Autumn Feast 2024: Toowoomba council votes to sponsor event by Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce, Dine Darling Downs

Toowoomba’s newest seasonal festival has cleared a major hurdle to launch in 2024, after securing a six-figure sponsorship from the council. But the decision wasn’t without controversy.

A plan to create Toowoomba’s newest festival that organisers claim could inject up to $14m into the local economy has taken a big step forward, thanks to a $100,000 sponsorship from the council that could increase by next week.

Autumn Feast, a 10-day arts, food and culture event being spruiked as the missing link in the Garden City’s events and tourism calendar, looks set to go ahead next year following the narrow decision by councillors on Wednesday to sponsor it.

Councillor Rebecca Vonhoff’s motion, which would support the event by up to $100,000, squeaked through 5-4 during a lengthy and sometimes heated discussion at City Hall.

It is understood, though not explicitly stated, the money will come out of next financial year’s community grants program, which was under-subscribed by about $200,000 for 2022-23.

The money is less than the $150,000 naming rights sponsorship offer made to council by event organisers – the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce and Dine Darling Downs.

While the original proposal earnt support from councillors like Nancy Sommerfield and Melissa Taylor, concerns were raised about the 2024 event’s planned $46,000 deficit even with council support, lack of clarity around governance and the scope of community sectors and industries that would benefit from it going ahead.

Toowoomba councillors Nancy Sommerfield and Melissa Taylor supported providing $150,000 in funding to Autumn Feast.

Such was the variety of opinions and viewpoints in the room, there were three alternate motions to the officer’s recommendation of refusal.

Ms Sommerfield, who advocated for the full $150,000, spoke passionately about the future of Autumn Feast if the seed funding delivered a popular annual tourism event.

“It’s not focused just on Toowoomba and it provides a great opportunity for our residents and visitors,” she said.

“There’s an opportunity for us to deliver in this initial festival — it is more money, but it’s seed funding and most of us know how hard it is to get an event off the ground, particularly one as large as this.

“This is a wonderful opportunity and I encourage my councillor colleagues to support this.”

After this motion failed 4-5, Ms Vonhoff argued her $100,000 alternate proposal was closer in value to the council’s sponsorship of previous events like the 2018 Toowoomba NRL match and would still get the festival going.

Rebecca Vonhoff. Photo Bev Lacey

“Rather than saying no, this is coming back to them with $100,000 to get it off the ground,” she said.

“That figure is landed at when looking at that proposed budget and seeing there’s room for cutting of the cloth.

“Given the amounts we’ve given to other events, the quantum of $150,000 was a little too much, but $100,000 is very generous and would get them going.”

Councillor Bill Cahill was fiercely against any sponsorship, accusing his colleagues of “making up policy on the run”.

“There are no established negotiations around the concrete benefits to council around that outlay of money,” he said.

“We’re putting money into something that hasn’t even been defined properly.

“I’ll be reminding each and every one of you every time we sit around the budget table about how we eroded away ourselves and went against best governance practice.”

Small business owners Ben Johnson and Petria Cumner in Queens Park are excited for Autumn Feast, a new event organised by Chamber of Commerce. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Ms Vonhoff earnt support from councillors Carol Taylor, Melissa Taylor, Kerry Shine and Tim McMahon, while deputy mayor Geoff McDonald, Mr Cahill and Nancy Sommerfield (who wanted transparency around where the money would come from) voted against it.

The decision could change when mayor Paul Antonio and councillor Megan O’Hara Sullivan are present at next week’s ordinary meeting, where the item is almost certain to be pulled out and voted on again.

Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Rohl said he would reserve comment until after the ordinary meeting.