Toowoomba council portfolios: New committees, groups scrapped in major council portfolio upheaval

Councillors have nearly unanimously voted in sweeping changes to its portfolio system, which will see councillors spread across a variety of committees. Here’s how it will work.

Mayor Geoff McDonald during a council meeting on Tuesday. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Toowoomba Regional Council has formed two new committees as part of a major upheaval of its portfolios, in a move to fix systemic issues like siloing within the organisations.

Councillors voted through a slate of changes to its committee and portfolio structures at Tuesday’s meeting, with representation for the core business of council now shared between four and six councillors at a time.

The revamp also includes two new committees – business transformation and strategy and major projects.

As a result, the 11 councillors will each be the spokesperson for between two and four areas of council.

Councillor Carol Taylor did not vote in favour of the changes. Picture: Kevin Farmer

It represents a huge departure from the committee structures under previous mayors Peter Taylor and Paul Antonio, where two councillors were assigned to each of the five.

Mayor Geoff McDonald said the change to a “horizontal” approach brought the TRC in line with other councils across Queensland.

“Since 2008, the council has had the same structure, which is quite a vertical structure,” he said during the meeting.

“This motion brings forward a more horizontal, across-council view where councillors have an opportunity to be part of a variety of things, including two new areas of business transformation and major projects.

“This is also a way the councillors can work across, rather than vertically, and it gives every councillor an opportunity to do that.

“I personally look forward to councillors really getting into that groove of their areas of interest, and I’m looking forward to that commencing.”

The chair for each committee has also been detached as a result of the change, with another motion outlining a 12-month schedule of nominated councillors for the role.

The council has also scrapped 13 advisory committees, reference groups, management committees and working groups for a variety of reasons.

The list is headlined by the Bridge Street Quarry Development advisory committee, with the TRC arguing the project was currently “not funded by council or any other party”.

Three committees into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, regional access and disability, and the development industry, will be potentially re-established as working groups.

Committees relating to multiculturalism, active and public transport, regionals arts development, youth, the aerodromes and biosecurity will all be returned.

Councillor Carol Taylor was the only councillor to vote against the motions.