Travel bills at $30,000

Jane Emerick
Surf Coast councillors have left ratepayers with a $30,000 travel bill.
Councillor expenses for the past financial year also included $9000 for attending conferences and more than $10,000 for phones and the internet.
Councillors justified their spending after Surf Coast Shire released the expenses to the Independent.
Expenses combined with $15,000 councillor allowances and the mayor’s $46,500 pay for a total cost to ratepayers of $214,000.
Winchelsea’s Lindsay Schroeter topped the expenses list with $9611 for travel, almost double secondplaced Beth Davidson’s $4665.
But Cr Schroeter had almost no other claims and the lowest phone bill, $592.
He said his large travel bill reflected his workload on council.
“I’m not ashamed. I put in a lot of time travelling throughout the shire and meeting different groups,” Cr Schroeter said.
“There’s no councillor in Lorne, so I try to speak to the Lorne people as well.”
Cr Schroeter said he focused on the community rather than travelling to interstate conferences, like other councillors.
Cr Libby Mears’ bill for attending conferences was the highest, $3524.
“I carefully weigh the conferences I attend and make sure there’s a direct impact on the shire,” she said.
“Conferences provide the opportunity for the shire to grow and not only share what we’re doing with others but to learn from them as well.
“Some councillors aren’t interested in learning but there’s always opportunity for further growth.”
Cr Mears spoke at an International Conference on Walking and another on local governments’ role in climate change and reducing greenhouse gases, both in Melbourne. She also attended a Geelong Regional Library Corporation study tour in Sydney.
Mayor Rose Hodge attended conferences costing $2281. Cr Beth Davidson’s bill was about $1000 for her role on a Sea Change Task Force, which subsidised her travel to Western Australia, New South Wales and Phillip Island.
Cr Ron Humphrey slammed his colleagues for “conference hopping” to unnecessary and expensive interstate seminars.
“Many of these seminars, especially the ones interstate, are nothing more than junkets,” he said.
“I question them as an opportunity for selfpromotion to seek board appointments… nothing but Chardonnay junkets.”