City of Melbourne ratepayers slugged $330,000 for staff travel bill over past 12 months

MELBOURNE City Council staff took overseas and domestic trips worth $330,000 over the past year. See where they went on the ratepayers’ coin.

CITY of Melbourne ratepayers stumped up more than $30,000 for council chief executive Ben Rimmer to attend two “entrepreneurship” programs in the US.

Mr Rimmer’s trips to New York and Boston are among 171 domestic and international jaunts costing more than $330,000 that have been taken by city council staff over the past year, a Sunday Herald Sun investigation has revealed.

Mr Rimmer, who will step down in December amid fall-out from the Robert Doyle sexual harassment scandal, flew to Boston and New York last October to attend two events.

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Melbourne City Council CEO Ben Rimmer has gone on two ratepayer-funded trips to Boston.

One was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program, and the other was the International Faculty Fellows Program.

Mr Rimmer returned to Boston in June this year to attend another session of the MIT program called “from vision to practical action”.

According to its website, the MIT program offers communities from around the world “an evidence-based, practical approach to strengthening innnovation driven entrepreneurial ecosystems”.

City of Melbourne CEO Ben Rimmer speaking at the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program in Boston.

Gideon Rozner, from free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs, said: “If the council is spending so much on lavish junkets, then it clearly has money to burn.”

“It’s time for a hefty rate cut.”

But a City of Melbourne spokeswoman said that the city was chosen to take part in the MIT program, and Mr Rimmer partnered with the vice-chancellors of Melbourne University and RMIT “to ensure we are best positioned to attract and support the jobs, investment and innovation of the future, including startups”.

“Working together with (state government body) Launch Victoria...our partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology provides Melbourne with access to global experts and evidence-based learning from the world’s most successful innovation precinct,” she said.

In March this year, Mr Rimmer also took part in a city council-led business mission to Japan and China that put his costs at $11,817.

Barcelona was among cities visited by city council staff over the past year.

Other travel taken by council staff over the past year included:

PLANNING and design manager Mark Allan taking part in the Property Council of Australia’s US study tour last September at a cost of $13,519.

A $24,426 trip by former senior council executive Martin Cutter and chief digital officer Michelle Fitzgerald to attend various cities seminars in Germany, Belgium and Spain last October.

CITY economy and activation group director Katrina McKenzie on a $9618 trip to France earlier this year to help plan for the global Urban 20 conference due to be held in Argentina next month.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris. Picture: Kylie Else

Other places visited by staff included Los Angeles, Toronto and Cape Town.

Among domestic travel, manager of on-street compliance services Dean Robertson and colleague Kevin Schwieker attended a parking conference in Sydney for a total cost of $5000.

Last February, arts manager Kaye Glamuzina went to a performing arts market in Brisbane at a cost of $3203.

The City of Melbourne spokeswoman said the council was conscious of travel costs and ensuring value was delivered through such trips.

“Travel by staff is governed by the corporate travel policy which has strict guidelines and reporting criteria for expenses incurred,” she said.

“Such travel must demonstrate professional development and/or a return on investment for City of Melbourne.”

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@JMasanauskas