North Sydney Council considers charging to watch new year’s eve fireworks

A council in Sydney’s north is considering charging spectators to watch the city's new year's eve fireworks from popular vantage points.

Transcript

00:00For the millions of people who make their way down to Sydney Harbour every New Year's

00:06for the iconic New Year's Eve fireworks, they could soon be paying full price as North Sydney

00:13Council considers a plan to ticket some of the best vantage points north of the harbour

00:18as part of a broader scheme to rein in costs.

00:21The council manages viewing points at Bradfield Park, Lavender Bay Parkland and Blues Point

00:27and is looking at charging patrons up to $50 a head at this year's event.

00:32It's part of a broader push by the council to improve its bottom line.

00:36In May of this year the council had its plan to increase rates by almost 90 per cent, knocked

00:42back by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal or IPART.

00:46The council at the time said $25 million in costs needed to be cut.

00:51I think it's a little bit unfair, I think that there's other areas that they can focus on

00:55as far as charging people who leave litter behind.

00:58I think that's probably a fair point as someone that lives in the area, I can't stand how much

01:04rubbish gets dumped here.

01:05Backpackers, I think we, like there's so many of us that come here to experience it so I

01:12don't feel that we should pay for it because wherever you are in Sydney as well it takes

01:17quite a long time to get here and some of us can't actually get here as well on the day.

01:22The councilors will meet tonight to consider ways to partially or fully recover the cost

01:27of the more than million dollar event.

01:30A report has found 27,000 tickets selling at $48 a pop would be needed in order for the

01:36council to just break even.