The delegation will be mayor Philip Sansom, deputy mayor Con Hindi, councillors Clifton Wong and David Perry, general manager Victor Lampe and public relations officer Tanya Abraham, travelling in her role as the person responsible for the council's Sister City Program.

The council has been invited by the Changzhou government to visit the city from March 28 to 31.

While there they will discuss opportunities for Changzhou to contribute to Hurstville Council's 2011 Chinese New Year festivities.

Cr Wong called for the council to accept the invitation, adding the council had sent delegations to Changzhou in 2002 and 2004.

However, councillor Beverley Giegerl objected.

``I have real problems jumping from the constraints we had over the past two years, where councillors had to pay for themselves, to now covering six people,'' she said.

``I'd like to see representation at some of the local council conferences that we always used to go to.''

The council's report quoted the current cost of a return airfare to Shanghai at $1674, making the cost of six airfares $10,044.

Cr Sansom emphasised that the airfares would be paid for from the Chinese New Year sponsorship fund surplus. All other costs would come from delegates' pockets.

``It is not money provided by ratepayers,'' he said.

Councillor Bill Pickering said two delegations from Changzhou visited Hurstville recently.

``This would have been the perfect opportunity to invite them back,'' he said.

``This is still a real junket when it takes six people to fly overseas to deliver a simple invitation.''

Comments from the public gallery included: ``Ship them all over,'' and ``Can I go, too.''

Councillo rs Anne Wagstaff, Bill Pickering and Beverley Giegerl voted against the trip.