Sydney - The horrific bushfire disaster that has hit the east
coast of Australia will hang over the New Year's celebrations in
Sydney, but the city's iconic fireworks display is still expected to
draw massive crowds.
Dozens slept overnight at the gates to the free zones around the
harbour and hundreds arrived before dawn on Tuesday to grab the best
spots to see the Sydney sky lit up with 100,000 fireworks.
The Rural Fire Service had to make a special exemption from fire bans
for Sydney to be able to hold the midnight fireworks spectacular.
More than 280,000 people signed an online petition to cancel the
display and give the money spent on it to those affected by the
massive bushfires not far from the city.
The petition cites the cost of the fireworks as 5.8 million dollars
(4 million US dollars), which is roughly in line with previous years.
With the event given the go ahead, instead buckets for donations to
the Red Cross fire appeal will be passed around the million people
who gather around the Sydney harbour foreshore.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said in a statement on Tuesday that Sydney
New Year's Eve is a symbol of hope and happiness for Australians and
those watching around the world.
"Sydney New Year's Eve brings people together from around the world.
This year we want to channel that positive energy to help Australian
communities who have been hit hard by the bushfires," Moore said.
Later on Tuesday, Moore spoke at a press conference where she hit
back at critics of the city's fireworks display, telling reporters
that the real issue the country should be worried about is climate
change.
"Australia is burning - our national parks and our native animals are
being decimated and our communities are being devastated," Moore
said.
"As the driest continent on earth we're at the forefront of
accelerating global warming. What is happening is a wake up call for
our governments to start making effective contributions to reducing
global emissions."
Her comments came as an op-ed article by federal Energy Minister
Angus Taylor was published in The Australian newspaper on Tuesday
arguing that Australians should be proud of the government's
emissions reduction performance.
Taylor caused controversy at the COP25 climate talks in Madrid
earlier in December when he argued Australia could use carbon credits
from earlier cuts achieved under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
"Cities around the world are doing their bit to address global
warming - it's our national governments that are failing us," Moore
said.