‘No visibility’: Inside the City of Melbourne’s $200,000-a-year Chinese outpost
The City of Melbourne operates a satellite office in Tianjin, China, which costs approximately $200,000 annually. This office, opened in 1998, has limited visibility and transparency regarding its operations and budget. Recent inquiries revealed that the last performance report for the office was filed over 20 years ago.
- ▪The Tianjin office is staffed by two full-time employees.
- ▪The operating cost for the office was reported to be $194,003 for the last year.
- ▪There has been criticism regarding the lack of transparency and visibility for ratepayers about the office's operations.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Sydney Morning Herald.