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Outcome 3 - Resources for outcomes
Australians value science and technology's contributions to our culture and economic prosperity
|
(1) Budget* |
(2) Actual expenses |
Variation (column 2 minus column 1) |
Budget** | |
| Administered expenses (including third party outputs) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total administered expenses |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Price of Departmental outputs | ||||
| Output 3.1 Programs and exhibitions that engage people in science and technology |
18 008 |
20 578 |
2 570 |
19 583 |
| Revenue from Government (Appropriation) for Departmental outputs |
12 309 |
12 308 |
(1) |
13 760 |
| Revenue from other sources |
5 699 |
8 270 |
2 571 |
5 823 |
| Total price of outputs |
18 008 |
20 578 |
2 570 |
19 583 |
| TOTAL FOR OUTCOME 3 (Total price of outputs and administered expenses) |
18 008 |
20 578 |
2 570 |
19 583 |
* Full-year budget, including additional estimates
** Budget prior to additional estimates
| Average staffing level |
2001-02 |
2002-03 |
|
117 |
116 |
The National Science and Technology Centre-Questacon aims to help Australians value the contribution of science and technology to Australia's culture and economic prosperity. Questacon aims to make science fun and relevant for everyone through the design, development and presentation of innovative exhibits, programs and science performances.
Questacon operates within the structure of the Department. An advisory Council, comprising a part-time Chairman and seven members appointed by the Minister for the Arts and Sport, supports Questacon's activities.
Departmental outputs
Output 3.1: Programs and exhibitions that engage people in science and technology.
Performance indicators
- Ninety per cent satisfaction rate of visitors to our programs and exhibitions.
- One million people participate in Questacon programs in 2001-02, 60 per cent outside the Centre in Canberra.
- Average cost of $18.20 per participant, including CUC (31 per cent funded from sources other than Government-sponsorships, fees and charges for services)
Exhibitions and programs
During 2001-02, Questacon advanced its goal of helping people to understand that science and technology has interest and relevance to their life. In particular, Questacon, developed and implemented new programs, technologies and partnerships, refurbished the Canberra-based Centre and developed new exhibits and science shows.
This financial year 71 per cent of the total 1 213 661 visitors experienced Questacon programs outside the Centre in Canberra, either through one of the travelling exhibitions, outreach programs or visiting the website.
Overall, however, Questacon experienced a 2.3 per cent decrease in total visitors, compared with the 2000-01 reporting period and excluding Olympic visitors. Analysis of Questacon's visitor trends for this reporting period suggests the events of 11 September 2001 and anticipated lower visitor numbers for outreach tours to remote, sparsely populated areas were key factors in the reduced overall visitor numbers. At the same time, admissions to the Centre in Canberra increased by 33 402 visitors in 2001-02 representing a 10.42 per cent increase from the previous financial year.
Reaching out to inspire and encourage young Australians, particularly upper secondary school students, to pursue innovative science and technology-based studies and careers has proved difficult in the past. Early feedback suggests the travelling Smart Moves program is very effective vehicle in addressing this issue, particularly in terms of emerging technologies such as photonics and developing touring programs in partnership with specialised industry sectors.
In Canberra, major exhibitions this financial year included Awesome Earth, developed in conjunction with the Scitech Discovery Centre, Perth which opened in July 2002, and Burarra Gathering: Sharing Indigenous Knowledge, jointly developed with the South Australia Investigator Science Centre, which opened in January 2002.
Client feedback
Evidence from formal surveys and feedback confirm all Questacon programs and exhibitions are perceived to be relevant in engaging people in science and technology.
Questacon exceeded its goal of a 90 per cent satisfaction rate for visitors, achieving a rating of 95.3 per cent this reporting period. This result is based on feedback from exit surveys at Questacon, Canberra-based tourist attractions and focus groups in Canberra, Sydney and Wollongong.
Interstate and touring exhibitions
Nationally, Questacon's outreach programs reached 270 600 people across Australia in the 2001-02 financial year. This represented an increase of 34 per cent or 61 000 more visitors than the previous reporting period.
Graph 8: Total number of visitors for Questacon 1999-2000 to 2001-02
Questacon toured seven national and two international exhibitions this financial year. These are listed in Table 5.
In total, these exhibitions attracted 690 660 visitors, 392 880 visitors nationally and 297 780 visitors internationally.
Overall, this represented a decrease of eight per cent in visitor numbers from the previous financial year, attributable to the return to Canberra of the Innovative Australians exhibition and the decommisioning of the BHP Wildscience travelling exhibition 2001.
Innovative Australians showcases Australian contemporary science and technology research and development and was complementary to the Our Clever Country exhibition which opened in January 2001. The latter exhibition tells the story of Australian innovation and ingenuity in science and technology despite the geographic isolation globally.
Questacon developed the BHP Wildscience exhibition in conjunction with ten other Australian science centres. Launched nationally in September 1996 the exhibition tour ended in November 2001, despite its immense popularity.
Table 5: Questacon travelling exhibitions for 2001-02
|
Australian exhibitions | ||
|
1. BHP Wildscience |
Wollongong Science Centre |
May-November 2001 |
|
2. Mathamazing |
Albury Regional Museum |
June-July 2001 |
|
Investigator, Adelaide |
August 2001-January 2002 | |
|
Discovery Science and Technology, Bendigo |
February-April 2002 | |
|
Myrtleford Primary School |
April-June 2002 | |
|
3. Science on the Move |
Tennant Creek Town Council |
April 2002 |
|
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory |
May-July 2002 | |
|
4. Dimetrodon (old dinosaurs) |
Wollongong Science Centre |
November 2001-February 2002 |
|
5. Terrorsaurus (old dinosaurs) |
Scitech, Perth |
June-October 2001 |
|
Newcastle Regional Museum |
November 2001-February 2002 | |
|
Scienceworks, Melbourne |
February-July 2002 | |
|
6. Sea Chest Secret |
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Townsville |
September-November 2001 |
|
South Australian Maritime Museum, Port Adelaide |
December 2001-January 2002 | |
|
Wollongong Science Centre |
March-April 2002 | |
|
Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney |
May-July 2002 | |
|
7. Zoom In |
The Investigator, Adelaide |
May-October 2002 |
|
International exhibitions | ||
|
8. Science on the Move |
Brunei ASEAN Science Festival |
September 2001 |
|
9. Whodunit? |
National Science Museum, Hong Kong |
June-November 2001 |
|
Palais de la Couverte, Paris |
February-July 2002 | |
International exhibitions
Questacon continued to tour a range of innovative exhibitions overseas. In total, 43 per cent of Questacon's visitors comprise people attending international exhibitions. For example, 90 968 people visited the Whodunit? (Forensic Science) Exhibition at the National Science Museum in Hong Kong between June and November 2001. In Paris, more than 200 000 people have visited the same exhibition since it opened at Palais de la Decouverte in February 2002.
The Australian High Commission in Brunei hired the Science on the Move exhibition as part of the Sixth Australia and South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Science and Technology Week running from 11-21 September 2001. Based on feedback from the High Commission, 10 000 people visited over the five days including local residents, school tours, local and regional media, scientists and other officials responsible for science and technology in the ASEAN region. The exhibition was so popular it stayed open three hours longer per day than originally planned.
The Shell Questacon Science Circus Program
The Shell Questacon Science Circus (SQSC), a joint venture between Shell Australia, the Australian National University (ANU) and Questacon-is Australia's most travelled science program, covering approximately 25 000 km annually over the past 13 years.
SQSC visits the majority of regional and remote communities in Australia at least once every five years. Through hands-on exhibits and 15 ANU science communication graduates, young Australians achieve a greater understanding of science and technology. The SQSC program provides extensive teacher in-service training and Internet resources to sustain the benefits of the experience.
During 2001-02, the SQSC, Questacon's main outreach program, travelled to five states, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory with a total audience of 140 343 people.
In response to an external evaluation done in 2000-01, the SQSC modified its programs to include tours of Indigenous communities, and placed greater emphasis on secondary students and teachers in 2001-02. The response from Indigenous communities has been enthusiastic and feedback confirms Questacon is achieving its goal to provide science education access to as broad an audience as possible.
Reaching out to secondary school students and their teachers recognises that this group is of major importance in enabling Australian science and technology to grow and prosper.
Smart Moves outreach program
The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Richard Alston, launched the Smart Moves outreach program in February 2002. The Program introduces cutting edge science and technology to regional and rural secondary students, encouraging entrepreneurial science and technology career choices.
In 2001-02, the Smart Moves program reached 8253 students and their teachers, 348 community/business representatives and 328 other interested parties including members of local councils, media and conference delegates.
Development work
Enhancing its science communication activities and involvement in the global science centre industry was a major focus for Questacon this financial year. Key achievements include signing a cooperation agreement with Japan's Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in February 2002.
In February 2002, Questacon hosted the 3rd Science Centre World Congress in Canberra, attracting 440 delegates from 39 countries. The Congress focused on issues facing science centres throughout the world and their important role in developing public understanding of science and technology. This raised Questacon's profile as one of the world's leading science centres and provided new opportunities for international collaboration.
The Director of Questacon, Dr Annie Ghisalbarti, was the first person outside Europe and North America to be elected to the board of the Association of Science and Technology Centres,
the largest and most influential international organisation in the science centre field.
Revenue generation
Questacon's price per participant for the 2001-02 financial year was $19.08, including capital usage charge (CUC) and is calculated as follows:
Table 6: Calculating Questacon's price per participant for 2001-02
|
Total expenses for 2001-02 |
23 298 000* |
|
Total visitor numbers for 2001-02 |
1 220 984 |
|
*Operating expenses |
19 420 000 |
|
Capital use charges (CUC) |
3 878 000 |
|
Total |
23 298 000 |
Questacon's price per participant for this financial year is 4.8 per cent higher than the $18.20 estimated. This is due to extraordinary visitor numbers in the previous financial year, including the effect of the Olympics. In addition, Questacon's operating expenses for this financial year includes $3 261 000 of abnormal expenditure related to asset revaluation.
This reporting period, Questacon's revenue was higher than its budget forecast by $295 000. This is attributable to an increase in revenue of $140 000 from the sale of goods and services, an $84 000 increase in interest income and $96 000 higher than expected turnover in the Q-Shop.
Revenue items performing below forecasts were Questacon sponsorships which showed a decrease of $33 000 and venue hire which showed a $46 000 decrease.
The tightening Australian business environment during 2001-02 meant that Questacon's progress in securing sponsors was slower than envisaged, although keeping pace with the level in 2000-01. A highlight of the year was the Shell company's renewed sponsorship commitment to the Shell Questacon Science Circus in February 2002. The partnership with Shell now represents one of the longest and largest sponsorships of a cultural institution in Australia.
Questacon continued to seek major sponsorship for further development of the Smart Moves program. This included fostering a presence at the Australian Technology Park in Sydney.
Evaluations
Internal audits and evaluations continue to be performed regularly. Surveys assessing levels of customer satisfaction and performance against the Customer Survey Charter standards are reviewed.
A research project conducted by the University of Canberra Centre for Tourism Research and Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism provided valuable information from key audiences about branding, perception, visitor experience and habits.