Toowoomba needs new stadium, entrepreneurs, marginal seat needed to help city’s growth over next decade

Toowoomba is growing by the day thanks to waves of families moving away from the cities to find a new lifestyle. But a leading expert says the city is missing some key elements.

Toowoomba needs a new national event, a marginal seat, a new sports stadium and an entrepreneurial class to be considered a true regional powerhouse.

That’s according to a nation-leading demographer and social trend expert, who says the city is on the cusp of something special heading into the next decade.

Simon Kuestenmacher, who has completed a full analysis into Toowoomba’s next decade, has compiled a list of elements a regional city should have.

While the Garden City ticks off most of the 21 items, like an airport, hospital and good schooling, he pointed to a need for a new national event, a better stadium and contestable electoral seats.

But he said the lack of small business owners and start-ups was of concern, noting how far below it was compared with other areas of the southeast.

“My one criticism is when we look at the entrepreneurial class, you have low figures — 14 per cent of people are that,” he said.

“You are lagging behind in the national average and in the southeast Queensland region — the Sunshine Coast has 20 per cent of entrepreneurs.”

Mr Kuestenmacher recommended the council and State Government invested in incentives and better infrastructure to attract small business owners.

“It should be (doable) to shift people into business ownership, through infrastructure and general campaigns to attract these people to live,” he said.

On a positive note, Mr Kuestenmacher said he was impressed by how well Toowoomba retained its young people, along with attracting them back to the region after they moved away.

“(One group behind the population growth) is what I call the ‘remainers’, who stay local rather than move away,” he said.

You have this to a much higher degree than other regional cities, it’s rare to find a town like this — that would be something to be proud of.”

“Then there are the ‘returners’, who are born or brought up in Toowoomba and then left but returned when they had families of themselves.

“They normally return in their 40s, but now they seem to be returning even earlier.”

Originally published as Toowoomba needs new stadium, entrepreneurs, marginal seat needed to help city’s growth over next decade