(Bloomberg) -- Fireworks to ring in the New Year at Sydney Harbour will carry on despite strong opposition to the celebration as Australia grapples with a wildfire crisis that began several months ago.
The New South Wales' Rural Fire Service announced in a tweet that it approved the Sydney fireworks, which are watched by millions worldwide annually and draws thousands of tourists to the harbor area. It was also looking at exemptions to total fire bans in other areas of the state.
Not everyone was happy with the go-ahead for Sydney fireworks. New South Wales' Deputy Premier John Barilaro said in a tweet earlier that continuing with fireworks display doesn't respect the “exhausted” fire service volunteers.
Fire service volunteers have been battling with blazes in several states as wildfires sweep through the region, driven by a heatwave and strong winds. The ongoing crisis has also reignited debate on the impact of climate change on the world's driest-inhabited continent.
Sydney's decision comes as thousands of holiday-makers in the neighboring southwest state of Victoria were forced to evacuate a popular tourist spot about 200 miles east of Melbourne. Meanwhile, officials warned that strong winds in the forecast risk igniting more fires near Adelaide, as temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) across Australia's south and southeast.
In Sydney, the city council ultimately rejected a petition signed by signed by 270,000 people calling for its iconic display to be scrapped and the money to be donated to bushfire and drought relief projects, with officials saying the event generates A$130 million ($91 million) for the local economy.
Canceling the event “would have little practical benefit for affected communities“ and “seriously hurt Sydney businesses,” the city council said in a statement. “It would also ruin plans for tens of thousands of people from across the country and overseas who have booked flights, hotels and restaurants for New Year's Eve,” the council said. And most of the budget for the event, which petitioners sought to donate instead, has already been spent.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jihye Lee in Seoul at jlee2352@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Niluksi Koswanage at nkoswanage@bloomberg.net, Derek Wallbank
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