The Premier has announced the portfolio allocations for the new WA Labor Government Cabinet. 
The Ministers with portfolios relevant to FutureNow's work include:

• Amber-Jade Sanderson - Skills and TAFE
• Reece Whitby - Tourism
• Simone McGurk - Creative Industries
• Sabine Winton - Education
• Jackie Jarvis - Small Business

The Cabinet features several new portfolios including:
Economic Diversification and Manufacturing
A dedicated Minister for each region
Health Infrastructure
Preventative Health
Aged Care and Seniors
Housing and Works
Read the Premier's press release here

Perth will be hosting the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 opening match, which will be the largest sporting event ever held in the state. The opening match will feature the Australian Wallabies.
Perth will also host seven matches of the tournament, all to be played in October 2027 at Optus Stadium.
Taking place every four years, the Men's Rugby World Cup is the most prestigious rugby union event, and the third largest sporting event in the world, behind only the Summer Olympics and FIFA World Cup.
The global tournament in Perth is expected to bring tens of thousands of out-of-State visitors to WA and inject millions into WA's economy - particularly for the opening match, which typically attracts enormous competition for tickets.
​Find out more about the 2027 Rugby World Cup here
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Image credit: Rugby World Cup

​$6 million has been invested to expand First Nations tourism in Western Australia, supporting the Strategic Indigenous Tourism Projects (SITP). This initiative aims to connect visitors with Aboriginal culture. The funding will support several key projects, particularly the Camping with Custodians program; an initiative that offers visitors the chance to experience Indigenous-owned campgrounds and tours. 
More information about Camping with Custodians can be found here.

State government investment in modernising equipment across the TAFE network has continued throughout 2024. Investments included film and television equipment for North Metro TAFE, ovens and cooktops for the Bentley campus of South Metro TAFE, and recording equipment for the Denmark campus of South Regional TAFE. Training in modern facilities on industry-standard equipment is important to ensuring students emerge with industry-relevant skills and knowledge.

Read Minister McGurk's full media statement here

Supported by a $10 million grant from Austrade, Accommodation Australia Industry Association has developed a platform called “eger”. Set to launch in March 2025, it is a new careers and training resource designed to tackle workforce shortages, skill development, and career growth in industries critical to Australia’s visitor economy; tourism, hospitality and travel. The platform is designed to be a one stop shop to help tourism and hospitality workers grow their skill sets to help continue to build their careers and help businesses find the employees they need. The platform will offer tools for education, training, and career advancement, providing a central resource for employers to find talent and employees to explore opportunities across the sector. 

Learn more about eeger here.

Funding has been awarded to 50 applicants to upskill regional workers across Western Australia to encourage them to stay and work in their local communities.
The Regional Traineeship Program is a competitive grants scheme available to WA Community Resource Centre (CRC) Network members and select regional Local Government Authorities (LGA) to assist with the cost of employing a trainee.
Traineeships identified through this year's process have identified long-term needs within the community and where a clear indication of a skills gap exists. The trainees who will study a range of courses, including business, tourism, marketing and communications, community services, and aged care.

• Five students will be studying the Certificate III in Events
• Four students will be studying the Certificate III in Tourism
• One student will be studying the Certificate III in Hospitality

Tourism WA is progressing plans for a world-class tourism and hospitality management school, following a feasibility study that highlights strong industry support and a clear need for skilled professionals to fuel economic growth across the state.  
While WA offers various university and TAFE programs, the state currently lacks a dedicated institution delivering bespoke, specialised education in tourism and hospitality management, integrated with strong industry partnerships.  
This Expression of Interest (EOI) process will allow Tourism WA to gauge interest, challenges, and support levels from organisations known for excellence in tourism and hospitality education. 
More information on the EOI process can be found here.

Creative Australia and Jobs and Skills Council for the Arts, SaCSA (Service and Creative Skills Australia), have released interim findings from their major review of the arts sector in Australia, the Arts Workforce Scoping Study.
The National Cultural Policy, Revive: A place for every story, a story for every place, outlined the need for an Arts Workforce Scoping Study to understand workforce challenges and skills needs across the creative sector and to inform industry-driven solutions.
Findings and recommendations from this study will inform SACSA’s Workforce Plan, along with reviews of vocational education and training (VET) packages and other potential workforce development initiatives.
The Arts Workforce Scoping Study – Interim findings report presents key findings from Part A of the Arts Workforce Scoping Study, including information on skills shortages and recruitment issues. It also incorporates key findings from a desktop review of current sector data on workforce shortages, and barriers to workforce participation.
The six sectors in scope for the study are:

• Performing arts (all types of live performance across art forms)
• Visual arts, craft and design (including all types of visual arts and crafts; and graphic, digital and fashion design for exhibition)
• Writing and publishing (all forms including fiction and non-fiction)
• Digital games (games development)
• Screen (including film and TV production and post-production)
• Music (including live performance, music recording and publishing)

The creative and cultural workforce in Australia is large and diverse, and there are a broad range of skills and recruitment concerns that impact all workers, including artists. This interim report focuses on skills shortages and recruitment issues being experienced by employers and employing organisations. 

Creative Australia link
SaCSA link
​ArtsHub analysis
NAVA analysis

The new collaboration between the Federal Government (Austrade) and Indigenous stakeholders across the country - the First Nations Visitor Economy Partnership - will provide input into creating a peak First Nations tourism body.
The body will provide national leadership on respectfully embedding Australia’s rich cultural heritage in our visitor experiences and look towards forming a permanent national First Nations tourism body. 
Establishing the partnership is a key action under THRIVE2030, Australia’s visitor economy strategy. Austrade led work on co-designing the partnership during 2023 and 2024 in collaboration with First Nations industry representatives, the NIAA, Tourism Australia and state and territory governments. 
​More information can be found here.