I would love nothing more than to see a million Sydneysiders and visitors by the harbour this New Year's Eve, enjoying the spectacular fireworks display we always give the world to herald the new year.
But it is no longer safe for people to cram into Circular Quay, waiting for the gunpowder to fire. COVID-19 means it will not be possible for families to stake their claim at vantage points around the harbour, their territory shrinking as the crowd builds.
Sydney rings in 2020.Credit:Wolter Peeters
But can the fireworks be made COVID-safe? Do we have a duty to inspire the world, once again, as the first global city to ring in the new year?
The Premier is insisting the fireworks happen and that if the City of Sydney’s safety concerns cannot be resolved, the NSW Government will pay for the display and ticket them.
As someone who has long fought against the incremental privatisation of public space, that word "ticket" pricked my ears. COVID-19 could be the perfect cover for the NSW Treasury to fill its emptying coffers by profiteering from the harbour’s magnetism.
The NSW government has a track record of extracting its pound of flesh on New Year’s Eve. Last year, parts of the Royal Botanic Garden were roped off for the fireworks and available only to those willing to pay $350 or more (plus booking fee), with no consideration that the gardens have been public space since 1816.
Crowds gather at Circular Quay for the fireworks to welcome in 2016.Credit:Steven Siewert
Barangaroo Reserve is a wonderful new public park next to the CBD, but not on December 31, 2019, when it cost $41.80 to enter it, simply because of the lights in the sky. Goat Island? Ticketed. Shark Island? Ticketed. Cockatoo Island, surely? Sorry, ticketed.
I want to see these fireworks as much as anyone. They would be the perfect end to the bin-fire that 2020 has been. After the show is over, we could hermetically seal and bury the fireworks’ remnants in symbolic finality for a year that has inflicted illness, isolation, death, destruction and depression across the world.
But if the fireworks are to go ahead they absolutely need to be COVID-safe. Ticketing could be a useful tool to manage and limit attendance. But let’s not throw out fairness with social proximity.
The ability to pay should not determine our access to the harbour. Getting there first and claiming your spot is not an option this year. The next best bet is complete randomness. A ballot system is the only way to guarantee equity. Let’s ring in 2021 with fun and fairness, not views for the few.
Linda Scott is Labor City of Sydney councillor.
Most Viewed in National
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnNtaC5jb20uYXUvbmF0aW9uYWwvbnN3L2Rvbi10LXR1cm4tbnllLWZpcmV3b3Jrcy1pbnRvLWEtcHJpdmF0ZS1ldmVudC1wcmVtaWVyLTIwMjAwOTI0LXA1NXl2OC5odG1s0gFuaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuc21oLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC9uc3cvZG9uLXQtdHVybi1ueWUtZmlyZXdvcmtzLWludG8tYS1wcml2YXRlLWV2ZW50LXByZW1pZXItMjAyMDA5MjQtcDU1eXY4Lmh0bWw?oc=5
2020-09-24 05:45:00Z
52781080950815
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Don't turn NYE fireworks into a private event, Premier - Sydney Morning Herald"
Post a Comment