The mayor of a regional Victorian city hopes an upcoming all-expenses paid trip to Europe will help entice Queen Mary of Denmark to make a return visit.
Dale Harriman, who leads Latrobe City Council in Victoria’s east, will receive $9,500 to travel to several European countries in June with the City of Traralgon Band on its remembrance tour.
Part of the tour will include a concert in Copenhagen in front of the Danish royal family, which could include Australian-born Queen Mary.
“If the mayor turns up, it raises the level of the event to the extent that the queen and king may well attend,” Cr Harriman said.
“And if that happens, Queen Mary on her next visit back to Australia will do a reciprocal visit to Latrobe City.
“That’s currently being discussed with the palace in Denmark.”
Mayor Dale Harriman.
The trip was controversially approved after a major debate at Tuesday night’s council meeting, with several councillors opposing it.
Councillor Darren Howe said he believed the mayor’s trip was out of touch during the cost-of-living crisis and would provide no economic return to the region.
“We’ve just gone through every expense item on the budget in an effort to cut costs wherever possible,” Cr Howe told the meeting.
“Now we’re here tonight discussing a proposal to send our mayor on a European vacation at a cost of nearly $10,000, charging it back to the ratepayer.“
Funding a ‘cheeky European vacay’?
While the primary purpose of the mayor’s trip is to accompany the band to the graves of fallen soldiers, some councillors appeared pre-occupied with the idea that the trip could lead to a reciprocal royal visit.
“They’ll be playing to Queen Mary of Denmark, who is an Australian, and hopefully they’ll be able to encourage her to come to Latrobe City,” a hopeful councillor Joanne Campbell told the meeting.
“It’s no guarantee, but the more we promote our area everywhere in the world, the better.”
Queen Mary wearing the crown jewels soon after her inauguration in January 2024. (Supplied: Steen Evald)
The city band will perform at the graves of Latrobe Valley residents who lost their lives on the battlefields of World War I.
The two-week trip will include concerts in the UK, Belgium, France and Denmark.
Councillor Steph Morgan said she supported the band’s desire to represent the Latrobe Valley at commemorative events but there was no need to fund the mayor’s travels.
“It doesn’t pass the pub test for me… I’m concerned that we are paying for a cheeky European vacay and I’m not quite on board with that,”
Cr Morgan said.
“I would gladly give my permission to have the mayor attend the trip, but I’m not happy with spending $9,500 on it.”
Looking to a future without coal
Also on the itinerary for the mayor is a visit to Manchester to learn how the city re-established itself after its coal mines closed.
Victoria’s Latrobe Valley grew around employment at its coal-fired power stations and has faced significant struggles as they have been shut down.
Yallourn Power Station, in Victoria’s east, is scheduled for closure in 2028. (Shutterstock: Kip Scott)
Cr Harriman said he was looking forward to meeting his Manchester counterpart to discuss rebuilding an economy.
“It’s really relevant to what we’re actually going through now and getting information from them as to what they went through,” he said.
The decision to send the mayor to Europe was tied, with four councillors approving the trip and four opposing it.
This tie was broken by Deputy Mayor Sharon Gibson, who had the deciding vote as chairperson.
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