Plans for Mayor of Bunbury to fly to India for trade mission canned due to cost and restrictive flight options

Plans for the Mayor of Bunbury to fly to India for a trade mission were canned recently due to the cost and restrictive options of the trip. At a meeting on June 28, Bunbury councillors endorsed a proposal which would have seen Bunbury Mayor Jaysen Miguel travel to the subcontinent to participate in an Investment and Trade Mission alongside Deputy Premier Roger Cook and several other notable figures. The mission — which would have run from July 12 to 19 — was headed by the State Government’s trade commissioner to the India-Gulf region, Nashid Chowdhury, and would have focused on several priority sectors including education, mining and tourism. But the Mayor’s travel plans were grounded due to the cost and restrictive options of flights on such short notice. “I was excited about the opportunity to be a delegate at the Investment and Trade Mission to India, however the costs and flight options were too impractical when investigating options following Council endorsement of the trip,” Mr Miguel said. “The expenditure was set to be taken from the 2021/22 Elected Member Training Budget, so those funds will remain unexpended.” The trip was forecast to cost ratepayers more than $5000, with the Mayor travelling to Delhi, Mumbai, Vijayawada and Chennai. Cr Betty McCleary and Cr Karen Steele were the only members to vote against the trip during the meeting on June 28. Cr McCleary said her objection was not about the cost of the mission, but rather the timing — with Mr Miguel’s return due within days of deciding the City’s 2022-23 budget on July 26.