Sydney is blessed with a beautiful harbour surrounded by public parks.
Every new years eve Sydney-siders flock to our harbour and its public parks to watch the fireworks.
It is a great egalitarian tradition. It is an annual celebration of our city and our harbour.
It is now under threat.
Over the last few years local residents at the harbour's edge have been complaining more and more loudly about the anti-social behaviour of a minority of revellers. That anti-social behaviour is a real problem.
It is mostly fuelled by excessive alcohol and it can lead to violence and vandalism. The residents' concerns are valid.
In response to this, more and more local authorities, from the Botanic Gardens to Woollahra Council, are privatising our harbour parks on New Year's Eve.
Just this week Woollahra Council decided to close off a prime vantage point for the New Year's Eve fireworks at Yarranabbee Park in Rushcutters Bay.
The plan is to fence it off and charge people for the privilege of entering the park on the night.
The local police and many nearby residents like this approach as it will probably reduce the level of anti-social behaviour.
Woollahra Council is not seeking to profit from the event; it is intended to be close to cost neutral.
Families will be charged $60 to enter, adults $25 and children $15. Alcohol can be purchased at the event but there will be no BYO. But if you haven't purchased a ticket you will be excluded.
This outcome does not, in my opinion, strike the right balance between public access and local concerns. If there is one night of the year when we should all have free access to the harbour it is New Year's Eve. The increasing privatization of the harbour foreshore, locking up the best bits for those with the capacity to pay, is taking us down the wrong track.
There are other solutions. Declaring these parks alcohol free zones and putting in place sufficient security to enforce the no alcohol policy is the most obvious method.
It is used in North Sydney to great success. It leaves the harbour foreshore free to all to enter and makes the event more family friendly.
This solution comes at some cost to the local council.
However when you live in a municipality that has such ready access to the harbour 365 days a year, it is not unreasonable to expect that we take the necessary steps to maintain safe public access for all Sydneysiders on this one very special night.
Our harbour is a prized public asset and we all have a responsibility to ensure it remains free for all to enjoy, regardless of what our wallets might contain.
charging families to get a view of the fireworks one night of the year?
