Published 21 September 2026
The City of Bunbury is investigating what a new regional art gallery could mean for Bunbury and the South West - including the possible benefits, the potential cost, and whether the project could attract support from outside government and philanthropic partners. No funding has been committed and no site has been chosen. This page explains what Council has looked at so far, and what happens next.
Background
October 2023
Council resolved to support building a new, purpose-built regional art gallery, with a goal of delivering it within around seven years. This was an in-principle resolution, not a funding commitment. Alongside it, Council asked City officers to investigate the feasibility of contributing toward capital costs (based on an early estimate of around $45 million for the whole project) - no funding was requested or committed to at that time. Council also re-established a Bunbury Regional Art Gallery (BRAG) Advisory Group made up of Elected Members, local artists and arts industry experts, to guide the next stage of work.
August 2025
The Advisory Group's Concept Development Study was noted by Council. Council noted the study and the Advisory Group's recommendations and asked the CEO to report back on progress within 8 months. Noting a study is not the same as adopting or committing to its recommendations.
September 2026
Council considered two further, independent reports that built on this work:
- A cost-benefit analysis, prepared by consultants Pracsys, testing what a new gallery could realistically deliver for the region.
- A capital campaign feasibility study, to test whether philanthropic and corporate donors, and State and Federal governments, would help fund a gallery if one were to go ahead.
Council noted the cost-benefit analysis and agreed to consider funding of $44,000 in the 2027/28 budget for external expertise to run the philanthropic feasibility study.
Across all of these decisions, one thing has stayed consistent: no funding has been committed to building a gallery, no site has been chosen, and nothing about these changes how BRAG operates day to day.
What the cost-benefit analysis found
BRAG's current facility is at capacity and can't meet demand for gallery visits in the region. The cost-benefit analysis looked at what a new, larger regional gallery could offer instead.
More visitors. Visits to BRAG have sat at around 19,000 a year and are expected to stay there. A new gallery is projected to reach 100,000 visits within three years of opening, growing to around 130,000 a year by 2053.
Strong value for money. The analysis found that for every dollar invested, the project could return between $1.70 and $2.18 in benefits to the region - a net benefit of $66 million to $86 million over 20 years of operation, depending on the site.
Jobs, now and later. Building the gallery would support over 800 direct and indirect jobs during construction. Once open, it would directly employ around 15 people, plus support roughly 105 local tourism jobs through an estimated $16 million a year in extra visitor spending.
A boost for local artists. Spending on exhibitions would grow substantially, supporting more jobs in the arts sector. BRAG's Noongar Arts Program, which currently supports First Nations artists through an artist-in-residence program, could grow from around two or three artists a year to six, with accommodation on site removing a barrier that has limited past participation.
Wellbeing and community value. Much of the modelled benefit comes from things like more tourism spend in the region, improved health and wellbeing associated with cultural participation, and the ongoing value of the facility itself as a community asset.
These figures come from independent modelling and depend on assumptions about future visitation and costs- they describe potential outcomes, not guarantees.
What hasn't happened
It's just as important to be clear about what these decisions don't mean:
- Council has not committed any funding to building a gallery, and a new gallery is not a listed project in the City's capital works program.
- No site has been chosen - Bicentennial Square and Jetty Road have both been assessed, with Bicentennial Square scoring higher, but no decision has been made.
- The $44,000 for the philanthropic feasibility study is not yet allocated - Council has only agreed to consider it as part of the 2027/28 budget process.
- Every stage of the process has been about testing feasibility, not proceeding with construction.
Funding
A project of this size couldn't reasonably be funded by the City alone – we want to find out whether State and Federal governments, philanthropic donors and corporate partners would help fund it. That's what the proposed philanthropic feasibility study is for. If external funders aren't interested, Council will know that before committing any further money to the project. And the relationships, research and fundraising experience built through this work can still be useful for other City projects, regardless of what happens with the gallery.
Frequently Asked Questions
In October 2023, Council resolved to support building a new gallery with the ambition to deliver the project within seven years – and without committing any funding itself. Every step since has been about testing the feasibility of the project, not proceeding with construction.
No funding has been committed to building a gallery. Council has agreed to consider $44,000 in the 2027/28 budget for a study into whether other funders – not ratepayers – would support a project like this.
Two sites have been assessed – Bicentennial Square and Jetty Road. Bicentennial Square scored higher in the assessment, but no site has been chosen.
BRAG continues to operate as usual. Nothing about these decisions changes that.
BRAG’s need for proper collection storage is a genuine, standing issue that the City is progressing as its own project. It doesn’t depend on whether a new gallery goes ahead.
Building a strong evidence base takes time, and Council wants to understand the real costs, benefits and funding options before asking other levels of government or donors for support. The current stage is about gathering that evidence.
Community engagement to date has mainly been through the Regional Art Gallery Advisory Group. The community was also engaged about the Arts and Culture strategy. However, the wider Bunbury community has not yet been asked for its views specifically on a new regional art gallery. This work so far has focused on testing whether a gallery would represent good value and whether it could attract funding beyond ratepayers.
If Council moves toward a decision to progress the project, the City is committed to engaging the community further.
No funding has been committed to a gallery, and it isn’t part of the City’s capital works program. The work happening now is about testing whether external funding could support a project like this.
This is available in full in the September 8 2026 Council Agenda Item and Appendices here: Meetings and Minutes – City of Bunbury