In short:
Australia's national reef education centre, boasting the country's largest living coral reef exhibit, has been thrown a $100 million lifeline.
The Reef HQ facility in Townsville has been mothballed since a refurbishment project began in 2021.
What's next?
Townsville City Council reallocated $100 million for a new concert hall to fund the reef project.
Australia's largest living coral reef aquarium and national centre of reef education has been thrown a lifeline with the reallocation of $100 million in federal funding.
Townsville's Reef HQ has been mothballed since the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) began a refurbishment in 2021.
That project was initially expected to cost $80 million and was set to include a new facade and roof, among other works.
18 months later, the authority announced grander plans, including a proposal to demolish and rebuild the aquarium tank.
A Senate Estimates hearing in May revealed that the authority never had the extra funding needed to commence the extra work.
Councillors 'annoyed'
Reef HQ became a political football after the delivery of this year's federal budget, in which no extra money was allocated to the project.
At a Special Council Meeting on Friday, nine Townsville City Councillors reluctantly voted to reallocate $100 million in federal funding to get the aquarium rebuilt.
The money was originally allocated to build a new local concert hall.
The councillors who voted in favour of the motion still aired their frustrations towards the federal government for not stumping up extra cash for the aquarium.
"It's disappointing that the federal government are making us decide between Reef HQ and the concert hall," Cr Liam Mooney said.
The Labor-aligned councillor was one of two who opposed the motion and said it contradicted his interests as Chair of the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee.
"We are in dire need of more arts spaces, the Civic Theatre is overbooked," Cr Mooney said.
"Reef HQ will be a shining light for our community. It is just very disappointing for me that it is at the detriment of the concert hall.
"The Federal Government need to just chip in, the fact that we had to choose has annoyed a lot of councillors today."
The decision to reallocate funds was made by council after they requested the federal government release the concert hall's business case study.
The council said the government's business case indicated the concert hall would have been unviable and cost more than $100 million.
Cr Mooney said a separate $700,000 council-funded business case, which investigated the concert hall project, would be released to the public next week.
He said with federal and state elections looming a concert hall funding commitment could come "without any requirement from council".
Townsville a 'political football'
Off the back of the decision, Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson spoke to the media for the first time in weeks, after becoming embroiled in controversy including an active Crime and Corruption Commission investigation.
He voted in favour of reallocating the $100 million.
"Townsville City Council has become a political football during an election era," Cr Thompson said.
"We don't want to play that game we just want to get some investment happening.
"When I look at a federal government that comes out and says they are in surplus to me that means they have money to spend.
"Why wouldn't you spend it in the capital of the north?"
Earlier this year, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, which is leading the aquarium rebuild, said it was still developing the designs for the facility.
In the meantime, fish, coral and other livestock from Reef HQ continue to be cared for in the Australian Institute of Marine Science's sea simulator in Townsville.
The original aquarium building remains standing, while the Omnimax theatre and office spaces have been demolished.
The rebuild was originally scheduled to open in 2026, but it is now unclear when it will be completed.