Geelong business leaders welcome new city-G21 deal

GEELONG business leaders have welcomed the City of Greater Geelong’s reversal of its decision to cut ties with G21 Geelong Region Alliance as well as the city’s restoration of $250,000 in funding to the region-wide advocacy group.

In April 2023, the city confirmed it would end its involvement in G21 and drop its $500,000 financial commitment as part of cuts in the city’s 2023-24 budget.

However, in a closed-door council meeting on Tuesday last week, councillors resolved to endorse what the city and G21 describe as a “three-year formal partnership” between the city and G21 to strengthen “relationships with neighbouring councils to share ideas for the benefit of the wider region”.

Give Where You Live Foundation chief executive officer and former G21 board chair Bill Mithen welcomed the new partnership.

“From Give Where You Live’s perspective, G21 has a proven history in working for the betterment of the region and the city of Geelong as well,” he said.

“So to have G21 strong and in a better position than they were prior to this partnership is a good thing.”

He said both state and federal governments had valued advice and advocacy from G21.

“Most other regions around the country are envious of the fact that G21 exists and it works so comprehensively to support the region, so to have the City of Greater Geelong recognise that, or if you like, re-recognise that, I think that’s a really important step.

“When I was chair, we often talked about the region being a system, and it works best when all the pieces work together to achieve the same thing.”

Hamilton Group managing director Cameron Hamilton said G21 did “a tremendous job” and he supported the city returning as a member.

“What G21 does is help do the strategic projects that connect all the regions where Geelong is the central hub, and it’s important to have these type of groups that work on big-picture projects; the things that Geelong needs to be solving in order to take advantage of all the opportunities it has.”

A spokesperson for Melbourne Avalon Airport CEO Tony Bruhn said the airport welcomed the new city-G21 partnership but declined to comment further.

In their joint statement, G21 and the city said they would now “work together to leverage resources and deliver positive outcomes within current budget restraints”.

Geelong mayor Trent Sullivan said the new model aligned with the city’s new regional advocacy framework and met the federal government’s request for a co-ordinated regional voice.

G21 chair Melissa Stephens said G21 had established itself as Victoria’s pre-eminent organisation for collaborative regional development over two decades, and welcomed the city’s commitment and partnership.