WODONGA’s chief executive and a councillor have failed to explain why a report into a ratepayer-funded trip to Korea still has not been tabled.
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A detailed report into chief executive Patience Harrington and Cr Lisa Mahood’s $13,600 trip to Seoul last October was promised two months ago.
But ratepayers are still waiting — and have been given no indication when one will be tabled.
It follows revelations earlier this year that Ms Harrington had plagiarised her initial report on the pair’s business-class trip to the World Enterprise Forum last October.
A council spokeswoman informed The Border Mail, “We are doing a report later in the year which will focus on the principles of social entrepreneurship and how we are implementing them in our planning and operations to strengthen our community”.
The Border Mail sought to find out when a report was expected, and why one had yet to be tabled.
Ms Harrington responded in a written comment: “It has been discussed with councillors about the timing and content of the report, focusing on the wider principles of social entrepreneurship.
“We have already been implementing these principles across the organisation, evidenced by the report and subsequent discussion at the June council meeting on our procurement policy.
“Embedding the principles which we have learnt is not an overnight process and it has been exciting to work with community organisations and members.
“We look forward to presenting the report of this progress in due course.”
Cr Mahood has not made any comment about the three-day trip nine months ago, which included business-class flights and $2000 allocated to hotels.
Wodonga Ratepayers’ Association president Ian Deegan said he was disappointed a report still wasn’t forthcoming.
“The public are entitled to know what that money was spent on and what they get from it,” he said.
“I expected that to have been reported by now.”