It comes as the majority of Ballarat councillors voted to send a delegation, including the mayor Des Hudson and chief executive Justine Linley, to Canberra next month to lobby the federal government on city priorities despite the council being in caretaker mode pending the local government. 

At a council meeting earlier this week, councillors Amy Johnson and Samantha McIntosh raised questions over why no council staff or councillors were named in the officer’s report for the trip. They also queried why no details including an expected time-frame or estimated costs of the trip had been disclosed to councillors or the public. 

They argued a strict policy needed to be enforced to ensure transparency for all council travel aboard or interstate. It followed controversy surrounding a more than $30,000 rate-payer funded trip to Austria earlier this year.

The council were also divided over a last minute vote on a ratepayer funded trip to East Timor with a report handed to councillors just hours before they had to vote in July.

On Friday, Ms Linley defended the report.

“The real essence of councillors is that they have clear roles, irrespective of caretaker mode,” Ms Linley said. “When they sign and take their oath of office, they pledge to effectively govern for the best interests of people in their municipality right up until election date.”

“Advocacy further afield on project and policy matters which have been pre-approved and pre-agreed for the council over the previous term shouldn’t stop because the timing is not right to do it.”

“The council should be lobbying state and federal governments at any given opportunity.”

Cr Hudson said while the timing wasn’t ideal it was paramount the council attended to lobby all federal ministers on funding for critical projects before the national budget.

“(The council) need to have a seat at the table or we could miss out on millions of dollars of critical funding needed for some projects,” he said.  “To miss that opportunity is not showing leadership for the city.”

All councillors except Cr McIntosh and Cr Johnson voted in favour of sending Cr Hudson and Ms Linley to Canberra next month.