FAQs

In June 2021 tenders for the project came in well over the anticipated budget of $24.5 million. On Wednesday 23 June 2021, Council resolved to decline to accept any tender and to continue to pursue additional funding from the State and Federal Government. 

Council remains committed to the project and also resolved to review design options and assess associated impacts, with the overall aim of reducing costs without loss of functionality. If further funding is not obtained, Council resolved to seek input from the community by conducting a survey that includes random sample and opt in options, to further inform its decisions on the future of the project.

Busselton is the Events Capital of WA. It is also one of the State’s most visited regions and one of Australia’s key growth regional centres yet we do not have an indoor events venue. Events are held in marquees and hardly at all in winter. We are missing out on big name acts, a wide variety of performances and the ability to attract and cater for large conventions or provide adequate performance space to support the performing arts regional circuit.  

Event related tourism is one of the major economic strategies of the City of Busselton that is sustaining and creating jobs. Each year our brand as the Events Capital strengthens as more and more people look for a reason to visit. With the completion of the airport project and the foreshore hotel developments, the City will be able to target business events of a standard that requires first-class facilities. 

The City has, through its Economic Development Strategy, identified the need to diversify the range of visitors to Busselton to increase the number of interstate and international visitors, as well as attracting more business tourism (meetings, conferences, events etc) to reduce the seasonality of visitation.

The BPACC will be a multi-purpose venue for all ages within our growing community and an investment for our future. The separate multi-purpose spaces on the first floor of the BPACC will serve as rehearsal, studio and events spaces and can be opened up into one large space of 546m2 with the capacity to seat 400 people in banquet table seating arrangements. This space can operate independently, enabling many events and activities to be undertaken in the facility at the one time. This results in a future-proofed facility to cater to the growing population and enables Busselton to maximise the number of events and performances that it attracts.

The establishment of a dedicated convention, entertainment and performing arts venue in Busselton is the third pillar of a regional growth strategy alongside the Busselton and Dunsborough Foreshore Developments and Busselton Margaret River Airport upgrade. 

Investments like this help ensure our economy doesn’t stagnate and that we can support our current and future population.

The Busselton Performing Arts and Convention Centre (BPACC) is designed as a multi-functional facility providing new experiences and opportunities for everyone to enjoy and to benefit from.

It will provide a town hall for large community gatherings and a venue to perform, graduate or receive an award with an audience of family and friends.  It will be a place for people to participate in dance, drama, music and choir groups. A place for our schools to showcase their talent, enjoy their end of year ball and graduations. A place for our clubs and businesses to put on award nights, celebrations, and fundraisers. A place to meet for casual drinks in the laneway bar, to cheer on the footy finals or enjoy a sunset cocktail. 

Accommodation providers will benefit from increased visitation as will local restaurateurs, café owners and retailers.

Inspired by opera, ballet and orchestra performances, locals may like to take drama, music or dance classes – we’ll have the space and the facilities you need!

Those interested in local produce can savour South West delicacies, boutique wines and craft beers at expos which, given the multi-functional floor space, can also cater for other expos such as camping and fishing.

The BPACC will be a hub for education and career growth. A place where you can grow your business and learn something new. A place where you can hold a think-tank in a meeting room and share ideas in a workshop.  The centre is an investment in our future and our youth.   

Extensive research, market analysis and industry consultation has been undertaken over the past decade. In 2016 the South West Development Commission identified and accepted a performing arts and convention centre in the City of Busselton as a major priority alongside the airport upgrade (South West Regional Blueprint).

Since then the City has developed two project business cases. The first secured $10.35m in Federal funding and the more recently updated version has been considered by the State Government. You can view the most recent business case in the Your Say library here.

Over the years we’ve sought input from industry experts and visited similar centres operating across the state and country. We looked very closely at what works – and what doesn’t! It was clear from these investigations that designing a fit-for-purpose facility was essential to its success.

The City has liaised particularly closely with the Glasshouse in Port Macquarie which is a similar-sized regional City with many like attributes. You can read more about the Glasshouse here

Underpinned by infrastructure like a passenger-ready regional airport, a multi-million dollar foreshore upgrade, future hotel developments and a strong events and tourism profile, the case for the Busselton Performing Arts and Convention Centre is very robust.

Many other performing art centres including Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre (BREC) and the Albany Entertainment Centre have limited or no capacity for large scale conferences and business events. Nor do they have galleries or leased public bars. Consultation with other centres revealed these were some key gaps and lost opportunities and advantageous to include in the BPACC.

These business facilities are an important component of the BPACC business model and a clear differentiator. We also have other key advantages – an airport which will soon see direct flights from Melbourne, a central town centre location, new hotel developments and an established reputation as the Events Capital WA. 

The City has also worked with both the BREC and the Margaret River HEART to ensure that all three facilities form a regional alliance, having their own point of difference so that the facilities are complementary and work together to attract audiences and visitors, rather than competing. The City is working with these existing facilities and privately owned venues to grow markets and audiences through increased accessibility, economic viability and variety. As such a South West Business Events Strategy is in development.

Before detailed designs of the Busselton Performing Arts and Convention Centre were developed, the ground floor plans of BREC were overlaid on the BPACC site to test if there was sufficient space for the key facilities such as the auditorium, entry and foyer spaces.  The overlay clearly demonstrates that the site on Queen Street can accommodate the BPACC.

Parking has been carefully considered and will be catered for by:

• Drop off zones at the front of the facility
• Availability of 2800 bays within a 500m radius of the location of the proposed site noting that  many of these bays have daytime peak usage and would be available at times needed by performing arts and convention centre patrons
• A Smart Parking app is being considered showing bay locations and availability
• Upgrades to cycle paths, bike racks and walkways to encourage alternate forms of transport
• Short-term overflow parking will be available at Signal Park
• Shuttle busses will be investigated for best pick up and drop off zones and times
• View the parking blueprint here.

The Busselton Woodturners were relocated to their new site at the Butter Factory at the end of 2020. The Weld Theatre and ArtGeo gallery will remain operating during construction works and we are working closely with them to minimise impact. Results from efforts to secure additional funding and/or a community survey will determine construction commencement.

The original concept design submitted as part of the successful Federal Government business case in 2018 costed the project at $21.23m. This was based on a Cultural Needs Assessment report in 2012 which identified the requirement for a 300 seat theatre in the district. Council accepted this report as a guide to future planning. A construction budget of $20 – $22m was identified for the future theatre at that time. This did not include separate multi-purpose room facilities, a new gallery or significant commercial lease space.

The business case did note that additional function space along with the potential for bar and additional dining space could be provided at a later stage. When the architectural designs were revisited these features were included in the scope. Other key changes included increasing the seating capacity to 600 seats (due to population growth forecasts) and to improve sightlines, relocating the gallery and making it bigger and resolving disability access issues. It is more economical in the long run to develop a centre which is fit-for-purpose rather than redesigning later on.

The total project cost including design, construction, fit out and an additional Creative Industries Hub was agreed at $30.3million. In accordance with Council’s resolution 24 June 2020 (C2006/066), the project budget and scope was reduced from $30.3m to $28.5m with the Creative Industries Hub removed. Tenders have recently come in over the anticipated budget and costs of construction are now estimated between $33 million and $38 million. Council is currently seeking community input to guide them in their future decision making.

There have been calls to remove the “convention” part of the building to reduce cost. There is no separate “convention” space. Every room in the BPACC has been designed to be as versatile and multi-functional as possible. There are no separate, dedicated conference facilities in the BPACC but there is the rehearsal/studio space and two multipurpose rooms on level two which can be used for conferences and convention spaces instead of, or in addition to, the auditorium and foyer areas, dependent on the hirers needs. Based on learnings from other centres such as Red Earth in Karratha, we anticipate these rooms will be highly used  by community and local business for dance, drama, ballet, music, choirs, holiday activities, awards nights, dinners, celebrations, and workshops. Acts using the main auditorium will also need to use these spaces for rehearsals and as waiting areas and overflow green rooms for large casts such as for musicals, orchestras and dance before going on stage in the main auditorium.

With an increased understanding of how heavily these other rooms in other Performing Arts Centre will be used, the amount of business events forecast for the first few years of operation has been reduced to an estimated 20 times per annum. Community use is now forecast to take up 77% of the usage of these rooms. 

The business events strategy isn’t predicated on interstate/international business events however over time the aim is to build this market as the region gains access to direct interstate visitation through the airport and COVID-19 controls and impacts reduce. The industry has forecast that as restrictions begin to ease around Australia, the recovery of Australia’s business events industry will be led by domestic activity, by businesses and organisations forced to hold events at home. 

The SW is an attractive destination for Perth based business. It’s acknowledged “the impacts will be long lasting in relation to responsibilities around health and safety and as a result, we are already seeing a big shift towards “Hybrid” meetings (a mix of in person and on line) where live streaming will become the norm and venues will be required to make a shift to less people, greater technology.” This is being considered in the design of the BPACC. “Tourism Australia will play a large part in elevating awareness around domestic business event opportunities in their future marketing with a focus to boost desire for domestic events.”

Funded by the SW Development Commission a SW Business Events Strategy has been drafted by Australia’s South West. This was undertaken in conjunction with the Shire of Augusta Margaret River, HEART, City of Bunbury, BREC, MRBTA and Bunbury Geographe Tourism Association. Business Events Perth and Business Events Australia were also consulted with along with some of the City’s existing conference venues.

The strategy, whilst still in development, has already identified the significant role business events play in building a stronger, more productive and diverse economy. The strategy notes: 

“around the world, business events are being used as strategic tools for attracting trade and investment as well as global talent. Hosting Business events offers high yield and long-term benefits. Business events deliver a return on investment far beyond the significant direct tourism spend in a destination by organisers and delegates. Much wider benefits, in business generation and expanding global business networks, flow from attracting delegates who are of high strategic value. The intangibles arguably provide the most enduring benefits from face-to-face Business Events.”

In April 2018 a review of the current local conferencing and event offerings was undertaken in a report undertaken by Studio Evans Lane for the City of Busselton. The following venues, rooms, facilities, capacities, capabilities and distance to CBD were included in that review:

• Abbey Beach Resort
• Geographe Bayview Resort
• The Ramada (previously Wyndham resort)
• Pullman Bunker Bay Resort
• Old Broadwater Farm
• The Equinox
• Potential future hotel developments on the Busselton Foreshore

This information informed a Market Demand and Economic Impact Assessment Report by Lawrence Consulting and Studio Evans Lane. The report confirmed that there will be minimal displacement caused by the Busselton Performing Arts and Convention Centre as it will be designed to accommodate larger events as well as growing the meeting, incentives, conferences and exhibitions industry in Busselton. Growing this important industry should then allow for some organic growth for other local venues and scope for working in partnership.

Busselton is the Events Capital of WA. It is also one of the State’s most visited regions and one of Australia’s key growth regional centres yet we do not have an indoor events venue. Events are held in marquees and hardly at all in winter. We are missing out on big name acts, a wide variety of performances and the ability to attract and cater for large conventions or provide adequate performance space to support the performing arts regional circuit.  

Event related tourism is one of the major economic strategies of the City of Busselton that is sustaining and creating jobs. Each year our brand as the Events Capital WA strengthens as more and more people look for a reason to visit. With the completion of the airport project and the foreshore hotel developments, the City will be able to target business events of a standard that requires first-class facilities. 

The City has, through its Economic Development Strategy, identified the need to diversify the range of visitors to Busselton to increase the number of interstate and international visitors, as well as attracting more business tourism (meetings, conferences, events etc) to reduce the seasonality of visitation.

The separate multi-purpose spaces on the first floor of the BPACC can be opened up into one large space of 546m2 with the capacity to seat over 400 people in banquet table seating arrangements. This space can operate independently, enabling many events and activities to be undertaken in the facility at the one time. This results in a future-proofed facility to cater to the growing population and enables Busselton to maximise the number of events and performances that it attracts.

The establishment of a dedicated convention, entertainment and performing arts venue in Busselton is the third pillar of a regional growth strategy alongside the Busselton and Dunsborough Foreshore Developments and Busselton Margaret River Airport upgrade. Investments like this help ensure our economy doesn’t stagnate and that we can support our current and future population.

The Busselton Performing Arts and Convention Centre is first and foremost a community facility. It’s the Town Hall demolished over 20 years ago and it’s the performance and events space the then Shire and now City has never had.

While the BPACC will cater for business events, they are only a small part of how the spaces will be used.  The majority of the time rooms will be booked out after school by drama, dance and music groups. In the evening rooms rooms will be used for shows, award nights, gala dinners and fundraisers. During the day those same rooms can hold seniors and pre-school activities and during school holidays, vacation entertainment. 

For these reasons alone it will not be a white elephant.

The current BPACC design (excluding Creative Industry Hub) is expected to deliver around 44 FTE in direct and indirect ongoing employment and stimulate an annual output of $6.6 million, ($4.5m in tourism and $2.1m in other sectors). The project is a sound economic investment, as well as providing significant social benefits in terms of increasing participation in culture and the arts and connecting the community.

115 full time equivalent positions are forecast to be created during construction - 39 directly and 76 indirectly.

The project received a $10.35m funding commitment from the Federal Government in 2019. Funds received through the sale of the old Library building site in Mitchell Park Busselton ($2.6m) will be directed to the project. Rio Tinto have committed $250,000 and the City continues to explore other private sector and State Government funding opportunities.

Current loan borrowings for the project are set at $15 million. Due to the increase in construction costs, the City anticipates it may need to borrow an additional $11.7 million to proceed with the full design or an additional $7 million for a modified design. With interest rates currently around 2%, fixed for a term of 20 years, loan borrowings remain a good option for funding. 

Rate increases are currently forecast to be between 2.5% and 2.95% per annum over the next ten years. This is to fund delivery of all City services and projects. If we proceed with the full design an additional single rate increase may be required in 2022/2023 of up to an estimated 2% (taking the total increase to 4.5%).  For a modified design an additional rate increase may be required of up to 1% (total 3.5%). The Council may also choose to spread the increase over multiple years.

Community engagement on this project extends back to 2008. Visit the document library to view a timeline of engagement and decision making associated with the BPACC. Council has heard from some sections of the community that consultation for the project needs to increase and has taken this feedback on board.

Nearly every facility that the City runs, from Leisure centres, Libraries and even our parks and sporting grounds all cost the rate payer. People also expect to use them at heavily subsidised rates. However, these investments are what make where we live so great and these facilities aren’t usually viewed by the community in terms of how much they cost but how much they bring benefit. 

The estimated annual cost to operate the BPACC is around $1.2 million per-annum, including asset management costs and provisions for asset renewal. This is similar to the cost of operating the Geographe Leisure Centre and less than our libraries, which cost $1.95 million each year to operate. The BPACC is considered a valuable investment in culture, the arts, the wellbeing and future of our community.

Other centres have shared their annual budget performance reports and net operating costs (expenses minus revenues). BPACC has been benchmarked against similar regional centres. Direct comparisons are difficult as there is no equivalent centre, operating models vary and others do not always include provisions for asset renewal and all asset management costs. However, the forecast net operation position for the BPACC is commensurate with other similar centres and recognises the competitive advantage of its distinct differences.

To find out more about how the Centre will operate you can view the Business Operations Plan in the document library.

Construction of a performance centre with a 625 seat auditorium, a new gallery, multi-purpose spaces and back of house facilities was costed at $28.5m. All tenders exceeded the budget with the lowest priced tender exceeding the budget by approximately $13 million, excluding consideration of any value management options. 

The tendered cost for the full design is $38 million.  A modified design which removes a level from the building, reducing its overall size but still maintaining the functionality of the building, is estimated at $33 million.  This would still provide 

• A minimum 600 seat theatre, with retractable seating (catering for seated and flat floor events).
• State of the art digital technologies, creating a point of difference from other theatres in the region.
• Multipurpose conference / rehearsal /studio space providing flexibility of use.
• Upgrade of the Weld Theatre.
• A new larger art gallery capable of hosting state and national touring exhibitions.

Once established the BPACC is forecast to generate revenue of $1.5m to $2m per annum. Income sources include theatre and facility rentals, business events including conference room bookings, commercial leases and gallery exhibitions. Other income sources include sponsorship and membership. Annual expected revenue and operating costs have been benchmarked against similar regional centres and are considered feasible.

The City of Busselton’s financial position is solid. 

The Financial Health Indicators on the My Council website do not take into consideration cash reserves. The City of Busselton has very healthy cash reserves of over $55million.  If these reserves were taken into account on the My Council site, the City would rate as one of the most financially healthy Local Governments in the State.  The WA Local Government Association has engaged a consultant to investigate the way ratios are calculated in a LG setting to provide a more accurate report to stakeholders. 

Additionally the indicators do not take into account the relative “youth” of the City’s considerable asset base. The City has been through a significant capital construction program over the past 10 years. As these assets are new, less renewal costs are being spent on the existing assets. 

The City’s Debt Service Coverage Ratio is more than 2 times better than the accepted ratio set by the Department and the City’s external auditor has stated over consecutive years, that while the City of Busselton’s current ratio is low, it’s significant cash reserves show that it is in a strong financial position.

The Port Macquarie Glasshouse Theatre operates differently than what is planned for the BPACC.  Included in the operating cost of the Glasshouse is the Port Macquarie regional Visitor Information Centre (VIC) which is located in the foyer. The approximate costs of operating the VIC is $800k per annum which is reflective of a VIC operating at a regional level.  In 2018/19 the Glasshouse loan repayment, based on a $28m loan, was approximately $2.5m and capital expenditure was approximately $60k, bringing the net annual operating cost to approximately $1.24m:

Total net operating cost:               $4.6m (excl. depreciation)

Less loan repayments:                   -$2.5m

Less capital expenses:                   -$0.60k

Less VIC operations:                        -$.800k

Net operating cost for Theatre:  $1.24m per annum.

The BPACC net operating cost is projected to total approximately $1.2m per annum, which aligns closely to the Glasshouse model. 

Previously the City estimated that average general rates would increase from $55 - $65 to cover construction loan repayments (and fees), asset management and estimated net operating costs.  These estimates are currently under review as part of the review of design options and associated impacts..  

As the ratepayer base expands with population growth, this amount could be well less over time. It is important to note that any estimation is based on fluctuating assumptions around interest rates and changes in the City’s rates base. In addition several high interest loans held by the City will mature in the short term further improving Council’s debt financing position. 

In 2020/2021 City of Busselton Council did not increase rates or fees and remains committed to minimising rate increases in ten year financial plan forecasts.