The journal maintains a specific focus on the Australian and Asian regions, but has published literary and cultural content from international authors.

[2] In 2015, Westerly ran a campaign called 'Word Matters', a response in publication to the funding cuts seen in the arts in federal and state budgets.

The campaign published poetry from two young emerging poets, and sought reader engagement in the tweeting of responses online (#westerlywordmatters).

[5] The Westerly archives are housed in Special Collections in the University of Western Australia Library, with a complete digital version of the backset available at the website.

The Patricia Hackett Prize has been awarded by the University of Western Australia for the best original contribution to Westerly each year since 1965.