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Director General foreword

I am delighted to present the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries Strategic Plan 2024-2029.

Our strategic plan sets out how we will go about achieving the State Government’s objectives and commitments for fostering a cohesive, prosperous, vibrant and healthy Western Australian community.

Our refreshed purpose, vision and mission reflect the views put forward by industry groups, community organisations, government entities, and DLGSC staff. The strategic plan identifies 5 strategic priorities, together with actions for achieving these priorities over the next 5 years. I sincerely appreciate the contributions of all those involved in the strategic plan’s development and their enthusiasm in joining with DLGSC in this journey.

What I heard during the strategic plan’s development has highlighted the important work we already do, as well as the potential for DLGSC to do more to build a cohesive and inclusive community, a strong and diverse economy, vibrant cities and regions, and activities for everyone that will sustain and nourish their physical and mental wellbeing.

The strategic plan focuses on strengthening our organisation so that we can lead the public sector in community-focused delivery. It recognises that we are ‘one DLGSC’ and shows how the different areas of our organisation can work better together to achieve our purpose and vision.

I look forward to continuing the conversation that we have begun through the development of the strategic plan and drawing on DLGSC’s collective creativity and capability, as well as the vital contributions of all our partners, to deliver on the strategic priorities it identifies.

I invite you to read this strategic plan and learn more about DLGSC’s commitment to making Western Australia the best place to live in Australia.

Lanie Chopping

About the department

On behalf of the State Government of Western Australia, DLGSC is responsible for fostering a cohesive, prosperous, vibrant and healthy Western Australian community. This is our purpose.

Achieving this purpose is fundamental to: Western Australia’s economic development and diversification, assuring jobs and opportunities for our children and young people into the future; maintaining and strengthening the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all community members; and promoting participation and trust in our government, at all levels, and its institutions.

We are a relatively small government agency but we have a wide remit and strive to have a big impact across the entire state of Western Australia. We do this through our network of 11 regional offices, which complement our metropolitan Perth offices. We also achieve this through our recreation camps, which provide children and young people, and their families and communities, with the chance to experience Western Australia’s natural environment.

Our vision is to see Western Australia celebrated as the best place to live in Australia. To achieve this vision, we work with businesses, industry associations and bodies, community groups and organisations, local governments, and other government agencies. At the heart of our work are Western Australia’s:

• arts, culture and creative industries
• sport and recreation industries
• racing, gaming and liquor-related industry sectors
• local government sector
• culturally and linguistically diverse communities, groups and organisations
• major arts, culture, sporting and recreation infrastructure projects.

We also support the people of Western Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to connect to their culture and history, through Aboriginal History Western Australia and the State Records Office. We are working in partnership with Aboriginal people to develop an Aboriginal Cultural Centre for Western Australia.

Our mission is to lead the public sector in community-focused delivery. This includes:

• directly delivering major State arts and culture, and sporting and recreation events and activities, as well as supporting other organisations to do so
• directly managing 4 recreation camps in the Perth metropolitan area and one in the Great Southern region
• planning, developing and maintaining the facilities and infrastructure for these events and activities, including some of the State’s major arts and culture and sport and recreation infrastructure
• regulating racing, gaming, and liquor consumption, to support industry and minimise harm
• supporting and regulating local governments, which are central to the effective functioning of the community at the local and neighbourhood level
• administering programs, grants and agreements, which support individuals and families directly, as well as through industry associations and bodies, organisations and community groups
• administering the Western Australian Multicultural Policy Framework to assist the public sector in ensuring that policies, programs and services are equitable and inclusive
• providing advice to the State Government in all these areas of operation
• providing services to the Indian Ocean Territories under arrangements with the Commonwealth Government.

We support the State’s major cultural institutions, including the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the Arts and Culture Trust, the State Library of Western Australia, and the Western Australian Museum, as well as the State Records Commission, and a range of other boards, commissions and tribunals in our areas of responsibility.

Our mission also involves building a high-performing organisation and a thriving workforce to do this important work.

Within our organisation, and in our interactions with the community, we are committed to behaving in a way that is respectful, accountable, responsive, open-minded and with integrity. These are our values.

Our purpose

To foster a cohesive, prosperous, vibrant and healthy Western Australian community.

Our vision

Western Australia is celebrated as the best place to live in Australia.

Our mission

To lead the public sector in community-focused delivery, with a high-performing organisation and a thriving workforce.

Our strategic priorities

Connected communities

Western Australia’s communities are cohesive and inclusive. People in these communities have a strong sense of identity and belonging. People in all communities have equitable access to our programs, services and infrastructure.

Over the next 5 years we will:

• enhance and expand the range of programs and services we deliver to all people living in regional and remote areas
• support local governments to work in partnership with community organisations to create liveable neighbourhoods that foster a sense of community and support healthy living
• continue to:
  • recognise and celebrate the value of cultural, religious and linguistic diversity
  • acknowledge and promote respect for the contributions and achievements of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
  • increase access to our programs and services for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
  • improve participation in government boards and committees by people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
• increase opportunities for non-Aboriginal people to connect with Aboriginal culture and language, to promote understanding and reconciliation
• embed meaningful community engagement and partnerships, including with Aboriginal communities, into the design and delivery of all our programs, services and infrastructure.

Prosperous industries and sectors

Our industries and sectors are thriving. Their contribution to the development and diversification of the Western Australian economy is widely recognised, and continues to grow.

Over the next 5 years we will:

• reform the regulation of our industries and sectors, including the liquor-related and local government sectors, to:
  • streamline regulatory processes and systems
  • make decision-making processes transparent and easy to understand
  • improve communications and education opportunities
  • enhance economic diversification by supporting tourism and other industries.
• partner with industry associations and bodies to deliver training and development, tailored assistance and early intervention
• deliver an arts and culture strategy for Western Australia, in partnership with industry stakeholders and government agencies, which:
  • creates strong employment and economic growth in the creative industries
  • improves the liveability and vibrancy of cities, regions and neighbourhoods, attracting workers to the areas where they are needed
  • creates opportunities for economic development and employment growth for Aboriginal people and communities.
• draw on the diversity of Western Australian communities to proactively connect with other countries and markets.

Healthy living

People in Western Australia’s communities have a strong sense of physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing. People participate in Western Australia’s communities safely and free from harm.

Over the next 5 years we will:

• increase opportunities for lifelong participation in arts and culture, and sport and recreation, including equitable participation of people from diverse cultural backgrounds and abilities
• expand the pipeline from community-level participation to high-performance sport
• provide more opportunities for children and young people, and their families and communities, to participate in recreation camps, and broaden the offerings of these camps
• work with industry associations, bodies, community groups and organisations, and local governments to protect children from abuse, minimise the negative impacts of racing, gaming and liquor, and minimise the risks inherent in some sport and recreation activities
• promote volunteering opportunities more widely
• maximise the use of arts and culture, and sport and recreation infrastructure, and provide an evidence-based investment program for new infrastructure
• encourage healing and reconciliation by helping Aboriginal people find their family and historical records important to them.

Effective operations

Our processes, systems, governance structures and decision-making capabilities enable us to effectively deliver programs, services and infrastructure to Western Australian communities.

Over the next 5 years we will:

• transform our information and communications technology (ICT) systems to enable us to achieve modern standards of program, service and infrastructure delivery
• streamline and enhance our internal regulatory systems, processes and practices to improve our responsiveness to changing business and community needs and expectations
• reinvigorate our external communications to make it easier to find out about, and connect with, the opportunities we create
• establish a robust framework, underpinned by data, to guide our investment in programs, services and infrastructure across industries and sectors
• establish more comprehensive, evidence-based asset maintenance planning to safeguard Western Australia’s arts and culture, and sporting and recreation assets
• create a ‘one-stop shop’ approach to grants programs to make them more accessible and transparent
• Strengthen and streamline internal governance and decision-making processes.
  

Thriving workforce

Our people are engaged, thriving and working collaboratively as one team towards our purpose, vision and mission.

Over the next 5 years we will:

• continue to build and empower a highly capable, productive and diverse workforce with the knowledge, skills and attributes required to meet the needs of communities and stakeholders
• reinvigorate our internal communications to embed a shared understanding of our purpose, vision and mission, and support us in achieving these
• strengthen our workplace culture, with a renewed focus on what it means to live our values
• secure accommodation that will enable us to be efficient, productive and effective across all functions and locations, now and into the future.

Our values

Our values demonstrate the behaviours that shape our culture, inspire our teams, and set the tone for our interactions with communities, stakeholders and each other.

Respectful

Fostering a culture that values diversity, actively listens, and recognises and respects contributions from all.

We are respectful and inclusive

Accountable

Being transparent, taking responsibility for actions, and ensuring effective governance and compliance.

We take responsibility and deliver quality

Responsive

Meeting stakeholder and community needs, fostering strong relationships through proactive and effective communication.

We meet the needs and expectations of our stakeholders

Open-minded

Embracing open-minded collaboration within our organisation and with our stakeholders that encourages learning and continuous improvement.

We challenge the status quo with open minds

Integrity

Upholding the highest standards of honesty, ethical behaviour, trustworthiness and sincerity in all actions and decisions.

We build trust through responsible actions

Our performance

We will evaluate our progress using a comprehensive outcomes-based measurement framework.

We will monitor and measure our performance against annual plans and government accountability requirements.

Copyright

This document contains information, opinions, data, and images ('the material') prepared by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural industries (DLGSC).

The material is subject to copyright under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), and is owned by the State of Western Australia through DLGSC.

The DLGSC encourages the availability, dissemination and exchange of public information. Should you wish to use the material for any purpose, you must obtain permission from DLGSC.

Any permission is granted on the condition that you include the copyright notice © State of Western Australia through the 'Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries' on all uses.

To obtain such permission, please contact the Corporate Communications team at:

Website www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au

Disclaimer

Whilst the information contained in this document has been formulated with all due care, DLGSC does not accept any liability to any person for the information (or the use of such information) which is provided in this document or incorporated into it by reference.

The information contained herein is provided on the basis that all persons accessing the document undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content.

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)

While ICIP is currently not recognised under Australian law, a best-practice approach requires that it is acknowledged and respected.

It may be necessary to gain permission to use stories, language and designs, even if in the public domain.

The DLGSC acknowledges the existence of ICIP and that the ownership of ICIP remains with the Traditional Owners or Custodians.

Unless otherwise agreed, the DLGSC may not use any ICIP contained within this work for any other purpose.

The visual design, and the words of any associated rationale and written or recorded story, are not to be altered in any way.

Images in the design may embody traditional ritual knowledge. It is created with the consent of the custodians of the community. Using any part of the images for any purpose that has not been authorised by the Custodians is a breach of the customary law of the community, and may also breach the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth).

All creative work produced, including visual and written content, is to be used for the purpose of the DLGSC brand identity only, and is not transferrable to other applications without prior discussion and approval.

For further advice, please contact DLGSC's Communications Team.

Acknowledgement of Country

The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries acknowledges Aboriginal people throughout Western Australia as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands, waters, and communities in which we operate.

The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries is committed to developing strong working relationships with Aboriginal people, is proud to celebrate the cultural diversity, strength and resilience of Aboriginal people, and is deeply grateful for the contributions they make to the State of Western Australia.

We pay our respects to all Aboriginal people and their cultures, and to Elders past and present.