Sydneys New Years Eve 9pm fireworks should go ahead Treasurer says
Plans to ditch the New Yearâs Eve family fireworks could be reversed after the NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the multimillion-dollar celebration on Sydney Harbour should go ahead if it can be held safely.
The City of Sydney Council attracted criticism after it emerged the council planned to replicate last yearâs celebrations and scrap the 9pm fireworks, despite the stateâs scheduled reopening in October.
Fireworks on Sydney Harbour during last yearâs truncated New Yearâs Eve display at midnight.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
The council had resumed responsibility for this yearâs event after the state government took over planning for the celebrations in 2020, and planned for the midnight fireworks to go ahead.
Mr Perrottet said on Thursday the government would âexplore options for developing a COVID-safe plan to hold the traditional New Yearâs Eve fireworks in the heart of Sydneyâ.
âIf the 9pm fireworks can be held safely it should go ahead, and we will look at options on how that can happen if the council vacates the field,â Mr Perrottet said in a statement.
âWe all need a bit of light at the end of the tunnel and after the year weâve endured the traditional Sydney fireworks can help send us out with a bang.â
Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore has maintained the council does not have the capacity to fund or stage the full event during the pandemic given the additional challenges linked to health, transport and crowd management.
âWe offered the event to the NSW government again this year, but that offer was declined. We instead agreed to host a midnight-only fireworks display, and began planning for that event.
âThe NSW government is responsible for health, transport and police. If the government is now concerned about the cityâs plans and confident a COVID-safe 9pm event can and should go ahead, it can and should take custodianship of the fireworks again.â
Mr Perrottet said the government was also pushing ahead with plans to transform the Cahill Expressway into âparty centralâ, with outdoor performances, pop-up bars and food stalls, between December 31 and January 6.
An artistâs impression of the Cahill Expressway closed for New Yearâs revellers.
âThis will give the Sydney CBD the shot in the arm it needs as we head towards reopening our economy,â he said.
âIf we canât knock it down, then we may as well have a party on it.â
Meanwhile, other Sydney councils are ditching New Yearâs Eve fireworks amid uncertainty over the cityâs restrictions and concerns last-minute cancellations could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Randwick City Council last month cancelled its event, which attracts up to 30,000 spectators to Coogee, according to mayor Danny Said.
Crowds at Mrs Macquarieâs Chair ahead of New Yearâs Eve fireworks in 2019. Credit:Wolter Peeters
âIf there are thousands of people, weâd have to check everyoneâs been double-vaxxed, we need QR coding, we have to think about whether we ticket it. It just becomes so hard unless thereâs clarity.â
Cr Said said cancelling the celebrations last-minute would come at a huge cost.
âItâs a fantastic thing, but it becomes a nightmare for councils. We could lose $10,000 or $20,000,â he said.
Bayside Council mayor Joe Awada said the council had taken the âtough decision very earlyâ to cancel plans to hold its celebrations at Brighton-Le-Sands.
âYou need to coordinate everything, youâve got police, ambulance, Transport for NSW, we have to barricade Bay Street,â he said. âWeâre talking about October the lockdown easing, but even then it depends on vaccination rates.
âWe said we would not have the fireworks this year because we donât want to lose money. Iâd rather use that money to help local businesses doing it tough.â
Northern Beaches mayor Michael Regan said the council had not yet decided whether its celebrations would go ahead and was âsitting back and seeing how it pans outâ.
âWeâre confident if we can put on an event, we will. We just need some guidance and firm details from the state government,â he said.
Waverley Council has not yet decided whether its celebrations at Dudley Page Reserve in Dover Heights, overlooking Sydney Harbour, will go ahead. The City of Parramatta Council also has not decided.
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