Hour-long debate ends with relationship between Albany and Linyi still in place as policy review locked in

A sister-city relationship with Chinese city Linyi will not be ended by the City of Albany for at least another seven months following more than an hour of debate between councillors on Tuesday. It came after a motion tabled by Cr Thomas Brough to immediately end the relationship with Linyi as well as conduct a comprehensive review of the City’s Civic Affiliations Policy was defeated 3-9. Council instead voted in favour of a motion calling for the chief executive to review the full City’s Civic Affiliations Policy so that a strategic briefing with the council could be held ahead of a report presented before February’s ordinary council meeting. The successful amended alternate motion, supported 10-2, will see a full review of the policy, including the targeted addition of how civic affiliations can be brought to a close and reviewing how the policy sets out how affiliations are fostered. The successful motion was tabled by Cr Chris Thomson adding specifics to what parts of the policy needed to be closely examined to a motion originally tabled by Cr Paul Terry. Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, Cr Terry had foreshadowed tabling his motion if Cr Brough’s motion was unsuccessful. Most of the debate happened prior to the vote being taken on Cr Brough’s motion as every councillor in attendance took an opportunity to outline their position. During an eight-minute extended opportunity to speak for his motion, Cr Brough read out six pieces of correspondence from the community and said they called on “courage” from the council. He also outlined his argument against the six most recurring reasons to retain the relationship he had heard ahead of the meeting, including that there needed to be a process in place before concluding the relationship when he labelled it “the most specious argument of all”. “What is the role of a councillor?,” he said. “I’ll read straight from the Act: To represent the interests of residents of the district; and provide leadership and guidance to the community. “If the community needs more bureaucracy and less leadership in decision making, then the community might be better served by a commissioner than a council.” Cr Thomson seconded the motion and was joined by Cr Matt Benson-Lidholm by voting in support. He asked the meeting whether the actions of the WA Chinese Consul General at a meeting in June were that of someone in a “friendly cooperative relationship?” Cr Terry said commentary about the matter ahead of the meeting had severely underrated “the combined intellectual capabilities of all the elected members and the executive management team that attended that meeting”. He said his foreshadowed alternate motion would address the fact the existing Civic Affiliations Policy did not have criteria to conclude relationships established between cities. “In my opinion it’s premature to conclude the civic affiliation now prior to a comprehensive review of that policy,” he said. “And also a report from the administration that contains evidence from business groups, tourism groups and other educated people who say there is no benefit for that relationship. “Concluding the civic affiliation with Linyi now would definitely make this council look like the amateurs that Cr Brough alluded to in his report, let’s be smart about this and do it the right way.” During the debate several councillors indicated they did not believe the affiliation with Linyi would survive a policy review once it had been carried out. Cr Amanda Cruse said the motion had asked for a “respectful conclusion” and she did not see how that was possible “at this stage”. “I don’t see any way you can suddenly, out of the blue, respectfully conclude such an agreement without some sort of effects,” she said. “Especially now that there has been so much media attention at the local, national and international level which has made the process disrespectful in a lot of ways.” The Civic Affiliation Policy had not garnered a lot of attention from the council in the nine years since the most recent affiliation was endorsed with Linyi in 2014. The policy had been reviewed annually without alteration since 2017, but was thrust into the spotlight when the value of a meeting between the WA Chinese Consul General and City representatives based on Albany’s affiliation was questioned by some councillors. It led to Cr Brough preparing a report for the council in support of his motion, to which he subsequently added a call for a comprehensive review of the policy ahead of its tabling on Tuesday.