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Tuesday 26 May 2026
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Inclusion award win THE Frankston Softball Association has taken home the Peter Norman Inclusion Award at the 2025 Victorian Sport Awards, presented by the Victorian Government and Vicsport on 13 May at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. See story page 3. Picture: Supplied
Council briefed on ‘intelligence gathering’ risk Brodie Cowburn brodie@baysidenews.com.au FRANKSTON Council officers have been briefed by federal government departments about the risk of “intelligence gathering” ahead of a planned visit from an overseas delegation. A delegation from the Wuxi Municipal People’s Government in China is scheduled to visit Frankston later this year. The visit will mark the 15-year anniversary of the sister-city relation-
ship between Wuxi and Frankston. At their most recent public meeting, Frankston councillors approved spending up to $4000 from its sister cities budget on formalities, with most of the money to be spent on a formal reception event at Frankston Arts Centre. The report on the matter prepared by council officers and published in the meeting agenda noted that the departments of Home Affairs, and Foreign Affairs and Trade, had met with council officers to discuss the visit. The
officers’ report read “council officers were briefed by DFAT and Home Affairs in March 2026 on the Foreign Arrangements Scheme, which aims to create consistency across all levels of government. DFAT and Home Affairs also highlighted the importance of being mindful of community interference when managing international relationships, with mayors, councillors and business chambers being considered easy targets for intelligence gathering; and [recommended that the] mayor and councillors don’t engage
with international representatives without council officers present.” The published agenda pointed councillors towards online portals set up by DFAT, ASIO, and Home Affairs covering Sister and Friendship Cities. The agenda read that the “ASIO portal has clear guidance on gift giving/ receiving”. Cr Kris Bolam visited Frankston’s sister cities, including Wuxi, on a ratepayer-funded overseas trip while he was mayor last year. He said the mention of ASIO in the public agenda
has put the sister city relationship at risk. “The message in this report is akin to welcoming someone into your home while simultaneously whispering to the neighbours—in a loud voice—that the guest might steal the silverware,” Cr Bolam said. “In my view, this contradiction is counterintuitive. Greater care needs to be taken with future public reports, especially where there is the potential for unhelpful, indirect insinuations.” Continued page 5
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