Mayor’s Europe junket kicks off
GEELONG’S mayor has kicked off his ratepayer-funded European trip.
Cr Bruce Harwood took part in the first day of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network Annual Conference in Poland yesterday, where he will spend the rest of the week taking part in workshops, meetings, speeches and cultural evenings.
Cr Harwood will be accompanied by Geelong’s acting di- rector of investment and attraction Tim Ellis during the event, with the pair then travelling to Dundee in Scotland on June 17 to meet with Dundee Council and tour a waste to energy plant.
The pair will then travel to Turin in Italy to meet with Turin Creative City Design and tour another waste to energy plant, before Mr Ellis flies back to Australia on June 24, with Cr Harwood flying to Kuala Lumpur to meet with AirAsia X ahead of its expansion to Avalon Airport.
Geelong’s new chief executive Martin Cutter will fly to Kuala Lumpur for the AirAsia X meeting, just days after taking on the city’s top job.
The City of Greater Geelong had said the expected total travel cost of the three council members would be within $18,000.
Councillors voted unanimously in favour of the trip last month, with Cr Peter Murrihy describing it as an exciting opportunity for Geelong.
“This is a great investment, well worth the cost,” Cr Murrihy said. “It’s a huge opportunity to showcase our city on the world stage.”
Mr Cutter’s first overseas trip will be less than a year after he attended a 10-day $31,000 Melbourne City Coun- cil junket to Europe — including visits to Hamburg, Brussels and Barcelona.
Mr Cutter was confirmed as Geelong’s new chief executive last month.
The City of Greater Geelong would not reveal Mr Cutter’s salary when asked this week.
Figures released last year revealed former chief executive Kevin Spiller received $400,000-$409,000 per annum, with Mr Cutter likely to receive the same cash package or slightly more.