What is the deal?

TODAY the residents of Darwin will be waking to the news they are well on the way to a City Deal with the Federal Government.

Like in Townsville and Launceston, the Deal will likely be intrinsically about funding infrastructure projects in those cities.

Currently there is a cold war going on in Geelong between various groups over a disjunct in their visions of what a City Deal for Geelong would look like.

Would it be overwhelmingly about Geelong? Or would it have funding for other projects further from the city such as the Great Ocean Road — and even smaller projects in other council areas that are not Geelong?

Favouring the ecumenical multi-council area approach are groups including G21 (representing multiple councils), Geelong Chamber of Commerce and Federal Member for Corangamite Sarah Henderson.

In the other corner are the city purists such as the Committee for Geelong that favour using the City Deal to turbocharge our city’s future. And somewhere in the mix, but being claimed somewhat by both sides, are the State Government and our council - the City of Greater Geelong.

The fact that there is disagreement usually lead to the refrain from residents ‘Come on, stop fighting and get it together’.

But disagreement is not always a bad thing — it can lead to a distilling of ideas.

And all parties involved in the current disagreement likely believe in the virtue of the project they are pushing, or at least that it is the most fitting one for their various members and constituents.

But directing funding to fewer projects more effectively — such as action on a convention centre or upgraded rail to help with our growing pains — makes more sense than spreading it around a multitude of less significant projects to less effect.

Were Geelong to get a City Deal, we need to ask ourselves: In five year’s time will we be glad we spent a one-off injection of city funds the way we chose to?

Watch this space.