Council’s flight of fancy

“It is our duty as councillors to act in a financially responsible manner.” So said Geelong Mayor Trent Sullivan in a recent Addy opinion piece.

That statement was prominent in his appeal for public feedback on the city’s proposed 2024-25 budget, assuring readers that the document balanced community needs with the city’s long-term financial sustainability.

He also stressed that the city would effectively manage cost increases “to ensure the organisation operates efficiently and provides value for our ratepayers”.

So, how does one reconcile those comments with the council’s decision to send Mr Sullivan and an officer to UNESCO’s Creative City annual meeting in Braga, Portugal? With great difficulty, one suggests.

The estimated cost of the pair’s international mission is $13,000. (Ratepayers should note for future reference – the upcoming election – only three councillors prudently voted against the trip.)

Now some may consider this amount trifling for a multimilliondollar operation, particularly when we are told attendees will “share best practices, develop partnerships that promote creativity and cultural industries, strengthen participation in cultural life and integrate culture in urban development plans”.

What that actually means is anyone’s guess, but obviously the UNESCO huddle rates highly at City Hall. Indeed, previous talkfests have been considered so crucial several mayors have attended.

Others will hold a different view however, particularly amid a relentless cost-of-living crisis affecting millions of Australians.

To borrow a colloquialism, this ratepayer-funded trip does not pass the smell test. It smacks of hypocrisy and is appalling PR likely to damage an already bruised brand – in most people’s eyes anyway.

What has Geelong gained in return for these pilgrimages?

New investment, new jobs, brilliant ideas to make the city stand out from the rest or something else? According to councillor Jim Mason, the council’s membership of the Creative Cities Network (it first signed up in 2017) has generated significant international interest translating into work for the unemployed and graduates. At the same meeting Mr Sullivan was given the green light for Portugal, councillors endorsed an “international engagement strategy”. Co-incidence or orchestrated? Deputy mayor Anthony Aitken was effusive in his support for the strategy, calling it a reflection of the community’s aspirations, setting the foundation for future success … and “paramount to ensuring Greater Geelong thrives in the global landscape”.

Let’s reserve judgment on that piece of bureaucratic-speak for the time being. Other than using the on-trend “clever and creative” tag, the council should tell the people who pay the bills (you) what has been – and will be – the upside of this membership. What has actually been achieved, where is the evidence and what has been the cost?

Furthermore, have our expensive government-appointed monitors anything to say on this short-sighted decision?