Background and Mission
The Western Australian Museum was established in 1891 (as the ‘Perth Museum’) and its initial
collections were of geological, ethnological and biological specimens. Indeed, it can claim to
be one of the oldest scientific institutions in the state. In 1959, its botanical collection was
transferred to the new Herbarium and it continued to concentrate on earth sciences and zoology.
The 1960s and 1970s saw the addition of responsibility for developing and maintaining the
state’s anthropological, archaeological, maritime archaeological and social and cultural history
collections.
The collections, currently numbering more than two and a half million specimens/artefacts, are
the primary focus of research by the Museum’s own staff and others. The Museum’s aim is to
advocate knowledge about the collections and communicate it to the public through a variety
of media, but particularly through a program of exhibitions and publications.
During the year, a total of 751,795 visitors, of which 48,923 were school students, visited the
various Museum sites.
The Museum’s recurrent Consolidated Fund Appropriation for this year was $18,874,000, plus
$800,000 for Capital Works. A further $2,055,804 was attracted from external funding sources,
of which $332,864 comprised research grants. The Museum has a total staff of 199.52 full-time
equivalents.
ESTABLISHMENT
The Western Australian Museum is a statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio,
established under the Museum Act 1969. It is a Body Corporate with Perpetual Succession and
Common Seal, governed by a Board of seven Trustees, including the Chair and Vice-Chair. The
Governor of Western Australia appoints the seven Trustees. The Director General of the
Department of Culture and the Arts, or his/her nominee, is a Trustee ex officio. Appointments
are made for up to four years and incumbents are eligible for reappointment.
Under section 36 of the Museum Act, the Trustees have established the following branches of
the Western Australian Museum:
Please Note:
Fremantle History Museum is now closed » more information.
Samson House)
• Western Australian Maritime Museum (based at Cliff Street, Fremantle)
• Western Australian Museum–Albany
• Western Australian Museum–Kalgoorlie-Boulder
• Western Australian Museum–Geraldton
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As part of the state portfolio of Culture and the Arts, the Western Australian Museum operates
within the Outcome Statement: ‘A community that is informed of, and has access to, a diverse
range of innovative ideas, knowledge and cultural experiences’.
The Output Description for the Western Australian Museum is: ‘Delivery and promotion of museum services through collection development and management, research, education and visitor services’.
VISION
The Western Australian Museum will equip all Western Australians to better understand
themselves, their environments (natural, social and built) and their place in the world.
MISSION
The Museum will, with the support of the Western Australian community, continue to develop
informative, interesting and vital programs, to improve the generation and communication of
our knowledge and to assist in building sustainable awareness and appreciation of our natural
environment and cultural heritage.
FUNCTIONS
The major functions of the Museum are collections management, knowledge generation and
knowledge communication.
Collections Management
The Museum recognises its vital role as a custodian of the state’s collections of scientific and
cultural heritage. The management and proper use of these collections are fundamental to our
operations. These are the ‘real objects’ that excite, inspire and educate our visitors.
The Museum also recognises that it must play a leading role in acquiring objects for these
collections that reflect the cultural and natural environments in which we live, thereby enhancing
our understanding of it.
Knowledge Generation
The Museum is an organisation of scholarship and recognises that the knowledge it generates
through research should be relevant to society and must be effectively communicated to have
impact.
Knowledge Communication
The Museum recognises that it must communicate its knowledge in relevant, engaging and
interactive ways and respond effectively to the needs and wants of its customers. This knowledge
will increasingly reflect partnerships with government agencies, industry and the community.
STRATEGIC AIMS
The strategic aims of the Western Australian Museum are to:
• provide enjoyable, safe and stimulating experiences in which Museum visitors learn about
and value their natural, social and built environments through a process of discovery and
interaction
• position and promote the Museum throughout the state as an expert, responsive and engaging
institution
• position and promote the Museum as a major educational centre that integrates teaching
and learning theories in the Museum’s programs
• ensure that elected representatives, business leaders, policy-makers and the public fully
appreciate the global significance of the Museum’s collections, and their management and
uses; the scholarship of curatorial staff; and the importance of Museum interpretive programs
• fully understand and respond to the needs of all stakeholders
• provide a safe and effective working environment that facilitates Museum staff productivity
and satisfaction and that develops and utilises skills in the pursuit of excellence
• focus resources and staff efforts on core operations—collections management, knowledge
generation and knowledge communication—to achieve best practice standards
• improve the funding base of the Museum.