Councillors will vote on what Ballarat’s presence will be at a number of upcoming international events including an Intercultural Cities Network meeting in Portugal and a League of Historical Cities board meeting. 

Councillors will also vote on how the City of Ballarat will be represented in state government and Central Highlands Region trade trips to China as well as visits to Ainaro in East Timor. 

Council officers are recommending councillors approve overseas travel for the duration of the current council term for “the mayor and/or a councillor and a council officer” on as many as four international trips a year.   

If given the green light ratepayers will pay between $3000-$10,000 per attendee for the League of Historical Cities meetings, while shelling out $3000-$7000 for the trip to Lisbon, Portugal in November.

Deputy mayor Mark Harris said he had some skepticism about whether Ballarat needed to remain a board member of the League of Historical Cities given the city’s presence since 2006.

“I think we’ve served enough time as a board member and if we're not a board member I don’t think we'd have to attend every meeting,” Cr Harris said.   

Mayor Samantha Mclntosh controversially accompanied then-mayor Des Hudson and people and communities general manager Neville Ivey on a League of Historical Cities trip to Austria in late 2016, arguing it was crucial she attend as she had been head of the council’s heritage sector for almost a decade.

Cr Hudson said given Cr Mclntosh was now mayor there was no reason to send a third delegate.   

“It’s a fair question from the ratepayer (to ask why councillors are travelling), however we are living in a global word and there’s benefits of being able to participate on a global stage.”

Cr Mclntosh said while she also believed two attendees would be ample for future events, she believed there was “an enormous amount for Ballarat to gain” from being part of international groups such as the League of Historical Cities and the Intercultural Cities Network. 

“There’s enormous opportunity and knowledge that is available and accessible and it’s imperative for us to be connected to other cities,” Cr Mclntosh said.