Business groups angry after Sunshine Coast Council scraps midnight NYE fireworks again
Business and tourism leaders have slammed a Queensland council after it voted not to hold midnight fireworks on New Year's Eve for the second year in a row.
The Sunshine Coast Council controversially cancelled last year's traditional midnight display in Mooloolaba, citing cost and public safety reasons despite the region having the state's lowest crime rates.
Now the council has doubled down, ignoring the results of a small resident survey that showed a slight preference for midnight fireworks over an earlier display.
The Sunshine Coast will spend $376,000 on an 8.30pm show and another $470,000 to decorate poles and trees with Christmas banners.
But the midnight display costing $133,000 — or 36 cents per resident — was seen as unaffordable.
The Sunshine Coast Council, which has a $587 million budget, announced a hiring freeze in January.
On Wednesday, councillors voted nine to two to seek private sponsorship to fund the midnight display, or the New Years Eve event would finish at 9pm.
Tourism operators slammed the move as "short-sighted" for a large holiday destination.
"I can't understand ... it's astounding," Mooloolaba Chamber of Commerce president Brett Thompson said.
"We're one of the major tourist attractions in Queensland.
"The backlash last year was huge. No doubt it's going to be a major, major backlash again this year."
Councillor Terry Landsberg said the decision was embarrassing.
"For an amount of $133,000 … we're really talking about an amount of money that should be readily available out of general revenue from council's rates," he said.
Cr Landsberg criticised the methodology used to justify the decision, noting the 444 people who filled out a survey represented just 0.12 per cent of the region's residents.
Councillor Taylor Bunnag said it came down to priorities.
"We should have Coca-Cola fountains at every five-minute interval when I go for a walk — the question is who pays for it all?" he said.
"The cost of midnight fireworks … cannot be carried alone, and nor should it be, by ratepayers."
He appealed to businesses to "please help us fund these fireworks".
Deputy Mayor Maria Suarez said businesses got the main benefit, so they should pay.
"If they want it, put your hand in your pocket and help support it," she said.
Mayor Rosanna Natoli spoke passionately in favour of the council running the midnight fireworks, but still voted to reject funding them.
"The reputational damage cannot be underestimated," she said.
"What message does it send … if on New Year's Eve, the one night when people are prepared to stay up late, we say forget it, go home at 9pm?
"We most definitely should have a celebration at midnight. Anything less is selling our region short.
"The motion calls for us to be seeking external [funding] support, and I guess at a time where we do have these budgetary constraints … I guess I'm prepared to support the motion."
Sunshine Coast Business Council chair Sandy Zubrinich said the region was a "nanny state".
"This is absolutely unexplainable, we're a tourist region," she said.
Ms Zubrinich said the council had a civic duty to hold community events, and she was disappointed the mayor publicly supported midnight fireworks, but ultimately voted against funding them.
She said she was concerned about the council's "diabolical" financial management.
"For them not to be able to fund $130,000 … why is their budget in such a poor state?" she said.
"There ought to be some people held accountable."
Ms Zubrinich said she was unsure whether private businesses would step forward to fund the fireworks.
"The other question of course is, could the private sector do it actually cheaper than $130,000? It seems to be a lot of money for one location," she said.
Councillor Joe Natoli said the decision short-changed the community.
"It just blows me away," he said.
"We've taken the fun out of the event, it's a babysitting event [now].
"You want to make it safe, but if we're going to have a festival … we want people to enjoy themselves."
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