Melbourne City Council spends $305,000 on travel in a year

MELBOURNE City councillors have racked up a $305,000 bill on international and domestic travel “to gain ideas about how we can deliver even more value” to ratepayers.

AUGUST 9 2015 DEALS One & Only Hayman Island Resort in QLD. For use with LuxuryEscapes.com copy. Picture: Supplied

MELBOURNE City councillors and senior staff have racked up a $305,000 bill on international and domestic travel over the past year, including a three-person jaunt to Paris for a climate change conference.

Environment portfolio chairman Cr Arron Wood and Greens councillor Cathy Oke were accompanied by council senior executive Kate Vinot at a cost to ratepayers of about $31,700 for the 11-day talkfest to discuss reducing global carbon emissions.

In their reports on the trip, the councillors said they had made presentations, attended events and met with a range of delegates to share ideas on how to combat climate change.

Cr Wood also attended an exhibition in front of the Hotel de Ville which included images “depicting an imagined future state with urban forests, revitalised urban waterways ... and double-deck trams”.

City council CEO Ben Rimmer says the conferences councillors traveled to were to “gain ideas” about how to deliver better value to Victorian ratepayers.

In May last year, city council CEO Ben Rimmer went on a $10,336 leadership development course held at Queensland resort Hayman Island, according to the council’s travel expenses register.

Organised by the Australian Davos Connection, the official program boasted the event was in an “idyllic setting”, while other delegates included former premier Steve Bracks and former state taxi industry inquiry chairman Prof Allan Fels.

Mr Rimmer said the Australian Leadership Retreat was a credible and reputable event that brought together many of Australia’s most influential thinkers in business, public policy, politics and universities.

“For a large capital city council, this provided a vital opportunity to advise this group of senior decision makers of the great work the City of Melbourne is doing and to gain ideas about how we can deliver even more value for the city and its ratepayers,” he said.

Other trips included one to Milan for the council’s business manager to a facilitate an exhibition featuring Australian inventions like the black box flight recorder.

Other travel included a $10,658 trip to Milan, Italy, by council’s business and international manager Jane Sharwood to attend and facilitate an exhibition featuring Australian inventions such as the black box flight recorder.

Meanwhile, next week, Lord Mayor Robert Doyle and councillors Kevin Louey and Rohan Leppert are due to fly to Japan and China on a $41,700 business mission.

Cr Doyle has previously said that such trips generate significant business, with over $1 billion worth of contracts signed during his time as Lord Mayor.

The trip, from February 24 to March 4, will also include Mr Rimmer and three members of the council’s International and Civic Services branch.

“It is anticipated that up to 15 companies will participate in the mission (which) are export ready and best in class with innovative, world-class capabilities and solutions,” said a report on the mission.

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