Toowoomba Region

Toowoomba Region Queensland
Location within Queensland
Coordinates	27°34′30.60″S 151°56′48.75″E / 27.5751667°S 151.9468750°E / -27.5751667; 151.9468750Coordinates: 27°34′30.60″S 151°56′48.75″E / 27.5751667°S 151.9468750°E / -27.5751667; 151.9468750
Population	160,779 (2016 census)[1]
• Density	12.3934/km2 (32.0986/sq mi)
Established	2008
Area	12,973 km2 (5,008.9 sq mi)
Mayor	Paul Antonio[2]
Council seat	Toowoomba
Region	Darling Downs
State electorate(s)	Toowoomba North Toowoomba South Condamine Nanango Southern Downs
Federal Division(s)	Groom Maranoa
Website	Toowoomba Region
LGAs around Toowoomba Region: Western Downs South Burnett Somerset Western Downs Toowoomba Region Lockyer Valley Goondiwindi Southern Downs Lockyer Valley

The Toowoomba Region is a local government area located in the Darling Downs part of Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by several previous local government areas with histories extending back to the early 1900s and beyond.

In 2018-2019 it has a A$491 million budget, of which A$316 million is for service delivery and A$175.13 million capital (infrastructure) budget.^[3]

History

Prior to the 2008 amalgamation, the Toowoomba Region existed as eights distinct local government areas:

• the City of Toowoomba;
• the Shire of Cambooya;
• the Shire of Clifton;
• the Shire of Crows Nest;
• the Shire of Jondaryan;
• the Shire of Millmerran;
• the Shire of Pittsworth;
• and the Shire of Rosalie.

The City had its beginning in the Toowoomba Municipality which was proclaimed on 24 November 1860 under the Municipalities Act 1858,^[4] a piece of New South Wales legislation inherited by Queensland when it became a separate colony in 1859. William Henry Groom, sometimes described as the "father of Toowoomba", was elected its first mayor. It achieved a measure of autonomy in 1878 with the enactment of the Local Government Act. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Toowoomba became a town council on 31 March 1903. On 29 October 1904, Toowoomba was proclaimed a City.^[5]

The Toowoomba Region also encompassed four of Queensland's 74 divisions created under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 on 11 November 1879: Clifton, Highfields, Jondaryan and Rosalie. On 31 March 1903, these became Shires. Between 1913 and 1917, a number of changes occurred: the Millmerran and Pittsworth areas voted to split from Jondaryan on 24 April 1913, whilst in the same year Crows Nest became a shire, and in 1914, Cambooya followed. On 19 March 1949, Highfields and Drayton were abolished, with their land going to Crows Nest and Toowoomba respectively.

In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that the eight areas amalgamate. Its main reason for recommending such a large area was that the region was a growth area and a new organisation would have political advocacy capabilities on behalf of the region. Two other key factors were that Toowoomba's suburbs had expanded well beyond the City of Toowoomba and a new entity would be able to manage the entire area under one plan. Additionally, environmental and natural resource challenges could, in the Commission's view, be better met by an organisation with "a scale and capacity to undertake... management across the region in an integrated manner." Three of the councils, Jondaryan, Millmerran and Pittsworth, were rated as financially weak by the Queensland Treasury. While no council had supported the Commission's model, most were willing to consider some form of amalgamation, and the Commission considered whether Millmerran should be united with Dalby or Toowoomba carefully. In the end, its proposal was unchanged.^[6] On 15 March 2008, the City and Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council.

Council

The council remains undivided and its elected body consists of 10 councillors and a mayor.^[7] Toowoomba Regional Councillors are not officially endorsed by political parties. They are required to declare memberships of political parties, bodies, associations and trade or professional organisations.

Mayors

2008: Peter Taylor ^[8]

2012: Paul Antonio ^[9]

2016: Paul Antonio ^[10]

Towns and localities

The Toowoomba Region includes the following settlements:

Population

The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008. The next census in 2011 was the first for the new Region.

Toowoomba Regional Library Services

The Toowoomba Regional Council operates the following libraries:^[11]

• Toowoomba City Library
• Toowoomba Local History Library^[12]
• Cecil Plains library
• Clifton Library
• Crows Nest Library (also known as the John French Library)
• Goombungee Library
• Highfields Library
• Millmerran Library
• Oakey Library
• Pittsworth Library
• Quinalow Library
• Yarraman Library
• and a mobile library which visits the communities of Bowenville, Cambooya, Cooyar, Gowrie Junction, Greenmount, Haden, Jondaryan, Kingsthorpe, Kulpi, Meringandan West, Mount Tyson, Westbrook, and Wyreema.

The Toowoomba Regional Libraries also provide a range of services including (but not limited to) free computer and internet access,^[13] free computer classes, and a Homebound Library Service for those who are temporarily or permanently home bound.^[14]

References