General News
4 August, 2025
De-amalgamation move is on
More than 17 years after the amalgamation of eight local governments to form Toowoomba Regional Council, another challenge to the effectiveness of the concept is underway.
A group of prominent citizens from the Clifton area west to the Millmerran district and north to Jondaryan and Bowenville is planning a case aimed at creating a new rural shire taking in the southern and western areas of the current Toowoomba Region.
It is similar to a move made in 2012 when a Darling Downs Shire was proposed.
The case for that proposed shire is said to have stood up financially and at the time showed that the proposed council would have compared with the Goondiwindi-based regional council.
Toowoomba Regional Council was kept in touch with the proposal but in 2015 refused to vote on the issue.
Current Premier David Crisafulli was the Local Government Minister at that time and was made aware of the plan but did not progress the case.
The move for a new shire effectively failed in 2016 after the then Minister for Local Government, Jackie Trad, indicated that Toowoomba Regional Council would have to be in favour of the proposal for it to proceed.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Regional Council was not in favour.
The new bid will use the case prepared by proponents of the original Darling Downs Shire plan as a basis for the new study.
The new group includes four members who had served as local government councillors on Clifton, Pittsworth and Millmerran Shires, three of them also having served on Toowoomba Regional Council.
The group is also drawing on the expertise of experienced senior local government personnel.
The move to make another attempt at splitting the Region comes because of ongoing complaints from ratepayers in rural towns and districts.
Two members of the group who will initially act as spokespersons are former Toowoomba Region Mayor Paul Antonio and well known Pittsworth district farmer and developer Mark Droney.
They, along with other members of the group say they are regularly hearing adverse comments about the way in which areas away from Toowoomba are being treated.
The group puts the blame squarely on the shoulders of the State Labor Government led by then Premier Peter Beattie.
Mr Beattie stepped down and left incoming Premier Anna Bligh to put the changes into effect.
In most cases there were mergers of two or three councils into one however on the Downs, seven shires and Toowoomba City Council were forced to combine.
There was widespread criticism because of what was seen as a distinct lack of common interest between a growing urban population in and around the city and a rural population in towns where residents had strong links to agricultural pursuits.
Even today, the “them and us” attitude is very evident across rural towns.
Proposed boundaries for a new council are still being considered by the new group but it appears most likely that the area to be covered will be somewhat similar to that proposed in the previous case study.
This takes in the whole of the former Clifton, Pittsworth and Millmerran shires and rural portions of the former Cambooya and Jondaryan shires, which aligns with the central Condamine catchment.
The group believes dormitory centres such as Westbrook, Wyreema, Cambooya and Oakey should remain in the Toowoomba-based Council area.
