Council trips spark debate
TRC off to China, New Zealand
COUNCILLORS could be told to go on overseas trips to New Zealand and China this year after the matter caused a fiery debate in the chambers.
The Toowoomba Regional Council yesterday voted to send Mayor Paul Antonio, a second councillor and two officers to a two-part delegation to New Zealand in June, including TSBE’s AccessNZ trip.
Along with the AccessNZ trip, the council will also send a councillor, officer and business owners to visit the TRC’s sister city Whanganui, as well as mountain biking facilities in Rotorua and the Whangarei Quarry Gardens.
Two other councillors will also attend a conference in November in the Yuecheng District of China, a region the TRC has a memorandum of understanding with since 2016.
But Cr Megan O’Hara Sullivan, who was the only one to vote against the motion, told Cr Antonio he should force the councillors to go if the funds were to be committed.
She questioned the validity of councillors attending, highlighting negative perceptions the public had about overseas delegations.
“I would not support two councillors going because I don’t see the perks in it,” Cr O’Hara Sullivan said.
“If you want us to go, I think you should delegate us to go.”
The comment earned a stunning rebuke from Cr Nancy Sommerfield, who suggested Cr O’Hara Sullivan head on one of the trips.
“The suggestion that you delegate two councillors could be a good solution because then Cr O’Hara Sullivan would go and find out just how effective they are,” she said.
“That’s when you can really talk about it.”
Other councillors backed the idea, although the motion wasn’t changed to feature it.
The cost of the two trips, not including the second councillor to New Zealand, has been budgeted at about $24,000.