Liverpool mayor Ned Mannoun has defended his decision to cancel and later reschedule the monthly council meeting to allow him and his chief executive a council-funded trip to the United Kingdom to attend a conference about infrastructure.
In June, councillors voted 7-3 to allow Mannoun and the council’s chief executive, Jason Breton, to accept an invitation from the Australian-British Chamber of Commerce to attend the forum, which council minutes show said would give the pair the chance to advertise their “strategic program of economic development and investment attraction” for Liverpool, in Sydney’s south-west.
The conference, which includes travel between London, Manchester and Liverpool, costs $6500 for non-members and features a visit to Everton Stadium, discussions about high-speed rail, and other meetings. The pair will both speak on panels about Liverpool’s urban renewal and the significance of airports.
A council spokesperson said ratepayers would incur only “incidental expenses” and pointed to an endorsed report that said the council would use its American Express Rewards Points to pay for flights.
“We have a lot of frequent flyer points – millions,” Mannoun said. The council uses credit cards to pay for various things and acquires points. It went to council, was approved by the council, and it’s not costing ratepayers anything.”
A spokesperson did not elaborate on what the “incidental expenses” were.
But attending the conference would mean missing this month’s council meeting, scheduled for September 30, when councillors were due to vote on the election of deputy mayor. In a flurry of emails sent late on Friday, reviewed by the Herald, Mannoun gave councillors just under two hours’ notice to provide their availability for a meeting to be held a week earlier, on September 21.
His email said there would be “anticipated quorum issues”. Without Mannoun and another Liberal councillor who had already advised their unavailability for personal reasons, Labor councillors would hold the majority position and be able to have their choice of deputy mayor.
Zeli Munjiza, a Labor councillor elected in this year’s byelection, said the mayor had “no right to dictate when other councillors can meet to suit his own schedule”.
“If the mayor can’t attend on the 30th, the meeting should go ahead with the deputy mayor in the chair,” she said. The deputy mayor is independent Peter Harle, who has traditionally voted with the Liberals.
The meeting was rescheduled for September 21. A spokesperson for the council said: “In addition to the conference, the delegation will undertake targeted meetings with government and industry representatives to strengthen relationships and explore opportunities that directly benefit Liverpool. Council remains committed to ensuring all international engagement delivers clear economic value and supports Liverpool’s long-term growth.”
Mannoun has previously travelled to Saudi Arabia with Liverpool Council. He said the trip yielded significant benefit to the region: Western Sydney International Airport, due to open later this year, signed a memorandum of understanding with a Saudi logistics group for freight flights to the region.
Anthony Segaert is the Parramatta bureau chief at The Sydney Morning Herald. He was previously an urban affairs reporter.Connect via X or email.
