By AIDAN KNIGHT
THERE was several reports presented to Latrobe City Council at the December council meeting, one of which addressed some previous controversy among residents.
This was of course, in relation to Loy Yang Ward Councillor Dale Harriman’s trip to the International Urban and Regional Corporation Program (IURC) conference in Spain last month while he was still mayor, and the questions and inquiries from residents that were prompted.
Of the first matter, Cr Harriman detailed his time as “68 hours in airports and planes, and 92 hours in Barcelona (…) for those who think it’s a bit of a jaunt”.
The conference was held alongside the Smart City Expo World Congress, and Cr Harriman was granted leave and use of Council and Expenses Fund for any incidentals outside of flights and accommodation (which was provided by the IURC). The amount estimated prior to his departure was around $1000, and the report lists Cr Harriman incurred $920 in incidental expenses, including travel to Melbourne Airport, accommodation outside the program and meals.
The Loy Yang Councillor detailed progress made with representatives of municipalities in Western Greece, which has a similar climate and landscape to that of Gippsland, “bordered by mountains and the ocean, having a lot of farming, some green energy, and lakes and fishing areas.”
Cr Harriman also conversed with leaders of areas well-versed in offshore wind and established power generation, as well as hydrogen production, “which are two of the main industries that we are looking at in this region.”
He said these talks have been progressing through One Gippsland, an alliance of the region’s six councils, post-event.
“I’ve continued to be part of the weekly and fortnightly meetings with the IURC, there was a lot of benefits in talks with other regions as well. Part of what we’re looking at coming out of process is being able to track produce back to the farm – something they do very well, particularly in Western Greece,” Cr Harriman said.
“We need to know if somebody says in Melbourne they’re selling Gippsland Angus, it is Gippsland Angus. We know that there’s a higher price associated with products made in Gippsland, but we’re not getting the benefit of it, and there are a lot of others taking that profit from us and diluting the value of it.”
Cr Harriman went on to list how Federation University has already had discussions with universities in Bremen (German city south-west of Hamburg). The focus of this was mostly centred around a collaborative nature, the most pivotal of this discussion being that around a ‘green energy’ training centre. Federation University confirmed in Spain its willingness to be involved in the program, increasing the validity of Cr Harriman’s points thanks to the institution’s buy-in.
According to the council report, Western Greece and the German region of Bremen was identified by both Cr Harriman and One Gippsland Chair Nathan Hersey as the best fit for ongoing collaboration.
Western Greece offers expertise in food provenance, traceability and agribusiness-tourism links, while Bremen and its port city Bremerhaven bring experience in renewable energy, offshore wind, hydrogen and advanced manufacturing supply chains.
“The benefits to the region are great (from the trip), and I look forward to Latrobe City and One Gippsland continuing to be part of the IURC program,” Harriman concluded.
Yallourn Ward Councillor Steph Morgan seconded the motion and spoke on how pleased she was to see the benefits of the trip on paper, and how it displays the importance it is for a developing municipality to take part in such global events.
Cr Morgan found great value in “multi-city connection and cooperation, and taking that step into sustainable development (especially urban).”
“This helps us in finding everything we need to support our community to develop in the best way sustainably,” she said.
As a next step, One Gippsland will formally write to Western Greece and Bremen to gauge their interest in partnering with Gippsland under the IURC program, with a decision of ongoing involvement to be considered by the One Gippsland Board in February 2026. Possible reciprocal visits are also being explored for later next year.
