Midland Reporter and Kalamunda Reporter

TEXT BY GEOFF VIVIAN

A delegation of local councillors from Perth’s eastern suburbs copped a lot of flack over a European trip to learn about waste management. A team from one of the tabloid TV current affairs programs had shadowed them, portraying the trip as a “junket” in prime viewing time.

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As a former local government officer I had the feeling they were taking a cheap shot, so I attempted to find out just how much of the trip was leisure and how much was travel and work.

The trip’s organisers didn’t help the PR effort. When I requested an itinerary, the office took a whole day to send me a four-day-old media release. They also put a gag on the delegates, leaving the media free to interview their political enemies.

Luckily one of the delegates decided to break ranks and talk to me. A few months later he became Mayor of his city.