General News
24 February, 2026
Community to rate TRC
AT a time when there is a lot of angst over a plan to offload community buildings, the demolition of a public toilet block in Atherton, and the recent denial of rates concessions for sporting clubs, Tablelands Regional Council has launched a survey to find out just what the residents it serves think of the organisation.
But only one day after launching the online survey last week, claims were already flying that some people were not able to complete it.
The Community Satisfaction Survey is being conducted by independent social and market research company, McGregor Tan, and closes on 8 March.
The survey delves into areas such as what people like most about living in the region and whether they would recommend it to others but also asks direct questions as to how residents feel about the performance of the council.
It asks respondents to rate their level of satisfaction in how the council provides arts and cultural activities, libraries, playgrounds, swimming pools and public toilets.
One of the questions asks respondents as to whether council services have worsened over the last two years, and a subsequent question asks whether people believe council’s delivery of services and facilities will improve in the next five years.
Respondents also get to tell the council whether the level of rates they pay is appropriate, as well as whether they are satisfied with council’s future plans and whether its vision and goals for the area are clearly communicated.
The survey was launched last Monday, but on Tuesday, community advocate Matt Lachlan took to social media to advise that he had written to consultants, McGregor Tan, about “widespread complaints” from locals.
In his letter, Mr Lachlan claimed that some people who attempted to do the survey received an automated message that “McGregor Tan is required to collect a wide cross section of people to be representative of the population to fulfil our obligations for this project. In this instance, your segment has been filled”.
The Express asked TRC whether the survey had been designed to segment demographics to ensure it would reflect the overall population and not be dominated by a specific demographic such as an age group.
A spokesperson confirmed this was not the case and that TRC had contacted the consultants after they “became aware of the potential issue, and they addressed the problem quickly”.
“There were essentially two similar/connected issues. Survey participation is limited to residents and workers within the Tablelands Regional Council area, and several of the initial questions were screening questions,” the spokesperson said.
“Some participants who did not meet eligibility criteria (for example, elected members or those who indicated they neither live nor work in the Tablelands) were shown a default termination message that did not accurately reflect the reason for termination, and understandably this caused some confusion. This wording is being corrected.
“A screening question regarding home ownership, renting, or business/farm ownership formed part of the originally approved questionnaire.
“In practice, this proved too restrictive and may have excluded around 25 legitimate residents or ratepayers who have other valid connections to the region. This question is still included but is no longer preventing people who answer, ‘none of the above’ from completing the survey.”
The spokesperson said initial reports indicated a good participation in the survey so far.
To complete the survey go to https://www.trc.qld.gov.au/community-satisfaction-survey-faq/ then click on Community Satisfaction Survey, or go to TRC’s Facebook page.
The survey is open until Sunday 8 March. All completed surveys will go into a draw for a chance to win one of four Shop Tablelands vouchers, valued at $50, and McGregor Tan’s annual cash draw of $1,000.
