The inaugural members of Toowoomba Regional Council’s (TRC) Multicultural Advisory Committee have been named.
At the Ordinary Meeting of Council on 14 December, TRC Environment and Community Chair Cr James O’Shea said Councillors voted on the successful applicants with the group ready to hit the ground running in 2022.
“The Toowoomba Region is made up of so many cultures however, we’ve never had the right outlet to ensure all these voices are heard,” Cr O’Shea said.
“The establishment of this advisory committee will do just that.”
The Multicultural Advisory Committee consists of 16 members, with Cr O’Shea as the Chairperson, Crs Megan O’Hara Sullivan and Carol Taylor as Council’s representatives and the rest of the Committee made up of culturally diverse community members / sector representatives.
These members include: Kate Venables, Kelly Buckingham, Penny Pyke, Vishal Patel, Anyuon Liai Mager, Colin McKay, David New, Eakraj Adhikari, Fatima Zahra Blila, Gitie House, Haniff Abdul Razak, Heather Roberts and Ipek Tasli.
“This is a group of people I’m excited about,” Cr O’Shea said.
“We had a high number of applicants to choose from which shows how much enthusiasm there is for people wanting to be involved.
“Out of those applicants, we have a great spread of different cultures and backgrounds, with all the members bringing something unique to the table.
“Now that we have a group in place, the committee will be asked for input into the development of a Toowoomba Regional Council Multicultural Action Plan (MAP). The MAP will provide a framework for Council to identify issues and priorities for its multicultural communities. It will include specific actions to respond to needs and aim for more equitable outcomes for individuals, families and communities.”
