Ahead of the upcoming election, Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) has written to all candidates in Groom to put forward its priorities for the 2025 Federal election.

Toowoomba Region Mayor Geoff McDonald said it was crucial that all candidates running for office in Groom were aware of Council’s priorities.

He said local government is a key partner to the Australian Government in delivering infrastructure and services that ensure our communities continue to grow and prosper.

“The Toowoomba Region is a unique case in that we are a significant solution to the growing pains to our east while being the major service delivery centre for the regions to our west,” Mayor McDonald said.

“Without a fairer funding model which considers the key role that local governments play, communities like the Toowoomba Region will be left behind.”

Key priorities Council outlined to candidates included:

• Advocacy and funding for the Cressbrook Dam Safety Improvement Project
• Funding for trunk infrastructure to help unlock housing
• Increases to the local government Financial Assistance (FA) Grants back to one per cent of Australian Government taxation revenue
• Increases in migrant and refugee funding for the Toowoomba Region
• Returning the 80:20 Federal/State funding arrangements to local government for disaster recovery funding including betterment
• A commitment to obtaining formal clarity on the Inland Rail Project to provide surety to the community on alignment and investment into our region as well as future planning matters
• A commitment to supporting and seeking funding for the Toowoomba Region Sports Precinct at Charlton to meet growing and currently outstripped demand for sport and recreational facilities.

“We particularly want candidates to be aware of TRC’s strong position in supporting the Local Government Association of Queensland’s ‘Don’t leave us stuck in the 70s’ campaign which aims to highlight the current funding model supporting Councils was introduced more than 50 years ago and is no longer sustainable,” Mayor McDonald said.

This article appeared in On Our Selection News, 24 April 2025.