Toowoomba leaders quarterly meetings: Positive initial session discusses Inland Rail, $5bn infrastructure pipeline

Toowoomba’s political leaders have laid out their priorities for the coming years in a landmark meeting between three levels of government, which involved ‘open and frank’ discussions.

At the inaugural quarterly Toowoomba leaders meetings at the City Bowls Club, state Toowoomba North MP Trevor Watts, state Condamine MP Pat Weir, federal Groom MP Garth Hamilton, Toowoomba deputy mayor Rebecca Vonhoff and mayor Geoff McDonald.

The delivery of Toowoomba’s $5bn infrastructure pipeline like the Inland Rail are among the priorities for the city’s leaders after they met for the first of a series of quarterly meetings on Thursday.

Groom MP Garth Hamilton met with mayor Geoff McDonald, deputy mayor Rebecca Vonhoff, Toowoomba North MP Trevor Watts and Condamine MP Pat Weir for a “frank and open” discussion on how the three tiers of government could work better together.

A representative for Toowoomba South MP David Janetzki was also present at the City Bowls Club on Lindsay St, opposite Queens Park.

The session was delivered on the back of an investigation by The Chronicle that explored delivery issues for the Toowoomba Regional Council on major projects, most notably the City Deal-attached Railway Parklands project.

It is understood part of the meeting addressed obstacles that had impeded collaboration, particularly between the council and the federal MP.

At the inaugural quarterly Toowoomba leaders meetings at the City Bowls Club – Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald and deputy mayor Rebecca Vonhoff, federal Groom MP Garth Hamilton, state Toowoomba North MP Trevor Watts and state Condamine MP Pat Weir.

Mr Hamilton said infrastructure would be a key focus, given the significant amount of work in the pipeline for the region.

“This was a look at how we can help council build things — there are a number of ways we can support that, and I think it was positive from that point of view,” he said.

“It was a very frank and open conversation about how we can use every position we have in the region to get things delivered.

“There is $110bn in the infrastructure pipeline across 152 seats, which averages out to $700m a seat — this region is set to get about $5bn.

“What’s important now is we can deliver it.”

Mr Hamilton said several smaller meetings had been lined up, followed about another formal session in November following the state election.

“It was very clear we’re all trying to work together and get the best for our region,” he said.

“This wasn’t about trying to stray outside of our lanes, but what’s important is we deliver the best we can for our city.

“A lot of the funding mechanisms do require a bit of attention, it’s not just about winning funding, it’s about delivering it.”

Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald said the meeting focused primarily on the Inland Rail and the upcoming Cressbrook Dam safety upgrades, which must be completed by the council by October 2025.

He said the council was keen to maintain open lines of communication with both levels of government.

“The one commonality was the Inland Rail and getting some surety for our community,” Mr McDonald said.

“For council … the project needs integration into our network — our new planning scheme is contingent on that work taking place.

“What we did discuss is the main focus on this council is to maintain open lines of communication.

“Each government level will have different priorities — where they align that’s great, but where they don’t we need to have important conversations.”

Mr Watts said there was historical precedence to having all three levels of government working together.

“For one example, when we finally got the bypass money allocated, we had the local council, the state and federal government all on the same page. Therefore, we got the job done,” he said.

“I’m very confident that working together, we’ll be able to improve our region both quicker and to a more complete standard.”