Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald unveils new councillor engagement model amid divisional push

As the council prepares to vote on whether to push forward with divisions in the next term, mayor Geoff McDonald has put forward a proposal he believes could “achieve more” than wards.

Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald has unveiled a proposal for a new councillor engagement model.

Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald has revealed a complete shake-up of how councillors interact and engage with the community in a move he believes could stave off a push to introduce divisions.

Mr McDonald will introduce a proposal at Tuesday’s ordinary meeting for a new community engagement model that will see three councillors assigned to one of three areas across the region on 12 month cycles.

The mayor and deputy mayor Rebecca Vonhoff will remain unattached in essentially floating roles across the whole region.

Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald's new councillor engagement model, featuring the northern zone (purple and green), the southern zone (orange and yellow) and the emerging zone (blue).

The three zones, dubbed northern, southern and emerging, are based around the council’s current community development officer boundaries.

Mr McDonald said the councillor-driven approach would not lock councillors into an area but rather “give structure” to the council’s current community engagement approach.

He said the new model directly addressed dissatisfaction among residents living in communities outside Toowoomba.

“This doesn’t stop councillors from going across the whole region, it’s not mandated, but it gives structure,” Mr McDonald said.

“I’ll know if there’s something up there in the north and there are three councillors, it’s going to be covered.

“It’s about autonomy and this shared leadership model, where it will be up to the councillors how much they engage, so there’s transparency and accountability.

“We’re answering the call of the community, they say they don’t see anyone or hear from anyone — that’s perception, but it’s also reality.

“The second part is councillors then will be engaged better with the community.”

Mr McDonald said it would be up to councillors to decide how the model was delivered.

“There are a lot of ways councillors could approach this – it’s a very broad mandate,” he said.

“At the end of 12 months, the three councillors will provide a one-page summary to hand over to the next three councillors.

“This could morph into something else, like very consultative committees.

“If they do it well, their connection to the community will be better, it will make for richer discussions in the boardroom, and subliminally we may get representatives from those townships who put their hands up for council.”

Mayor Geoff McDonald during an ordinary meeting of council, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

It comes as the council will receive the latest report into the possibility of divisions in the 2028 term, which has support among many people across the region.

In a rare move, governance and legal services manager Bailey Garcha will not make any recommendations on the subject, arguing management needed guidance from councillors.

While Mr McDonald didn’t specifically oppose divisions, he argued his engagement model would be a no-risk alternative.

“Even if council says it wants to pursue divisions, it won’t be our decision – it may even have to have a referendum,” he said.

“It will ultimately be a state government decision, and it won’t happen until next term.

“So what do we do – do we mark time and do the same things, or do we do something different?

“I’m hopeful this model will achieve more than what divisions can achieve.”