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Annual Report 2003 - 2004
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Annual Report 2003 - 2004
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Home > Contents > Chapter 6 Questacon - The National Science and Technology Centre Chapter 6: Questacon
An introduction to QuestaconQuestacon, the National Science and Technology Centre, increases awareness and understanding of science and innovation through imaginative and inspirational learning experiences. Questacon’s innovative programmes and exhibitions are developed in response to the Australian Government’s strategic priorities, its innovation agenda and stakeholder feedback. Interactive exhibits, travelling programmes run by skilled science communicators, online content and science theatre are delivered at the Centre in Canberra, and across Australia, with particular emphasis on rural, regional and remote locations, and overseas. GovernanceQuestacon joined the Department on 1 July 2003, after it was transferred from the Department of Communications Information Technology and the Arts. Questacon contributes to Outcome 3 (see Figure 5.1): Australia has a strong science research and innovation capacity and is engaged internationally on science, education and training to advance our social development and economic growth. Questacon operates within the structure of the department, reporting to the Secretary through the Deputy Secretary. Questacon also has an Advisory Council comprising a part-time Chairman and seven members appointed by the Minister for Science. The Advisory Council is responsible for helping the organisation set strategic directions and for guiding development. The Hon. Robert Webster retired as Chairman of the Council after a seven-year term and Mr Leon Kempler OAM was announced as the Chairman of the Council in May 2004. Council membership comprises the Director of Questacon, the Deputy Secretary, and a number of distinguished representatives from the business, scientific and educational communities. Questacon’s PrioritiesQuestacon’s priorities are reflected in its five-year Strategic Plan the Q-Plan(30) The Q-Plan identified the following strategic goals for 2003-04:
Questacon’s performance information is reported below against each strategic goal. Questacon revised its five-year Corporate Plan for the period 2004-2009. After 15 years of successful operation in the current building in Canberra the plan defines a course for the next 15 years that allows continued growth, an extension of markets and a direction that ensures Questacon remains relevant to the broader needs of Australian society. To be a national leader in communicating science and technologyIn 2003-4 Questacon consolidated existing activities and began new initiatives to promote awareness and understanding of the contribution that science and technology makes to our culture and economic prosperity. Figure 6.1 shows that 1 328 921 people visited either the Centre in Canberra, or a Questacon programme, throughout Australia or overseas during 2003-04. Although total visitation decreased slightly, by 3.3 per cent compared to the previous year, visitors increased to both the Centre in Canberra and the Outreach programmes. The decrease is attributed to the reduction in Questacon exhibition product, due to ageing, available for touring across Australia and overseas. Visitors to the Centre in Canberra accounted for 27 per cent of total visitors; Outreach programmes 21 per cent and touring exhibitions 52 per cent. Figure 6.1: Visitor/audience reach of Questacon’s programmes, 2000-01 to 2003-04
Note: The 2000-01 numbers include 216,300 visitors during the Olympic Torch Relay and 172,500 visitors during Sports Exhibition at Sydney Olympic Park. Source: Questacon. The Centre in Canberra is a leading visitor attraction in Canberra, receiving recognition by winning a national tourism award: ‘National Award for Significant Regional Attraction for 2003’. During 2003-04, 359 442 visited the Centre and its programmes, a 3.6 per cent increase on the previous year. The Centre developed new and enhanced programmes to complement the exhibitions within the galleries. During the year this included programmes specifically for local schools, school holiday programmes, teacher information and professional development sessions and an increase in the number and range of Excited Particles science performances. Questacon in Canberra benefits from having an experienced volunteer base-65 volunteers contributed around 8000 hours during 2003-04. Highlights have been the introduction of explainer trolleys to aid volunteer interaction with visitors, and Gail and her guide dog ‘Bowen’ have joined Questacon, bringing with them a new perspective for hands-on science for the sight impaired.
An exhibit from the Eaten Alive exhibition at the Centre in Canberra. During 2003-4, the Centre began a new Australasian Science and Technology Exhibitors Network project to assess the needs and options for future travelling exhibitions across Australia and New Zealand. The Centre provided the secretariat for the Asia-Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres. The Centre continued to coordinate a worldwide study on the economic impact of science centres, and developed a new APEC regional project to further study the contributions of science centres to key agendas. Senior delegations visited from a number of other countries. Questacon continued to explore ways to further enhance its role in supporting teachers of science, mathematics and technology. During 2003-04 the Centre developed a model for existing Outreach programmes to use in stimulating regional, rural and remote teacher involvement in sustainable professional development programmes. Questacon and CSIRO Education, as the two largest providers of national Outreach programmes, began planning a joint pilot project. To expand our commitment to taking interactive science and technology to regional, rural, and remote AustraliaQuestacon has a number of touring (Outreach) programmes that travel across Australia (see Table 6.1). During 200304 there were 278,738 visitors to Questacon Outreach programmes across Australia. Every state and territory in Australia was visited by at least one of these programmes during 2003-04. Fifteen per cent of all Australian schools, and 20 per cent of schools in non-capital cities were visited. Table 6.1: Impact of Questacon Outreach programmes on schools in 2003 04
Source: Questacon. The Questacon Smart Moves programme, now in its third year, takes science and technology to young Australians in rural and regional areas. Questacon Smart Moves aims to encourage young Australians to pursue innovative science, engineering and technology-based studies and careers. During 2003-04 the programme had 87 795 participants, an increase of 60 per cent over the 54 778 participants for the previous year. Questacon held a Youth Conference (Invention Convention), as part of the Smart Moves programme, from 29 September to 3 October 2003. The Convention brought together innovative secondary students from all around Australia. Feedback from the Invention Convention was positive. Evaluation of the Smart Moves programme during 2003Ð04 confirmed the programme’s efficacy. The programme was supported with additional funding under Backing Australia’s Ability-Building Our Future through Science and Innovation through to 2010-11. During 2003-04 Questacon completed an extensive range of Indigenous Outreach programmes. The programmes included educational workshops linked to the national Croc Festival itinerary; a science education programme in Torres Strait schools and participation in Akaltye. More than 10 000 students participated in these programmes. The Burarra Gathering Online exhibition attracted about 44 000 visitors to the web site. Funding from the Department, Shell Australia, the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal and the Pratt Foundation supported these projects. Support is being sought to retain and extend Questacon’s Indigenous Outreach programmes. A National Aboriginal and Islander Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Excellence Award was presented to Allen Rooney by the department’s Secretary for his outstanding contribution to initiating, designing and delivering new science and technology education programmes for remote Indigenous communities over 2003-04 (see Chapter 8). The Shell Questacon Science Circus, a portable science and technology centre, reached a record number of people in 2003-04: in excess of 120 000 visitors in regional areas. Shell also announced a further three-year sponsorship of the Circus until the end of 2006, continuing a longstanding partnership with Questacon and The Australian National University. Questacon established a national working group to map the nature and extent of Outreach programmes delivered to schools and communities beyond the capital cities. Data from state and regional science centres, CSIRO science education centres, universities and other providers of Outreach programmes, as well as primary and secondary schools across regional, rural and remote Australia, were used to compile the Reaching All Australians report. The findings and recommendations of the report provide the basis of a national framework to enhance delivery of Outreach programmes in science, mathematics, engineering and technology. As well as Outreach programmes, Questacon tours exhibitions to city and regional venues across Australia and overseas. These exhibitions attracted 690 741 visitors during 2003-04. The latest touring exhibition to be produced by Questacon is Earth Quest, to address a growing need for product in regional areas. During the year Earth Quest began touring to regional Australia with the assistance of a Visions grant. Refurbishment to a number of ageing exhibitions was also started with a view to being able to tour these exhibitions to regional venues. In 2003-04, eight exhibitions were toured to 16 locations in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria (12 of which were regional venues), and four exhibitions toured internationally to East Timor, the United Kingdom, Hawaii and Taiwan. To engage people in discovering how new technologies shape our futureQuestacon engages people with new technologies in a diverse array of programmes and exhibitions. During the year, a feasibility study to examine options to address capacity issues for the Centre’s building in Canberra identified the need to expand the Centre. An expansion will enable Questacon to continue to showcase leading edge science and frontier technology to Australian and overseas visitors. During 2003-04 Questacon continued to update content for the Questacon Smart Moves presentations and web site to showcase the latest science and technology. New inclusions include case-studies of young scientists and inventors representing every Australian state. Photonics science, technology and careers were showcased through a sponsored show in Sydney and rural and regional secondary schools (Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania), reaching 8178 students.
Questacon is collaborating with Australian National University Engineering Systems on a project to develop a laser guided tour-guide robot. The project is supported by the Australian Research Council. The project spans three years and is expected to be ready to trial in Questacon galleries by the end of 2005. The Internet continues to grow in importance as a medium for communicating science and technology. During 2003-04 Questacon expanded its web presence for the Centre in Canberra and for the Questacon Smart Moves programme. Questacon’s web site usage increased 19 per cent to approximately 1 020 000 visits for 2003-04, compared to 860 000 for 2002-03. Other highlights for the Questacon web site for 2003-04 included winning the South Australian Premier’s Award for Children’s and Youth Educational Software, and international recognition for Burarra Gathering online, which was a finalist in the ‘Museums and the Web’ Conference’s prestigious Best of the Web Awards. To grow our business by adding value for our stakeholdersQuestacon develops partnerships in science communication with the broader science community, industry and education providers to deliver programmes aimed at supporting science learning in schools and encouraging lifelong learning in the wider community. During the year Questacon continued to engage and inform stakeholders. Questacon’s largest new group of stakeholders is the department and agencies in the Education, Science and Training Portfolio, including the CSIRO, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and the Australian Institute of Marine Science. In addition, collaboration with the following stakeholders took place during the year: Australian Science Centres; Japanese Museums; Australian Science Festival, National Science Week and the Australian Innovation Festival; a range of educational institutions, in particular The Australian National University (which remains an established partner in a range of activities) and the University of Canberra; industry strategic partners; UNESCO; the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts; and the CSIRO. A presentation, ‘Science Engagement and Education’, in November 2003, as part of a working group to the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council, provided a key opportunity to promote Questacon’s work. Other activities during 2003-04 included redesigning the Pollie Post (a regular update on Questacon activities to Ministers), including updating its distribution and ensuring all members of parliament are advised of visits by the Outreach programmes to their electorate.
Questacon volunteers help visitors to the Centre to have imaginative and inspirational learning experiences. To manage Questacon efficiently with a strong customer focusQuestacon made considerable progress towards strengthening business systems and processes during 2003-04. Service CharterQuestacon’s Customer Service Charter underpins its relationship with its customers, whose numbers continued to increase in 2003-04; both to the Centre in Canberra and to national Outreach programmes. Questacon regularly surveys visitors to its exhibitions
and programmes and has a target of 90 per cent satisfaction. Visitors continued to rate satisfaction with
exhibitions and programmes highly during 2003-04
(see Table 6.2). According to visitor surveys, Questacon achieved a 90 per cent satisfaction rate for the Centre in Canberra and a greater
than Table 6.2: Visitor/audience satisfaction: Performance information for Output Group 3.4
Source: Questacon. Evaluations continue to demonstrate the effectiveness of Questacon’s programmes (see Table 6.3). Table 6.3: Effectiveness Indicator Questacon’s evaluations demonstrate its programmes are effective
Source: Questacon. topFinancial managementQuestacon continues to deliver programmes at an efficient average cost per visitor, which is confirmed when benchmarked against science centres worldwide. In 2003-04, Questacon achieved a cost per participant of $12.48, an increase of $0.72 per participant compared to a cost of $11.76 in 2002-03. The increase is largely due to one-off expenses incurred in 2003-04, related to an increase in employee provisions and write-back of assets. For the year ended 30 June 2004, Questacon’s total revenue was $15.577 million (an increase of 3 per cent, excluding capital use charge, on 2002-03); 37 per cent of this was earned from sources other than government, such as Centre admissions, fees for programmes, touring exhibitions and services, the Q Shop, sponsorship, venue hire, memberships and lease revenue. Total expenses for the financial year were $16.594 million, which exceeded the budgeted 2003-04 price of outputs of $15.686 million by $908 000. This variance is largely accounted for by one-off adjustments made during the year to increase the employee annual leave and long service leave provisions and write-down of assets in association with a significant asset revaluation undertaken in 2003-04. PurchasingQuestacon has adapted a modified version of the department’s Finance and Procurement manuals to provide guidance associated with procuring goods and services whilst complying with Australian Government Procurement Guidelines. The adapted policies ensure that procurement activities are effectively monitored and reported in conjunction with the department’s requirements. The adaptation of PROMISe based contract formats has enhanced procurement processes and performance and has helped report procurement activities to the department. Information on consultancies, and payments to advertising and market research organisations is at Appendices 3 and 4. Asset managementAs the annual number of visitors to Questacon in Canberra continues to increase, and operating at excess of capacity becomes more the case, asset management plays an increasingly vital role in managing the Centre. Questacon manages an asset base of $37 million, most of which relates to the building, plant and equipment. Lifecycle maintenance plans for the building are programmed on a 15-year projected cycle, with an ongoing asset replacement plan reviewed annually to keep pace with technological and environmental advancements as well as the operational requirements of the Centre. During 2003-04 the focus was on upgrading the Centre’s galleries, environmental management systems, voice communication system, security and plant upgrades and exhibition renewal. A Strategic Review of Facilities was also completed to inform future building maintenance planning and development. A full review, stocktake and revaluation of assets was completed during the year, using the ‘fair value’ method of valuation. Risk managementQuestacon finalised its Corporate Level Risk Management Plan during the year which was subsequently approved by the Secretary. The department’s Riskman system was installed in Questacon and, with assistance from the department, Questacon completed risk assessments for major business processes in the areas of finance, marketing, customer service, procurement and programmes. Questacon has adopted the department’s risk management strategies and policies and has incorporated risk management into its business planning processes. People managementCompetitive remuneration and conditionsIndustrial agreements (Certified Agreements and Australian Workplace Agreements) underpin the department’s workplace relations framework. The Questacon Certified Agreement 2003-2006 was officially certified on 23 October 2003. The fundamental principle underpinning this agreement is: recognition of the continuing high degree of professional commitment and goodwill from Questacon staff who work enthusiastically with a continued business focus; and an acceptance of the need for ongoing change and improvement to better meet business and community commitments. As part of the Certified Agreement, the performance management and feedback scheme is designed to enable and promote high levels of staff performance and continuous improvement. Australian Workplace Agreements provide a flexible platform through which remuneration and terms and conditions of employment can be adapted to suit individual circumstances and enhance Questacon’s capacity to attract and retain a highly-skilled workforce. All Questacon employees employed under Australian Workplace Agreements are covered by the department’s Leadership Protocol (see Leadership Protocol in Chapter 7) which articulates leadership expectations. Key staffing statistics are presented in Tables 6.4, 6.5, 6.6 and 6.7. Table 6.4: Full-time and part-time Questacon staff
Source: Questacon.
SES-Senior Executive Service; EL-Executive Level; APS-Australian Public Service Source: Questacon. Table 6.6: Number of Questacon staff in Branches, by gender
Source: Questacon. Table 6.7: Range of Questacon salaries available by classification level
SPOA-Senior Professional Officer Grade A; APS-Australian Public Service Source: Questacon. Non-salary benefits include:
Learning and developmentDevelopment of staff is vital to Questacon’s growth and success. An amount equal to 4 per cent of salary is allocated on an annual basis for staff development and training which includes Questacon-wide development programmes and individual development needs. Over 2003-04 Questacon supported a range of development opportunities. These included the Cultural Management Development Programme, Australian Workplace Skills programme, Springboard programme, Project Management, Cultural Diversity programme, Performance Appraisal Training and a Customer Service Training programme for our Customer Service Team. A range of information technology related training was also offered to staff. During 2003-04 Centre staff attended a number of emergency-related training sessions including Bomb Threat Procedures training which was held throughout the year: 75 staff attended. Fire training was also held: 29 staff attended. A number of special Emergency Procedures Training sessions were held throughout the year focusing on new employees. Questacon also staged several successful fire evacuations during the year. Information on occupational health and safety is reported in Appendix 1. Information and communications technologyQuestacon maintains its own information technology infrastructure including the network and business applications. The focus during the year has been on upgrading and enhancing information technology infrastructure, especially the network and Internet connection. Upgrades were also carried on the finance and human resource management systems and improvements made to integration between front-of-house and finance systems. Questacon succeeded in obtaining funding from the department for two Business Technology Investment proposals during the year. Business Technology Investment projects will upgrade desktop infrastructure and second level information technology infrastructure and business application support. This will greatly enhance the ability of the information technology resource to support business outcomes into the future. Environmental managementInformation on ecologically sustainable development is reported in Appendix 6. 30 see <http://www.questacon.edu.au> For more information please email: |
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