Geelong Mayor Trent Sullivan and CEO Ali Wastie to visit Changwon in Korea as part of push to grow economic opportunities

Geelong council has clarified that chief executive Ali Wastie will actually join Mayor Trent Sullivan on a trip to Korea next month.

Changwon City Mayor Huh Sungmoo and Geelong Mayor Trent Sullivan at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two cities in 2022.

City Hall boss Ali Wastie will join Mayor Trent Sullivan on a trip to Korea next month.

Geelong council initially said Mr Sullivan would travel “independently” to Changwon, but on Wednesday clarified he would be joined by Ms Wastie for the trip.

The pair will travel economy class and are expected to spend up to four days meeting local business and political leaders, including Mayor Huh Sungmoo.

Costs upon arriving will be met by their hosts.

Earlier: Jetsetting mayor wants to bring benefits back to Geelong

Geelong Mayor Trent Sullivan will head overseas next month in what will be his second international trip in as many months.

In an effort to minimise the cost to ratepayers, Mr Sullivan will fly economy class to Changwon in Korea, where he hopes to develop a memorandum of understanding that was signed by city leaders two years ago.

He will be the sole delegate and his expenses once in Korea will be covered by his hosts.

While details of the trip are still being finalised, it is expected the visit will be up to four days long.

A majority of councillors voted for the trip to proceed behind closed doors at last week’s council meeting.

The accompanying report was deemed confidential because it contained “private commercial information, which if released, would unreasonably expose the business, commercial or financial undertaking to disadvantage”.

Mr Sullivan is currently in Portugal for a week-long visit alongside City Hall’s executive director of placemaking Tennille Bradley.

The pair are attending UNESCO’s Creative City annual meeting in Braga, before finishing with a two-day visit to Covilhã – Portugal’s only UNESCO City of Design.

The cost to ratepayers of the Portugal trip is estimated at $13,000.

Changwon is home to defence giant Hanwha, which is putting the finishing touches on its $170m Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence at Avalon.

The company was last year awarded a $7bn contract to manufacture 129 of its Redback armoured vehicles for the Australian Army.

The flow on benefits to local industry are expected to be significant.

Richard Cho is Hanwha Defence Australia’s managing director.

Mr Sullivan said his Korean trip provided an opportunity to promote the Geelong region as a place to invest, visit and study.

“The aim is to attract more South Korean investment to our city by making connections and strongly promoting Geelong’s advantages,” he said.

“There is potential to generate significant investment directly into our local economy, supporting local businesses and increasing local job opportunities for our community.

“Promoting ourselves to the world is a key part of our strategy to secure the long-term health of our local economy.”

Meetings will be centred around deepening partnerships with Changwon National University, exploring Korea’s leadership in hydrogen fuel infrastructure, and drawing insights from the city’s successful urban planning strategies, particularly in medium density housing and industrial clustering.

City of Greater Geelong executive Tennille Bradley and Hanwha’s Richard Cho. Picture: Alan Barber.

The March 2022 MoU formalised an agreement to promote investment and employment opportunities for both cities.

Changwon City Mayor Huh Sungmoo has visited Geelong on multiple occasions.

Amid significant budgetary pressures, Geelong councillors last year voted 5-3 against sending Mr Sullivan and a city officer to Changwon as part of an 18-day, $25,000 overseas trip that would have also taken in Turkey, Belgium and Scotland.

Mr Sullivan’s term as mayor will come to an end later this year when local government elections are held across the state.

Originally published as Geelong Mayor Trent Sullivan and CEO Ali Wastie to visit Changwon in Korea as part of push to grow economic opportunities