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Executive summary

Western Australia boasts exceptional screen practitioners and businesses actively developing and producing screen projects. Western Australia’s highly skilled and experienced screen practitioners and developers are renowned for their innovation, drive, and unique storytelling.

The Western Australian Screen Industry Strategy: 2024-2034 is the State’s first whole-of government strategy that aims to leverage favourable global conditions to accelerate growth in Western Australia’s screen industry, attracting investment, fostering business growth and creating quality local jobs. The Strategy recognises the growth of the screen industry cannot occur without a skilled and available workforce.

Recognising the State’s exceptional talent and future potential, the strategy consolidates various government initiatives into a cohesive plan. It focuses on growing the capacity of the screen industry to deliver improved outcomes across multiple sectors, including film, Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD), television, digital games, postproduction, animation, visual effects, and emerging technologies like virtual and augmented reality.

The WA Screen Industry Workforce Strategy 2024-2034 has been developed in partnership between the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport, and the Department of Training and Workforce Development, Screenwest, training providers and industry stakeholders to build a skilled and available workforce. It focuses on creating career pathways and building capacity of the screen industry by leveraging the State’s strong tertiary and vocational training ecosystem to support students to develop technical, creative and leadership skills needed by the screen industry.

The workforce strategy focuses on building and retaining an inclusive and diverse workforce for Western Australia’s screen industry through robust education and training strategies over a phased implementation period.

• Pilot Phase 2024 to 2026: Screen capacity building programs
• Phase 1 2026-2027: Building capacity and capability (continuation)
• Phase 2 2026-2029: Strengthening and expanding
• Phase 3 Beyond 2029: maturing

Workforce strategy scope

The scope of the WA Screen Industry Workforce Strategy focuses on the roles, functions and activities required for physical production both on location and at the new Perth Film Studios. The strategy focuses on scripted and documentary production ‘Above the Line’ (ATL) and ‘Below the Line’ (BTL) skills and roles. 

ATL roles include the writers, directors, producers. BTL crew roles consist of Heads of Department and on-set crew that do not sit ATL. BTL roles range from camera, lighting and rigging, sound, production design, art department, costume and make-up, production department, unit and transport, locations, stunts, health and safety, production accountants, and payroll. 

The majority of the sector’s workforce are below the line roles.

Goals

• Build WA’s crew depth to meet demand and aim to close critical skills and local service gaps in key roles1
• Improve pathways to employment for WA trained graduates and practitioners.
• Increase the proportion of salary expenditure meeting the Qualified Western Australian Expenditure (QWAE) funding criteria on Government funding productions.
• A screen industry workforce that better reflects the diversity of the community’s population and workforce across all screen roles.

Acknowledgements

The Western Australian Screen Industry Workforce Strategy 2024-2034 was developed in consultation with stakeholders in the WA screen industry, education and training institutions, and government agencies.

The Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport and Department of Training and Workforce Development gratefully acknowledge the support and contributions from steering committee representative organisations and delivery partners.

• Arts and Culture Trust
• Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
• Future Now
• Home Fire Operations Pty Ltd, operator of Perth Film Studios
• North Metropolitan TAFE
• Screenwest
• WA Screen and Media Academy, Edith Cowan University

Implementation

The Strategy is intended to be read in conjunction with the Screen Industry Workforce Development Action Plan. The Action Plan provides an overview of actions to be delivered under the strategy and the intended beneficiaries of each activity.

The Screen Industry Workforce Development Action Plan has been developed in consultation with steering committee and government. The Department of Creative Industries Tourism and Sport, Department of Training and Workforce Development are co-leads for the Screen Industry Workforce Strategy, key delivery and collaboration partners have been identified in the action plan.

The Action Plan groups actions identified in the strategy under five strategic themes:

• Raise awareness
• Build strong foundations
• Maintain a job ready workforce
• Foster diversity and inclusivity
• Plan and adapt.

Activities under the Strategy commenced in late 2024. These pilot programs laid the groundwork for the expansion of Screenwest’s screen capacity development programs designed to address immediate screen business capacity and skills gaps. The timing of these activities supporting business preparedness in time for the opening of the Perth Film Studios.

Following the opening of Perth Film Studios in early 2026, capacity development programs will continue to be refined and delivered, with the introduction of new public facing initiatives under the revised strategy focused on career awareness activities and active promotion of career pathways going forward.