General News
19 October, 2026
Tully civic centre spruce up
A MAJOR overhaul aimed at improving accessibility, connectivity and functionality across the Tully Civic Centre and Tully Library precinct is set to move forward after receiving official endorsement from the Cassowary Coast Regional Council.
Council gave the green light at its September ordinary meeting to progress the concept design for the ‘Place and People Access and Functionality Upgrade – Tully Civic Centre’ project to detailed design and staged tendering.
The upgrade is funded through the state government’s 2024–27 ‘Works for Queensland’ (W4Q) Program, under which council received a total grant allocation of $4.910 million.
By shifting residual funding from completed or altered projects within the program, council says it will now boost the total budget for the Tully Civic Centre upgrade to approximately $1.676 million – up from its original allocation of $1.230m.
The civic centre is where council holds its monthly public meetings.
Presenting the update to elected members, CEO Andrew Graffen highlighted how the project schedule adjustment ensures every dollar of the state allocation is put to good use locally before the program’s 30 June 2027 completion deadline.
“The proposed reallocation will assist council to maximise utilisation of its available W4Q funding while progressing a significant community and operational infrastructure project capable of being delivered within the remaining program timeframe,” Mr Graffen said.
Refocused scope and staged delivery
Following the permanent relocation of council’s customer service operations from the Civic Centre – the former Cardwell Shire council chambers – into the adjacent Tully Library, the project scope was refocused on enhancing safety and access across the shared precinct.
The revised design targets public customer service areas, meeting and multi-purpose spaces, staff offices, accessible amenities, parking and external activity zones.
To manage construction risks and cost pressures effectively, council has structured the procurement strategy into six separable portions:
Separable portion 1: Internal Accessibility and functional upgrades ($560,000)
Separable portion 2: Rear extension ($457,905)
AdvertisementSeparable portion 3: Car parking and associated civil works ($300,000)
Separable portion 4: Pedestrian accessibility and covered walkways ($285,000)
Separable portion 5: External and precinct lighting ($75,000)
Separable portion 6: Landscaping and public realm improvements ($192,000).
The first two portions (SP1 and SP2) will be prioritised for market tender to address immediate operational and public accessibility needs.
Remaining portions will be released progressively depending on final tender outcomes and confirmed residual budgets.
Redirecting program savings
The funding boost for Tully was made possible by reallocating unused W4Q funds across several other council initiatives.
For instance, savings were realised from the regional university study hub (RUSH) refurbishment at Innisfail Library ($303,000) and CBD green space enhancements ($103,057).
Additional funds were freed up after council’s waste management strategy ($50,000) was completed internally rather than using external consultants.
Also, an earlier $293,000 allocation for the Port Hinchinbrook concept design was made redundant after the state government declared a ‘priority development area’ and committed separate state funding for normalisation and dredging.
Council will now submit the required project variation to the state government for final approval before going to tender.
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