‘Concerning’ council travel OK by some
HOBART aldermen have defended a travel policy that allows them to combine a work trip with a personal trip.
Hobart Lord Mayor Sue Hickey has suspended the policy, which allows aldermen to spend $5000 a year on overseas travel for “training and development activities”.
But alderman have defended the training policy.
Alderman Anna Reynolds went to Portland, US, and Calgary and Vancouver, Canada, in September to look at public transport and urban development in the cities.
She said she remained overseas after her study tour, but not at any cost to ratepayers.
“When I made the application the Lord Mayor commended me on it,” she said.
“I flew economy over there and back, I stayed in a Airbnb, I didn’t go to restaurants, I used public transport.”
Ald Peter Sexton will fly to London, via Helsinki, next year, on a trip that was already approved before the policy was suspended.
The purpose of the London trip is to attend a conference about heritage.
Ald Sexton said he would also stay overseas after his council duties.
“That’s all at my own cost, any additional travel I am paying for myself,” he said.
“Whether I fly out of Helsinki a day after the conference or three weeks after the conference it’s the same price.”
Ald Sexton made headlines two years ago when he travelled to Finland and later presented a report to the council that was found to be largely copied from the internet.
Ald Damon Thomas, who visited Hobart friendship city Xi’an in China to look at the benefits of the relationship, said professional development was not just conferences and courses.
“A structured program such as self learning can have great advantages,” he said.
Ald Marti Zucco said the policy’s original intent had been warped.
“The council went through a process of ensuring that there would be a maximum spend per alderman that we have called personal development which all aldermen supported including the Lord Mayor,” he said.
“What’s transpired since is beyond comprehension and not what the original intent of the maximum spend for aldermen should be.”
Ald Zucco had proposed attending an event at sister city L’Aquilla, Italy to further the relationship between the two cities but in October withdrew his application.
Ald Hickey this week said all future requests for travel under the program had been suspended, pending a review after “concerning” applications by aldermen.
She said the Integrity Commission, Department of Premier and Cabinet and Hobart’s external Audit and Risk Panel all raised concerns about the policy — but said no breaches or offences were found.
The policy allowed aldermen to claim $5000 a year, which can be rolled forward to provide up to $10,000 in one year for professional development activities.