A new report released today by the Darling Downs Environment Council (DDEC) has found that the Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) is significantly underinvesting in bushland protection and maintenance compared to other South East Queensland councils – and is failing to support the creation of new bushland parks even when developers propose them. DDEC claims that expanding and maintaining bushland parks is a core pillar to the Garden city image of the Toowoomba region.
The report, Comparing Spending on Protecting and Maintaining Bushland Areas in the Toowoomba Region to Other SEQ Councils, highlights that while TRC manages a similar area of bushland to the Sunshine Coast Council, it allocates only $637.50 per hectare to bushland maintenance. This is more than five times less than the $3,385 per hectare allocated on the Sunshine Coast.
DDEC Coordinator Ahri Tallon said the findings show Toowoomba is falling behind its peers in protecting its natural assets:
“Bushland parks are essential for biodiversity, climate resilience, community wellbeing and our reputation as a garden city – yet Toowoomba Regional Council is underfunding them and, worse still, resisting their creation when developers put them forward as part of new estates. This lack of vision is costing our community and future generations.”
The report identifies several structural barriers to stronger bushland protection in Toowoomba:
- TRC is the only SEQ council without an environmental levy, creating a structural funding gap.
- Just 13.78% equivalent of the total of the TRC’s parks budget goes to bushland management, compared with 21–38% in other SEQ councils.
- Unlike neighbouring councils, TRC provides no incentives for landholders to enter Voluntary Conservation Agreements.
DDEC is calling for Council to develop a Bushland Parks strategy including:
- Actively supporting the dedication of new bushland parks where proposed by developers; this will require creating a separate category for bushland parks so bushland parks do not add to recreational parks allocated quotas of .7 hectares per thousand people.
- Reinstating an environmental levy to ensure consistent funding and apply environmental infrastructure charges to developers to create revenue for environmental activities;
- Increasing the equivalent proportion of the total parks budget dedicated to bushland maintenance and expansion to be in line with other SEQ councils; reducing costs of maintaining some recreational parks by replacing lawn for habitat and also using private contractors for bush regeneration and weed maintenance.
- Creating incentives for landholders to protect ecologically significant areas through rate reductions for hosting covenants.
“The community wants to see its unique landscapes and wildlife protected to maintain our garden city character. Bushland parks must become a core part of Toowoomba’s green future, not an afterthought blocked at the planning desk,” Mr Tallon said.
“We recognise TRC is financially constrained but want to see them look at the cost saving opportunities such as reducing mowing in large infrequently used grassy parks so more resources can go towards maintaining our natural areas” said Mr Tallon.
The report concludes that without significant changes, Toowoomba will continue to fall short of its responsibility to protect biodiversity, and support mental wellbeing by providing residents with access to high-quality natural areas.
Report available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qFW-SwRMmMsGOUMfFg5VrgtsMFjfDj3i/view?usp=sharing
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