Mayor Tom Sharp calls for independent investigation into Gallery Walk

Published on 11 February 2026

Scenic Rim Regional Council is continuing to forge ahead with works on Tamborine Mountain's landmark Gallery Walk off-street car park and associated roadworks.

At a Special Meeting last week, Council approved the reallocation of $1.6 million from its 2025-2026 Budget to cover increased costs associated with the now $6 million project as the first stage of the Gallery Walk precinct redevelopment.

Scenic Rim Mayor Tom Sharp said that, while Gallery Walk was a key project for Tamborine Mountain, the economic benefits of the revitalisation of this popular tourist precinct flowed across the region's local economy.

"As a leading tourism destination, Gallery Walk is a key contributor to the Scenic Rim's tourism economy and Council's investment in off-street car parking will deliver many benefits for local residents as well as visitors to the region, improving traffic management and pedestrian safety," he said.

Following Council's approval of a reallocation of $1.6 million from its budget to meet the increased costs, Mayor Sharp said an independent investigation will be sought through Council to review the processes associated with the revised expenditure needed to complete the first stage of the project.

"The estimated cost of the project was $4.4 million with the Council administration presenting to Council a need for an additional $1.6 million due to a number of reasons that have not been independently verified," he said.

"Responsibility for these cost overruns falls at the feet of the Councillors and, as Mayor and head of the region, the buck stops here.

"Hence why I have called for a full and comprehensive independent investigation as to the how and why this happened along with measures that will assure the people of this region it will not happen again.

"It is my intention to make these findings available to the public.

"It is important to me, as leader of this region, that we rebuild community confidence in Council's processes following several budget over-runs with other local infrastructure projects.

"I want to assure the community that Council will be providing full accountability to ensure that such a situation is not repeated in the future.

"Council has recently secured a new senior executive team which I am confident will work through the challenges of the past to ensure effective management and delivery of projects and timely communication to Council."