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The 2024–25 reporting year marks a significant chapter in the life of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC). It is with great pride that I present the department’s final annual report, acknowledging its enduring legacy and the department’s transition as part of the 2025 public sector reform.

The public sector reform has been designed to establish concentrated centres of public sector expertise and to strengthen collaboration across all levels of government. As part of the reform, DLGSC has been renamed the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport (CITS), reflecting the portfolios of Creative Industries, Tourism, Sport and Recreation, and Multicultural Interests. 

The department’s responsibilities in relation to local government and racing, gaming and liquor have been moved to the re-shaped Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety (LGIRS) and I am excited to lead the department as Director General in this new era. 

As I reflect on the past 12 months, I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved. As a government agency, we have a large remit and strive to have a big impact across WA. Working together and across sectors, the department has worked hard at fostering social cohesion, creating cultural vibrancy, helping to grow the WA economy and encouraging healthy living.

This year, we have invested in initiatives to ensure connected communities through Sport and Recreation (page 32) and Creative Industries (page 42) as well as Aboriginal and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities (page 69). This year, I was excited to see a number of major and capital projects progress. These include the Aboriginal Cultural Centre plan which will see a dedicated place of cultural celebration, learning and enterprise for Aboriginal people in WA. During 2024–25 a site was selected for the project, in partnership with Whadjuk Noongar Elders, and project planning is progressing. Once finished, this will be an important place for connecting communities.

Significant progress was made on the Perth Film Studios (PFS). Four sound stages are nearing competition, and construction of workshops and office building are on track. The PFS will be WA’s first ever dedicated screen production facility and will provide new jobs and attract larger national and international projects to the State.

Stage 2 of the Sam Kerr Football Centre is also proceeding and will consist of 2 additional natural turf playing fields, as well as sports lighting, shade, fencing and landscaping. The project design has been finalised, and work has now commenced with the opportunity for future expansion.

Planning work has also commenced for both the Art Gallery of Western Australia Redevelopment and Malaga Sports Precinct.

In the past 12 months, extensive work has been completed to streamline processes and modernise outdated conventions for Liquor, Gaming and Local Government, ensuring prosperous industries and sectors. These reforms will improve transparency and reduce regulatory duplication. The extensive review of the Director of Liquor Licensing policies has seen a reduction in policies from 54 to 14, eliminating outdated requirements and streamlining processes. This work has been welcomed by the industry and has supported growth in the hospitality and retail liquor sectors, as well as harm minimisation outcomes for the wider community.

This includes bringing various penalties in the Act to present day values to reduce anti-social behaviour. Following a successful 2-year trial of the Banned Drinkers Register (BDR), the Liquor Control Amendment Bill 2025 also intends to remove the BDR’s sunset clause to establish it as an ongoing register.

In January 2025, DLGSC established the Cross-Sector Triage and Concierge Team (CSTT) in order to make it easier to do business in WA. This was endorsed by the Council of Regulators.

The CSTT is working to progress WA Government priorities, including the improvement of the quality and accessibility of licensing information to support a more efficient approvals process, developing reporting mechanisms to improve transparency around approval timeframes, and creating and maintaining central coordination systems to strengthen collaboration.

In addition, the recent local government reforms include various provisions to enable local governments in the regions to share resources, including chief executive officers, senior staff and shared audit, risk and improvement committees. This includes the introduction of the new Local Government Inspector which will strengthen the oversight of all 139 local governments.

The Inspector will also be able to assign monitors to proactively work within local governments to resolve issues before they escalate. New laws will also increase penalties associated with breaches of the Local Government Act 1995. All the work being done as part of our reform agenda will bring significant benefits to the people of WA and will continue in 2025-26.

Healthy living remains a priority for the department, with more than $27 million invested in WA sporting organisations in 2024–25, helping to increase participation, build capacity, as well as fund high performance and integrity initiatives. One of the things I have enjoyed most about being part of DLGSC, is our ability to enhance people’s lives, encouraging inclusivity and a more vibrant, connected and engaged community through the delivery of programs and grants. One such example is the KidSport program, which has issued more than 360,000 sporting vouchers since 2011, equating to $60 million in funding. Sport has such significant value in our community, from health and wellbeing to social belonging and fostering strong communities. These vouchers, which have increased in value, have provided access to sport for thousands of children across WA. 

The 5-year Strategic Plan, which was launched in June 2024, and the Workforce and Diversity Plan 2024–2029, which launched in November 2024, is setting the strategic direction for workforce capability and inclusivity. I’m proud of the work undertaken which evidences our ongoing commitment to transformation, continuous improvement and to ensuring we have a strong and diverse workforce which reflects the communities we work for.

As we close this chapter on DLGSC, I thank all staff for their professionalism and commitment to delivering exceptional service throughout a time of structural change. The transition has been handled with care, and I am confident that the expertise, capability and community focus of our people will continue to strengthen public service delivery into the future