Policy in the spotlight as City of Albany council sets itself to consider ending Linyi civic affiliation

The City of Albany’s Civic Affiliations Policy is set to be thrust into the spotlight next week with a motion set to be tabled calling to “respectfully conclude” a sister-city relationship with Linyi. In June, representatives of the City of Albany and its council met with WA Chinese consul-general Long Dingbin based on the civic affiliation between the City and the Linyi. It was a meeting that split opinions among elected members and led Cr Thomas Brough to outline his concerns about the City meeting with members of the Chinese Communist Party at the council meeting later in the month. He has since circulated a 28-page report further expressing his concerns and indicated intentions to table a motion calling for administrative actions “to respectfully conclude the sister-city relationship with Linyi” take place before the end of October. According to its Civic Affiliation Policy, first adopted in 2006, the City has five endorsed sister-city-type relationships. Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington said the affiliations had been established by the council to form mutually beneficial relationships. “These benefits can encompass various aspects such as links through trade, culture, sports, tourism, and education,” he said. “These considerations help council assess the viability and potential benefits of establishing a new civic affiliation with a particular city, ensuring that the affiliation offers advantages to our local community. “All City of Albany affiliations are registered on the Federal Government’s Foreign Arrangements Scheme Public Register.” The policy states a synergetic agreement with the Japanese city of Nichinan since 1998, and was complemented by a friendship agreement in 2010 based on “ongoing important economic and cultural affiliation and exchanges”. A “strong and continuing school student exchange program” is the basis of the City friendship agreement with Tomika, Japan, signed in Albany in 2001. Albany’s strong link to the Anzac story has also led to friendship agreements with Gallipoli, Turkey, signed on Anzac Day in 2003 and Peronne, France, signed in 2008. The “friendly co-operative relationship agreement” in place with Linyi became the most recently endorsed civic affiliation when it was signed on June 16, 2014. It is based on “actively promoting economic and trade co-operation in accordance with the principles of mutual benefit in the fields of trade, investment, technology and environmental protection”. Albany has been approached for further civic affiliations since 2014, but they have not been pursued. “The City of Albany ensures all proposed civic affiliations undergo rigorous assessment to evaluate whether the relationship will be beneficial to our community,” Mr Wellington said. “While the City supports fostering a small number of civic relationships, not all proposed relationships will meet the criteria to pursue a formalised civic affiliation.” There is a precedence for ending sister-city-type relationships in Albany. A “treaty of friendship” with Draguignan, France concluded in the early 1990s prior to the Shire of Albany and the Town of Albany merging to become the City in 1998. The current policy, which includes the details of the existing affiliations, is not due for review until 2025, having most recently undergone been looked at by council in October last year. It specifies reasons to establish an affiliation but does not have criteria for ending them. “The Civic Affiliations Policy has an outlined review period of three years, however, it can be reviewed by council as required should there be legislative changes or significant changes to the policy’s strategic context,” Mr Wellington said. “Changes to the Civic Affiliation Policy such as the addition of criteria for ending an affiliation could be considered during the next review period.”