Borough reconsiders G21 membership

THE G21 Geelong Region Alliance may shrink in size, as one of its member councils reconsiders its membership with the lobby group.

This masthead understands the Borough of Queenscliffe will withdraw from its partnership with G21 as it looks to reallocate its limited funds, but neither G21 nor the borough would confirm the change at the time of writing.

It is understood the borough’s membership with G21 costs the council approximately $6,400 annually, funds Cr Donnie Grigau suggested might be better spent elsewhere.

Although Cr Grigau would not confirm if the council had already begun the process to end its partnership with G21, he said the borough was reconsidering its membership with the lobby group.

“Everything is on the table.

“The new council is doing a deep dive and looking at where our money is being spent.”

He said the borough was focused on delivering critical and “long-awaited” infrastructure upgrades to the municipality’s council-owned assets, and ensuring its ratepayers were getting the best value for their money.

However, he did question the value of the borough’s membership with G21 and suggested the lobby group had “outlived its day”, noting this was his personal opinion and did not reflect the opinion of the broader council.

“What is the benefit for the council… what benefit is there to the ratepayers?”

As part of a memorandum of understanding with G21, member councils are required to provide 12 months’ notice of their intention to withdraw from the alliance, to allow G21 time to modify its plans and budget.

However recent changes to the G21 website suggest mayor Di Rule and chief executive officer Martin Gill may have already resigned their board positions.

As recently as December, both Cr Rule and Mr Gill were listed as council-appointed G21 directors for the lobby group but are no longer included on the organisation’s website.

The borough’s potential departure from G21 comes not long after the public release of G21’s funding priorities for the soon-to-be announced federal election, priorities Cr Grigau said the borough was not consulted about despite being one of the five councils that form the alliance.

But, G21 chief executive officer Giulia Baggio refuted this claim, stating the group’s federal election priority announcement followed six months of consultation with the G21 board, which includes representatives from the borough.

“There was a formal endorsement of the priorities at G21’s board meeting last December, which included an affirmative vote from the new mayor,” Ms Baggio said.

She said the borough had also been “closely involved” in the development of other major strategies, like the G21 Region Transport Strategy and the new G21 Region Plan 2050, which sets out a sustainable plan to manage population pressures.

“The Borough of Queenscliffe has been an important member of G21 for two decades,” Ms Baggio said.

“Over the years, the CEO and a number of mayors have provided thoughtful and intelligent insights as G21 board members, and participated with the region’s other leaders in numerous advocacy delegations to Canberra and Spring Street to ensure ministers are briefed on the needs of the Queenscliff community and the G21 region generally.”

The borough is the second council to reconsider its membership with G21 in recent years, after the City of Greater Geelong, the alliance’s biggest partner, announced its intention to leave the lobby group in April 2023.

The city ultimately reversed this decision in March last year but opted to drop its financial contribution to the alliance from $500,000 to $250,000.