The NSW government says Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks should go ahead

The New South Wales premier said the state government will offer to pay for Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks to make sure they go ahead. 

The City of Sydney council, the event’s organiser, has indicated it is concerned about hosting an event that would draw large crowds to the CBD amid the coronavirus pandemic.

‘This has been a challenging year. We want to offer the people of NSW – and people around the world – a sign of hope,’ Premier Gladys Berejiklian told the Daily Telegraph.

State authorities reportedly accept that the fireworks display is likely to be scaled down.

NSW Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres is due to meet with Lord Mayor Clover Moore on Thursday to discuss the state government’s proposal.

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet told the newspaper that the fireworks would send a strong signal that NSW was open for business.

‘It’s time for Sydney to rise and shine after a very dark year. The traditional fireworks display not only brings joy to so many people, but done well and safely, we will show the world COVID-19 can’t extinguish our spirit and optimism.’ 

Ms Moore has repeatedly told state government officials it’s too high a risk to put an event on like previous years.

She suggested the city would still be able to accommodate some revellers, but not to the same degree.

‘We hope that we have outdoor dining and even indoor dining, slightly more liberal than what we have now, by New Year’s Eve,’ the Lord Mayor said last week. 

The event typically attracts more than one million people into the city to watch the display.

The Lord Mayor is particularly concerned about the logistics of managing massive crowds on the city’s public transport during a pandemic.

She said the city could not handle another lockdown.