Tall Trees Picnic Celebration Calls for Planning Minister to Keep Hands Off
MEDIA RELEASEProtect Trees Toowoomba, a campaign supported by the Darling Downs Environment Council Immediate release Music, stories and 130-year-old gums: Highfields throws a picnic for its tall trees, and saves a spot for the Planning Minister Tall Trees Celebration...
Toowoomba community to test Bleijie’s promise on local planning power
TOOWOOMBA, Wednesday 23rd of September — Toowoomba residents will hear directly next Wednesday from a Gympie councillor whose own community has already watched the state's Planning Minister strip out tree and habitat protections — just weeks before...
Kogan Data Centre Needs Manual Off Switches and Environmental Safeguards
MEDIA RELEASE — Darling Downs Environment CouncilFor immediate release: Tuesday 15th September 2026 AI industry leaders say slow down. Queensland is being asked to approve Australia's biggest AI data centre with no manual off switch for Australia. Darling Downs...
Sweeping ministerial powers pass into law — communities on both fronts say the fight isn’t over
Queensland's Parliament last night passed the State Development and Public Works Organisation (Critical Minerals) and Other Legislation Amendment Act, concentrating sweeping powers over land access and project approvals in the hands of the Deputy Premier and...
Downs and Regional Queensland Groups Calls for Urgent Expansion of Koala Protections Beyond SEQ
*Submission attached. A coalition of Southern Queensland environmental and community organisations is calling on the Queensland Government to urgently expand koala conservation efforts beyond South East Queensland (SEQ), warning that without immediate action, regional...
Proposed E-bike Licensing Laws Risk Leaving Communities Behind
The Darling Downs Environment Council (DDEC) and the Toowoomba Regional Bicycle Users Group (TRBUG) are calling on the Queensland Government to urgently reconsider proposed changes that would require people riding low-powered e-bikes (under 25km/h)...
Renewables shouldn’t be the only industry paying community benefits – TRC needs to call on State must level the playing field
The Darling Downs Environment Council (DDEC) is calling on Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) to work with community and local governments across Queensland to urge the State Government to require mining and other major industrial developments to...
Community Meeting in Glenvale to Oppose Development Threatening Koalas and Local Amenity – Tuesday, 20 January 2026
Residents of Western Glenvale will gather at 5.30pm on Tuesday 20 January for a community meeting at the end of Rebecca Street to discuss serious concerns about a proposed development at 300 Drayton Wellcamp Road (Application MCUI/2025/7307). The proposal seeks...
Steady Climate Policy Needed to Protect Regional Economies and Keep Power Costs Down
The Darling Downs Environment Council (DDEC) has urged national leaders to stay the course on practical climate and energy policy, warning that walking away from Australia’s long-term climate commitments would leave regional economies and families worse off. “People...
New DDEC Report Calls for Council to Recognise Role of Bushland Parks in Garden City Image
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...