By Luke Voogt
Geelong’s excess of lobby groups is a “tremendous waste of money” that has failed the city, according to former mayor Darryn Lyons.
Mr Lyons’ outcry followed the regional municipality alliance G21 walking away from its efforts to secure a $5 billion defence contract for the city, axing Land 400 from G21’s “priority projects” list.
“I think it’s very poor for G21 to give up the fight,” Mr Lyons said.
“Just to drop it like a hot potato says to me (Geelong has) very disappointing representation.”
Mr Lyons said everyone from “old ladies on Pako” to “cricketers on the weekend” continually asked him the same questions – “Where has Geelong’s identity gone? Where’s the fight?”
Geelong had become “the city of committees” where State Government had too much influence over groups such as G21 and the Committee for Geelong, he said.
“They should be representing their members and their community.”
Mr Lyons described the state’s decision to base any successful Land 400 bid at Fishermans Bend as an “appalling attack” on Geelong.
Last month both final bidders for the contract told the Indy they were interested in Geelong, contradicting Industry Minister Wade Noonan’s claims they preferred Melbourne.
G21 made the decision to drop Land 400 on advice from senior state bureaucrats that the final bidders basing operations in Geelong was “extremely unlikely”.
The government “obviously has got its deep dirty hands into G21, telling it what to do,” Mr Lyons said.
“This State Government is guilty of bullying in a major way.”
But G21 chief Elaine Carbines defended G21’s decision, saying defence procurement was “a more-realistic focus”.
One of the final bidders, BAE, already had an agreement with local advanced manufacturer Marand in case BAE’s bid was successful.
“We’re confident should Victoria win the Land 400 contract our manufactures will be able to access supply chain jobs.”
Ms Carbines also defended Geelong’s multiple lobby groups, saying the city was the envy of other regions.
Geelong was lucky to have multiple groups with the city’s “future at heart”, she said.
Ms Carbines praised the work of Geelong lobby groups while calling for the state to streamline the number of authorities managing the Great Ocean Road from 13 to one.
