UPDATE: Former Toowoomba City Council mayor Di Thorley has returned to shake up the battle for Toowoomba South.



Ms Thorley left the Garden City eight years ago after two terms as mayor.



With her Tasmanian pub on the market she has returned to contest the state seat of Toowoomba South as an independent.



On an impromptu opening day of her by-election campaign she promised to lobby for small business, fight the drug scourge and listen to the community.



"I've always worked with people bringing me their issues and working to find a solution to it," she said.



"I don't know what the answer is to some of these issues and I won't give answers through this campaign because we need to find out from the people what the problems are and then look to policy."



Ms Thorley's tilt at the LNP safe seat as an independent was revealed by The Chronicle after a Labor source leaked her intentions.

Reader poll Will you vote for Di Thorley? This poll ended on 03 June 2016. Current Results Yes 60% No 39% This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

Ms Thorley said she would fight for funding for Toowoomba's Sunrise Way to allow it to open a detox centre.



"It should have the funding," she said.



"People shouldn't have to be running around scraping up money when that's the answer to the drug issue."

Former Toowoomba City Council Mayor Di Thorley confirms she will stand as an Independent at the Toowoomba South by-election. Kevin Farmer

UPDATE: Former Toowoomba City mayor Di Thorley has confirmed to The Chronicle she will be standing as an Independent at the Toowoomba South by-election on July 16.

She said she would still need to finalise the formalities of being a resident in the region before putting her nomination in.

Mrs Thorley said she had returned to the region to be closer to her elderly parents and to work on concerns she saw in the electorate.

Former Toowoomba mayor Di Thorley in the “chain and robe of office” that were laid to rest after council amalgamations. Kevin Farmer

EARLIER: A shock contender familiar to many residents has emerged to rival LNP's David Janetzki in Toowoomba South.

A source close to the ALP told The Chronicle that former Toowoomba City mayor Di Thorley was considering making a comeback for the state seat.

The source also said the Premier would be announcing the date for the by-election for the seat, vacated by John McVeigh as he makes a tilt at the federal seat of Groom.

The safe Toowoomba South seat could be headed for a shake-up if the former mayor stands for the seat.

Mr Janetzki won the pre-selection on Saturday against Sam Wright, with state Opposition leader Tim Nicholls and deputy Opposition leader Deb Frecklington in Toowoomba to hear who would run for the seat.

Labor is yet to field a candidate for Toowoomba South.

Dentist Ken Gover is standing for The Greens.