Toowoomba councillors’ abstentions will count as votes against under new meeting rules

Toowoomba Regional Council’s revised meeting rules will record an abstention as a vote against and set procedures for conflicts of interest, councillor conduct and chairing future Council and standing committee meetings.

Councillors adopted the July 2026 Best practice example standing orders for council and standing committee meetings at the 21 July ordinary meeting. Cr Rebecca Vonhoff moved the motion and Cr Tim McMahon seconded it.

The revised orders were prepared by the Queensland Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers. They update the rules Council adopted in April 2024, which were dated March 2024.

Recording an abstention as a vote against changes how voting results are represented. A councillor who abstains will not be recorded as neutral in the result.

The rules also set out how conflicts of interest and councillor conduct are managed. Those procedures govern whether a councillor remains for a debate, leaves a meeting or takes part in a vote.

At the July meeting, Cr Gary Gardner declared a real conflict of interest over confidential Toowoomba City Aerodrome ground-lease tenders. He said he would leave while the matter was discussed and voted on. Gardner also declared a material personal interest in a motion about coal seam gas activities, citing his ownership and operation of local businesses in the gas sector.

The revised orders further address the chairperson’s role. The Mayor chairs a local government meeting when present, with procedures applying when the Mayor is absent, unavailable or unable to chair.

Council is required under section 150G of the Local Government Act 2009 to adopt the department’s model meeting procedures or prepare meeting procedures consistent with them. The July rules now apply to Council and standing committee meetings, shaping how future motions, abstentions, declarations and conduct matters are handled and recorded.