%). It should be noted that in the year prior to its closure, the Perth site received 373,738 visits. However, the outstanding success of the offsite activation program introduced to ensure the Museum remains front of mind with existing and new audiences, has resulted in visitation increasing 20% against target – with 659,566 visits compared to the target of 549,884. It should also be noted that the Museum’s total overall satisfaction rating this year was 98%, which is five per cent above the 2015-16 actual. This demonstrates that the programs, exhibitions, services and events being provided are current, relevant and engaging. Reductions in funding and recruitment restrictions, combined with the Museum’s commitment to reducing long-standing leave liability, have resulted in significant periods of reduced staffing levels across the organisation during the year. These factors have impacted across a range of areas of the Museum’s performance. This has received some negative media comment, especially in the regions. However, the Museum will continue to demonstrate innovation and entrepreneurship to attempt to meet the needs and expectations of its audiences through 2020 and beyond. In particular, the Museum seeks to continue to increase its commitment to working closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, to foreground historic and contemporary cultural expression and identity, and to create training and employment opportunities for Western Australian Aboriginal people. Additionally, the Museum continues to work towards attracting, supporting and driving tourism in Perth, Fremantle and the regions.

Explanatory notes

1. As specified in the budget statements (TI945).

2. Further explanation is contained in Note 38 Explanatory statement to the financial statements.

a. the total cost of services is higher by $4.416 million (15.7%) due to higher expenditure in supplies and services and accommodation expenses which were not included in the budget and were fully funded by the Department of Culture and the Arts (DCA).

b. the net cost of services is higher by $3.159 million (13.5%) due to higher services received free of charge from DCA and $1.4 million of State grants and contributions not in the budget.

c. the Total Equity decreased by $31.54 million due to the transfer of land and building in the Perth Cultural Centre to DCA following the land amalgamation to lot 37000.

d. the net cash held decreased when compared to the budget due to higher expenditure in supplies and services which is funded by restricted grants received in prior years.

e. salary expenses were lower by $103k due to vacant positions during the year through staff turnover.

Summary of Key Performance Indicators

OUTCOME 11
Sustainable care and development of the State’s Museum Collection for the benefit of present and future generations.

OUTCOME 12
Enhance cultural identity and understanding by promoting and ensuring the widest possible use of Museum content and collections.

Explanatory notes

• Targets as specified in the Budget Statements.

Explanations for the variations between target and actual results are presented in Note 38 ‘Explanatory statement’ to the financial statements.

[ BELOW ] Recreations of the gold coffins in the Tutankhamun exhibition

PERFORMANCE AGAINST STRATEGIC PLAN

The Western Australian Museum’s reporting on its performance over the past financial year is presented against the Organisational Priorities outlined in the 2014–25 Strategic Plan which can be found here: museum.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/WAM_StrategicPlan_2014%C2%AD25%20v5b.pdf

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

Creating an organisation for the future ensuring environmental, financial and social sustainability, and succession planning in our workforce.

Workforce planning

Changes are being made to the way the Museum operates to better prepare for the future. The Museum is developing a flexible, forward-facing workforce plan that reflects the needs of a 21st Century museum and enables it to deliver true public value for Western Australia. These changes include preparation for the opening of the New Museum buildings in the Perth Cultural Centre in 2020, and the plan will ensure the Museum has the right skills at the right time to meet expectations. This is a consultative process and is being conducted in a staged manner with the opportunity for staff feedback:

• Stage one focused on the project planning, organisation design analysis and defining key issues and lines of enquiry;
• Stage two involved stakeholder consultation and review of business strategy;
• Stage three involved gathering workforce data and analysis, risk assessment and identifying strategic HR priorities for the Museum.
• Stage four is validation of findings and action planning to implement recommendations.

The workforce plan is largely complete, with actionable implementation plans to be considered by the Museum Executive in the next financial year.

Building long-term relationships and strategic partnerships for maximum impact

The Museum continues to pursue opportunities to work collaboratively with partners for mutual benefit. Partnership outcome highlights include:

• Opening the Museum’s popular Discovery Zone at the State Library of Western Australia. While work is carried out to build the New Museum next door, the Museum is partnering with the State Library to share space and provide elements of the popular family-based Discovery Centre that previously operated at the Museum’s Perth site. The new Discovery Zone allows families to continue to experience the Museum’s multi-layered learning opportunities and explore its collections, whilst maintaining its 126-year connection with the Perth Cultural Centre. The Museum is also managing a joint Museum-Library shop, the Discovery store in the State Library.
• Successful delivery of the Dirk Hartog 1616 project. The Museum led this project across government to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first European landing in WA at Cape Inscription in Shark Bay. In order to successfully deliver the multiple, significant and varied project outcomes, the Museum drove public engagement through seven separate and innovative strands.. Key partners were the Shire of Shark Bay, the Gascoyne Development Commission, the State’s Department of Premier and Cabinet, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Museum also acknowledges the Malgana people as the traditional custodians of the Shark Bay area.
• Opening of the WA Down Under Gallery at the WA Maritime Museum. This new, permanent gallery is an outcome of the highly successful 19-year partnership between the Museum and Woodside Energy Ltd. The gallery showcases the impressive research results of the extensive Woodside-funded marine biodiversity survey work in the Kimberley, conducted by the Museum and its research partners, as well as wider WA marine fieldwork. A highlight of the gallery is the interactive space engaging children and young people.
• The very successful Yurlmun exhibition, partnering with the British Museum, the Albany Heritage Reference Group Aboriginal Corporation, the National Museum of Australia, and working with the City of Albany.
• Hosting the regional semi-final and national final of the FameLab international science communication competition, at the WA Maritime Museum, as part of an ongoing partnership with competition organisers the British Council.
• Successful WA Day celebrations, especially at Elizabeth Quay and the Museum of the Goldfields, resulting from the ongoing strategic partnership with Celebrate WA to deliver a comprehensive program of events for visitors.
• Opening of another eight Remembering Them exhibitions in regional WA. Remembering Them is an ongoing project partnership to assist regional communities to host their own exhibitions during the four years of the Centenary of Service – the national commemoration of World War One and the Anzac tradition – between the Museum, the Royal Historical Society and Museums Australia (WA Branch).
• Celebrating Chinese culture in Western Australia with families and young people. As part of the Chinese New Year celebrations the Museum partnered with the Chinese Language Teachers Association, inviting the group to share its knowledge and some of its treasures at the Museum’s Discovery Zone in the State Library. The Chinese Language Teachers Association has been promoting Chinese language education in WA for more than 30 years.

Social sustainability: updating the Museum brand

Last year the Museum undertook a wide-ranging and fundamental review of its brand to better understand its impact and the way in which it is perceived. A new brand strategy and associated visual identity was finalised this year, which defines a relevant and contemporary brand for the Museum through 2025 and beyond, taking into account its wide range of activity, its regional, national and international reach, and the development of the New Museum at the Perth Cultural Centre. Extensive internal and external consultation was undertaken to ensure a highly collaborative approach. A new visual identity, including logo, was developed to signal the transition however, to ensure cost efficiency this has been introduced gradually and incrementally this year with new signage and other collateral replacing existing stocks once they were depleted. With the exception of the Museum’s Perth site, which is temporarily closed whilst redevelopment of the New Museum buildings takes place, the other museums in the Western Australian Museum group were renamed to better reflect the significant roles they play within their communities.

This year’s annual demographic and audience research conducted by audience development specialists Morris Hargreaves McIntyre (MHM) included assessing brand performance, with MHM developing a series of metrics to monitor performance of public engagement with the Museum’s brand. The most significant outcome of this research was a demonstrated stronger public connection with the Museum than ever before. The MHM report states that visitors particularly felt more ownership of the Western Australian Museum, a sign that the Museum is succeeding in its mission to be at the heart of the community. It also showed that despite an overall decline in Australian domestic tourism to Western Australia this year, the Museum and its sites experienced a proportionate increase in tourists from interstate, indicating the Museum is growing and enhancing its national profile.

Securing and working with available resources: grants and contributions

The Museum received $0.464 million in Commonwealth grants and contributions. Remaining restricted funds received but not yet spent include Australian Biological Resources Study ($0.010 million); Department of Environment ($0.115 million); Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development ($0.032 million); Department of Social Services ($0.065 million); Department of Communications and the Arts (0.107 million). The Museum received $1.438 from State grants and contributions, including grants from the Department of Park and Wildlife ($1.102 million); Department of Housing ($0.065 million) for the Black cockatoo research project; Department of Culture and the Arts (0.073 million) for Indigenous Repatriation program; Department of Premier and Cabinet (0.077 million) for the Dirk Hartog project; Western Australian Science Institution (0.121 million) for two projects one on distribution and predictors of Kimberley benthic diversity and the other on the effects of dredging on benthic filter feeder communities.

HEART OF THE COMMUNITY

Establishing the Museum in the hearts and minds of all Western Australians and including them in the creation and sharing of knowledge.

The Museum is committed to developing and hosting programs and exhibitions that are ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’. It is also committed to sharing its collections, skills and knowledge physically and including through loaning objects for display; sharing its curatorial expertise with other groups and organisations; working collaboratively with communities to ensure their real stories are told in authentic, innovative and engaging ways; and utilising third party platforms dedicated to sharing research and promoting life-long learning. This year the number of people engaging with the Museum’s content and collections was 1,608,084 which is an eight percent increase on the budget projection, and includes a significant number of visitors who engaged with the Museum at its many offsite activation program events. This measure of engagement documents the Museum’s reach beyond its public sites and recognises the State’s investment in content development derived from the collections it shares with the community.

Highlights this year include:

Offsite activation. More than 186,000 people have engaged with the Museum, its collections, exhibitions and programs in a range of temporary spaces and places aimed at building new audiences and retaining existing ones whilst the Perth site is being redeveloped. These include:

Tutankhamun: his Tomb and his Treasures. A spectacular recreation of the Pharaoh’s tomb and treasures, this exhibition was presented by the Van Egmond Group and SC Exhibitions in association with the WA Museum at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. This commercial venture involved a spectacular recreation of the pharaoh’s tomb and treasures that included 1,000 objects, graphics and movies that told the complete story of the tomb’s discovery by British archaeologist Howard Carter. The Museum was pleased to be associated with an exhibition that engaged new audiences in discovering an ancient civilisation. Visitation for the exhibition was 58,421.

Discovery Zone at the State Library of Western Australia. Refer to page 27 for further information. Opened in December last year, visitation was 26,922.

The Inflatable Museum an exciting new way for people to experience the Museum. Developed by the Museum, the inflatable looks like the Museum’s Hackett Hall building, which is one of the heritage buildings being retained at the Perth site as part of the redevelopment, with images of the actual building printed onto the inflatable fabric. It is 6m high, 10m long and 8m wide and can fit 40–50 people inside with a range of exhibits.

It has been extremely popular at:

• The Perth Royal Show with a dinosaur theme and exhibits. Visitation was 31,196;
• Garden City Shopping Centre during one school holiday period, with an Ancient Egyptian theme and objects. Visitation was 20,633;
• WA Day celebrations at Elizabeth Quay. Visitation was 12,699 over two days.

  
  The New Museum Project has involved unprecedented collaboration and consultation with communities across WA. This is found elsewhere in this report.

Exhibitions by numbers

• This year the Museum hosted a total of 27 temporary exhibitions across its five open public sites, which explored a diverse range of themes. Highlights included:
• Yurlmun: Mokare Mia Boodja. 20,942 people experienced this extraordinary exhibition at the Museum of the Great Southern. It connected with community through shared cultural heritage.
• Rough Medicine: Life and Death in the Age of Sail. Exploring the impact of sickness on the evolution of sea voyages, this exhibition has been displayed at the Maritime Museum, the Museum of Geraldton and the Museum of the Great Southern. Supported by Visions Australia, visitation across all sites during the financial year was 43,949.
• Descendants of the VOC. Presented with a grant from Healthway, under the Make Smoking History banner, this exhibition featured exquisite photos and oral histories of indigenous people from WA, Indonesia and Southern Africa who claim Dutch heritage through adventurers visiting their shores. Portraits were presented in the style of 17th and 18th Century paintings. General visitation to the site during this time was 12,170, noting this site does not count visitation to exhibitions alone.
• Silver and gold: Unique Australian objects 1830–1910. From the National Gallery of Australia, this showcased rare 19th and early 20th Century precious metal work and featured some very fine examples of goldfields jewellery which incorporated miners’ tools as decorative elements. General visitation to the site during this time was 14,296, noting this site does not count visitation to exhibitions alone.
• Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World developed by the WA Museum in partnership with the British Museum, this exhibition portrayed the rich history of the Indian Ocean, and stories of the traders, explorers and the many different peoples who inhabit its shores. The exhibition attracted a total of 12,690 visitors at the WA Maritime Museum.
• The Museum also developed or supported four exhibitions at non-exhibition sites with a total visitation of 159,692, including:

   

• The Museum’s co-curated the Lustre: Pearling & Australia exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum and the Immigration Museum in Melbourne;
• The Museum’s curated Accidental Encounters: the Dutch connection, which has been displayed as part of the 400th anniversary commemorations for Dirk Hartog’s arrival in WA, at Carnarvon and Shark Bay;
• The National Anzac Centre in Albany for which the Museum led the content development and design and retains a service level agreement to provide curatorial and registration services;
• The Museum curated the 100 Postcards exhibition at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, as part of the Spirit of ANZAC Centenary Experience Community Zone.

THE CHALLENGE OF GROWING AUDIENCES DURING A PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANT CHANGE

The temporary closure, for redevelopment, of the Museum’s flagship site in Perth has made this a significant year of change for the Western Australian Museum. It has provided unparalleled opportunities for the Museum to reassess its role in the community, recalibrate its relationship with its audiences and to refresh its profile and brand. Whilst overall visitation decreased due, in large part, to the Perth site closure, a general admission fee increase at the Maritime Museum and reduced opening hours at the Museum’s regional sites – both measures implemented as part of government-imposed efficiencies – are likely to have contributed to the downward trend in numbers.

Proportions of interstate visitors also increased across most sites, despite an overall decrease in domestic tourism to Western Australia. This demonstrates significant success for the Museum, suggesting that proportionately more interstate tourists are being attracted to Museum sites due to engaging programming and an enhanced national profile. Visitor satisfaction overall remained high, in spite of the temporary closure of the Perth site, at 98%.

The Museum uses audience development specialists Morris Hargreaves McIntyre (MHM) for its annual demographic and audience research, enabling the Museum to use the information compiled about emerging patterns and trends to better target programming to increase audience participation, and develop engaging content and experiences for the New Museum. It should be noted that MHM reporting covers general site visitation and does not include offsite activation, school groups or event participation.

[ ABOVE ] Inflatable museum at Garden City

WA MARITIME MUSEUM

Highlights this year include the exhibitions Rough Medicine and Travellers and Traders; hosting the King and Queen of the Netherlands during a Royal Visit; and displaying the oldest known evidence of European contact with Australia, the Dirk Hartog Dish of 1616 from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, alongside the Western Australian Museum’s de Vlamingh. This year, visitation to the Maritime Museum decreased by 17.6% or 22,764 visits. Likely contributing factors include an entry fee increase in April 2016. At this time last year the Maritime Museum also hosted the free Da Vinci Machines exhibition, while this year the Travellers and Traders exhibition on display required visitors to pay for admission. Overall, while the loss in visitors came from first-time and current audiences, lapsed audiences were re-engaged with an increase of five percent from last year to 21%. There was also a proportionate growth in interstate visitors by almost 4,400 visits, in spite of an overall drop in visitation to Western Australia from interstate. Visitor satisfaction remains high at 97%.

WA SHIPWRECKS MUSEUM

The Shipwrecks Museum saw increased visitation of some four percent, or 5,784 visits, driven primarily by improved programming on site and increased activation in the immediate facilities around the building. This site does not normally host temporary exhibitions and this year the main attraction at the Museum was the permanent Batavia Gallery. More than half of all audiences (54%) indicated they were attracted to the Museum because of the Batavia Gallery, compared to 43% last year. Increased interest in the story of the wreck of the Batavia (1629) was not unexpected in the 400th anniversary year (1616) of the Dirk Hartog landing. Visitor satisfaction remains high at 97%.

New Tours at the WA Maritime Museum and WA Shipwrecks Museum

These museums have added two new visitor tours to their programs aimed at increasing access to the Museum and its collections for people with a disability. The Objects and Memories Tour is designed for visitors with dementia and their carers, and is a guided tour offered at both sites focussing on story-telling with objects to encourage conversations and evoke memories. The Please Touch Tactile Tour is a guided tour offered at the Shipwrecks Museum for visitors who are blind or vision impaired. This tour invites participants to touch and examine specially selected objects from the Museum’s collections and displays. Both tours require bookings and have been extremely well attended since they were advertised on the Museum’s website in December 2016.

REGIONAL REACH

The Museum has three regional sites that are cultural hubs within their communities. Despite decreases in funding that led reduction in opening hours and reduced staffing levels this year, all sites provide vibrant programs of public exhibitions, events and activities aimed at encouraging new audiences and repeat visitation from within the regions, as well as promoting tourism across WA.

MUSEUM OF THE GREAT SOUTHERN

Highlights this year include the very successful Yurlmun exhibition in partnership with the Albany Heritage Reference Group Aboriginal Corporation; the Breaksea Island Odyssey helicopter adventure and the Year Nine Cultural Awareness Day which saw the entire Year Nine cohort of Albany Senior High School, the largest secondary school in the region (170 students) attend the Museum for a day-long session of Menang Noongar cultural awareness. Regular and repeat visitors continue to be the core audience at the Museum of the Great Southern in Albany, growing six percent to 43% this year. After recording the largest annual increase in visitation for some years in 2014-15 due, in part, to the opening of the National Anzac Centre in Albany and increased tourism to the region, and a slight increase in visitation last year, this year saw an overall decrease in visits of 12% or 13,857. Likely contributing factors include the reduction in opening hours and reduced staffing levels. Visitor satisfaction, however, remains high at 98%.

MUSEUM OF THE GOLDFIELDS

Highlights this year include the Museum’s hugely successful WA Day celebrations attended by more than 4,000 people, and featuring a range of free family activities, food, music and the chance to paint a giant goanna sculpture with Goldfields Wongutha artist Gary Cooper; the annual community Easter Egg Hunt which attracted 800 visitors; and an after-hours Science Night with activities and workshops for children, which attracted 414 visitors. There was an overall decrease in visits of 13.6% or 11,151, largely the result of a reduction in opening hours and reduced staffing levels, however, visitor satisfaction remains very high at 99%.

MUSEUM OF GERALDTON

This year’s main highlight was a series of events hosted to mark the 75th anniversary of the sinking of HMAS Sydney (II) during a World War Two battle with the German raider HSK Kormoran. These included the launch of a commemorative publication and a new 3D film and exhibit at the Museum, using the very powerful underwater images obtained during an expedition to survey the wreck sites with Curtin University in 2015. Other highlights included the Descendants of the VOC exhibition, presented by Make Smoking History; and A Night at the Museum event to promote the Rough Medicine exhibition and coinciding with the Duyfken visit, attended by more than 300 people. There was an overall decrease in visits of 16.4% or 8,238 as a result of the reduction in opening hours and reduced staffing levels; visitor satisfaction remains high at 97%.

ACROSS WA

The Museum also provides a range of development resources to advise and support regional communities and their museums. The Museum is transitioning to web-based and other digital resources to support the wider sector and has begun work to create a series of 10-minute ‘How to’ videos for public use. This year, the Museum engaged with 1,460 clients through professional development seminars and conferences.

The Museum, working with Museums and Galleries Australia and the Royal Western Australian Historical Society launched eight Remembering Them exhibitions; responding to public enquires and making occasional site visits.

Across the wider organisation, scientists and researchers from Terrestrial Zoology, Aquatic Zoology, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Anthropology and Archaeology, Maritime History and Maritime Archaeology took part in fieldwork that extended throughout WA, interstate and overseas.

OVERALL SITE VISITATION

Perth

WA Maritime Museum

WA Shipwrecks Museum

Museum of the Great Southern

Museum of the Goldfields

Museum of Geraldton

42,053

50,291

Nil, site temporarily closed

70,793

81,944

106,573

115,073

128,930

129,337

132,470

138,254

Actual 2015–16

Actual 2016–17

896,710

472,746

373,738

[ ABOVE ] Rodney Ogilvie. Photo Geert Snoeijer from Descendants of the VOC

KEY TO MAP

Western Australian Museum
REGIONAL SERVICES FOR 2016–17

Field research

Lectures, workshops, presentations
and public programs

Exhibitions
and displays

Development
services

Outreach Projects

PERTH

1

2

ALBANY

EXMOUTH

GERALDTON

MANDURAH

BUNBURY

PORT
HEDLAND

ALBANY

BROOME

ESPERANCE

KALGOORLIE

CREATe, share and connect

Collections online

There continues to be increasing investment in documenting and digitising the State Collection to enhance accessibility for both researchers and the general public. The State Collection currently numbers more than eight million objects. Some 26% has been documented and digitised, an increase of 3% from last year. It should be noted that in a museum context, the value of digitising a collection is not merely taking and storing an image of a specimen or object, but also providing important associated information such as its identity, provenance and other required metadata. This year the number of items documented, digitised and made available online increased to 1,311,607. This is approximately 16% of the State Collection. The Museum is prioritising work both to increase the number of collections available online, and also to document and digitise the vast amount of collection information that is still located within hand-written registration books that date back to the Museum’s inauguration in 1891. The Museum is using Optical Character Recognition technology, as well as manual transcription, to provide searchable datasets. A trial of this method using History Collection artefacts accessioned in 2009 has begun and if successful will provide a template for publishing complete collections online.

Access online

The Museum’s website is an important platform that allows visitors to engage, explore and learn about its collections and research activity, get information about visiting its many events and exhibitions, catch-up on the latest news and stay informed about progress on the New Museum Project. This year, the total number of visits to the website was 948,518 which is a 4.7% decrease from last year. This figure was, however, a 0.8% increase against the Budget Target of 940,500. A likely contributing factor is the increasing use of social media to obtain general information about the Museum such as opening hours and current exhibitions.

In the media

The Museum uses a range of platforms to promote its work across its many disciplines around the State. In this way people of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to take part in the lifelong discovery and learning opportunities the Museum facilitates. One of the key platforms the Museum uses to inform audiences about its activities is free media – that is, the stories generated across traditional, industry and social media outlets that are not supported by paid advertising. This year the Museum’s media team managed 3,619 media contacts with a range of local, national and international traditional, industry and social media operators. This reporting year there has been a focus on social media activity to expand the Museum’s reach to new and emerging audiences. In the past 12 months Facebook likes increased by 20.72%; Twitter followers increased by 15.16%; and Instagram likes, which is an indicator of advocacy as it registers how many likes pictures received over time, increased by 52.28%, while followers increased by 43.06%. One of the highlights this year was the Museum partnering with the renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the United States to promote the first images of ruby seadragons captured in the wild, off the WA coast. The discovery was tweeted by top-selling international authors Margaret Atwood and J.K. Rowling. Ms Rowling’s tweet (pictured) had 5,500 retweets and 24,000 likes. The screenshot of that tweet and the Museum’s reply reached more than 23,000 people.

As well as the focus on social media engagement and promotion, the Museum continues to utilise a range of traditional media platforms. This year coverage across print, radio and television totalled 2,176 monitored items which reached an audience of 53,162,427.

[ BELOW ] Aquatic Zoology collection items

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM
SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTION GROWTH 2016–17

20,139 Likes

+3,593 or +20.72%

5,470 Followers

+720 or +15.16%

17,468 Likes

+5,997 or +52.28%

4,020 Followers

+1,210 or +43.06%

[ ABOVE ] Twitter feed of J.K. Rowling

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES

Ensuring meaningful engagement with, and inclusion of, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in all that we do.

The Museum recognises the primary rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and actively pursues opportunities to ensure that there is meaningful involvement, engagement, and participation with communities at every level of the organisation. This includes discussing and negotiating content; encouraging and respecting a diversity of viewpoints; considering issues of context and interpretation; reflecting the nature of contested histories; being sensitive to cultural conventions and, above all, giving Aboriginal people agency in determining the stories and ideas that will be shared, and how they will be presented.

The Museum’s Aboriginal Advisory Committee (WAMAAC) continues to provide guidance for the Museum’s diverse activity, particularly in the areas of cultural fieldwork, exhibition development and the New Museum Project. The Museum’s Senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisor provides key advice and guidance in this area.

Employment and traineeships

This year the Museum focused on increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment opportunities and the development of its Aboriginal Emerging Curators program.

Since launching its Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), the Museum has become increasingly proactive in its approach to providing employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with three new positions created this year specifically to attract Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants. Two of those positions were for the New Museum Project (NMP) team with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement officer and an Aboriginal Curator being employed. As the NMP moves forward, the ongoing commitment to work with and co-curate content with Aboriginal communities across Western Australia is increasing, and additional support is needed.

The Museum continually strives for meaningful engagement with and inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in all that it does, and this includes encouraging its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to play a pivotal role in guiding and assisting all Museum staff to achieve these goals and to make the Museum more relevant to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities they serve.

Aboriginal Emerging CuratorS program

Over the past five years the Museum has implemented a series of Emerging Curators programs that link two Aboriginal people to particular projects and train them in museum and cultural heritage practices over a period of several months. The program is typically linked to the development of an exhibition by the Museum that relates to the trainees’ community. This year the Museum worked with the Menang community in Albany on the Yurlmun: Mokare Mia Boodja exhibition and developed an Emerging Curators program with the assistance of the Albany Heritage Reference Group Aboriginal Corporation (AHRGAC) and the National Museum of Australia (NMA).

The program allowed the Emerging Curators to work as part of the Museum in the development of the exhibition, gaining experience in: curation and storytelling of the content for the exhibition; engagement with local community and Museum staff; conservation and object management; installation of the exhibition; media; marketing; public programming and project management. This year’s Emerging Curators were Lindsay Dean and Shona Coyne, both Menang people from Albany. Both provided excellent feedback on the opportunities provided by the program:

“The role of emerging curator on the Yurlmun project gave me a great insight into the role curators play at the Museum, to create an exhibition you almost become one with it. Yurlmun provided so many highlights over its short journey, the bringing together and embracing of our cultures, personally it has been a very rewarding role and one which will benefit me in the future. A big thank you to the WA Museum and AHRGAC for such a wonderful opportunity.”

Lindsay Dean,
Emerging Curator

“Having the opportunity to work as an Emerging Curator alongside the WA Museum and NMA team has been a fantastic, professional and cultural journey for me. It has swung open new doors and thrown down some unforgettable experiences. The most exciting bit is – I feel like I am now ready to take on something even more special, something still yet to come…”

Shona Coyne,
Emerging Curator

Aboriginal Stakeholder Research

The Museum conducts annual stakeholder research which focuses each year on a different core area of the business, to better understand and meet the needs of customers and audiences. The purpose of this year’s study was to understand the extent to which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders are satisfied with their working relationships with the Museum. The study provided some very positive feedback, but also identified three key areas for improvement: relationships, representation, and inclusiveness. The Museum will use the research to identify areas for positive change through existing opportunities where change could be incorporated into already-planned activities and programs, as well as creating new opportunities for more inclusion and better relationships and representation. A number of respondents commented positively on the high level of commitment and accessibility of the Museum CEO with regard to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues.

Reconciliation Action Plan

This year the Museum submitted its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Impact Measurement Questionnaire report to Reconciliation Australia. The questionnaire enabled the Museum to reflect on how it achieved the actions pledged in its Reflect RAP, and how this compared with other organisations across Australia. The information collected was used by Reconciliation Australia to demonstrate how RAPs are making a difference in the areas of relationships, respect and opportunities for businesses that work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Areas in which the Museum was identified as making a difference include:

• Developing more working relationships with Aboriginal communities: this includes the New Museum Project team developing new partnership agreements with communities for the co-creation of content, sharing of assets, and developing ongoing relationships beyond 2020.
• Developing policies regarding Aboriginal protocols which will assist Museum staff by guiding their practice and conduct when consulting and engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Procuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses.
• Including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content in Museum run school holiday programs with plans for further development of this initiative.

Building relationships, ensuring appropriate content and interpretation

Yirra Yaakin

The Museum has renewed its MOU partnership with Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, based in Perth, through till 2020. The MOU provides for a community cultural partnership to grow new audiences through cross promotion of core business and the programing of special events and performances. The Museum has also signed a co-production MOU with Yirra Yaakin with a focus on its Kaatijin series, and its third and final production Boodjar Kaatijin. This production is being performed at the Museum’s regional sites in Geraldton, Albany and Kalgoorlie-Boulder as well as a number of non-museum sites throughout the metropolitan area and the regions. This co-production provides the opportunity for the Museum to continue to support and encourage audience participation in the sharing of Aboriginal culture, but also to support the sustainability of Aboriginal arts and culture in Western Australia.

Albany Heritage Reference Group Aboriginal Corporation

This year the Museum worked with the Albany Heritage Reference Group Aboriginal Corporation and negotiated the loan of all objects in the British Museum’s collection relating to Albany’s Menang people. The project and the Yurlmun: Mokare Mia Boodja exhibition is described elsewhere in this report.

Kojonup Nyoongar Oral History Project

The New Museum Project team has been working closely with the Kojonup Nyoongar Oral History Project, in partnership with the Shire of Kojonup and the Kojonup Aboriginal Corporation (KAC). The project features interviews with Nyoongar people who have traditional family ties to the area and who were born between 1930 and 1959. The aim of the project is to give a voice to Nyoongar lives and culture during a time of extraordinary government control, and to consider kinship ties, achievements, experiences and family circumstances. Eighteen interviews have been recorded so far that are a mix of sensitive and moving stories mixed with joyful childhood recollections.

“Oh we used to make our own fun, we used to put bark in the creek and watch it race. Three or four of us’ll be there, sort of watching our little boats go down the creek. Or in summertime we used to go swimming in the dam.”

- Vivienne Weir (nee Cox),
as a child on Yeenyellup farm, where her father worked

NAIDOC Week

This year the Museum celebrated NAIDOC Week by holding its first ever NAIDOC Family Fun Day under a marquee on the lawns of the Shipwrecks Museum in Fremantle, where visitors could take part on a range of activities that allowed them to gain a better understanding of why ’place’ is important to Australia’s first peoples. At the Museum of the Great Southern, the emphasis was on communication and story-telling, with Professor Anna Haebich talking about how stories were told through dance and corroboree, and Professor Kim Scott speaking about verbal languages and the impact that had on the stories that were told.

National Reconciliation Week and Right Wrongs

The Museum worked with the State Library of Western Australia (SLWA) and the Department of Aboriginal Affairs (DAA) to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum (to amend the constitution to include Aboriginal people in the census and allow the Commonwealth to create laws for them), with a series of exhibitions that explored the significance of the anniversary, within the complex history of the ongoing struggle for recognition of Aboriginal rights in Western Australia. The exhibition Right Wrongs: 1967 Referendum – the WA story, was displayed at the State Library and looks at decades of activism through personal stories and powerful images. Satellite exhibitions displayed at the WA Maritime Museum and the Museum’s three regional sites had a local focus with video interviews of people who remember what happened on 27 May 1967 and what reconciliation means to them today. An education tool kit was also produced for schools.

Returning home

The Museum has a very active Aboriginal human remains and cultural materials repatriation program, funded largely by the Federal Government. This is aimed at returning to Country both Aboriginal Ancestral Remains and secret and sacred objects that were historically placed with the Museum over many decades. This year the Museum returned 31 sets of Ancestral Remains to Traditional Owners from the Wadandi community and at Gnowangerup.

[ LEFT ] Katrina Bott uses a grinding stone at NAIDOC Family Fun Day

[ ABOVE ] Emerging curators Shona Coyne and Lindsay Dean with CEO Alec Coles

[ ABOVE ] Boodjar Kaatijin.
Image copyright Simon Pynt

WORLD LEADER

Building an international reputation for collections, research, public engagement and creativity

The Western Australian Museum is the official custodian of the State’s collections of natural, scientific and cultural heritage. It is required by law to ensure that these collections are preserved for reference, research, exhibition and public engagement purposes, now and for future generations. The continuing development of these collections provides a valuable public resource. The range of specimens and objects on display provides a unique learning opportunity for visitors to engage with authentic objects in contextualised settings. Research collections are utilised by Museum staff, WA Government agencies and industry to promote cultural, heritage and scientific understanding. In this way they contribute to community cohesion, Western Australians’ sense of identity, sustainable State development and environmental conservation.

The collections represent a unique, irreplaceable and authentic source of information that will continue to service society for generations to come.

The State Collection

In 2016–17 the WA Museum added 49,739 items to the State Collection taking the total to 8,097,781; 10,969 items or collections of items were acquired by donation (some via the Cultural Gifts program) to the value of $283,133; 1,430 items were purchased to the value of $59,400 and 37,340 items were collected during field work. This figure excludes items purchased by the New Museum Project, as funds for this are expended by DCA. Of note this year was the donation of a collection of 4,226 insects, 27 spiders and seven scorpions seized by Australian Border Force at Perth International Airport in February 2017. Items added to the Collection are utilised for scientific research and public display.

Museum everywhere

The Museum is committed to sharing its collections, skills and expertise as widely as possible beyond its walls for the benefit of all Western Australians. Each year the Museum loans objects for both scientific research and public display, and provides assistance to a wide range of groups and organisations. Highlights this year include:

• 5,597 objects from the State Collection loaned to other groups and organisations for research purposes or display.
• Anthropology staff installed a cabinet of objects originally from Esperance and registered with the Museum in the early 1900s, in the new office of the Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of Native Title;
• Anthropology staff assisted the Banjima Aboriginal community in the Pilbara with technical advice regarding a hafted spear found in a local rockshelter;

• The Museum loaned WA’s oldest surviving car to the York Motor Museum for display. The Benz is believed to have been built in 1901 and was imported to WA by York resident William De Lisle. Mr De Lisle was caught driving the Benz at 18 miles per hour on the Causeway in Victoria Park and fined "more than £7,” which is more than $6,000 in today’s money. Newspapers of the day labelled him a “furious driver” and a “plutocratic motor-hog”;
  • Kimberley sculptured heads by Bidyadanga artist John Dudu were loaned to Curtin University for exhibition in the John Curtin Gallery;
  • History staff conducted an assessment of collections at Princess Margaret Hospital;
  • History staff advised the Perth Theatre Trust regarding collections management systems for His Majesty’s Theatre Collection;
  • Representatives from the new Perth Stadium visited the Museum’s Collections and Research Centre to view the WA Sports Museum collection. A senior Museum staff member, Ross Chadwick,has been working closely with the Stadium team, providing onsite curatorial advice and assistance regarding the display and interpretation of sporting heritage in the new building;
  • Maritime History Assistant Curator Michael Gregg was a guest speaker on the Sail Training Ship Leeuwin as part of the 400th anniversary of Dirk Hartog’s discovery of Western Australia.

[ LEFT ] York Motor Museum's Graeme Cocks and Alec Coles with the Benz.

ADDING AND SHARING KNOWLEDGE

Museum staff and associates were at the forefront of adding to the knowledge and understanding of WA’s natural environment with the description of three new animal and nominal fossil genera, and 33 new animal and nominal fossil species. There were also four new animal species holotypes (these being the first examples of a named taxon ever identified, described and published) added to the collections. In 2016–17, Museum scientists, historians, researchers and curators produced and distributed 76 peer-reviewed research publications, six book chapters, four edited volumes, four conference papers, two popular publications, five non-refereed reports, and 13 unpublished reports to consultants and industry. They presented 132 lectures, presentations and workshops; 108 in Western Australia, 14 interstate, and 10 internationally, to a total audience of 8,016 people. Museum staff also worked on 23 research projects with 13 partner organisations, and conducted 35 field trips involving 36 partner agencies and organisations, 26 of which were international groups.

A highlight this year was Museum Curator of Herpetology Paul Doughty co-organising the world’s first symposium of academic biologists on gekkonid lizards – Gekkota Mundi. The meeting in June drew more than 40 specialists from around the world who presented on a range of topics including behaviour, physiology, morphology and systematics.

Contributing to the conservation of environment, landscapes, heritage sites and traditions

The Museum continues to be regarded as an authority on issues of marine and terrestrial biodiversity and matters of cultural significance, responding to more than 2,790 requests for advice from Government and the private sector. Fieldwork and research highlights this year include:

• Aquatic Zoology staff working with the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation and Curtin University researchers conducted a survey of the Bonaparte Archipelago in Kimberley waters to investigate possible effects of a coral bleaching event earlier in the year. The area is known for its extremely diverse intertidal coral community. The research team found that whilst there was little evidence to suggest bleaching impact, new evidence of the invasive, alien crown-of-thorns sea stars was discovered;
• The Museum’s Dr Nerida Wilson led a research project in the Antarctic to test the diversity of marine life on sub-Antarctic islands to better understand how it evolved, as part of an international scientific survey organised by the Swiss Polar Institute;
• Terrestrial Zoology staff worked at Cape Range caves near Exmouth on troglobitic fauna (animals that live entirely in the dark parts of caves), and in the Northern Goldfields looking for subterranean fauna (animals that have adapted to live underground) as part of an ARC Linkage Grant partnership to investigate Australia’s subterranean fauna;
• Terrestrial Zoology staff contributed directly to the national species discovery program Bush Blitz which is co-funded by the Australian Federal Government, BHP Billiton Sustainable Communities and Earthwatch Australia, and managed by the Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) and Parks Australia. Since its inception, WA Museum scientists contributed to nine Bush Blitzes and hosted five surveys in WA. In May 2017, scientists surveyed reptiles, amphibians and fresh water fish in the Northern Territory;
• History staff visited Derby to research the story of the Derby Leprosarium and obtain interviews, artefacts and photographs;
• Maritime Archaeology staff with volunteers and colleagues from UWA, Parks and Wildlife (Tasmania), Flinders University and the Netherlands, conducted maritime and terrestrial archaeological surveys and excavations in the Wallabi Island Group of Abrolhos Islands, as part of the ARC Linkage Grant Shipwrecks of the Roaring 40s project.

CASE STUDY:
NAME THIS CREATURE

The Museum partnered with ABC Radio National to raise awareness about WA’s extraordinary marine biodiversity and the field of taxonomy, through a competition that asked people to name a new species of WA nudibranch (sea slug). Called Name This Creature, the project had extraordinary uptake with Radio National’s online video content having more than 600,000 views. In the two weeks leading up to the close of the competition Radio National estimated the project had more than one million engagements (the number of people who watched, read, or clicked) with stories published and broadcast Australia-wide. More than 4,000 entries were received and after an exhaustive judging process the winning name was announced as Moridilla fifo. Patrick Dwyer was the listener who suggested it, reasoning that the nudibranch should be named after the fly-in fly-out workers of the region where it was discovered, partly as a tribute to its hi-vis colour scheme.

[ ABOVE ] Moridilla fifo

Discharging heritage responsibilities

The Museum provides services in relation to maritime archaeological wrecks an relics, including registering and maintaining artefacts, investigating and identifying shipwrecks, and providing advice about State and Commonwealth maritime archaeological sites under the Museum’s care. This year, conservation was completed on 643 shipwreck relics, work funded by the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Program, and 23 coin certifications and one relic certification were issued under the Historic Shipwrecks Act (1976). The Act protects all shipwrecks, and associated relics, from events that occurred more than 75 years ago. It is illegal to disturb or remove items from historic shipwrecks; however, if relics or coins were removed prior to the 1976 Act and have been registered, the law provides a way in which members of the public can legally transfer possession of them. The only shipwreck relics and coins legally in circulation are those which have a government-issued registration certificate. A permit system was established to ensure that historic shipwreck relics and coins receive protection from unnecessary interference and can always be located. Permits are required before selling or transferring a shipwreck relic or coin. The penalty for sale or disposal without a permit is a $10,000 fine for an individual, or five years imprisonment or both. A company or body corporate risks a fine of up to $50,000.

The Museum’s Maritime Archaeology department had an exceptionally busy year, with staff involved in multiple projects with concurrent deadlines including:

• Co-curating the Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World exhibition with the British Museum;
• Overseeing the project management and curation of the State’s Dirk Hartog 1616 commemorations;
• Organising and hosting the very successful Sixth International Congress on Underwater Archaeology (IKUWA6) in Fremantle, attended by more than 250 delegates from 30 countries. This conference raises awareness about the importance of global underwater cultural heritage, and supports an international regulatory framework for its preservation and protection;
• 3D mapping of the former slave ship James Matthews at Woodman's Point, Cockburn Sound, as well as the Rottnest Island Shipwreck Trail;
• Creating a publically accessible digital archive of documents relating to the ships and shipwrecks associated with the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Australia, with the Netherlands National Archives;
• Conducting a remote sensing study of the Vergulde Draeck, south of Ledge Point;
• Delivering Beacon Virtua with Curtin University and The University of Western Australia – a digital visualisation of Beacon Island that takes users on a tour of key features, from the now demolished fishing shacks to excavated graves of Batavia victims. Part of the ‘Shipwrecks of the Roaring Forties’ ARC Linkage Project and officially opened by Museum CEO Alec Coles. Preview or download at www.museum.wa.gov.au/BeaconVirtua;
• Contributing to the development of the Coogee Maritime Trail.

[ RIGHT ] Omeo

CASE STUDY:
OMEO featured in Coogee Maritime Trail

This year the Museum worked with the City of Cockburn, Perth NRM and Murdoch University Divers to develop the Coogee Maritime Trail, a special land and underwater trail that encourages visitors to explore WA’s significant maritime heritage, fascinating maritime archaeology and spectacular marine biology. This new, interactive experience features underwater sculptures, artificial reef structures and Museum artefacts, with the highlight being the opportunity to dive on, snorkel around and explore the historic Omeo shipwreck. The Omeo lies just 25 metres from the shore at Coogee Beach Reserve in less than four metres of water, where it was wrecked in 1905. The wreck is protected under Commonwealth and State law and the Museum’s Chief Executive Officer is the delegated management authority, with responsibility for protecting, managing and interpreting such sites for the benefit of the public.

Recognising that the development of the New Museum is the key organisational priority, and ensuring that its development supports the Museum’s mission.

Delivering a New Museum for Western Australia is the single biggest opportunity, and challenge, for the Western Australian Museum from now until doors open in 2020 and beyond.

Landmark milestones achieved this year include the appointment of Multiplex and its design team HASSELL+OMA as the successful Managing Contractor to design and construct the New Museum for WA, and the public release of the concept design which was met with widespread acclaim. Building milestones included the turning of the sod to mark the official start of works, the demolition of the non-heritage elements of the existing buildings, including the glass foyer, and the approval of the Development Application. The appointment of the award-winning exhibition design services teams Freeman Ryan Design and Thylacine Design and Project Management which are working with Museum in-house content teams to design world class visitor experiences was a significant milestone in terms of content development.

Building Design Development

The Development Application for the main construction works was approved on 7 March 2017. As expected approval came with some conditions, most of which relate to connections to, and interventions in, the heritage buildings, and the ongoing conservation management plans for the buildings. The Managing Contractor’s design team is working on the detailed design development, which involves refining the schematic design to address areas where further discussion is required. The second stage of the contract, which locks in the guaranteed construction cost, is anticipated next financial year.

Content Development

This year the Museum team and partners progressed the content development, including story research, object identification, consultation, partnership development, and interpretation ideas. With the appointment of the exhibition design teams, concepts for the galleries and public spaces are taking shape. These will evolve over the next year with ongoing input from Museum staff, the New Museum Community Panels and reference groups. Formal audience research was conducted with three main projects this year: Revealing the Museum, Indian Ocean perspectives and concerns about the future of WA’s environment. The results of the future-focused research will be shared nationally with partnering museums. Consultation and discussions of content themes, stories and objects also continued, with a strong focus on partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Community Engagement

The Museum’s commitment to a People First approach and a State-wide program of engagement will continue well after the doors have opened in 2020. With the content for the galleries and public spaces becoming more refined, the program for engagement has begun to focus strongly on outcomes for display in the New Museum buildings and spaces. This year, community engagement projects were developed with the aim of bringing people together to share stories. Community engagement projects are underway in Exmouth, Dowerin, Albany and the Great Southern, and the metropolitan area, to shape the stories and experiences appearing in the New Museum. The Museum continues to engage with communities in the Kimberley, Wheatbelt, Pilbara and Goldfields with the intention of developing co-creation projects in the near future.

More than 9,000 people from around Western Australian were this year asked to contribute ideas about content, stories and potential museum experiences to be included in their New Museum, with activities organised for the Perth International Arts Festival, AWESOME Children’s Festival, NAIDOC Week, WA Day and the Arcadia Extravaganza at Elizabeth Quay. These activities aimed to raise awareness about the New Museum Project while also asking people to contribute to the Project.

The New Museum Community Panels met four times this year. Panel members provided advice on visitor journey and experiences, accessibility, colour schemes, access and inclusion, story ideas, perspectives and interpretation ideas. Multiplex and its design team presented the building concept design to the Panels and in late 2016 followed up with concepts for interior finishes. The Western Australian Museum’s Aboriginal Advisory Committee also met four times in addition to their regular scheduled meetings, to provide input into New Museum content development, concept building design, landscaping and surrounds.

Acquisitions

The Museum has a modest acquisition allocation as part of the New Museum Project budget. This year new acquisitions to be added to the State Collection included: a clove boat sculpture that belonged to Lionel Sampson (c.1870); a wood and acrylic artwork by John Albert titled Mankal Jirrjirrmanda, meaning wet season rain storms; a painting by Nyaparu (William) Gardiner, Starting the 1946 Strike, which tells the story of the first industrial action by Aboriginal people since colonisation; a 50-metre long Chinese Dragon from the Chung Wah Association; and a sculpture by Warakurna artist Dianne Ungukalpi Golding called Helicopter Chasing Camels. Special mention should be made of the donation of an historic Red Cross 3rd Field Ambulance C Section flag – believed to have been the first flag flown at the beach at Gallipoli on 25 April, 1915. The flag was donated to the Museum following a public fundraising campaign to purchase it from a private collector in Canada.

new museum project

[ LEFT ] New Museum seen from the Perth Cultural Centre (C) WA Museum, image courtesy Multiplex, HASSELL+OMA

[ RIGHT ] Exmouth District High School students participating in the Memory Room project (c) WA Museum

THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM FOUNDATION

The Western Australian Museum Foundation was established in 1995 as the fundraising partner for the Museum. Independent of Government, the Foundation is a self-funded private trust. Playing a critical advocacy role, the Foundation manages the Museum’s corporate partnership programs encouraging corporate social responsibility, individual philanthropy through donations and bequests, and conducts regular community, education and engagement activities.

Supporters of the Foundation appreciate the necessity to provide private investment to ensure the New Museum for Western Australia is a state-of-the art institution which maximises its potential beyond the capability of government funding. To realise this vision, the Foundation has created a permanent endowment – the Discovery Fund – to provide sustainable ongoing funding to the Museum, enabling programs and grants to support key Museum activities beyond the remit or scope of government funding. Through the Foundation, corporate, private and charitable supporters invest in the Museum’s high calibre exhibitions, fieldwork and research, collection acquisitions and public education programs.

In February 2017, the Foundation was delighted to welcome Ms Jenny Allen as the incoming Foundation Director. Jenny comes with a wealth of experience not only from her 16 years with Youth Focus, but also a career spanning diverse sectors both nationally and internationally.

The Foundation is working closely with the Museum to maximise the significant opportunity provided by the investment of $428.3 million by the Western Australian Government to develop a world-class museum with new facilities, refurbished spaces and exciting new museum experiences. This infrastructure investment provides Western Australia with the opportunity to create a museum worthy of the 21st Century: a goal that can only be fully attained by partnership with the community. The Foundation is actively working to grow its Discovery Fund to support the New Museum for Western Australia and enable the Museum to attract international exhibitions, acquire world class objects and generate global recognition. Strong progress has been achieved this year with assistance from corporate supporters and individual donors.

Woodside Partnership supports the WA Down Under Gallery

This highly successful long-term Woodside partnership focused on the marine biology of Western Australia’s North West is managed by the Foundation. In March 2017, the newly installed WA Down Under gallery at the WA Maritime Museum was opened, highlighting the impressive research outcomes of this 19-year award winning partnership and showcasing the broader marine biodiversity of WA. Gallery highlights include the Blue Room, which encourages visitors to step into a virtual experience and engage with marine animals from the Kimberley. Visitors can also learn more about the rare Ruby Seadragon discovered recently off the WA Coast, other animals that live within our reef systems, and the threat of coral bleaching.

The strength and value of the Woodside-Museum partnership was clearly demonstrated by Woodside in December 2016 when it won the internal Woodside award for Technology. The award included a generous donation from Woodside’s technology team which contributed to two major initiatives: the popular April 2017 school holiday program and the Western Australian Museum Foundation’s Woodside Marine Biodiversity Fund. Woodside’s leadership investment has established an enduring and permanent legacy which will ensure the Museum can generate a sustainable income stream to continue the ongoing development of the Woodside Collection Project and associated initiatives.

Singapore Airlines International touring exhibitions support

The partnership with Singapore Airlines (SIA) was negotiated by the Foundation in 2010 and has grown from strength to strength. SIA kindly introduced Singapore Airlines Cargo as a major sponsor partner and its substantial support has enabled the Museum to bring several significant international exhibitions to WA this year, such as: Lustre – Pearling & Australia; A History of the World in 100 Objects; Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World; Yurlmun: Mokare Mia Boodja. It also helped facilitate the return of the 400 year-old Dirk Hartog Dish for display in the Travellers and Traders exhibition. SIA has strongly demonstrated the value it places on this excellent partnership and the Foundation is delighted to have formally renewed this association with a new, three-year partnership. SIA and SIA Cargo’s strong ongoing support enables the Museum to continue to bring high calibre exhibitions to the people of Western Australia.

Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World, Yurlmun: Mokare Mia Boodja and display of the Hartog Dish in Sydney

The Foundation was instrumental in securing the support of nine sponsor partners for the Travellers and Traders in the Indian Ocean World and Yurlmun: Mokare Mia Boodja exhibitions. Sponsor partners included Singapore Airlines and Singapore Airlines Cargo, Liquor Barons, Shell Australia, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Voyager Estate, Be Serviced Apartments and Gage Roads Brewing. The Foundation also worked closely with the Museum and the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) to negotiate national partnerships with the support of Singapore Airlines and Singapore Airlines Cargo that allowed the Dirk Hartog Dish to travel to Sydney for the 400th anniversary commemorations. This was a unique opportunity to share this historic object with national and international visitors to the ANMM, given it is unlikely the Dish, due to its fragility, will travel outside the Netherlands in future.

Voyage to the Deep and off site activation

The Foundation was delighted to secure Quadrant Energy as the exclusive Principal Partner of the Museum’s Voyage to the Deep exhibition and its highly successful public outreach program. Targeted at young families, the exhibition and outreach aims to raise awareness of the importance of marine conservation and responsible use of the environment. The popular outreach program has generated significant engagement numbers; over the WA Day long weekend more than 13,500 people took part in the Museum’s programs at Elizabeth Quay Perth and the Esplanade Fremantle.

Heath Ledger – A Life in Pictures exhibition

The Museum has been working with the family of actor Heath Ledger for a number of years to curate this personal insight into one of Western Australia’s most famous sons. Heath Ledger was a charismatic movie star who pushed the boundaries of acting and directing in his iconic roles. The resulting exhibition, curated by the WA Museum and presented in partnership with the Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA), will be shown at AGWA in 2017-18. The Foundation has been instrumental in securing support from Singapore Airlines, and new locally-owned urban streetwear sponsor Rusty. Working closely with the Art Gallery, the Foundation has also secured the generous support of long standing sponsors Gage Roads Brewing for the exhibition launch in October 2017.

Aboriginal Emerging CuratorS project

The Foundation has been actively involved in raising funds to support the next phase of the Museum’s nationally award winning initiative. This mentoring and training program which commenced in 2011 has provided life-changing results for the Emerging Curators involved. Support from the McCusker Charitable Fund and Professor Lyn Beazley AO, will enable the Museum to conduct the program’s next phase which will commence in late 2017. The strength and long term value of the Emerging Curators program is recognised through the calibre of the national cultural partners involved. Participants have found this training builds confidence and skills, allowing them to pursue interests and opportunities in research, cultural heritage management, and cultural heritage tourism.

In search of Fish and Fortune along Australia’s West Coast

Bill Leonard, the author of this soon-to-be released book was a Western Australian Museum MasterShipwright and watercraft collection manager. The Foundation helped secure philanthropic and sponsorship support including from Julian and Alexandra Burt, and three peak WA aquaculture industry bodies; the WA Fishing Industry Council, Western Rock Lobster Council and the Pearling Producers Association. In Search of Fish and Fortune provides an insight into the evolution of design, craftsmanship, skills and technology associated with fishing craft used along Australia’s west coast. Featuring more than 60 drawings, plus maps and classic photographs, 15 carefully selected vessels have been highlighted, drawn from both the Museum’s heritage watercraft collection and in private ownership. Each vessel tells its own unique story and that of the people associated with it.

FameLab Australia

The Foundation also supported the FameLab Australia semi-finals and national finals in April and May 2017. This is the Australian leg of an international FameLab competition run jointly by the British Council and the Times Cheltenham Science Festivals. Early career scientists are trained in communication and presentational skills before competing to eventually become Australia’s representative and the International final of FameLab at the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK – the World’s largest science festival. The Museum is proud to be a Founding Partner along with the McCusker Charitable Foundation. The Foundation has provided important brokering support for the project with third party funders.

Artefact Circle

The Artefact Circle is a community giving group that supports the. The Artefact Circle annual donor group was launched in June 2016 at the highly successful Last Night at the Museum charity gala event which netted in excess of $115,000 to support the endowed Discovery Fund. Since the launch, more than 90 people have become annual donors who generously donate $1,000 or more to the Discovery Fund, enabling the Foundation to provide secure sustainable support to the Museum. To introduce supporters to the diverse and fascinating work of the Museum, the Foundation and Artefact Circle Committee have produced a number of exclusive events and activities this year, including:

• Travellers and Traders exhibition launch, October 2016;
• Seafaring Soiree, November 2016;
• Christmas Drinks, December 2016;
• Collections and Research Centre private tour, March 2017.

The Foundation and Artefact Circle are currently developing the next gala event for 2017, Lost World Night at the Museum in association with the Museum-curated Dinosaur Discovery: Lost Creatures of the Cretaceous exhibition.

museum Supporters

Foundation Patron

Western Australian Museum Foundation Board of Governors

Western Australian Museum Foundation Investment Committee

Western Australian Museum Foundation - Artefact Circle Committee

Friends of the Western Australian Museum

The Friends of the Western Australian Museum is an important part of the Museum’s support structure, promoting and encouraging the Museum’s development journey for the past 20 years. Key highlights for the Friends this year were the ongoing lectures facilitated for members and the public. These included the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) Cosmos Consultant Gregory Rowbotham’s lecture on the Square Kilometre Array; and Dr Jasmine Day’s lecture on The Mummy’s Curse, which explored how meaning and structure of the curse legend evolved over time and as attitudes towards archaeology and the Middle East were transformed in the wake of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. The Museum is grateful for the ongoing support it receives from all Friends members. Friends membership at 30 June 2016 was 380.

Volunteers at the Western Australian Museum

Volunteers play a very important role at the WA Museum and their ability to enhance the Museum’s programs, events and operations is greatly valued. Through the engagement of volunteers, the Museum is able to extend its reach into the community, facilitating the two-way transfer of skills, knowledge and information. The Museum believes that volunteers must also benefit from the relationship and this is achieved through training, skills development and opportunities to meet a variety of new people.

The WA Museum currently has one Volunteer Coordinator based in Fremantle, and additional volunteering opportunities are managed at other sites across the organisation. In 2016-17, the Museum was assisted by the commitment of 267 volunteers who dedicated an estimated 25,283 hours of service, valued at $565,370.06.

A highlight this year involved a small group of volunteers planning and presenting a series of floor talks at the Maritime Museum as a part of the National Trust Heritage Festival in May 2017. Volunteers researched the secret World War Two submarine base in Fremantle, and presented talks to Museum visitors as a part of the festival. This activity provided an opportunity for young volunteers to learn alongside senior volunteers, and culminated in a visit from a World War Two veteran who shared his memories of the secret base.

CASE STUDY:
GLAD HANSEN

Glad Hansen is 92-years-young and has no plan to retire from her volunteering work at the Western Australian Museum any time soon. Glad has been volunteering with the Aquatic Zoology department working with molluscs (shells) for more than 52 years. She has extensive knowledge of WA’s marine mollusc biodiversity, detailed knowledge of the Museum’s extensive shell collection, and has had four species of shells named after her. Glad was recently nominated as a finalist in the WA Lifetime Contribution to Volunteering Award.

[ RIGHT ] Glad Hansen

Significant issues impacting the agency

Current and emerging issues and trends

New Museum

The most significant issue impacting the work of the Museum is the development of the New Museum for Western Australia in the Perth Cultural Centre. This is a huge opportunity which also carries great responsibility. The challenge is to deliver the best possible outcome on a budget which, whist seemingly generous, will still need extremely hard work to deliver an outcome that will not only be suitably impressive when it opens in 2020, but equally so in the years and decades beyond. At this stage, and over the next three years, there is no question that whilst the Museum will continue to deliver the best possible experiences to visitors to its other sites and through its outreach programs, the New Museum must be the number one priority for all staff. Indeed, the commitment, skills, knowledge and expertise of the staff are as critical as the collections in order to achieve the outcomes desired.

Working across the Perth Cultural Centre (PCC)

During the redevelopment of the Perth site it is essential that the Museum continues to work together with stakeholders and partners, including other cultural agencies across and within the Perth Cultural Centre, to leverage opportunities provided by the New Museum Project. As ever, hand in hand with caring for the State’s unique and extensive collections, the Museum aspires to deliver excellent experiences for its visitors and other users.

Examples of possible outcomes include developing partnerships to co-present exhibitions, displays and other Museum content that contribute to the ongoing activation of the PCC, while allowing the Museum to continue to share its resources with as wide an audience as possible. A direct benefit of the New Museum Project is the creation of a Central Energy Plant for the whole of the PCC which is expected to reduce energy use and carbon emissions across the Centre by up to 40% from 2020, after connection of the New Museum. It will be operational for other cultural buildings by the end of 2019.

Regional presence

In recent years, the Museum has redoubled it commitment to regional WA, although this has been in the face of funding reductions which have seen, for instance, a reduction in opening hours to the Museums’ regional sites in Kalgoorlie, Albany and Geraldton, and an increase in admission charges at the Maritime Museum in Fremantle: all of these actions have regrettably resulted in decreasing visitation.

Conversely, the opportunities to work across wider WA have increased and been seized: the Museum continues to support the National Anzac Centre though a service level agreement funded by the City of Albany; and in the coming year, the Museum will take on the Brig Amity replica in the same city. The successful commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Dirk Hartog’s landing through a range of activities and legacy projects in Denham and at Cape Inscription was also masterminded by the Museum.

The Museum is a key contributing partner to the Remembering Them project, in collaboration with Museums Galleries Australia (WA) and the Royal WA Historical Society. This project, generously funded by LotteryWest, will ultimately create 32 community-generated and located exhibitions to commemorate the contribution of each of those communities to the Great War effort.

The Museum welcomes the McGowan Government’s commitment to the promotion of regional museums in Western Australia. The Museum is pleased to be given responsibility for the administration of an additional $250,000 per annum for the next three years, which provides financial support that will increase the profile, visibility, reach and sustainability of regional museums in WA.

Machinery of Government changes

The Museum anticipates that the Machinery of Government changes introduced this year to improve efficiencies and reduce expenditure will result in further periods of change and challenge during 2017. The Museum stands ready to contribute to the future development of the State through the new departmental structures, which will have a strong emphasis on enlivening communities and the economy by providing outstanding cultural experiences to local, interstate and international visitors. As always, the Museum will continue to exercise financial rigour in all its operations while delivering the best service possible.

Audience development and activation

The Museum is committed to cultivating and maintaining a high level of audience interest and engagement during the temporary closure of its Perth site for redevelopment. The Museum’s extremely successful program of offsite activation combined with an enhanced focus on strategic co-curation partnerships will continue to present spectacular, relevant and engaging exhibitions, programs and events at a diverse range of venues. Immediate priorities include three major exhibitions being presented within weeks of each other during the first half of 2017-18 including:

• The Museum’s most popular exhibition ever, Dinosaur Discovery: Lost Creatures of the Cretaceous will be reprised with even more animatronic creatures at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre in September;
• Escape from Pompeii: the untold Roman rescue will feature rare artefacts from Pompeii, Herculaneum and the Bay of Naples, and will go on display at the Maritime Museum in Fremantle, also in September;
• Following close collaboration with the late actor’s family, the world exclusive Heath Ledger: A Life in Pictures exhibition will go on display at the Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) in October; this exhibition is presented by the Museum in partnership AGWA.

Digitisation

The Museum is increasing its investment in digitising the State Collection and making it available online to enhance public and research accessibility. It should be noted that in a museum context the value of digitisation does not relate merely to capturing and storing an image of a specimen or item, but relates to the information or data associated with the object. The Museum currently has more than eight million objects in its collections, with much of the information about them recorded in hand-written registration books spanning 125 years of Museum history. The Museum is working to digitise this enormous backlog, most of which pre-dates digital technologies, to create searchable datasets. This will lead to an exponential increase in the number of museum collections, items available online, either through the Museum’s own website or through third-party sites such as the Atlas of Living Australia. Current priorities for web publishing are the social history and culture collections which contain rich content, good images, comprehensive descriptions and detailed provenance information.

Workforce for the future

Constant review of the Museum’s operational structure is ongoing to ensure its ability to fulfil its strategic objectives, its preparedness to seize opportunities and its ability to work within tightening financial constraints. The Museum is currently developing a workforce plan that reflects the needs of a museum in the 21st Century and will enable it to deliver true public value for Western Australia. As the organisation prepares for the opening of the New Museum buildings in the Perth Cultural Centre in 2020, it is critical that it has the right people with the right skills at the right time, in order to deliver the world-class museum experience all Western Australians deserve.

ECONOMIC AND
SOCIAL TRENDS

As the State Government embarks on a program of budget repair, the WA Museum will no more be immune to this than any other part of government. Consequently there will be a focus on constrained spending whilst increasing value for money and innovation.

As a major capital project, it is likely that the New Museum Project will continue to be subject to close monitoring and review so, whilst the Government has stated its commitment to deliver the scheme – and to ensure a world class outcome value for money will also be at the core of the project.

At a time when tourism is seen as a major economic driver for the State, the New Museum will be a major tourist attraction in its own right as well as an important component of WA’s wider tourism infrastructure. Its combination of architectural excellence, its rejuvenation of the Perth Cultural Centre and, of course, its unique and exciting content, will contribute to the brand of Perth and wider WA. The Museum will act as a gateway to the wider state and must provide not only signposting, but the ability to physically drive visitors to other attractions within the metro area and across the regions. The ‘MONA’ effect in Hobart and even the success of the National Anzac Centre in Albany are both instructive as to the potential impact of cultural institutions in driving and supporting visitation to a place.

The New Museum is everyone’s museum and has been the beneficiary of an unprecedented degree of consultation with communities, particularly with Aboriginal groups. The New Museum will be a key place for Western Australia’s Aboriginal people to share their stories, both ancient and modern. Aboriginal voices will be seen and heard throughout the whole museum as well as in particular gallery spaces such as the Continuous Cultures exhibition.

By the same token, WA’s richness of cultural identity will also be expressed. Now officially Australia’s most diverse State, the heritage and identities of the people that live here will provide a sense of ownership and belonging for all Western Australians.

The adopted principal of People First along with the commitment to public ownership will continue to drive the Museum Board’s commitment to the principal of free general admission to core collections. The concept of a Museum owned, valued and used by all Western Australians and admired by the world is as strong as ever. The temptation to impose admission charges in a difficult financial environment should be resisted as not only will it undermine a business plan seven years in the making, it will risk excluding less affluent members of our community, and deny them access to a marvellous facility that is rightfully theirs.

Disclosures and legal compliance

IndependEnt
Auditor’s Report

To the Parliament of Western Australia

THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM
Report on the Financial Statements

Opinion

I have audited the financial statements of the Western Australian Museum which comprise the Statement of Financial Position as at 30 June 2017, the Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statement of Changes in Equity, Statement of Cash Flows for the year then ended, and Notes comprising a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information.

In my opinion, the financial statements are based on proper accounts and present fairly, in all material respects, the operating results and cash flows of The Western Australian Museum for the year ended 30 June 2017 and the financial position at the end of that period. They are in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards, the Financial Management Act 2006 and the Treasurer’s Instructions.

Basis for Opinion

I conducted my audit in accordance with the Australian Auditing Standards. My responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financials Statements section of my report. I am independent of the Museum in accordance with the Auditor General Act 2006 and the relevant ethical requirements of the Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board’s APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (the Code) that are relevant to my audit of the financial statements. I have also fulfilled my other ethical responsibilities in accordance with the Code. I believe that the audit evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion.

Responsibility of the Trustee for the Financial Statements

The Trustee is responsible for keeping proper accounts, and the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards, the Financial Management Act 2006 and the Treasurer’s Instructions, and for such internal control as the Trustee determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the Trustee is responsible for assessing the agency’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Western Australian Government has made policy or funding decisions affecting the continued existence of the Museum.

Auditor's Responsibility for the
Audit of the Financial Statements

As required by the Auditor General Act 2006, my responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial statements. The objectives of my audit are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes my opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decision of users taken on the basis of the financial statements.

As part of an audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards, I exercise professional judgement and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. I also:

• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.

• Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the agency’s internal control.

• Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by the Trustee.

• Conclude on the appropriateness of the Trustee’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the agency’s ability to continue as a going concern. If I conclude that a material uncertainty exists, I am required to draw attention in my auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify my opinion. My conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of my auditor’s report.

• Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

• I communicate with the Trustee regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that I identify during my audit.

Report on Controls

Opinion

I have undertaken a reasonable assurance engagement on the design and implementation of controls exercised by The Western Australian Museum. The controls exercised by the Museum are those policies and procedures established by the Trustee to ensure that the receipt, expenditure and investment of money, the acquisition and disposal of property, and the incurring of liabilities have been in accordance with legislative provisions (the overall control objectives).

My opinion has been formed on the basis of the matters outlined in this report.

In my opinion, in all material respects, the controls exercised by The Western Australian Museum are sufficiently adequate to provide reasonable assurance that the receipt, expenditure and investment of money, the acquisition and disposal of property and the incurring of liabilities have been accordance with legislative provisions during the year ended 30 June 2017.

The Trustee’s Responsibilities

The Trustee is responsible for designing, implementing and maintaining controls to ensure that the receipt, expenditure and investment of money, the acquisition and disposal of property, and the incurring of liabilities are in accordance with the Financial Management Act 2006, the Treasurer’s Instructions and other relevant written law.

Auditor General’s Responsibilities

As required by the Auditor General Act 2006, my responsibility as an assurance practitioner is to express an opinion on the suitability of the design of the controls to achieve the overall control objectives and the implementation of the controls as designed. I conducted my engagement in accordance with Standard on Assurance Engagements ASAE 3150 Assurance Engagements on Controls issued by the Australian Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. That standard requires that I comply with relevant ethical requirements and plan and perform my procedures to obtain reasonable assurance about whether, in all material respects, the controls are suitably designed to achieve the overall control objectives and the controls, necessary to achieve the overall control objectives, were implemented as designed.

An assurance engagement to report on the design and implementation of controls involves performing procedures to obtain evidence about the suitability of the design of controls to achieve the overall control objectives and the implementation of those controls. The procedures selected depend on my judgement, including the assessment of the risks that controls are not suitably designed or implemented as designed. My procedures included testing the implementation of those controls that I consider necessary to achieve the overall control objectives.

I believe that the evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion.

Limitations of Controls

Because of the inherent limitations of any internal control structure it is possible that, even if the controls are suitably designed and implemented as designed, once the controls are in operation, the overall control objectives may not be achieved so that fraud, error, or noncompliance with laws and regulations may occur and not be detected. Any projection of the outcome of the evaluation of the suitability of the design of controls to future periods is subject to the risk that the controls may become unsuitable because of changes in conditions.

Report on the
Key Performance Indicators

Opinion

I have undertaken a reasonable assurance engagement on the key performance indicators of The Western Australian Museum for the year ended 30 June 2017. The key performance indicators are the key effectiveness indicators and the key efficiency indicators that provide performance information about achieving outcomes and delivering services.

In my opinion, in all material respects, the key performance indicators of The Western Australian Museum are relevant and appropriate to assist users to assess the Museum’s performance and fairly represent indicated performance for the year ended 30 June 2017.

The Trustee’s Responsibility for the Key Performance Indicators

The Trustee is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the key performance indicators in accordance with the Financial Management Act 200 and the Treasurer’s Instructions and for such internal controls as the Trustee determines necessary to enable the preparation of key performance indicators that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the key performance indicators, the Trustee is responsible for identifying key performance indicators that are relevant and appropriate having regard to their purpose in accordance with Treasurer’s Instruction 904 Key Performance Indicators.

Auditor General’s Responsibility

As required by the Auditor General Act 2006, my responsibility as an assurance practitioner is to express an opinion on the key performance indicators. The objectives of my engagement are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the key performance indicators are relevant and appropriate to assist users to assess the agency’s performance and whether the key performance indicators are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes my opinion.

I conducted my engagement in accordance with Standard on Assurance Engagements ASAE 3000 Assurance Engagements Other than Audits or Reviews of Historical Financial Information issued by the Australian Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. That standard requires that I comply with relevant ethical requirements relating to assurance engagements.

An assurance engagement involves performing procedures to obtain evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the key performance indicators. It also involves evaluating the relevance and appropriateness of the key performance indicators against the criteria and guidance in Treasurer’s Instruction 904 for measuring the extend of outcome achievement and the efficiency of service delivery. The procedures selected depend on my judgement, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the key performance indicators. In making these risk assessments I obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the engagement in order to design procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances.

I believe that the evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion.

My Independence and Quality Control Relating to the Reports on Controls and Key Performance Indicators

I have complied with the independence requirements of the Auditor General Act 2006 and the relevant ethical requirements relating to assurance engagements. In accordance with ASQC 1 Quality Control for Firms that Perform Audits and Reviews of Financial Reports and Other Financial Information, and Other Assurance Engagements, the Office of the Auditor General maintains a comprehensive system of quality control including documented policies and procedures regarding compliance with ethical requirements, professional standards and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Matters Relating to the Electronic Publication of the Audited Financial Statements and Key Performance Indicators

This auditor’s report relates to the financial statements and key performance indicators of The Western Australian Museum for the year ended 30 June 2017 included on the Museum’s website. The Museum’s management is responsible for the integrity of the Museum’s website. This audit does not provide assurance on the integrity of the Museum's website. The auditor’s report refers only to the financial statements and key performance indicators described above. It does not provide an opinion on any other information which may have been hyperlinked to/from these financial statement of key performance indicators. If users of the financial statements and key performance indicators are concerned with the inherent risks arising from publication on a website, they are advised to refer to the hard copy of the audited financial statements and key performance indicators to confirm the information contained in this website version of the financial statements and key performance indicators.

Don Cunninghame

ASSISTANT AUDITOR GENERAL FINANCIAL AUDIT

Delegate of the Auditor General for Perth, Western Australia

11 September 2017

certification of financial statements

FOR THE YEAR ENDED
30 JUNE 2017

The accompanying financial statements of the Western Australian Museum have been prepared in compliance with the provisions of the Financial Management Act 2006 from proper accounts and records to present fairly the financial transactions for the financial year ending 30 June 2017 and the financial position as at 30 June 2017.

At the date of signing we are not aware of any circumstances which would render any particulars included in the financial statements misleading or inaccurate.

Ravikissen Proheea

Chief Finance Officer, The Western Australian Museum

08 September 2017

Alan Robson

Chair, Western Australian Museum Board of Trustees

08 September 2017

Steve Scudamore

Vice Chair, Western Australian Museum Board of Trustees

08 September 2017

Financial statements

STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

For the year ended 30 June 2017

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

For the year ended 30 June 2017

The Statement of Comprehensive Income should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

The Statement of Financial Position should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

For the year ended 30 June 2017

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

For the year ended 30 June 2017

The Statement of Cash Flows should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

The Statement of Changes in Equity should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 30 June 2017

1. Australian Accounting Standards

GENERAL

The Western Australian Museum's financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2017 have been prepared in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards. The term 'Australian Accounting Standards' includes Standards and Interpretations issued by the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB).

The Western Australian Museum has adopted any applicable new and revised Australian Accounting Standards from their operative dates.

Early adoption of standards

The Western Australian Museum cannot early adopt an Australian Accounting Standard unless specifically permitted by TI 1101 Application of Australian Accounting Standards and Other Pronouncements. There has been no early adoption of any other Australian Accounting Standards that have been issued or amended (but not operative) by the Western Australian Museum for the annual reporting period ended 30 June 2017.

2. Summary of significant accounting policies

a) General statement

The Western Australian Museum is a not-for-profit reporting entity that prepares general purpose financial statements in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards, the Framework, Statements of Accounting Concepts and other authoritative pronouncements of the AASB as applied by the Treasurer's Instructions. Several of these are modified by the Treasurer's Instructions to vary application, disclosure, format and wording.

The Financial Management Act 2006 and the Treasurer's Instructions impose legislative provisions that govern the preparation of financial statements and take precedence over Australian Accounting Standards, the Framework, Statements of Accounting Concepts and other authoritative pronouncements of the AASB.

Where modification is required and has had a material or significant financial effect upon the reported results, details of that modification and the resulting financial effect are disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.

b) Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting using the historical cost convention, except for land, buildings and Museum collections which have been measured at fair value.

The accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the financial statements have been consistently applied throughout all periods presented unless otherwise stated.

The financial statements are presented in Australian dollars and all values are rounded to the nearest thousand dollars ($'000).

Note 4 'Judgements made by management in applying accounting policies' discloses judgements that have been made in the process of applying the Western Australian Museum's accounting policies resulting in the most significant effect on amounts recognised in the financial statements.

Note 5 'Key sources of estimation uncertainty' discloses key assumptions made concerning the future and other key sources of estimation uncertainty at the end of the reporting period, that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next reporting year.

c) Reporting entity

The reporting entity is The Western Australian Museum which is a body corporate with perpetual succession and an agency of the State of Western Australia.

d) Contributed equity

AASB Interpretation 1038 Contributions by Owners Made to Wholly-Owned Public Sector Entities requires transfers in the nature of equity contributions, other than as a result of a restructure of administrative arrangements, to be designated by the Government (the owner) as contributions by owners (at the time of, or prior to transfer) before such transfers can be recognised as equity contributions. Capital appropriations have been designated as contributions by owners by TI 955 Contributions by Owners made to Wholly Owned Public Sector Entities and have been credited directly to Contributed equity.

The transfers of net assets to/from other agencies, other than as a result of a restructure of administrative arrangements, are designated as contributions by owners where the transfers are non-discretionary and non-reciprocal.

e) Income

Revenue recognition

Revenue is recognised and measured at the fair value of consideration received or receivable. Revenue is recognised for the major business activities as follows:

Sale of goods
Revenue is recognised from the sale of goods and disposal of other assets when the significant risks and rewards of ownership transfer to the purchaser and can be measured reliably.

Provision of services
Revenue is recognised by reference to the stage of completion of the transaction.

Interest
Revenue is recognised as the interest accrues.

Service appropriations
Service Appropriations are recognised as revenues at fair value in the period in which the Western Australian Museum gains control of the appropriated funds. The Western Australian Museum gains control of appropriated funds at the time those funds are deposited to the bank account or credited to the 'Amount receivable for services' (holding account), held at Treasury.

Grants, donations, gifts and other non-reciprocal contributions
Revenue is recognised at fair value when the Western Australian Museum obtains control over the assets comprising the contributions, usually when cash is received.

Other non-reciprocal contributions that are not contributions by owners are recognised at their fair value. Contributions of services are only recognised when a fair value can be reliably determined and the services would be purchased if not donated.

Royalties for Regions funds are recognised as revenue at fair value in the period in which the Western Australian Museum obtains control over the funds. The Western Australian Museum obtains control of the funds at the time the funds are deposited into the Western Australian Museum's bank account.

Gains

Realised and unrealised gains are usually recognised on a net basis. These include gains arising on the disposal of non-current assets and some revaluations of non-current assets.

f) Property, plant and equipment

Capitalisation/expensing of assets

Items of property, plant and equipment costing $5,000 or more are recognised as assets and the cost of utilising assets is expensed (depreciated) over their useful lives. Items of property, plant and equipment costing less than $5,000 are immediately expensed direct to the Statement of Comprehensive Income (other than where they form part of a group of similar items which are significant in total).

Initial recognition and measurement

Property, plant and equipment are initially recognised at cost.

For items of property, plant and equipment acquired at no cost or for nominal cost, the cost is the fair value at the date of acquisition.

Subsequent measurement

Subsequent to initial recognition of an asset, the revaluation model is used for the measurement of land and buildings and historical cost for all other property, plant and equipment. Land and buildings are carried at fair value less accumulated depreciation (buildings only) and accumulated impairment losses. All other items of property, plant and equipment are stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses.

Where market-based evidence is available, the fair value of land and buildings is determined on the basis of current market values determined by reference to recent market transactions. When buildings are revalued by reference to recent market transactions, the accumulated depreciation is eliminated against the gross carrying amount of the asset and the net amount restated to the revalued amount.

In the absence of market-based evidence, fair value of land and buildings is determined on the basis of existing use. This normally applies where buildings are specialised or where land use is restricted. Fair value for existing use assets is determined by reference to the cost of replacing the remaining future economic benefits embodied in the asset, i.e. the depreciated replacement cost. Where the fair value of buildings is determined on the depreciated replacement cost basis, the gross carrying amount and the accumulated depreciation are restated proportionately. Fair value for restricted use land is determined by comparison with market evidence for land with similar approximate utility (high restricted use land) or market value of comparable unrestricted land (low restricted use land).

Land and buildings are independently valued annually by the Western Australian Land Information Authority (Valuation Services) and recognised annually to ensure that the carrying amount does not differ materially from the asset's fair value at the end of the reporting period.

The most significant assumptions and judgements in estimating fair value are made in assessing whether to apply the existing use basis to assets and in determining estimated economic life. Professional judgement by the valuer is required where the evidence does not provide a clear distinction between market type assets and existing use assets.

Derecognition
Upon disposal or derecognition of an item of property, plant and equipment or Museum collection, any revaluation surplus relating to that asset is retained in the asset revaluation surplus.

Asset revaluation surplus

The asset revaluation surplus is used to record increments and decrements on the revaluation of non-current assets on a class of assets basis.

Depreciation

All non-current assets having a limited useful life are systematically depreciated over their estimated useful lives in a manner that reflects the consumption of their future economic benefits.

Depreciation is calculated using the straight line method, using rates which are reviewed annually. Estimated useful lives for each class of depreciable asset are:

g) Museum collections

Capitalisation/expensing of assets

No capitalisation threshold is applied to Museum collection items. These items are considered to form part of a collection and are disclosed separately in the Statement of Financial Position.

Initial recognition and measurement

Collection items may be acquired through collection, purchase or donation. Acquisitions of collection items are recorded at cost when purchased and at fair value when donated.

Subsequent measurement

The collections of the Western Australian Museum are valued every five years and will be revalued in the financial year 2018/2019. The revaluation of the collections is conducted by independent valuers using a combination of market values and recollection costs as applicable.

Depreciation

Collection items controlled by the Western Australian Museum are classified as heritage assets. They are anticipated to have very long and indeterminate useful lives. Their service potential has not, in any material sense, been consumed during the reporting period. As such, no amount for depreciation is recognised in respect of these assets.

h) Intangible assets

Capitalisation/expensing of assets
Acquisitions of intangible assets costing $5,000 or more and internally generated intangible assets costing $50,000 or more are capitalised. The cost of utilising the assets is expensed (amortised) over their useful life. Costs incurred below these thresholds are immediately expensed directly to the Statement of Comprehensive Income.

Intangible assets are initially recognised at cost. For assets acquired at no cost or for nominal cost, the cost is their fair value at the date of acquisition.

The cost model is applied for subsequent measurement requiring the asset to be carried at cost less any accumulated amortisation and accumulated impairment losses.

Amortisation for intangible assets with finite useful lives is calculated for the period of the expected benefit (estimated useful life which is reviewed annually) on the straight line basis. All intangible assets controlled by the Western Australian Museum have a finite useful life and zero residual value.

The expected useful lives for each class of intangible asset are:

(a) Software that is not integral to the operation of any related hardware.

Computer software

Software that is an integral part of the related hardware is treated as property, plant and equipment. Software that is not an integral part of the related hardware is recognised as an intangible asset. Software costing less than $5,000 is expensed in the year of acquisition.

Website costs

Website costs are charged as expenses when they are incurred unless they relate to the acquisition or development of an asset when they may be capitalised and amortised. Generally, costs in relation to feasibility studies during the planning phase of a website, and ongoing costs of maintenance during the operating phase are expensed. Costs incurred in building or enhancing a website that can be reliably measured, are capitalised to the extent that they represent probable future economic benefits.

i) Impairment of Assets

Property, plant and equipment and intangible assets are tested for any indication of impairment at the end of each reporting period. Where there is an indication of impairment, the recoverable amount is estimated. Where the recoverable amount is less than the carrying amount, the asset is considered impaired and is written down to the recoverable amount and an impairment loss is recognised. Where an asset measured at cost is written down to recoverable amount, an impairment loss is recognised in profit or loss. Where a previously revalued asset is written down to recoverable amount, the loss is recognised as a revaluation decrement in other comprehensive income. As the Western Australian Museum is a not-for-profit entity, unless a specialised asset has been identified as a surplus asset, the recoverable amount is the higher of an asset’s fair value less costs to sell and depreciated replacement cost.

The risk of impairment is generally limited to circumstances where an asset’s depreciation is materially understated, where the replacement cost is falling or where there is a significant change in useful life. Each relevant class of assets is reviewed annually to verify that the accumulated depreciation/amortisation reflects the level of consumption or expiration of the asset’s future economic benefits and to evaluate any impairment risk from falling replacement costs.

Intangible assets with an indefinite useful life and intangible assets not yet available for use are tested for impairment at the end of each reporting period irrespective of whether there is any indication of impairment.

The recoverable amount of assets identified as surplus assets is the higher of fair value less costs to sell and the present value of future cash flows expected to be derived from the asset. Surplus assets carried at fair value have no risk of material impairment where fair value is determined by reference to market-based evidence. Where fair value is determined by reference to depreciated replacement cost, surplus assets are at risk of impairment and the recoverable amount is measured. Surplus assets at cost are tested for indications of impairment at the end of each reporting period.

j) Leases

The Western Australian Museum holds operating leases for vehicles. Operating leases are expensed on a straight line basis over the lease term as this represents the pattern of benefits derived from the leased vehicles.

k) Financial instruments

In addition to cash, the Western Australian Museum has two categories of financial instruments:

• Loans and receivables; and
• Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost.

Financial instruments have been disaggregated into the following classes:

• Financial Assets
  — Cash and cash equivalents
  — Restricted cash and cash equivalents
  — Receivables
  — Amounts receivable for services
• Financial Liabilities
  — Payables
  ­— Other current liabilities

Initial recognition and measurement of financial instruments is at fair value which normally equates to the transaction cost or the face value. Subsequent measurement is at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

The fair value of short-term receivables and payables is the transaction cost or the face value because there is no interest rate applicable and subsequent measurement is not required as the effect of discounting is not material.

l) Cash and cash equivalents

For the purpose of the Statement of Cash Flows, cash and cash equivalent (and restricted cash and cash equivalent) assets comprise cash on hand and short-term deposits with original maturities of three months or less that are readily convertible to a known amount of cash and which are subject to insignificant risk of changes in value.

m) Accrued salaries

Accrued salaries represent the amount due to staff but unpaid at the end of the financial year. Accrued salaries are settled within a fortnight of the financial year end. The Western Australian Museum considers the carrying amount of the accrued salaries to be equivalent to its fair value.

n) Amounts receivable for services (holding account)

The Western Australian Museum receives income from the State Government partly in cash and partly as an asset (holding account receivable). The accrued amount appropriated is accessible on the emergence of the cash funding requirement to cover leave entitlements and asset replacement.

o) Inventories

Inventories are measured at the lower of cost or net realisable value. Costs are assigned by the method most appropriate for each particular class of inventory, with the majority being valued on an average cost basis.

Inventories not held for resale are measured at cost unless they are no longer required, in which case they are measured at net realisable value.

p) Receivables

Receivables are recognised at original invoice amount less an allowance for any uncollectible amounts (i.e. impairment). The collectability of receivables is reviewed on an ongoing basis and any receivables identified as uncollectible are written-off against the allowance account. The allowance for uncollectible amounts (doubtful debts) is raised when there is objective evidence that the Western Australian Museum will not be able to collect the debts. The carrying amount is equivalent to fair value as it is due for settlement within 30 days.

q) Payables

Payables are recognised when the Western Australian Museum becomes obliged to make future payments as a result of a purchase of assets or services. The carrying amount is equivalent to fair value, as settlement is generally within 30 days.

r) Provisions

Provisions are liabilities of uncertain timing or amount and are recognised where there is a present legal or constructive obligation as a result of a past event and when the outflow of resources embodying economic benefits is probable and a reliable estimate can be made of the amount of the obligation. Provisions are reviewed at the end of each reporting period.

Provisions — employee benefits

All annual leave and long service leave provisions are in respect of employees’ services up to the end of the reporting period.

Annual leave
Annual leave is not expected to be settled wholly within 12 months after the end of the reporting period and is therefore considered to be 'other long term employee benefits'. The annual leave liability is recognised and measured at the present value of amounts expected to be paid when the liabilities are settled using the remuneration rate expected to apply at the time of settlement.

When assessing expected future payments consideration is given to expected future wage and salary levels including non-salary components such as employer superannuation contributions, as well as the experience of employee departures and periods of service. The expected future payments are discounted using market yields at the end of the reporting period on national government bonds with terms to maturity that match, as closely as possible, the estimated future cash outflows.

The provision for annual leave is classified as a current liability as the Western Australian Museum does not have an unconditional right to defer settlement of the liability for at least 12 months after the end of the reporting period.

Long service leave
A liability for long service leave is recognised after an employee has completed two years of service based on remuneration rates current as at the end of the reporting period.

An actuarial assessment of long service leave was undertaken by PriceWaterhouseCoopers' Actuaries as at 30 June 2017 and determined that the liability measured using the short-hand measurement technique above was not materially different from the liability determined using present value of expected future payments. This calculation is consistent with the Western Australian Museum experience of employee retention and leave taken.

Unconditional long service leave provisions are classified as current liabilities as the Western Australian Museum does not have an unconditional right to defer settlement of the liability for at least 12 months after the end of the reporting period. Pre-conditional and conditional long service leave provisions are classified as non-current liabilities because the Western Australian Museum has an unconditional right to defer the settlement of the liability until the employee has completed the requisite years of service.

Purchased leave
The provision for purchased leave relates to Public Service employees who have entered into an agreement to self-fund up to an additional 10 weeks leave per calendar year. The provision recognises the value of salary set aside for employees and is measured at the undiscounted amounts expected to be paid when the liabilities are settled.

Superannuation
The Government Employees Superannuation Board (GESB) and other fund providers administer public sector superannuation arrangements in Western Australia in accordance with legislative requirements. Eligibility criteria for membership in particular schemes for public sector employees varies according to commencement and implementation dates.

Eligible employees contribute to the Pension Scheme, a defined benefit pension scheme closed to new members since 1987, or the Gold State Superannuation Scheme (GSS), a defined benefit lump sum scheme closed to new members since 1995.

Employees commencing employment prior to 16 April 2007 who were not members of either the Pension Scheme or the GSS became non-contributory members of the West State Superannuation Scheme (WSS). Employees commencing employment on or after 16 April 2007 became members of the GESB Super Scheme (GESBS). From 30 March 2012, existing members of the WSS or GESBS and new employees became able to choose their preferred superannuation fund provider. The Western Australian Museum makes contributions to GESB or other fund provider on behalf of employees in compliance with the Commonwealth Government’s Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992. Contributions to these accumulated schemes extinguish the Western Australian Museum's liability for superannuation charges in respect of employees who are not members of the Pension Scheme or GSS.

The GSS is a defined benefit scheme for the purposes of employees and whole-of-government reporting. However, it is a defined contribution plan for agency purposes because the concurrent contributions (defined contributions) made by the Western Australian Museum to GESB extinguishes the agency’s obligations to the related superannuation liability.

The Western Australian Museum has no liabilities under the Pension Scheme or the GSS. The liabilities for the unfunded Pension Scheme and the unfunded GSS transfer benefits attributable to members who transferred from the Pension Scheme, are assumed by the Treasurer. All other GSS obligations are funded by concurrent contributions made by the Western Australian Museum to the GESB.

The GESB makes all benefit payments in respect of the Pension Scheme and GSS, and is recouped from the Treasurer for the employer's share.

Provisions — other

Employment on-costs
Employment on-costs, including workers’ compensation insurance, are not employee benefits and are recognised separately as liabilities and expenses when the employment to which they relate has occurred. Employment on-costs are included as part of ‘Other expenses’ and are not included as part of the Western Australian Museum’s ‘Employee benefits expense’. The related liability is included in ‘Employment on-costs provision’.

s) Superannuation expense

Superannuation expense is recognised in the profit or loss of the Statement of Comprehensive Income and comprises employer contributions paid to GSS (concurrent contributions), WSS, the GESBS, and other superannuation funds.

t) Assets and services received free of
charge or for nominal cost

Assets or services received free of charge or for nominal cost that the Western Australian Museum would otherwise purchase if not donated, are recognised as income at the fair value of the assets or services where they can be reliably measured. A corresponding expense is recognised for services received. Receipt of assets are recognised in the Statement of Financial Position.

Assets or services received from other State Government agencies are separately disclosed under Income from State Government in the Statement of Comprehensive Income.

u) Comparative figures

Comparative figures are, where appropriate, reclassified to be comparable with the figures presented in the current financial year.

3. Department of Culture and the Arts

The Department of Culture and the Arts provides support to agencies in the Culture and Arts portfolio. The Department receives an appropriation for capital projects, global maintenance program and minor equipment as part of the PC Replacement Program. These resources provided to the Western Australian Museum, are paid for by the Department and have been treated as 'Services received free of charge' in the Statement of Comprehensive Income. Refer to note 20 ' Income from state government' for information on services received free of charge.

4. Judgements made by management in applying accounting policies

The preparation of financial statements requires management to make judgements about the application of accounting policies that have a significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements. The Western Australian Museum evaluates these judgements regularly.

Operating lease commitments

The Western Australian Museum has entered into commercial leases rather than finance leases for motor vehicles. The Western Australian Museum has determined that the lessor retains substantially all the risks and rewards incidental to ownership of the vehicles. Accordingly, these leases have been classified as operating leases.

5. Key sources of estimation uncertainty

Key estimates and assumptions concerning the future are based on historical experience and various other factors that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.

Long Service Leave

Several estimations and assumptions used in calculating the Western Australian Museum's long service leave provision include expected future salary rates, discount rates, employee retention rates and expected future payments. Changes in these estimations and assumptions may impact on the carrying amount of the long service leave provision.

6. Disclosure of changes in
accounting policy and estimates

Initial application of an
Australian Accounting Standard

The Western Australian Museum has applied the following Australian Accounting Standards effective, or adopted, for annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 July 2016 that impacted on the Western Australian Museum:

(a) Includes the value of the fringe benefit to the employee plus the fringe benefits tax component, leave entitlements including superannuation contribution component.

(b) Defined contribution plans include West State, Gold State and GESB Super Scheme and other eligible funds.

Employment on-costs, such as workers’ compensation insurance, are included at note 13 ‘Other expenses’.

Employment on-costs liability is included at note 31 'Provisions'.

8. Compensation of Key Management Personnel

The Western Australian Museum has determined that key management personnel include Ministers, board members, and senior officers of the Western Australian Museum. However, the Western Australian Museum is not obligated to compensate Ministers and therefore disclosures in relation to Ministers's compensation may be found in the Annual Report on State Finances:

14. Related Party Transactions

The Western Australian Museum is a wholly owned and controlled entity of the State of Western Australia. In conducting its activities, the Western Australian Museum is required to pay various taxes and levies based on the standard terms and conditions that apply to all tax and levy payers to the State and entities related to the State.

Related parties of the Western Australian Museum include:

• all Ministers and their close family members, and their controlled or jointly controlled entities;

• all senior officers and their close family members, and their controlled or jointly controlled entities;

• other departments and public sector entities, including related bodies included in the whole of government consolidated financial statements;

• associates and joint ventures, that are included in the whole of government consolidated financial statements; and

• the Government Employees Superannuation Board (GESB).

Significant transactions with government related entities

Significant transactions includes:

• service appropriation (Note 20);

• capital appropriation (Note 33);

• service received free of charge from the Department of Culture and the Arts and State Solicitor office (Note 20);

• Royalties for Regions Fund (Note 20);

• superannuation payment to GESB (Note 7);

Material transactions with related parties

The Western Australian Museum had no material related party transaction with Minister/senior officers or their close family members or their controlled (or joint controlled) entities for disclosure.

Included in recurrent grants are non-reciprocal grants received from various Commonwealth providers with remaining unspent funds as follows:

(a) Donations and contributions included donated Rolly Tasker collections which were valued at $2.8 million in 2015-16.

(a) Service appropriations fund the net cost of services delivered. Appropriation revenue comprises a cash component and a receivable (asset). The receivable (holding account) comprises the depreciation expense for the year and any agreed increase in leave liability during the year.

(b) Funding was received to partially support the district allowance for staff working the regional Western Australian museums, namely the Museum of Geraldton and the Museum of the Goldfields.

(c) Information Communication Technology Asset - Power Edge FC630 Server Node transferred to The State Library of Western Australia.

(d) Assets or services received free of charge or for nominal cost are recognised as revenue at fair value of the assets and/or services that can be reliably measured and which would have been purchased if they were not donated. Contributions of assets or services in the nature of contributions by owners are recognised direct to equity.

(e) Included in State grants and subsidies are non-reciprocal grants received from various State Government providers with remaining unspent fund as follows:

(f) The recoup of expenditure from the Department of Culture and the Arts relate to Asset Maintenance Programs.

(a) Cash held in these accounts includes specific purpose account balances and unspent specific purpose grants.

(b) Funds held in the holding account at WA Treasury for the purpose of meeting the 27th pay in the financial year that occurs every 11 years (2026-27).

The Western Australian Museum does not hold any collateral or other credit enhancements as security for receivables.

(a) Represents the non-cash component of service appropriations. It is restricted in that it can only be used for asset replacement or payment of leave liability. See note 2(n) 'Amount receivable for services (holding account)'.

(b) Represents leave liability holding account with Treasury WA.

(a) The cabinet approved the amalgamation of land within the Perth Cultural Centre into a single Crown Reserve 37000 to optimise performance. Consequently, a Management Order of the new Crown Reserve 37000 was granted to the Minister for Culture and the Arts which gave the power to the Minister to lease, sublease or licence the land (or any part of it). The Minister must keep and maintain the Reserve and all buildings and structures on the Reserve in good repair and structurally safe and undertake all necessary structural repairs where necessary. The land ($6,749,000) and building ($12,260,900) in the Perth Cultural Centre were transferred to the Department of Culture and the Arts on 30 June 2017. Land and buildings were revalued as at 1 July 2016 by the Western Australian Land Information Authority (Valuation Services). The valuations were performed during the year ended 30 June 2017 and recognised at 30 June 2017. In undertaking the revaluation, fair value was determined by reference to market values for land: $330,000 (2016: $365,000). For the remaining balance, fair value of buildings was determined on the basis of depreciated replacement cost and the fair value of land was determined on basis of comparison with market evidence for land with low level utility (high restricted use land).

25. Property, plant and equipment (CONTINUED)

Reconciliations of the carrying amounts of property, plant, equipment and vehicles at the beginning and end of the reporting period are set out in the table below.

The land has been valued by Western Australian Land Information Authority (Valuation services). There has been no transfers between Levels 1,2 or 3 during the current and previous period.

Valuation techniques to derive Level 2 fair values

Level 2 fair values are derived using the market approach. The land has been valued by Western Australian Land Information Authority (Valuation services). Market evidence of sales prices of comparable land in close proximity is used to determine price per square metre. Similarly, for Museum Collections, market evidence of sales prices of identical or similar collections in recent transactions have been used to determine the price of the collections.

Valuation processes

There were no changes in valuation techniques during the period.

Transfers in and out of a fair value level are recognised on the date of the event or change in circumstances that caused the transfer. Transfers are generally limited to assets newly classified as non-current assets held for sale as Treasurer's instructions require valuations of land, buildings and infrastructure to be categorised within Level 3 where the valuations will utilise significant Level 3 inputs on a recurring basis.

Land (Level 3 fair values)
Fair value for restricted use land is based on comparison with market evidence for land with low level utility (high restricted use land). The relevant comparators of land with low level utility is selected by the Western Australian Land Information Authority(Valuation Services) and represents the application of a significant Level 3 input in the valuation methodology. The fair value measurement is sensitive to values of comparator land, with higher values of comparator land correlating with higher estimated fair values of land.

Restoration costs are estimated for the purpose of returning the site to a vacant and marketable condition and include costs for: building demolition, clearing, re-zoning and an allowance for time factors.

Buildings and Infrastructure (Level 3 fair values)
Fair value for existing use specialised buildings and infrastructure assets is determined by reference to the cost of replacing the remaining future economic benefits embodied in the asset, i.e. the depreciated replacement cost. Depreciated replacement cost is the current replacement cost of an asset less accumulated depreciation calculated on the basis of such cost to reflect the already consumed or expired economic benefit, or obsolescence, and optimisation (where applicable) of the asset. Current replacement cost is generally determined by reference to the market-observable replacement cost of a substitute asset of comparable utility and the gross project size specifications.

Valuation using depreciation replacement cost utilises the significant Level 3 input, consumed economic benefit/obsolescence of asset which is estimated by the Western Australian Land Information Authority (Valuation Services). The fair value measurement is sensitive to the estimate of consumption/obsolescence, with higher values of the estimate correlating with lower estimated fair values of buildings and infrastructure.

Basis of Valuation

In the absence of market-based evidence, due to the specialised nature of some non-financial assets, these assets are valued at Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy on an existing use basis. The existing use basis recognises that restrictions or limitations have been placed on their use and disposal when they are not determined to be surplus to requirements. These restrictions are imposed by virtue of the assets being held to deliver a specific community service and the Western Australian Museum's enabling legislation.

27. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (CONTINUED)

Information about significant unobservable inputs (Level 3)
in fair value measurements:

Reconciliations of the opening and closing balances are provided in notes 25 and 26.

29. Impairment of assets

"There were no indications of impairment to property, plant and equipment and intangible assets at 30 June 2017.

The Western Australian Museum held no goodwill or intangible assets with an indefinite useful life during the reporting period. At the end of the reporting period there were no intangible assets not yet available for use.

All surplus assets at 30 June 2017 have either been classified as assets held for sale or written off."
 

(a) Annual leave liabilities have been classified as current as there is no unconditional right to defer settlement for at least 12 months after the end of the reporting period. Assessments indicate that actual settlement of the liabilities is expected to occur as follows:

(b) Long service leave liabilities have been classified as current where there is no unconditional right to defer settlement for at least 12 months after the end of the reporting period. Assessments indicate that actual settlement of the liabilities is expected to occur as follows:

(c) Provision for purchased leave relates to Public Service employees who have entered into an agreement to self-fund up to an additional 10 weeks leave per calendar year. The provision recognises the value of salary set aside for employees and is measured at the undiscounted amounts expected to be paid when the liabilities are settled.

(d) The settlement of annual and long service leave liabilities gives rise to the payment of employment on-costs including workers’ compensation insurance. The provision is the present value of expected future payments. The associated expense, apart from the unwinding of the discount (finance cost), is disclosed in note 13 ‘Other expenses’.

Movement in other provisions

Movements in each class of provisions during the financial year, other than employee benefits, are set out below:

33. EQUITY

The Western Australian Government holds the equity interest in the Western Australian Museum on behalf of the community. Equity represents the residual interest in the net assets of the Western Australian Museum. The asset revaluation surplus represents that portion of equity resulting from the revaluation of non-current assets.

(c) See note 25 'Property, plant and equipment'.

(d) The value of the transfer of land and building to the Department of Culture and the Arts (DCA) is higher than the Contributed Equity by $3,453,525 which is offset against Accumulated surplus as per TI 955.

34. Notes to the Statement of Cash Flows

Reconciliation of cash

Cash at the end of the financial year as shown in the Statement of Cash Flows is reconciled to the related items in the Statement of Financial Position as follows:

(a) See Note 10 ‘Depreciation and amortisation expense’.

(b) See Note 20 ‘Income from State Government’.

(c) See Note 26 ‘Museum Collections’.

(d) Note that the Australian Taxation Office receivable/payable in respect of GST and the receivable/payable in respect to the sale/purchase of non-current assets are not included in these items as they do not form part of the reconciling items.

(e) This is the net GST paid/received, i.e. cash transactions.

(f) This reverses out the GST in receivables and payables.

The 11 motor vehicle leases (2016: 14 leases) are considered non-cancellable operating leases with lease expenditure payable monthly in advance. These commitments are all inclusive of GST.

36. Contingent liabilities and contingent assets

At the reporting date, the Western Australian Museum had no contingent liabilities or assets.

37. Events occurring after the
end of the reporting period

Non-adjusting Events after the end of the Reporting Period

On 28 April 2017, the Premier announced Machinery of Government (MOG) changes which would include establishment of a new Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries from 1 July 2017. The new Department will be formed through amalgamation of the Department of Culture and the Arts with the Department of Sport and Recreation, the Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor, the Aboriginal History Unit of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, the Office of Multicultural Interests and the Local Government functions of the Department of Local Government and Communities. There will be no impact on the Western Australian Museum.

38. EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

All variances between estimates (original budget) and actual results for 2017, and between the actual results for 2017 and 2016 are shown below. Narratives are provided for key variations selected from observed major variances, which are generally greater than:

• 5% and $0.6 million for the Statements of Comprehensive and Cash Flows; and

• 5% and $9.7 million for the Statements of Financial Position.