Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio reflects on four-decade career after announcing retirement from local government

Exclusive: Just a day after announcing his retirement, outgoing Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio has delved into both the highs and lows of four decades in local government.

As Paul Antonio reflects on the job that will define his life, he describes himself as someone who was never supposed to become a politician.

“I’m just an ordinary guy – I don’t come from the chardonnay set, I’m just a farm boy from Millmerran who had the good fortune of being a graduate at UQ Gatton,” the outgoing Toowoomba mayor told NewsCorp.

Mr Antonio, who will step away from the role on July 21 following a tearful announcement on Thursday, has run through his triumphs, trials and pressure moments that defined his 41 years in local government.

He was also probed about his reasons for retiring before the end of the term, his 2018 Inland Rail misconduct scandal, and how he sees Toowoomba in 20 years’ time.

The art of playing both sides

The mayor of Toowoomba is not just a legislative role, but an advocacy and even activist role for your community — something Paul Antonio describes as a fine art.

“I’ve got to make sure they know who I am and where I come from,” he said, referring to state and federal politicians.

“My job is to advocate for Toowoomba — I’ve had prime ministers and premiers in this room (his office).

“It’s something I’ve managed to develop over the years – having that connection to both sides.”

Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Paul Antonio and former Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk meets with TRC Mayor Paul Antonio. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Not shy about describing his own ideology, Mr Antonio said part of the art of advocacy was setting personal feelings aside to curry favour.

“I come from a farming background, I go to church, and I’m rather conservative in my views, but I have to engage with all sides of politics and the relationships I have with a number of ministers in the state government is excellent for the benefit of Toowoomba,” he said.

“I have a good relationship with assistant ministers in the federal government too.

“That’s part of my job, if I was calling from the treetops about very conservative views, I couldn’t do that job.”

He likes to think he’s done a good job at that, referencing the billions in infrastructure investment that has been secured for the region during his four-decade career and especially his 11 years as the mayor of Toowoomba.

Millmerran Shire Council mayor Paul Antonio in 2006.

While the $1.3bn Millmerran power station, southeast Queensland (SEQ) City Deal, Inland Rail, turning Toowoomba into a refugee welcome zone and securing the Olympic Games with the Council of Mayors SEQ for 2032 all rank highly, Mr Antonio described the $1.6bn deal to build the Toowoomba Bypass as a serendipitous moment in Australia’s political history.

“The work done by infrastructure general manager Mike Brady, the CEO Brian Pidgeon, councillor Carol Taylor and myself, we worked very hard to get maximum benefit for Toowoomba out of the bypass,” he said.

“We had hoped for 70-75 per cent of that money, ultimately over 80 per cent came to this postcode.

“It was a moment in political history – Tony Abbott was the PM, Ian Macfarlane (Groom MP) was a senior minister, Warren Truss was the deputy prime minister and of course we had Campbell Newman as the premier.

“I understand that some politicians, including treasurers, were not keen to see that amount of money spent in this area when it could be spent in a marginal seat (but it happened).”

The art of teamwork, according to Paul

Mr Antonio remained evasive about his reasons for retiring before the end of current term, admitting he had initially wanted to serve it in full.

But Mr Antonio said a discussion with his family over his health had played a role in decision.

“I was planning to serve it out but my family came to me because of the environment that I’m in and so a decision was made,” he said.

After referencing “teamwork” many times during his announcement on Thursday, Mr Antonio described the current group of elected officials as “very different” to previous councils.

Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio reflects on four decades of local government service following the announcement he will retire on July 21, 2023.

“I don’t want to say too much about that particularly, because there are elements of that that have had an impact on my health, but the reality is we must work together for the sake of Toowoomba,” he said.

“In saying that, we’ve gotten the things we had to get done, and I’ve got tremendous support in the boardroom.

“There’s always a bit of robust discussion (but) my personal view is that there’s an adequate team to get things done, and I’m thankful for the people who support me.”

Teamwork is also the advice he’d give to the future mayors of Toowoomba, referencing his “hero” in former Brisbane mayor Graham Quirk.

TRC Mayor Paul Antonio and former Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk. Council of Mayors meeting in Toowoomba in 2017.

“Work as a team, do the best you can for your community, and do you research, make sure you understand the kind of things you want for your community,” he said.

“Whoever is the mayor (after July 21), the key things you’ve got to do is connect well with the people.

“I’ve learned about teamwork from of course Graham Quirk — Graham and I have kept a strong connection and … he demonstrates the real value of teamwork.

“The reality is that we worked together and if there’s one thing I’ve learnt in life, it’s you must accept other people’s views – particularly if they’re not too stupid – and work together to get an outcome.

“We’ve got the Olympic Games coming because a group of mayors worked together.”

The “other side” to Inland Rail scandal

Any biography written about Paul Antonio will include his 2018 apology after being found guilty of misconduct over his dealings with the Inland Rail project.

It related to Mr Antonio commissioning an alternate route for the project in 2016, which would run it near a basalt quarry he owned.

The now-defunct local government review panel determined he’d engaged in three acts of misconduct, including the creation of the map, failing to disclose this to his colleagues when voting on the Inland Rail and his responses during a 2017 ABC interview.

Reflecting on the incident, the mayor said he should “probably” not have done it, but denied it was an example of corruption.

“Yes, I should not have done what I did, but I did it for a very strong reason, which was to protect a person who I thought was not well, as a result of the Inland Rail going by,” Mr Antonio said.

“There were two alternate maps that were drawn up, but only one went by.

“I did it, I probably should not have done it but I’m not afraid of anything I’ve done and when I look at the results of the next election, it wasn’t a massive impact.

“I don’t think corruption comes into it if you knew the facts around it, it’s soft corruption – I have a soft element in my character, I’m very compassionate to help people and I was trying to help someone in those circumstances.”

When asked if he knew of any other ongoing investigations or complaints made against him, he said he had “no knowledge” of anything.

“But you never know, do you?” he remarked.

TRC Mayor Paul Antonio (left) with supporters John Gouldson and Zac Ford (right) on Toowoomba Regional Council local government election day, Saturday, March 28, 2020. Picture: Kevin Farmer

A special thank you, and a vision of the future

Mayor Paul Antonio will retire as one of Queensland’s most popular mayors, repeatedly pointing to back-to-back election support of more than 80 per cent.

He said this wouldn’t have been possible without the endorsement of residents.

“I‘m very honoured to have been supported like I have by the ratepayers of Toowoomba,” Mr Antonio said.

He also reiterated his vision for Toowoomba in 20 years, which remained a liveable region connected to the coast by high-speed rail.

“We’ll grow dramatically, we’ve got liveability,” Mr Antonio said.

“Some of the things on the table now, like fast rail (and) there are some critics out there (on fast rail) but have a think about the bypass – it was advocated for 70 years.

“Toowoomba has the liveability – look at the health, education, how everything is growing (and) we’ve got fast rail on the agenda, and I can’t tell you when it will happen but it (will).”