City Hall’s decision to stand down 576 employees weeks before councillors were due to vote on $5 million of Christmas activities has outraged a local MP.
Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick described City of Greater Geelong’s move a fortnight ago as “heartless”, “callous” and “particularly offensive” given the upcoming vote tomorrow night.
“These employees, their families and the community have every right to be appalled at the let-them-eat-cake attitude from City Hall,” the Member for Western Victoria said.
Mr Meddick took aim at the proposal, outlined in a officer report written following a council request in January, before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
The report proposes spending another $5 million on top of $3.4 million already budgeted for Geelong’s Christmas program over four years.
Under the proposal Geelong’s floating Christmas tree would be re-engineered to be taller with new features.
The proposal would see council hire a creative director for $100,000 a year plus two more staff for $120,000 to oversee the program.
Mr Meddick demanded council reinstate the 576 employees instead.
The “sacked” workers would be “rightly angry” at council announcing “the money that would have kept them employed will be spent on a part-time consultant and Christmas decorations”, he said.
But Geelong Mayor Stephanie Asher warned Mr Meddick not to jump the gun.
“We welcome everyone’s opinion on the officer report in the lead-up to the meeting,” she said.
“But it would be best to wait on what the councillors say and decide tomorrow night before being too critical.”
Council was only considering the program tomorrow night due to a deadline set in January before the pandemic took hold in Australia, Cr Asher said.
“The officer report is on the agenda for tomorrow night’s meeting only because it was requested within a certain time frame by councillors before the COVID-19 crisis.
“The council will consider the ideas in the report and any investment of funding in the context of the current environment.”
A fortnight ago council indefinitely stood down six full-time, 287 part-time and 283 casual employees as the coronavirus forced it to close a number of services and facilities.
City Hall initially provided these workers with two-weeks’ special pay, redeployment opportunities and extended leave entitlements at a cost of $450,000, it stated.
Following criticism from state and federal MPs, Cr Asher and council chief executive Martin Cutter wrote to state government requesting financial support for the workers.
The letter justified the request by pointing out state government had responsibility for local government and that is regulations had led to the closures.
