Cash injection secures Dolphin Centre future

The state government has stepped in to secure the future of Bunbury’s Dolphin Discovery Centre, putting up $1.5 million to pull the tourist attraction out of administration.

The funding package announced this morning will be complemented by the formation of an advisory group led by the South West Development Commission.

Voluntary administrators from RSM Australia were appointed to the assist the not-for-profit business in late February, after a period of sustained struggles led to the departure of several board members and the CEO early in the year.

RSM partners Greg Dudley, Travis Kukura and Jerome Mohen were appointed to review the business, and will exit now the centre’s future has been secured.

“The announcement from the minister, on behalf of the state government, to provide the requisite funding for the BDDI and the Dolphin Discovery Centre is a terrific outcome for all involved, especially the DDC staff and volunteers, the local community, as well as Western Australia’s tourism sector and the broader economy,” Mr Mohen said.

The operation was kept running during the administration period, with a restaurant offering reduced as the RSM review was undertaken.

RSM said the cash injection would allow the centre to pay all its creditors and return enough working capital for the business to run its day-to-day operations with a focus on tourism.

“As part of the management committee’s restructure plan, the business operations of the BDDI will now refocus on tourism, the interpretative centre aquarium, education programs and the retail gift shop,” Mr Mohen said.

The funding ends a saga in which Regional Development Minister Don Punch was repeatedly targeted by opponents for perceived inaction over the centre’s plight, with the WA Nationals outspoken in their criticism.

Mr Punch is the Member for Bunbury and was previously chief executive of the South West Development Commission.

Speaking this morning, Mr Punch said the funding was a great outcome for those who volunteered their time at the facility.

“I have been a long-time supporter of the Dolphin Discovery Centre and it has been a priority of mine to ensure that this much-loved asset remains an important part of Bunbury’s future,” he said.

“I would like to acknowledge the hard work of the staff and volunteers of the Dolphin Discovery Centre and encourage people to show their support by visiting the centre and enjoying what it has to offer including an interpretative centre, and opportunities to interact with wild dolphins.”

The Dolphin Discovery Centre was formally set up in 1994, building on a history of human-dolphin interaction in the Koombaba Bay region dating back to the 1960s.