‘Hugely important': Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece defends $82,000 visit to sister cities in China and Japan
Mr Reece is set to travel to six cities in China and Japan from 16 to 29 September as part of a North Asia Business Mission delegation that will also include Councillors Kevin Louey, Philip Le Liu and Gladys Liu.
Melbourne City Council voted to approve the junket on Tuesday evening at a cost of $20,470 for each of the four representatives.
The trip will see the Lord Mayor lead a delegation of 'influential city leaders' on a trip to Melbourne's 'priority partner cities' of Chengdu, Nanjing and Tianjin, in China, and Osaka in Japan, with stopovers in major financial hubs of Hong Kong and Tokyo.
The total cost of the trip for ratepayers is expected to significantly exceed the $81,880 once the travel cost of City of Melbourne staff, who are expected to accompany the delegation, is also factored in.
Mr Reece defended the trip in an interview with 3AW on Tuesday morning.
'It's an important way of us promoting business connections between Melbourne and China and Japan, as well as community connections… city to city diplomacy, and just business to business, people to people, connections which help drive Melbourne and make us more prosperous,' the Lord Mayor said.
'In the world that we live in, those city to city, community to community, person to person, relationships are more important than ever.'
Melbourne currently has official sister city relationships with Tianjin in China and Osaka in Japan, and Mr Reece said this relationship was taken 'very seriously'.
'I have travelled to Tianjin before, representing the city of Melbourne, and I can tell you, in that city, they take the sister city relationship very seriously. It's a matter of great importance to them and pride,' he said.
'In fact, if you walk along the river in the city of Tianjin, population about 18 million, the riverfront looks very much like Melbourne's because they sent a group of urban planners to Melbourne because we're a very well designed city, and copied the layout of the Yarra River along that river, so it looks very much like Southbank there with the blue stone the design of the street furniture. It's quite remarkable.
Mr Reece said Melbourne was celebrating the 45th anniversary of it's sister city relationship with Tianjin and the World Expo was being held in Osaka, another sister city.
'So yes, I'm leading a delegation to attend those two events and really promote those connections between the cities,' he said.
'I mean, China is a major investor in Australia. It's a source of many jobs and trade for our city.
'International education is our biggest export earner. Tourism is the next China is bigger in those two segments than the next five biggest export earners combined. It's a hugely important market.'
The plan for the trip approved by the Melbourne City Council states the Mission is 'designed to reinforce Melbourne's international relationships, promote capabilities in the green economy and health sectors, generate tangible trade and investment outcomes, and amplify Melbourne's profile as a global city for business, innovation, and talent'.
'The Mission is inviting export-ready businesses in targeted sectors, who will benefit from curated networking events, market intelligence, site visits, and introductions to investors, officials, and industry leaders— strengthened by the City of Melbourne's credibility and international city networks.'
'(The delegation) will include influential city leaders from academia, industry, and innovation ecosystems to further drive trade, investment, and global positioning outcomes.'
The approval of the delegation came just one day after the Herald Sun revealed Mr Reece had billed ratepayers $114,320 for travel costs since stepping into the Deputy Lord Mayor role in late 2020.
This included more than $80,000 for 'local travel', which includes the use of a chauffeur-driven car for trips across Melbourne
According to the City of Melbourne spokesperson, the expenses 'reflect the significant demands on the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor to attend a range of engagements, where they represent and advocate for the city'.
But ratepayer advocacy group Council Watch has blasted the spending as 'excessive' and out of step with public expectations.
'We acknowledge that Mr Reece is an ambassador for the City of Melbourne and this may increase expense more than an ordinary council mayor, however, given the tight economic times, we would urge City of Melbourne to reduce and limit all interstate and overseas travel, and where possible reduce any private car usage,' Council Watch President Dean Hurlston told the Herald Sun.
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