Councillor Des Hudson moved a motion to have international travel planned by both City of Ballarat councillors and officers for the next financial year decided on at a council meeting. 

It overturns a decision made by councillors in May to the city’s expenses policy, where the municipality’s CEO was given the power to sign off on all international travel without a vote.

The change came as part of a report into overseas travel taken in 2018, where City of Ballarat spent $49,882.43 on seven international trips.

Cr Hudson said while some residents would always see overseas travel as “snouts in the trough”, it had been clear this year that “transparency of bringing those items into a chamber is needed from the community”. 

“At every moment it’s an opportunity to engage with community, it’s not something to be scared of,” he said.

Councillors Ben Taylor and Grant Tillett voted against the change. 

Cr Taylor said he was “nervous” about council returning to the previous policy, with the failed proposal about “getting on with council business and doing what needs to be done”.

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Mayor Samantha McIntosh said regardless of which “exceptionally transparent” policy was adopted, councillors saw details of trips a “significant” number of times.

The city’s most expensive trip this year totaled $26,657, with Cr McIntosh and two officers visiting France, United Kingdom and Turkey in August to consider art exchanges and waste to energy.

The European travel was contentious, with a majority of councillors telling The Courier at the time they were not given the full itinerary until 48 hours before Cr McIntosh left.