Free China junket for mayor’s wife

By Shaun Inguanzo
THE MAYOR’S wife will enjoy a $5000 trip to China paid for by ratepayers after 10 out of the 11 Greater Dandenong councillors supported a rates-funded tour of its sister city in China this September.
Only Springvale South Ward councillor Yvonne Herring was opposed to the spending of ratepayers dollars to pay for the wife of mayor Youhorn Chea to visit Xuzhou City in China, alongside her husband who will head the council delegation.
The tour will visit schools and cultural places of interest, as well as allowing businesses to pay their way for a spot and network with their Chinese counterparts. Also paid for are the mayor himself, the director of community services, and business development manager, bringing the total bill for ratepayers to $20,000.
Cr Herring said ratepayers had elected Cr Chea to council, not his wife, and given that councillors had to pay their own way, so should Cr Chea’s wife.
“The mayor of the day gets a good wage,” Cr Herring said at Monday night’s council meeting.
“(The partner’s costs) should be paid for out of that.”
Cr Herring said her opposition was not targeted at Cr Chea in particular but she was opposed to funding any mayor’s partner. But Keysborough South Ward councillor Peter Brown said the ‘mayoress’ was an important part of the total make-up of Cr Chea’s mayoral form, and should be on the official delegation when the mayor meets and greets Xuzhou officials.
Cr Brown said the council had been working long and hard to build ties with China which is tipped to become the next major economic powerhouse.
Therefore, he supported the investment into the relationship.
Cr Herring was the sole opponent to the recommendation, which was carried by the 10 other councillors.