Latest news with #NorthSydney
ABC News
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
BTN Newsbreak 29/07/2025
SYDNEY FIREWORKS First up, to one of Australia's most beloved events - the Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks - that might not be so beloved anymore after a decision made by the North Sydney Council last night. Watching the New Year's fireworks in Sydney just got a little harder because last night, North Sydney Council councillors voted to make firework fans fork out $50 for entry into one of the night's most popular viewing spots: Blues Point. The council says that's because they're a bit strapped for cash and they're keen to use the estimated $400,000 they'll get from ticket sales to offset the cost of managing all those people! Entry fees to the display aren't anything new. Last year, nine of the 50 major vantage points had ticketed access. But the public area of Blues Point has always been free. The North Sydney Mayor says the change is a reluctant one and is stressing that currently it's only in effect for just this year. And the council has suggested other spots to camp out that are still free. WEBJET FINED Travel agency Webjet has been hit with a 9 million dollar fine! The company admitted that it failed to include compulsory fees in some of its advertised airfare costs, and provided misleading booking confirmations after it was taken to court by Australia's consumer watchdog. The ACCC began investigating the travel agency after a customer complained about an airfare which had been advertised as being 'from $18', but ended up costing triple that amount after a bunch of compulsory fees were added. CHESS KID Now it's time to meet 11-year-old Reyaansh. He's a rising Aussie chess star, who has big plans to make history as the country's youngest Grandmaster. ERNEST HEMINGWAY LOOKALIKES First up, to a room full of guys with white hair and thick white beards in the US. This is the annual Ernest Hemingway lookalike contest! And if you're not sure who that is, he's a famous author from the 20th century. This year, 131 contestants battled it out for the top spot. But in the end, it was Florida man Tim who took home the trophy, and had the honour of wearing this sweater. MOUNTAIN BIKING RECORD Now to Wales in the UK where 18-year-old Asa Vermette has made history as the youngest ever Hardline champion. He managed to complete the course in an impressive 2 minutes and 24 seconds, breaking the previous record by about 1.6 seconds. DOG SURFING And finally to surfing dogs in the UK who two world records have been smashed for the number of dogs taking part in the 50-metre paddleboard race, and the most dogs on this giant paddleboard.
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Aussies vow to boycott New Year's Eve fireworks after unbelievable change
Aussies are considering boycotting the iconic Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks after learning they'd be slugged $50 just to watch them from a public park. The North Sydney Council voted on Monday night to charge viewers $50 each to watch the display from Blues Point Reserve. The council believes it could make about $400,000 by selling off 8,000 New Year's Eve tickets. Facilitating crowds for the fireworks display costs the council an estimated $1million each year. Local resident Mariet Wezeman has watched the fireworks from Blues Point Reserve each year since arriving in Sydney from the Netherlands in 2019. 'It's sad to hear there will be a $50 charge. It's always been free, and I think it's been a great attraction for everyone around to just come and watch the fireworks. It's the perfect spot to watch,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'There's always a huge line into this place because everyone wants to come here. Now I have to think about it – and I think more people will have to think about it. The council should have thought about costs earlier.' She is now considering finding another location to watch from, or may forego the event entirely. The cash-strapped council had been looking for ways to raise funds after 'inheriting a precarious financial situation'. It was left with a $60million hole in its finances after the cost to rebuild the North Sydney Olympic Pool blew out from $58million to more than $122million. The council first proposed an 87 per cent rate rise earlier this year to address the budget, but the move was rejected by the pricing regulator. The council then considered selling NYE tickets in May. North Sydney Mayor Zoë Baker said the decision to charge $50 per ticket was not made lightly. 'It is with an exceptionally heavy heart that I find myself supporting the motion for one year only. We have inherited a really precarious financial position that has not been relieved by our seeking a special rate variation,' she said. She advised those who could not afford a ticket to head to nearby Bradfield Park, Mary Booth Lookout, or Kurraba Point - all of which are free. Mayor Baker also suggested revellers could head to Cremorne Point, Waverton, or Carradah Park to see the display. The mayor said the community will not be stopped from accessing those vantage points in a statement provided to Daily Mail Australia. She said, however, the situation could change pending state government funding. 'After our application for a rate rise was rejected, $12.5million in capital works was cut and Council committed to find $6million in savings and alternative revenue sources for the 2025–26 budget,' she said. A previous ticket trial in 2018 showed nearly half of all residents were opposed to the measure. However, 42 per cent of respondents said they welcomed ticketing the event at the time. Those supporting the move said it would make it safer and create better crowd control, while those against the idea argued the event shouldn't come at the expense of taxpayers. 'Yes (I would pay), if numbers are limited and there are toilet facilities. Otherwise my loungeroom works just fine,' one wrote on social media. 'So, for your own mistakes the general population has to pay for something that shouldn't be charged for,' said another. 'I would rather watch it on the TV for free,' one wrote. 'No. Don't even watch for free on tv. Huge waste of money. Would rather the council spend my rates money on improving infrastructure,' one commented. 'Calls for a boycott of the whole area and make sure they go broke before they make a cent,' said one Sydneysider.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- The Guardian
North Sydney council votes in favour of potential sale of public street to elite private school Shore
Cash-strapped North Sydney council has unanimously passed a motion to investigate selling a public street to the private Sydney Church of England Grammar school, known as Shore. Shore wants the council to sell part of Edward Street south of Lord Street in North Sydney. The school says it wants to improve traffic through a bottleneck area regularly used for drop-off and pick-up. The plan would move the current 'traffic snail' within the school grounds and allow Shore to create its own ring road with a turning circle, thereby increasing student safety, the school argues. The North Sydney mayor, Zoë Baker, said Monday night's motion authorised the council's chief executive to investigate the proposal and enter into preliminary discussions with Shore. It was directly linked to the council's financial woes surrounding the blown-out cost of the North Sydney Olympic Pool, Baker said. Councillors wanted to hike residential rates by 87% over two years, but that plan was rejected in May. 'It's pretty well known that North Sydney council is in a fairly fragile financial situation,' Baker said, adding her council inherited the pool redevelopment in 2022 as a 'difficult and overblown' project. 'Council is in a really difficult position, seeking to clean-up and fix those finances so that we leave them better than we inherited them. So we are having to explore every opportunity.' The council said in its budget last month it would seek to deliver $6m in savings or new revenue over the next financial year – including a review of its property portfolio. A spokesperson for Shore read a statement on behalf of the school's principal, John Collier, at Monday's council meeting. They said parents 'agitated' by the proposal were 'actually arguing against their own interests'. The school noted the dead-end road was adjacent to school grounds and did not include residential homes. 'While local residents would lose perhaps four parking spots in Edward Street, the school would probably reduce demand for those spots by enhanced spaces within the school,' Collier said in the statement. 'Shore is happy to work with council to establish a reasonable purchase price based on professional valuations.' Shore will be required to lodge a bond of $20,000 with the council to cover the costs associated with the investigation – which will include a land valuation. Baker amended Monday's motion to also reopen talks regarding a potential land swap as part of the deal. The swap would see the creation of a small, public pocket park on the corner of Mount and Edward streets that the council has been seeking for some time. The mayor said she was aware the loss of any public land, particularly in an area with sky-high land values, would likely be permanent. But she described a swap – and new park – as potentially a 'really good public benefit'. 'Once they're sold, they're gone forever,' Baker said of public lands. 'We're here as custodians and shepherds for the next generation. Disposing or selling an asset leaves the next generation without a resource.' Shore declined to comment on the proposed land swap. Baker expected discussions to take between six and 12 months but stressed there would be significant community consultation. Nothing would happen 'overnight', the mayor said on Tuesday.
News.com.au
a day ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘We must investigate': Council forges ahead with street sale to elite Sydney school
The cash-strapped North Sydney Council is moving forward with a proposal to sell part of a public road to a prestigious school, despite outrage from residents. Sydney Church of England Grammar School – better known as Shore – has formally approached North Sydney Council to purchase a chunk of Edward St north of Lord St. On Monday night, council discussed a recommendation that it 'enter into discussions regarding the potential closure and sale' of the street section, including undertaking community consultations. The independent, all-boys school – which has annual tuition fees of up to $46,000 – would be required to provide a minimum $20,000 bond to cover the cost of council's 'investigations', with any amount not spent on inquiries refunded back to the school. Discussion began with a speech from the school's community engagement director Sarah Taylor, who read a statement on behalf of headmaster John Collier. Parents who were 'agitated' and 'opposed' to the proposal were 'actually arguing against their own interests,' the statement said. The school's intention was to move traffic during drop-offs and pick-ups within its property as part of an internal ring-road if it completed the purchase. Local residents would lose 'perhaps four parking spaces in Edward Street,' while the school would 'probably reduce demand for these spots by enhanced spaces within the school'. North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker then added an amendment to the motion, specifying that discussions would include a 'possible land swap for the provision of a pocket park on the corner of Mount and Edward Streets'. The motion was carried unanimously after several councillors voiced their support, though they added caveats. 'I want to make it clear that I do not want to see this council forced into a position where we are selling community assets simply because our financial position is unsustainable,' said Councillor Shannon Welch. Ms Baker stressed the dire state of council's finances as justification for the move. She said she felt the same way about the proposal as she did about two other motions passed earlier that night, which were also a reflection of council's financial position. One of those was a motion to consider ticketing North Shore families watching Near Year's Eve fireworks from public vantage points, while the other was a decision to reallocate funds for rebuilding the Blues Point seawall to instead replace the PA system at North Sydney Oval. 'All of these things are matters that we must investigate and explore if we are to be a careful council who are seeking financial sustainability and strength in exceptionally difficult and precarious financial circumstances,' Ms Baker said. ' … I think we must investigate, but I would rather that we were a council in a position where we weren't needing to investigate, but that is not the case.' The section of road that Shore has offered to buy currently separates the school's senior and preparatory campuses, and is a known traffic bottleneck during pick-up and drop-off times. Before Monday night's meeting, Shore's offer had already been met with backlash from residents, who said closing the street would 'exacerbate the existing traffic chaos'. 'It is an education district but it is a residential district too,' Danielle Walters, who has lived in the area for two decades, told The Daily Telegraph. 'How much are we doing to allow a school to dominate a whole area and what does it mean for us? 'If this is all going to be (a) school, should we just be selling our properties to Shore now?' Another resident said she was already 'frequently prevented from accessing my property by the queues of massive SUV's and the private traffic wardens employed by SHORE'.
ABC News
a day ago
- Business
- ABC News
Cash-strapped Sydney council votes to charge for NYE fireworks vantage point
Viewing Sydney's multi-million-dollar New Year's Eve fireworks show from North Sydney Council's prime vantage point will cost at least $50 — even though it is public land. It is one of the ways the council is trying to generate revenue to overcome a "serious cashflow" problem brought about by an infrastructure project that has doubled in cost to more than $120 million. The council is also looking to make money from the wealthy schools in the area, including by encouraging them to pay rates and by negotiating the sale of at least two public assets. "We still have the hurdle of a cash liquidity issue," Mayor Zoë Baker told ABC News. "We have to find $6 million in savings or new revenue," she added, and "cut back or defer $12.5 million in capital works." The redevelopment of the council's Olympic pool has ballooned in cost from about $60 million to $122 million, tying up money that would otherwise be spent on services and upgrades. Plans to have residents help bail the council out by imposing a rate increase of 87 per cent over two years were shot down by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal in May, forcing the local government to look elsewhere. Council officers proposed selling tickets to view the New Year's Eve fireworks from three vantage points within the government area, at Blues Point, Lavender Bay Parklands and Bradfield Park/Mary Booth Reserve. But at a council meeting on Monday night, councillors voted five-to-three to ticket Blues Point only — the local government area's prime spot — keeping the other two vantage points free. Council officers estimate the council would make $400,000 by selling 8,000 tickets at $50 each to access the area. After $95,000 in costs, the council estimates it will be left with $305,000. This would help offset the $1.086 million budgeted to host crowds in the council area on New Year's Eve. Cr Baker said the council's "precarious" cashflow was stopping it from absorbing the cost. "It's with an exceptionally heavy heart that I see myself supporting the motion for one year only," she said. Those opposed to the motion acknowledged the cost would impact young families. About nine out of 50 vantage points around the harbour foreshore were ticketed last year, according to the City of Sydney. Two wealthy private schools are independently offering to buy the public roads running along their properties — and the council is seriously considering it. But there is also an effort underway to have private schools in the area pay rates for the land they own. Councillors at Monday's meeting considered an offer from The Sydney Church of England Grammar School, more commonly known as Shore, an all-boys primary and secondary school where tuition ranges from about $30,000 to $46,000 a year. The school expressed an interest in purchasing a portion of Edward Street in North Sydney with the intention of closing it because it owns the properties immediately surrounding it. "The section of Edward Street in question is adjacent to existing school grounds and does not include any residential properties or homes." The councillors resolved to investigate the offer. "The reality is that once you've sold a piece of land or a property, that's it, it's gone," Cr Baker said. "In a place like North Sydney, where the land values are so high, once you sell something, would any future council be able to afford to acquire it back or an equivalent?" One option the council resolved to investigate was a land swap of a nearby pocket park. Shore is not the only wealthy private school circling the council in the hope of snapping up public land. Redlands, another Sydney Church of England co-educational grammar school, initially approached the council to purchase Monford Place at Cremorne in 2021. Similarly, it owns the properties around a 791 square metre cul-de-sac. The council originally shot down the overture about a year later. But at a meeting in November last year, a decision was made to have the council negotiate the sale. There is another way the council is hoping private schools can help it raise funds — and this one does not involve the sale of public assets. The council said the six private schools and the Australian Catholic University could raise more than $1 million if they volunteered to pay rates. "Ten per cent of our land in the local government area is occupied by schools, the majority of which are private schools," Cr Baker said. But all of them declined the offer, saying payment for "any purpose other than for operation of the school" would result in government financial assistance being withdrawn under the law, the council said. Deputy Mayor Godfrey Santer rejected the schools' and university's rationale. "To my untrained eye, I don't understand how this section enabled these schools to claim that they are unable to contribute financially to the services we provide them, which are surely not of a commercial or profit nature as specified," he said.
