Outraged Aussies are slamming a Sydney council after it imposed a fee for revellers wanting to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks from a popular vantage point.
North Sydney Council voted in favour in July of charging an entry fee to the Blues Point Reserve for anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of the iconic firework display.
Locals and visitors will be slapped with a $50 entry fee to the vantage point – which is on public land.
The entry fee is set to partially offset the costs of crowd control and the waste management expenses incurred in the aftermath of the celebrations.
Council is set to sell about 8,000 tickets to Blues Point Reserve, raking in $400,000 in revenue.
It means a family-of-four would have to pay $200 to secure a spot at the vantage point – a spot which was free to the public until this year.
Locals vented their frustration this week with New Year’s Eve just two days away.
They were stopped on the street by North Shore Lorikeet and asked if they intended on going to the lookout.
The move has angered locals, with many claiming the fee is council’s ploy at revenue raising
‘$50? No way,’ one person said after they were asked if they would book a ticket.
‘No, I just prefer a bit less formal. It would be really crowded,’ a second person said.
A third chimed: ‘No way, cause there are so many other spots that you could go to for free and the council is just revenue raising at that point.’
Others labelled the entry free as ‘pure greed’ and a ploy for ‘revenue raising’ by the council.
‘Where there are limited spaces, it should be free, and decided by ballot. Simply revenue raising. Shame,’ one person commented.
‘Pure greed. Like we don’t pay enough in council rates,’ a second person wrote.
‘This is what happens when a council spends $122 million rebuilding a perfectly good swimming pool that just needed some repairs,’ a third added.
As of Monday, all tickets at Blues Point Reserve for the for Sydney’s New Year’s Eve firework display have been sold.
North Sydney Council introduced an entry fee at Blues Point Reserve for revellers hoping to secure a spot for the city’s iconic New Year’s Eve firework display
It is understood the council is set to sell 8,000 tickets, totalling a whopping $400,000 of revenue
Mayor Zoe Baker said she ‘reluctantly’ supported the move at the North Sydney Council meeting earlier this year.
‘For every year I’ve been on this council I’ve always voted to keep public space free and access free,’ Mayor Baker said.
‘But unfortunately as a council and governing body we’ve inherited a really precarious financial position that has not been relieved by seeking a special rate variation.
‘It’s with an exceptionally heavy heart that I find myself supporting the motion for one year only.’
Mayor Baker added families would be able to attend other vantage points to view Sydney’s firework display for free.
The Blues Point Reserve is one of three vantage points across North Sydney that provides revellers with stunning views of the city’s multi-million dollar firework display.
The controversial decision has angered locals, with many claiming they would avoid the reserve if they are charged a fee.
