western australian museum ANNUAL REPORT 2005-2006 Abominable Snowman chatting with friends. This creature was a standout feature at an exhibition staged by animatronics specialist John Cox: How to Make a Monster: The Art and Technology of Animatronics. Photograph: Norm Bailey. ABOUT THIS REPORT This Annual Report is available in PDF format on the Western Australian Museum website www.museum.wa.gov.au Copies are available on request in alternate formats. Copies are archived in the State Library of Western Australia, the National Library Canberra and in the Western Australian Museum Library located at the Collection and Research Centre, Welshpool. For enquiries, comments, or more information about staff or projects mentioned in this report, please visit the Western Australian Museum website or contact the Museum at the address below. Telephone 9212 3700. PUBLISHED BY THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, Western Australia 6986 49 Kew Streeet, Welshpool, Western Australia 6106 www.museum.wa.gov.au ISSNISSN 2204-61270083-8721 © Western Autralian Museum, 2006 Contents Letter of transmittal 1 COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS Message from the Minister 2 Highlights – Western Australian Museum 2005-06 3 Auditor’s opinion financial statements 39 The year in review – Chief Executive Officer 5 Certification of financial statements 40 MUSEUM AT A GLANCE 7 Notes to the financial statements 45 INTRODUCING THE Certification of performance indicators 73 8 WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM Key performance indicators 74 REPORT ON OPERATIONS THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM Goal 1 People and Communities 9 Disability access and inclusion plan outcomes 22 The Museum Act 1969 81 Cultural diversity and language services outcomes 23 Trustees 81 Young people outcomes 23 Western Australian Museum Foundation 82 Goal 2 The Economy 24 Friends of the Western Australian Museum 83 Goal 3 The Environment 27 Organisational structure 84 Waste paper recycling 30 Energy smart government policy 30 ATTACHMENTS Goal 4 The Regions 31 Fellows, Honorary Associates, Research Associates 85 Goal 5 Governance 34 Evaluations 35 Advisory committees 85 Information statement 36 Recordkeeping plans 36 Volunteers 86 Sustainability 36 Staff membership of external professional committees 86 Compliance with public sector standards and ethical codes 36 Publications list 87 Corruption prevention 37 Research Publications 87 Public interest disclosures 37 Equal Employment Opportunity outcomes 38 Lectures and presentations 89 Sponsors, Benefactors and Granting Agencies 92 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL The past year has been one of The WA Museum Foundation change and challenge for the headed by John Poynton continued Western Australian Museum as we its critically important work in seek to position ourselves as a encouraging public investment contemporary organisation telling the through corporate partnerships, stories about our culture, history, donations, gifts and bequests. industry and natural sciences. There will be many more challenges The Museum, with its collection of to come as we continue to advance more than three million objects, the case for a new museum for occupies a unique place within our Perth and begin to plan for an society with its public focus and its improvement at our Albany Museum strong links to the scientific and and additional exhibition space for education communities. It is best the Kalgoorlie Museum. placed to tell the story of Western Australia at our regional and On behalf of the WA Museum Board metropolitan sites, through its of Trustees, I would like to collection, exhibitions and people. acknowledge the continuing support and interest from the Minister for Our vision for the future is to build a Arts and Culture, Hon Sheila Tim Ungar national and internationally McHale MLA. Chair, Board of Trustees renowned, ‘Museum of the 21st Western Australian Museum Century’. I would like to commend the efforts of former Board of Trustees Following the completing the chairman Dr Ken Michael, now relocation of almost three million Governor of Western Australia, as objects to the new Welshpool well as those of CEO Dr Dawn Casey, Collection and Research Centre, whose drive and commitment is Museum staff started the equally resulting in new programs and complex task of moving big exhibitions and a focus on the best collections held in Fremantle and use of available resources across all Willetton to the centre and to the A of the Museum’s nine venues. Shed near the Maritime Museum. My thanks go to our advisory The launch of the second stage of committees and associated bodies the hugely popular migrant Welcome for the time and expertise Walls was an excellent example of contributed towards supporting the the Museum helping a sector of our Museum. community to tell their story and have their arrival in this State Finally, I would like to express my commemorated. appreciation to my fellow Trustees, Museum management, staff and our volunteers for their dedicated service and commitment to change over the past year. 1 western australian museum annual report 2006 MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER I am pleased to table in Parliament The first year of new research into the 2005-06 Annual Report of the the little known lives of the Western Australian Museum. Kimberley frog populations is now complete, particularly pertinent in It has been a busy year with the light of the advancing cane toad. significant achievements in key This work has already yielded a new areas that will guide the species of frog. organisation’s future with a clear set of goals and directions. The collaboration between the Museum and the Rio Tinto WA This included implementing a new Future Fund progresses as work structure, including a number of continues on the extraordinary fossil appointments to pivotal positions, cave that gave us the first complete and the work to provide a strategic skeleton of Thylacoleo, a marsupial plan, now well under way. predator twice the size of the leopard that roamed what we now Another priority for the Museum was know as the Nullarbor some the extensive and complex planning 500,000 years ago. This cave Hon. Sheila McHale, MLA process around the provision of a continues to yield fascinating secrets Minister for Culture and the Arts new museum for Western Australia, from long ago. now also nearing completion. The discovery of the cave and the The breadth and complexity of this subsequent work on Thylacoleo is work did not prevent the Museum now the subject of a documentary, continuing the core functions of Bone Diggers: Mystery of a Lost exhibitions and servicing the Predator, which was released during increasing interest in bio-diversity Science Week 2006. and sustainability, particularly from the government and mining sectors. I would like to acknowledge and thank the Board of Trustees and Some of the year’s exhibition, Museum CEO Dr Dawn Casey for research and scientific highlights are their hard work and input over the impressive indeed. year. The ongoing, award-winning My thanks also go to the Museum’s partnership between the WA advisory committees, staff and Museum and Woodside Energy volunteers for their commitment to Limited continues to provide unique both the changes taking place and information on the Dampier in ensuring the work of the Museum Archipelago, with 4,500 species continues to go forward in a smooth recorded so far. and orderly fashion. annual report 2006 western australian museum 2 HIGHLIGHTS – WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM 2005-06 Western Australia’s enviable and to monitor the impact that the The award recognises outstanding environment and biodiversity has coming cane toad invasion will contributions to earth science in been recognised as globally have on native frog populations. Australia. It was the first time the significant through the WA medal has been awarded to a Museum’s research activities. ● The Rio Tinto Ltd-WA Museum museum scientist. partnership Operation Bigfoot Field Work (2005-2007) continued to Development and biodiversity highlight extraordinary fossil WA Museum staff this year animals from remains scattered in The increasing resource undertook 26 field trips identifying the Nullarbor Thylacoleo caves. development in WA has resulted in 28 new species. This work included: These included marsupial ‘lions’ museum staff spending more of their time providing expert advice on ● The ongoing work of the WA and eight kangaroo species new to development applications. Museum-Woodside Ltd science. The research on the partnership in the Dampier uniqueness and importance of this WA Museum zoologists work closely Archipelago has identified this fauna has a global context and is with consultants gathering region as a marine biodiversity attracting widespread attention. information on the fauna of the hotspot, both within WA and the Awards State, to assist in planning and nation. More than 4,500 species development processes. They have been recorded and many The Museum’s curator of Invertebrate provided expert advice on more than new species are being described. Palaeontology, Dr Ken McNamara 50 preliminary environmental reports delivered the prestigious Mawson and environmental impact surveys, ● In partnership with Alcoa of Lecture at the Australian Geological including major resource Australia, new research began Convention in Melbourne and was development projects on Barrow into the little-known frogs of the presented with the Mawson Medal, at Island, the Pilbara and in the Great Kimberley. The objective is to the Australian Academy of Sciences, Southern region.