Geelong likely to follow Queensciffe and leave G21

The City of Greater Geelong appears likely to leave the G21 regional alliance following a meeting between councils after which attendees have remained tight-lipped.

G21 chief executive Giulia Baggio (second from left) with Surf Coast councillor Liz Pattison, Marsha Uppill from the group’s First Nations pillar and board chair Melissa Stephens.

The City of Greater Geelong appears likely to leave the G21 regional alliance following a meeting between councils after which attendees have remained tight-lipped.

The G21 board, which includes mayors and chief executives from member councils, met on Friday to discuss the future of the advocacy body.

The Surf Coast Shire, City of Greater Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj and G21 all declined to comment post-meeting.

A well-placed source within council said while they’d heard nothing concrete from the meeting, Geelong’s exit was inevitable.

“I don’t think I’m speaking out of school when I say I think it’s a foregone conclusion we’re going to withdraw,” they said.

“It’s time to pull the exit, (the Borough of) Queenscliffe have, we’ve cut funding, we talked about recently cutting funding further.

“Their time has come and gone, they’ve done some great things, but it’s time for council to take over and continue.”

It’s understood that advice came from Canberra that councils should step up and play the role as the primary advocacy bodies for the region, rather than “everyone having their fingers in the same pies”.

The meeting came just days after Geelong council endorsed the signing of an agreement with Wyndham City Council, which included jointly advocating for projects.

Additionally, City Hall’s leadership signed a memorandum of understanding with representatives from Devonport City Council on Thursday that will see both parties maximise opportunities from the Spirit of Tasmania.

G21 was founded in the early 2000s and is funded primarily by the City of Greater Geelong, with the Surf Coast Shire, Colac Otway Shire and Golden Plains Shire all contributing far smaller sums.

The Borough of Queenscliffe pulled its four-figure funding commitment in recent months.

Geelong has allocated $338,750 to G21 in its 2025/26 draft budget, Surf Coast $43,000, and Colac Otway $30,000, but this money could all but evaporate depending on the outcome of the meeting.

Earlier this week, the Geelong Advertiser reported that multiple sources familiar with the matter but unable to speak publicly said the most likely outcome would see the G21 brand remain but councils subsume its operation.

Such a result would see the role of G21 chief executive Giulia Baggio become redundant.

A secretariat would be established within CoGG and council representatives would meet intermittently to prioritise advocacy projects.

Originally published as Geelong likely to follow Queensciffe and leave G21