By DDEC Community Member Shannon Michael
The ongoing development between Reis Road and Barracks Road in Highfields is yet another example of the Toowoomba Regional Council’s (TRC) failure to properly scrutinize the environmental impacts of large-scale urban projects. This development directly affects 11.5 hectares of critical koala habitat, yet key environmental reports—specifically the Significant Impact Assessment (SIA) required under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act—remain unavailable. Despite the clear importance of this report in determining the full ecological impact, TRC approved the development without sighting or ensuring its publication.
This missing report raises serious concerns about TRC’s diligence. The SIA should outline the consequences for koalas and other threatened species within the development area, but with no access to this critical information, how can residents trust that the council has adequately assessed the risks? The lack of transparency suggests that decisions are being made based on incomplete or insufficient data—effectively bypassing legislative requirements meant to protect endangered species.
This isn’t the first time TRC has failed in its environmental oversight. In 2022, during another development along Reis Road, a significant native tree, Callitris baileyi (Bailey’s Cypress), was improperly identified and subsequently destroyed. This species, which is protected under the Nature Conservation Act, known to occur in the area, is easily identified but was incorrectly listed in the development's application documents as a common Callitris species. The large, mature tree and four immature individuals were later correctly identified in a secondary ecological report for the associated road upgrades. Despite the significance of the tree and its legal protection, TRC approved the application based on the initial flawed report, leading to the loss of a near-threatened species that could have been saved with minimal adjustment to the development plan.
Such oversights are becoming a pattern, where TRC consistently fails to give the necessary weight to environmental protections in their decision-making. The current development approval mirrors this pattern, with critical reports missing and assessments not properly scrutinized. The parallels are stark: just as the council approved the earlier development without recognizing the importance of the Callitris baileyi, they are now pushing forward a project that impacts critical koala habitat without the required SIA being scrutinised.
This ongoing failure raises a key question: how many more endangered species and vital habitats will be sacrificed because the council does not take its environmental responsibilities seriously? If a development report is missing crucial information or contains errors, it is the council’s duty to halt the process and demand the necessary revisions—not rubber-stamp it without proper review.
Other Local Governments frequently engage third party ecological consultants to review ecological reports for development applications, particularly ones with the potential for significant environmental impacts and community contention.
TRC’s actions, or lack thereof, reflect an outdated approach to urban development. In an era when sustainability and conservation are central to responsible planning, TRC is lagging behind other councils across Queensland, who have implemented modern, transparent measures to protect local biodiversity. Yet here, the council seems content to allow flawed reports which receive no peer-review to guide decisions that have long-term environmental consequences.
The fact that TRC is moving forward with the Reis Road development, without sighting the SIA or ensuring it has been made public, is deeply troubling. Not only does it reflect poorly on the council’s ability to fulfill its legal obligations, but it also perpetuates a dangerous precedent for future developments.
The residents of Highfields deserve better. They deserve a council that thoroughly reviews every environmental report, follows the law, and prioritizes the protection of endangered species and habitats. Instead, they are left watching as significant natural assets are carelessly destroyed, and essential legal requirements are ignored.
Until TRC takes its responsibility to scrutinize development applications seriously, the Highfields and greater Toowoomba environment—and by extension, its unique character—will continue to be at risk.
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