Policy, Opportunity, Partnership: Building a thriving creative WA together

By Mark Braddock, IN:WA Representation Lead.

Western Australia is home to some of the world’s most distinctive landscapes, cultures and stories. Thanks to the efforts of the WA Government, the creative industries that help bring those stories to life have been recognised as a vital pillar of the state’s economic and cultural future.

The Creative WA policy, the Diversify WA strategy, and the recent renaming of the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport all signal a Government that sees creativity not as a by-product of other sectors, but as a sector in its own right – worthy of investment, infrastructure and long-term vision.

But strong policies only realise their full potential when they are supported by the day-to-day decisions that shape industry activity. That’s where procurement matters.

It was recently confirmed that the upcoming instalment of Tourism WA’s Walking on a Dream campaign has been awarded to an East-Coast-based production company – marking the second major production in the series not made by a WA-owned production company or WA-based director. It is another in a growing list of significant Government productions that have ‘gone east’.

IN:WA – the Independent Creative Communications Businesses of Western Australia – represents nearly 40 WA-owned businesses working across advertising, branding, production, digital and communications. We formally wrote to Tourism WA to bring this matter to their attention, seek clarification of the details from them and offer our support in ensuring that future campaigns can maximise the contribution of local suppliers. Subsequently and independently, the issue was picked up by the media – and the rest, as the cliché goes, is history.

We raised this issue with Tourism WA not to criticise, but because we believe WA could – and should – do better. Not just for the sake of the creative sector, but to ensure that Government campaigns reflect the values they seek to promote.

This is particularly urgent in light of the Government’s $235 million investment in a new screen production facility. That infrastructure will only succeed if the local ecosystem – crew, companies, creatives – remains active, viable and invested in. Commercial production, particularly Government work, is what fills the gaps between major screen projects. It’s what keeps people here.

It’s also why we’ve contributed actively to the Department of Finance’s review of the CUAMCS2025 Common Use Arrangement draft. We believe this presents a powerful opportunity to create a procurement structure that makes it easier for departments to engage WA-owned suppliers directly and transparently. A standalone production category, clearer definitions of local ownership, and stronger weighting towards WA-based and WA-owned suppliers are all practical changes we’ve recommended.

The WA Government has laid the groundwork for a thriving creative sector. At IN:WA, we want to help ensure that procurement processes reflect that same commitment – and that government-funded creative communications become an engine for local economic, cultural and creative development.

We’re not asking for favouritism. We’re asking for alignment. And we are ready to work in partnership to help deliver it.