Consultants Monica Kane and June Moorhouse deliver damning user review of Margaret River Heart

While the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River refused to release the full arts consultants’ report which cost ratepayers $40,000, the motion put before councillors on Wednesday showed strong negative feedback from residents and users of the Margaret River Heart.

Additionally, the Times spoke with local figures who met with consultants June Moorhouse and Monica Kane during the consultation process who made it clear community feedback was “jaw-dropping”.

The negative findings were unlikely to be a surprise for most, given past Times reports local theatre and community groups were financially squeezed out of the venue, it lacked much of a community feel, staff costs including a marketing team at the Heart had grown apace during the past three years, and the site remained closed on weekends unless for ticketed events.

The Shire has sought to offset complaints by offering Heart grants to subsidise hire costs — effectively handing ratepayer funding to user groups the Heart then counted as revenue.

This week’s report included an “abridged” version of the report removing details around the proposed future management model.

However, even redacted, it gave a warts-and-all view of the community’s feedback based on 637 survey responses out of 883 people who started the survey but dropped out.

The consultants uncovered “a major sense of alienation of the community from the Heart, and by extension from the Shire” and described it as “a continuing political tension”.

A big focus of the feedback was from centre users and community groups who voiced frustration at costs, poor communication, lack of strong connections to community groups, lack of support for users and grant applicants, and the loss of community events such as Margaret River Theatre Group shows and dance presentations.

“Others spoke of unexpected charges being added after hiring, something that was reported to the consultants repeatedly,” it was noted.

“Commentary makes clear that community members are offended-through-to-furious that it is so difficult to stage their gatherings and events at MR Heart.”

Users were furious to be treated as “hirers” rather than community members, and bemoaned many lost events ordinarily held at the Cultural Centre including dance presentations Heart bureaucrats rejected for Shire grants because they were commercial operators.

And while the report said the Shire took over the Heart “after trying unsuccessfully to outsource its management,” residents still held a grudge about Arts Margaret River’s ousting from the venue and a lack of recognition for residents who previously volunteered their time free of charge.

“Many expressed disappointment in how things unfolded following its establishment, particularly in relation to the cost of using the venue,” the consultants said.

“This perceived lack of recognition in the value of community and volunteer hours, and the diminished engagement, has added to the accessibility of the Heart in a practical sense.

“It has impacted community groups and schools who have had to locate (to) less desirable venue options, or cancel their events altogether,” the report said.

“This is creating significant tension amongst potential users and contributing to poor word-of-mouth amongst the broader community.”

While users welcomed an updated venue, they saw its purpose first and foremost should be for the community.