Outcome 3 - Resources for outcomes

Australians value science and technology's contributions to our culture and economic prosperity

* Budget estimates as at 2002-03 Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements.

** Budget estimates as at 2003-04 Portfolio Budget Statements.

Note: There are a number of changes in the outcome and output structure in 2003-04. For the purposes of the Annual Report, these changes have been amended to fit the 2002-03 outcome and output structure.

The 2003-04 changes are:

• Outcome 3 has been merged with Outcome 1 in 2003-04 (and has since been transferred to Department of Education, Science and Training effective from 1 July 2003).
• - Communications will be the new Outcome 3 in 2003-04, which is now shown as Outcome 2.
• Output 3.1 in 2002-03 becomes Output 1.3 in 2003-04 (and has since been transferred to Department of Education, Science and Training effective from 1 July 2003).
• - Telecommunications is the new Output 3.1 in 2003-04, which is shown above as part of Output 2.1.

Performance indicator index

EFFECTIVENESS

Overall achievement of the outcome

Extent to which programs are perceived to be relevant and engage people in science and technology in a way that is both educational and entertaining

Questacon - The National Science and Technology Centre aims to make science fun and relevant for everyone through the design, development and presentation of innovative exhibitions, programs and performances. In this way, the Centre engages people visiting the Centre in Canberra, visiting the Centre's travelling exhibitions and outreach programs across Australia, or the Centre's travelling exhibitions overseas.

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.

2002-03 was a successful year for Questacon as it consolidated existing activities and commenced new initiatives to promote awareness and understanding of the contribution that science and technology makes to our culture and economic prosperity.

The following achievements highlight the extent to which the Centre's programs and exhibitions across Australia are perceived to be relevant and to engage people in science and technology.

Questacon achieved a 97 per cent satisfaction rate according to visitor surveys and focus groups. Teachers affirmed Questacon as a nationally significant institution, making science fun and relevant for their students, and providing an appropriate mix of education/entertainment and science/technology. Independent research by the Australian National University's Centre for Public Awareness of Science confirmed that Centre exhibits provide an effective informal learning experience for visitors.

Questacon attracted a total of 1 372 696 visitors. The percentage of visitors reached outside of Canberra was 75 per cent. In addition, Questacon's website visitation increased by 158 per cent to 860 063 visitors. Questacon's travelling exhibitions reached 44 per cent more people in city and regional venues beyond Canberra.

In 2002-03, Questacon achieved a cost per participant of $14.95 as a result of higher visitor numbers. Shell announced the renewal of their sponsorship of the Shell Questacon Science Circus - a corporate sponsorship now spanning 17 years and indicating the continuing success of this flagship outreach program.

Questacon won the Significant Regional Attraction Award at the National Tourism Awards and is achieving significant international recognition. New online activities such as Track Attack and Burarra Gathering achieved significant international awards, recognising their educational, entertainment and technical quality.

Questacon also continued to be held in high international standing, as evidenced by appointments to key positions within international networks, and by its role in coordinating an international study on the impacts of science centres on their communities.

DEPARTMENTAL OUTPUTS

Output 3.1 Programs and exhibitions that engage people in science and technology

Greater than 90 per cent satisfaction rate of visitors to programs and exhibitions

Over 1 million people participate in Questacon programs in 2002-03, 60 per cent outside the Centre in Canberra

Programs and exhibitions at the Centre in Canberra

In 2002-03, regular surveys of visitors to the Centre in Canberra consistently indicated that the level of visitor satisfaction more than exceeded the 90 per cent satisfaction target. The average satisfaction level over this period was 98 per cent. Satisfaction levels improved when the new café lease commenced in December 2002. Overcrowding of galleries on busy days is an issue raised by visitors and gallery staff. The Centre is seeking to implement a program of busking activities by Questacon volunteers to provide additional activities on busy days.

There were no major changes to the Centre's permanent exhibitions. Burarra Gathering, Sideshow, Wavelength, Awesome Earth and Our Clever Country continued to provide visitors with a variety of content and type of interactive experience. Temporary exhibitions included three of Questacon's own travelling exhibitions - Terrorsaurus, Mathamazing and NRMA Roadzone - as well as Space, developed by Scitech Discovery Centre. The overall exhibition experience maintained a strong appeal to both family and school groups. Educational resources relating to each exhibition continued to be made available on the Questacon website.

The Centre in Canberra attracted 346 964 people, a two per cent increase over the previous year. This was achieved despite a six per cent decrease during the months of January to May 2003 when compared with the same months in the previous year. This can be attributed to the impact of the Canberra bushfires and the general decline in visitor numbers to Canberra attractions as a whole (16 per cent lower aggregate visitor numbers for all Canberra attractions during this five-month period). A television marketing campaign targeting Canberra and the nearby region resulted in a ten per cent increase in visitors from the local region.

The increase in Q Club members paying annual membership fees indicates that more people are recognising the value in being able to make repeat visits to the Centre. The growing demand for Q by Night programs, Questacon Camp-in programs, Excited Particles science performances, school holiday programs and birthday programs, has placed more pressure on the Centre's public spaces. The increasing number of hours of public space use have generated the need for increased building and exhibit maintenance and changed maintenance routines.

The issue of insufficient, appropriate public spaces is a continuing issue for the Centre in Canberra. The relocation of the Centre's exhibit design and development operations to leased facilities in Fyshwick in December 2002 has partially alleviated this issue in the short term.

Programs and exhibitions across Australia and overseas

Regular surveys of visitors to Questacon outreach programs consistently indicated that the level of visitor satisfaction more than exceeded the 90 per cent satisfaction target. The average satisfaction rating across all outreach programs was measured at 97 per cent.

A total of 1 025 732 people attended Questacon outreach programs (258 590 visitors) or Questacon travelling exhibitions (767 142 visitors) elsewhere in Australia or overseas. This represents 75 per cent of the total visitors to Questacon exhibitions and programs in Canberra, across Australia and overseas. Therefore, Questacon exceeded its target of 60 per cent of total visitors experiencing a Centre program or exhibition outside of Canberra.

The following graph shows visitor number trends for the past three years.

Graph 1: Total number of visitors for Questacon 2000-01 to 2002-03

Note: The 2000-01 numbers exclude 216 300 visitors during Olympic Torch Relay and 172 500 visitors during Sports Exhibition at Sydney Olympic Park.

Over the past three years, the following major trend is clear: for every visitor to the Centre in Canberra, there have been three visitors attending a Questacon program or exhibition elsewhere in Australia or overseas.

The fewer visitors to Questacon's Whodunit exhibition overseas (due to its placement into storage for eight months) were more than compensated by a 44 per cent increase in visitors to exhibitions elsewhere in Australia. Questacon comfortably maintained the 3:1 ratio of visitors to programs and exhibitions beyond Canberra compared with visitors to the Centre in Canberra.

Questacon's commitment to taking interactive programs and exhibitions to regional, rural and remote Australia is demonstrated by the following data. The Centre reached 375 788 people outside of the capital cities, and 570 435 people in the capital cities. Centre outreach programs visited 1364 or 24 per cent of all schools outside metropolitan areas. A number of these locations are in sparsely populated areas, thereby limiting the number of participants.

As indicated by a survey conducted by Questacon during 2002-03, most outreach program providers are unable to sustain programs in rural and remote areas due to the lower population density of these areas. Questacon, however, remained committed to delivering programs in these rural and remote areas and, over one year, visited one in every four schools outside the capital cities, as detailed in Table 7.

Table 7: Impact of Questacon outreach programs on schools outside of capital cities in 2002-03

Questacon Smart Moves, funded under the Backing Australia's Ability initiative, completed its first full year of operation. The program has been designed to inspire and encourage young Australians - particularly upper secondary school students in regional and rural areas - to pursue innovative science and technology-based studies and careers.

Feedback indicates that the program is being very effective in developing more positive attitudes towards engaging with emerging science and technology, and considering entrepreneurial science and technology based careers. The program has attracted considerable media attention, thereby increasing awareness of the Government's Backing Australia's Ability initiative.

During 2002-03, Questacon toured 11 exhibitions to city and regional venues across Australia, listed in Table 8. In total, these exhibitions attracted 535 378 visitors to city venues and 152 255 visitors to ten regional venues - a total of 687 633 visitors nationally. This total represents a 75 per cent increase over the number of national visitors the year before. The increase in visitors to regional venues is an encouraging trend in the face of a decreased capacity of many regional venues to pay the costs of hiring, installing and freighting exhibitions.

Table 8: Questacon travelling exhibitions for 2002-03

Exhibitions touring nationally

Exhibitions touring internationally

Questacon continued to manage the international tour of Whodunit exhibition after it completed its stay at Palais de la Couverte in France. After eight months in storage, Whodunit began its tour of the United Kingdom in the science centre, Explore at Bristol. Questacon continues to seek opportunities to tour exhibitions internationally, where it is possible to generate higher levels of revenue, at the end of their national tours.

The Centre continued development work on three new interactive exhibitions. One exhibition is being developed for children of early childhood age to be installed as a permanent exhibition in the Centre. EarthQuest is being developed as a small, easily installed exhibition suitable for both city and regional venues. Eaten Alive is being developed as the Centre's next blockbuster exhibition, ready for national and international touring to larger venues. Evaluation of families and school groups interacting with prototype EarthQuest and Eaten Alive exhibits has provided valuable feedback to ensure that the final exhibits provide quality visitor experiences.

The Questacon website continued in popularity, receiving major awards and citations during 2002-03. A total of 860 063 people visited the site, representing an increase of 158 per cent over the previous year. Popular new developments included the expansion of the Virtual Tour with links to online activities, such as the award winning Make Tracks virtual exhibit. The site continued to be an important vehicle for providing information such as educational resources for schools.

A world-class science centre with a high international profile

The number of senior delegations visiting from other countries is a measure of the high regard with which Questacon is held by the worldwide community of science centres. Visits were received from several countries, including Canada, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States. These delegations sought to learn from the Centre's expertise in informal science learning through interactive programs and exhibitions. The visit by Their Imperial Highnesses, the Crown Prince and Princess of Japan during December 2002 was a highlight.

Questacon's international standing was recognised by appointments to the Governing Board and the International Committee of the Association of Science Technology Centres - the largest and most influential international organisation in the science centre field - and to the position of Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres, ensuring the Centre continues to play a key role in collaborative programs amongst science centres in the region.

Questacon accepted UNESCO's invitation to develop a pilot program of interactive science education for schools and communities during July 2003 in Timor Leste. The Centre's reputation for developing culturally appropriate programs is widely known following Questacon's extensive Science on the Move, delivered in ten Pacific nations.

The Centre continued to play a key facilitating role as a member of the International Steering Committee for the International study on the impact of science centres on their communities. The results of the first phase were disseminated through international science centre networks. The results included an analysis of available research on personal, societal, political and economic impacts of science centres on their communities. A second phase was commissioned to collect data on economic impacts of science centres on their communities.

Revenue generation

Price: $19.88 per participant, including capital use charges (CUC) and $15.49 per participant excluding CUC

Questacon's price per participant for the 2002-03 year was $14.95 calculated as set out in Table 9.

Table 9: Questacon's price per participant for 2002-03

The price per participant of $14.95 for 2002-03 is $4.93 lower than the target performance indicator of $19.88 per participant. This has been achieved through a 37 per cent increase - or 372 696 visitors - across all programs, on the Centre's target of one million visitors. In addition, Questacon's operating expenses for this financial year have been contained despite some programs 'bursting at the seams' with high visitor numbers.

For this reporting period, the Centre's revenue was lower than its mid-year budget forecast by $212 000. This is attributable to admissions revenue being $132 000 lower and sponsorship revenue being $135 000 lower than anticipated. Contrasting this was revenue from venue hire and lease revenue, which was $33 000 higher than anticipated and other revenue, which was $29 000 higher.

Net salaries and on-costs were $1 107 000 higher than anticipated by the mid-year budget review. Other operating expenditure, however, was $734 000 lower than anticipated, attributed mainly to lower than anticipated engagement of contractors and consultants.

During the year, Questacon continued to develop strategic relationships with existing and potential sponsors. A particular focus was on a number of leading Australian industries and organisations with an interest in the development of Sydney-based programs and exhibitions to present cutting edge science and technology. The model for delivering these experiences has evolved to a more sustainable one, with a broader market appeal.

Currently, Questacon is seeking to design and operate a range of science-based programs and exhibitions in partnership with Sydney-based event and education venues. The building of relationships with a range of potential corporate sponsors has prepared the way for new sponsored projects in 2003-04.

A highlight of the year was the Shell company's decision to extend its sponsorship commitment to the Shell Questacon Science Circus through until the end of 2004. The 17-year partnership with Shell now represents one of Australia's longest and largest sponsorships of a cultural institution.

Sponsorship revenue received for programs and exhibitions in 2002-03 was $726 000, compared to $918 000 in 2001-02.

Evaluations

Stakeholder and customer surveys

Internal audits and evaluations continued to be performed on a regular basis. Surveys assessing levels of customer satisfaction and performance against the Customer Service Charter standards were reviewed by the Questacon Leadership Team on a quarterly basis.

A series of reports prepared by the University of Canberra's Centre for Tourism Research analysed surveys of families and teachers to the Centre in Canberra. The data clearly shows that families and school groups value the educational and entertainment dimensions of the Centre.

A research study conducted by the Australian National University's Centre for Public Awareness of Science investigated the learning patterns of adult visitors to Questacon in Canberra. The report analysed the types of learning that occurred as adult visitors engaged with exhibits classified into four groups. The research findings have provided data relevant for exhibit designers.

As part of the Centre's cycle of program reviews, an independent evaluation of NRMA Roadzone was completed, indicating that this outreach program continues to be well received by teachers and students due to its capacity to actively engage learners, the expertise of the program presenter, and its appeal to the target age group.

During the year, the Centre coordinated a national project to measure the nature of and extent to which science, mathematics, engineering and technology awareness and education programs are delivered to schools and communities in regional, rural and remote Australia.

Two surveys - one for providers of outreach programs and another for schools receiving outreach programs - enabled the collation of extensive data across the nation. The data mapped the needs and issues affecting the delivery and uptake of outreach programs operated by Questacon, other science centres and museums, CSIRO science education centres, universities and other providers.

The data is assisting in the development of a coordinated, national strategy to address issues relating to the equitable provision of awareness and education programs to schools and communities living outside of capital cities.

Burarra Gathering online

Burarra Gathering is Questacon's latest online program. This virtual exhibition has been specially designed to parallel the learning experiences available through an actual visit to the Burarra Gathering exhibition at Questacon in Canberra. Both the physical and the online exhibition present, in an interactive way, contemporary and traditional knowledge and technology of the Burarra people.

Both exhibitions enable visitors to explore five important aspects in the lives of the Burarra people - the seasonal calendar, fire making, navigation, tracking and fishing. The online version was developed as a joint project of the Burarra community, the Investigator Science and Technology Centre and Questacon.

The Department and Questacon are combining resources to conduct a study on the relative impacts of the virtual exhibition on virtual visitors, compared with the impacts of the actual exhibition on visitors experiencing the physical exhibition. Both the virtual and the physical exhibitions have been carefully designed to provide the opportunity to encounter the same exhibit experiences. This research should be of interest to the wider field of cultural institutions who are asking the question 'Is it possible for a virtual exhibition to generate similar visitor impacts when compared with a physical exhibition?'

Since its online opening on 22 May, Burarra Gathering has been visited by more than 7000 visitors. The online exhibition has received major international online awards, including the Exploratorium Ten Cool Sites Award for Educational Excellence and the USA Today Hotsite Award.