With a staff of 13 full- time and two part-time employees, Arts WA is responsible for the development and support of the arts industry in Western Australia. It is one of six agencies within the Ministry for Culture and the Arts. The other agencies are the Library and Information Service of WA; the Art Gallery of WA; the Western Australian Museum, ScreenWest and the Perth Theatre Trust. Arts WA operates with an annual budget of approximately $12 million, a substantial proportion of which is provided through the Lotteries Commission. Approximately $9 million of Arts WA's annual budget goes to 23 arts agencies through triennial agreements. A further $2 million [approx.] in project funds is distributed annually through Arts WA's three assessment panels (Aboriginal Arts Panel, Arts Development Panel, Young People and the Arts Panel) as well as the Artflight, Global Residencies Program, Publishing Assistance Program and Young People and the Arts Quick Response Fund. In addition, it is anticipated that a new Arts Management and Leadership Program will be launched subsequent to the release of this handbook. Please contact Arts WA for more details.

Arts WA's vision is for a society in which the arts are flourishing and are recognised as integral to the social, economic and cultural vitality of the Western Australian community.

Arts WA's mission is to facilitate, for the diverse Western Australian community, a vibrant and viable environment for the arts and cultural industries, through advocacy, investment, industry development initiatives and policy development.

Arts WA's role is to address the overall development of arts and culture in Western Australia through:
· increasing the community's awareness of the arts and culture;
· developing partnerships with the private sector to gain new resources for the arts community;
· developing strategies to promote and market the State's arts and cultural resources;
· promoting new commercial opportunities; and
· supporting the arts through funding.

Arts WA operates within the context of the ever?changing global environment. This environment is driven by political, economic, social and technological developments. No government agency can afford to ignore either the bigger picture issues or the local detail of the world in which it operates. Arts WA constantly seeks new opportunities for how it and the arts industry does business across a diverse range of services.

www.imago.com.au/artswa