Western Australian Museum Annual Report 2008 www.museum.wa.gov.au WAM_report cover_F.indd 1 15/9/08 12:53:30 PM [ VALUES ] The Western Australian Museum’s strategic plan outlines a set of values that underpins the activities undertaken by the Museum and the way people within the organisation conduct themselves in order to fulfil the Museum’s purpose. Each of the values are important to the achievement of successful outcomes, as such they are not in any order of priority. The core values of the Museum are a commitment to: • Enterprise – by incorporating a business approach and a willingness to try new things, the Museum aims to be dynamic in organisational matters. • Environmental sustainability – the Museum endeavours to play a vital role in terms of its operations, research, education and communication on environmental sustainability issues. • Inclusiveness – the Museum strives to be a place that respects and welcomes people of all ages, abilities and cultural backgrounds. It aims to be a place for sharing stories, providing an ‘open’ and ‘safe’ environment for the exchange of information about different cultures, social issues and events; creating opportunities for communication between people. • Innovation – the Museum values and encourages creativity, resourcefulness, and the testing out of new ideas, methodologies and technologies. • High performance – the Museum seeks to achieve excellence in every aspect of its work. In seeking to achieve excellence the Museum’s performance, and that of its staff, are guided and governed by a range of state, national and international codes of ethics and professional standards, as well as national and international conventions and agreements. • Learning and continuous improvement – the Museum aims to be a place for whole of life learning, a place where people of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to discover, discuss, reflect, question and contemplate. It seeks to be an organisation that grows and improves through continuous reflection on, and review of, its structure, practices and performance to ensure it has the capacity to meet its statutory obligations and deliver its strategic objectives. • Respecting Aboriginal peoples – the Museum recognises Aboriginal people as the first people of Australia, respecting Indigenous cultural and heritage values and ways of working. It seeks to advance greater understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, by working with Aboriginal communities to preserve and promote traditional and contemporary Indigenous culture. 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 the Western Australian Museum Library located at Kew Street, 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. Published by the Western Australian Museum Locked Bag 49 Welshpool, Western Australia 6986 www.museum.wa.gov.au ISSN 0083-8721 ISSN 2204-6127 Images front cover from top left: Swashbuckled performance by Spare Parts Puppet Theatre; Artist: Bai Bai Napangarti who is apart of Warlayirti Artists in Balgo; Maggie Myers and Ulli Broeze-Hornemann conserving a rug; Wooden maori box with lid leaf shaped; The schizomid Paradraculoides bythius, recently described as a new species by Senior Curator Mark Harvey and his collaborators; Beads - TBC; All-Sky Fireball Camera Station on the Nullarbor, with satellite link and stored solar power source; Main’s Assassin Spider, Austrarchaea mainae; Wooden horsewestern tricycle; australianArenophyrne museum xiphorhyncha [ 2 ]from annual Cooloomia report Outstation. 20082 0 All 0 8 photographs WA Museum western australian museum [ 3 ] annual report 20082 0 0 8 [ CONTENTS ] VALUES ................................................................................................................................................................2 CONTENTS ...........................................................................................................................................................3 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL ....................................................................................................................................5 MESSAGE FROM THE CEO ....................................................................................................................................6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..........................................................................................................................................8 MUSEUM AT A GLAncE .........................................................................................................................................9 OPERAtionAL STRUCTURE ................................................................................................................................12 THE MUSEUM ACT 1969 .............................................................................................................................................. 12 GOVERNANCE AND MANagEMENT .............................................................................................................................. 12 THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM FOUNDATION ................................................................................................... 15 FRIENDS OF THE WESTERN AUSTRaliaN MUSEUM .................................................................................................... 15 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE ..................................................................................................................................... 16 OUTCOME StatEMENTS ................................................................................................................................................17 PErformAncE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWorK .....................................................................................................18 LINKS TO GOVERNMENT’s STRatEgiC PlaNNING FRAMEWORK ................................................................................. 18 GOAL 1: BETTER SERVICES .........................................................................................................................................18 GOAL 2: JOBS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ...........................................................................................................19 GOAL 3: LIFESTYLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT .............................................................................................................19 GOAL 4: REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT .............................................................................................................................19 GOAL 5: GOVERNANCE AND PUBLIC SECTOR IMPROVEMENT ....................................................................................19 AGEncy PErformAnce – Report on OPERAtionS ..........................................................................................20 COllECtiONS .............................................................................................................................................................. 20 Objective 1: Management AND Conservation ....................................................................................................20 Objective 2: Development .....................................................................................................................................22 KNOwlEDGE ................................................................................................................................................................ 24 Objective 1: Scholarship ........................................................................................................................................24 Objective 2: Partnerships ......................................................................................................................................24 Objective 3: Communication ...................................................................................................................................26 EXPERIENCES .............................................................................................................................................................. 27 Objective 1: Engagement .......................................................................................................................................27 Objective 2: Audience ..............................................................................................................................................30 COMMUNITY ................................................................................................................................................................. 33 Objective 1: Aboriginal Communities ..................................................................................................................33 Objective 2: Regional ..............................................................................................................................................34 Objective 3: Strategic Relationships ..................................................................................................................37 CapaCity .....................................................................................................................................................................38