Council slashes budget for overseas trips amid eye-catching claims
A SOUTHEAST council has slashed its overseas travel budget in half, as claims emerge of ‘lavish’ trips including $800-a-night hotel stays, $100 steak meals and a crashed Porsche.
Logan
Don't miss out on the headlines from Logan. Followed categories will be added to My News.
LOGAN City Council has axed three overseas trips scheduled for this month and slashed its travel budget for the year in half, citing staff were unavailable.
The trips were canned after officers from council’s city planning and economic development committee ran a ruler over expenses and costings for five overseas tours slated for this financial year.
An original budget of $426,000 was set aside for the 2018-19 financial year but that was slashed to $200,000 last month.
A report last week said the trips were ditched because staff were unable to travel at the scheduled times or “there was no benefit to council to send staff”.
Instead, council said it would now resort to “alternative communication methods including video conferencing, electronic documents and regular information sharing instead of face-to-face meetings”.
Division 10 councillor Darren Power said he was amazed the council had “finally realised” the overseas trips were wasting ratepayer money.
He said he had evidence previous councillors and staff had bought business-class plane tickets, four-to-five star accommodation, hundred-dollar steak meals, $800-a-night hotels and one hired a Porsche car and crashed it.
“I’ve never supported the snouts-in-the-trough program,” he said.
“In all the years I’ve been a councillor, I’ve never been on, or have refused to go on, overseas (trips) — nor have I witnessed any economic benefit for this council as a result of these trips.
“Residents will be appalled at some of the lavish tastes of some of these councillors and previous staff.
“I’ve made complaints to government ministers and the Crime and Corruption Commission.”
Cr Power said he stepped up his criticism of the council’s Global Strategy policy in October last year after council overspent the allocated budget of $70,000 by more than $110,000 for the year.
Council said it canned this month’s tour of Japan with the Logan Youth Music Exchange because its staff delegation was “not available to travel”.
However, it sponsored the trip, uniforms, civic gifts and sent a letter.
Council also axed a trip to North America, the US and Canada this month as part of the Southeast Queensland Council of Mayors Business Mission.
“The mission is not proceeding due to the Mayors not being able to travel during that
period,” the report to council said.
The third canned overseas trip, scheduled for council staff this month, was to China for the 40th Anniversary Celebration in China and the anniversary of the International Sister City Exchanges of Jiangsu Province.
“The mission is not proceeding due to the council delegation not being available to travel
during that period,” the report to council said.
However, council has decided to continue with two trips both to Singapore and China — the first next month and the second in April next year.
Staff from the council’s economic development and strategy department will go on the trip to identify business opportunities.
Five months later, acting mayor Cherie Dalley will take more staff and five local businesses to China and Singapore for anniversary celebrations with Logan’s international partner cities Suzhou and Xuhui and to attract investment into the region.
The council staff last visited China in 2016.