Qld election 2024: Toowoomba North, South, Condamine forums slammed for lack of candidates

Toowoomba’s major election forums to discuss energy and small business were marred by a shocking lack of candidates, which one prominent citizen described as “embarrassing”.

The campaign for Toowoomba’s three seats at the upcoming state election has begun — but you wouldn’t be able to tell based on the showing from candidates at the first two major forums.

In a turnout a councillor described as “embarrassing”, just four of the 16 candidates in Toowoomba North, Toowoomba South and Condamine turned up to the Darling Downs Environment Council’s Energy Done Right forum at the Irish Club Hotel on Tuesday night.

Sitting MPs Trevor Watts and Pat Weir and their respective Greens opponents Thom Roker and Ellisa Parker were the only attendees for the event, which was organised by the DDEC, Lock The Gate and Save Our Darling Downs.

Toowoomba North MP Trevor Watts speaks at the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce's candidate forum on Wednesday night.

The attendance for the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce’s The Ayes Have It forum at The Oaks the following night (which focused on just Toowoomba North and South) was even worse, with Mr Watts and Mr Roker joined by opposition treasury spokesman David Janetzki to address concerns from the business community.

No candidates from Labor, One Nation, Family First or Legalise Cannabis (which are all running candidates in at least one of the seats) made an appearance at either, with the turnout reflecting the downbeat nature of the election across the state so far.

Toowoomba councillor Tim McMahon took to social media to voice his disappointment at the lack of options.

“I came because I want to hear from the candidates I’ve never met — which is most of them — however, it’s a bit embarrassing only three showed up,” he wrote.

“There are 11 candidates in North and South Toowoomba and we get three — still don’t know who most of the 8/11 candidates are.”

Here is a rundown on each forum and their key outcomes:

LNP pledges reforms to CSG exploration laws

Greens candidate for Toowoomba North Thom Roker speaks at the Darling Downs Environment Council's energy forum at the Irish Club Hotel on Tuesday.

Farmers and environmental activists have successfully secured reforms from the LNP over coal seam gas exploration, with Condamine MP Pat Weir revealing a new strategy at Tuesday’s environmental forum.

Mr Weir announced his party would make amendments to the state’s planning act that would require gas companies to prove “beyond any reasonable doubt” their activities wouldn’t have impacts on the Condamine Alluvium.

It comes after years of campaigning by Darling Downs farming families, who have warned of the threat CSG mining poses to prime agricultural land via subsidence.

Cecil Plains farmer Liza Balmain said the LNP’s change in policy was a step in the right direction.

“We were very encouraged by the LNP’s position at the candidates forum promising better protection for the prime agricultural land overlying the Condamine Alluvium from the impacts of coal seam gas mining,” she said.

“On the Darling Downs we grow cotton, sorghum, chickpeas, wheat, and other grains and legumes that feed and clothe Queensland and the world, all underpinned by the precious Condamine Alluvium, which is threatened by the gas industry’s intentions to drill hundreds of gas wells through its core.”

Mr Weir said he was proud to have lobbied for the changes to LNP policy.

Janetzki grilled on Toowoomba Hospital “short-change”

Toowoomba South MP David Janetzki speaks at the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce's candidate forum on Wednesday night.

Queensland’s potential future treasurer David Janetzki says Toowoomba has been “short-changed” by the plan for the new $1.3bn hospital — but stopped short on lobbying for changes to the project mid-construction.

Mr Janetzki was grilled on the hospital at the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce’s election forum on Wednesday night, among a number of other topics like red tape, crime and small business reforms.

When asked by independent federal candidate for Groom Suzie Holt about his commitment to a single-campus hospital, Mr Janetzki agreed the funding Labor had given to the project was not what Darling Downs Health had envisioned.

“The original hospital we were promised was north of $2bn and what’s happened over the time is it’s been sliced and we’re now looking at a hospital project that is not what was promised to us,” he said.

“I do have a view that October has been short-changed by this state government on this hospital.

“My fear with all of it is I have seen the health minister here a number of times cutting the big ribbon and I’m not sure how much of the earthworks have been done.

“The state roughly gets about $90bn to spend every year and a third is gone on hospitals, before we start anything else.”

Greens candidate for Toowoomba North Thom Roker agreed the city was under-served by future public health projects like the new hospital.

“As a local issue it’s been an issue for quite a long time and just by the current plan of expanding the Baillie Henderson site, it’s growing far too quickly and the complex needs of the population have already outgrown what the plan is,” he said.

Originally published as Qld election 2024: Toowoomba North, South, Condamine forums slammed for lack of candidates