City to spend $11,000 on two trips overseas

Hamish Heard
Ratepayers will pick up the tab for two globetrotting councillors and a couple of City Hall bureaucrats when they spend at least $11,000 on international travel over the next month.
Geelong Mayor Bruce Harwood and the City’s environment and natural resources manager will fly to Japan to sign an agreement on protecting habitat for birds migrating between the two countries.
Cr Peter McMullin and the city’s major projects manager, Steven Wright, will then jet to New Zealand for a conference on planning and development.
Cr McMullin came under fire from City of Greater Geelong ratepayer and Glen Eira councillor Helen Whiteside after he took two ratepayerfunded trips to China and a trip to Japan as mayor last year.
Cr Harwood will visit the city of Nagoya to sign a treaty to protect wetlands providing habitat for birds on migration routes between Japan and Australia.
The City’s environment portfolio holder, Cr Tom O’Connor, said the trip would “further reinforce the value of our local wetlands”.
The trip coincides with the Japanese city’s celebrations of International Day for Biological Diversity.
Cr Harwood will also use the visit to encourage Chiba Lotte Marines baseball team to continue its recent tradition of annual training camps in Geelong.
“The Marines will be in Nagoya at the time, so it’s an excellent opportunity to speak to the team about its plans for next year,” Cr Harwood said.
The team’s last visit, in January, had provided a $3 million boost to the region’s economy and contributed “many millions” more through added exposure to Japanese tourists, he said.
Cr McMullin and Mr Wright will attend a fourday International Cities, Town Centres and Communities Society Conference in Auckland.
Despite its overseas location, the event aims to tackle development and social issues facing regional Australia.
The event will cost ratepayers approximately $6000.