The WA Government’s 2019-20 State Budget will deliver $2.5 million to reopen the Gwoonwardu Mia Gascoyne Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Centre in Carnarvon.
The centre opened in 2005 following a $4.7 million State Government investment, but was closed in 2015 by the Gascoyne Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Centre Board due to concerns over the management of the centre and financial issues.
The WA Government has been working to reopen the centre since coming to government in 2017, culminating in the resumption of direct management of the centre and renewed engagement with the local Aboriginal community.
The WA Government has allocated $2.5 million to reopen the centre, working in partnership with the Gascoyne Development Commission and the local Aboriginal community to put the centre on a pathway to sustainability.
The WA Museum has been asked to manage the reopening of the centre until such time as a new governance model is agreed to.
This commitment provides an initial three years of operating funding, and will support building assessments for any necessary repairs and cataloguing of exhibits and artefacts left in the centre.
The reopened centre will be used to drive Aboriginal business development and tourism opportunities in the Gascoyne, and to celebrate the region’s Aboriginal heritage.
Source: WA Government