Council to pay for Mayor Rosanna Natoli’s Paris Olympics accommodation

Sunshine Coast ratepayers will foot a $7500 bill for Rosanna Natoli’s French accommodation while she is in Paris for the Olympics. Here’s what our readers think + have your say.

Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli will still pay for her airfare to the Paris Olympics and the Sunshine Coast Council will pay $7500 for her accommodation.

The Sunshine Coast Council will pay $7500 for the mayor’s accommodation at the Paris Olympics after a prior funding agreement for the trip fell through.

Sunshine Coast Council chief executive Emma Thomas said the council was originally advised Mayor Rosanna Natoli’s accommodation in Paris would be funded as part of the Olympic Family Program.

She said council was “made aware” that the mayor’s accommodation would not be funded after the April 24 council meeting.

The former Seven Local News journalist and weather presenter said the cohort travelling with the Olympic Family Program was not able to choose their own accommodation and she was glad it was not a top tier arrangement.

A search of accommodation options in Paris during the intended dates of the mayor’s travel shows accommodation options between about $3200 up to more than $30,000 for the period.

Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli will pay her own airfare to the Paris Olympics with the Sunshine Coast Council paying her accommodation after a prior arrangement fell through.

Dividing the accommodation total among seven nights makes the average nightly accommodation about $1070 a night.

Mrs Natoli will still pay her own airfare to travel to Europe.

“This came as a surprise to everyone and it’s obviously disappointing but in terms in what benefit this will bring … the council felt that as a whole it will be of great benefit,” she said.

The mayor, who joined a ticket lottery for the 2000 Sydney Olympics and won tickets to a number of events, said she would see the Paris Olympics through a different lens to her Sydney experience.

“I’m looking at it from an infrastructure and a service delivery point of view,” Mrs Natoli said.

“How they handle queues, how they handle security, basically the back of house for the sporting event.”

Mrs Natoli said her presence in Paris remained essential in securing a positive Olympic Games legacy for the Sunshine Coast region.

“Having discussed with my councillor colleagues and weighing everything up, we all agreed this opportunity is too important to forgo and that the value of my participation in the program will significantly outweigh the cost of my accommodation,” she said.

Mrs Natoli was elected after promoting a 10 point plan which promised action on everything from cost of living to housing affordability.

During her campaign, she promised to explore tiny homes on suitable properties, ensure there is infrastructure before development and fight for better public transport including passenger rail in Maroochydore, Kawana, Caloundra, Aura and Beerwah as well as a network of clean green buses connecting all communities.

The mayor will travel to Paris from July 25 to August 2 alongside other representatives from the Gold Coast and Brisbane city councils.

Commenters have also weighed in on the issue with one, Peter, saying it should not come as a “surprise” and the Olympic Games is the “present that just keeps on taking”.

“The games were originally the games of the South East which included the Sunny Coast so as with other events that directly involved them the mayor goes on a mission to sell the region,” he said.

Karen said: “Mayor Natoli vowed that she was going to listen to the people… well Mayor Natoli, a vast majority are against you going on the public’s dime. It’s unnecessary.”

Alan said that it was “probably not a total necessary trip” at this stage.

“But if the other councils, Brisbane and the Gold Coast are sending representatives, then we should have someone go from here,” he said.

“Whether it needs to be the mayor herself or another planner is the debatable point.

“Maybe it could wait until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics?”