Mayor flies out for ‘smart city’ trip to Singapore

TOOWOOMBA Mayor Paul Antonio will jet off for the second of five council trips this year, in a delegation to Singapore to explore the use of smart technology.

Cr Antonio will lead the delegation of the Council of Mayors South-East Queensland tomorrow. It features councils from Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, Moreton Bay, Redland, Scenic Rim and Toowoomba.

The trip, which is not funded by the Toowoomba Regional Council directly, will give the participants an insight into how Singapore uses smart technology and infrastructure to save money and improve efficiency.

Cr Anonio said he was hoping to take in plenty of ideas that could be applied to Toowoomba, such as more efficient street lighting, water management and parking.

“There is a will from everyone to work together to engage the best possible technology for our regions,” he said.

“A prime example came from a commercial entity discussion I was having. When it comes to street lighting, we can save 60% on costs by looking at new technology.

“There are many elements of this that can come together, and when I get back, I want to engage our council to discuss them.”

The delegation is one of five trips the council highlighted earlier this year to strengthen cultural and economic ties, including visits to Japan in March, South Korea in July, Hong Kong in September with Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise and New Zealand in November.

Cr Antonio said learning how the top cities in Singapore ran their infrastructure would have plenty of benefits for Toowoomba.

“While in most places the adoption of smart cities technologies is in its infancy, Singapore is an exemplar in demonstrating the benefits,” he said.

As well as meeting with government and business leaders, the delegation will be welcomed with a reception at the Australian High Commission.