Why are we wasting all this money?

On fireworks on NYE ?

The gumbiment can only scrape up an 'initial' 10 million aussie pesos to help the tsunami relief but in Sydney on NYE they will probably blow up in smoke a similar amount.

In less than half an hour.

Not to mention the silly decorations and pathetic musical efforts they always come up with on the night.

I understand that this money was probably already spent before this disaster but what a waste, every year not just this sad year.

Having seen the fireworks I do admit that it's an awesome show in a great surrounding, but it costs a fortune at a time when our hospitals, schools, police , and roads etc etc are starved for funds.

It's ok to ask for donations and feel all warm and fuzzy as you give your credit card number to a charity call centre drone so your obligation is over, but really respecting the dead would involve cancelling celebrations on NYE and putting the money into the relief fund.

No, lets party on and clear our conscience with a token donation or two.
It happened so close to Chrissie that appropriate reverence needs to be observed and that means more than a minutes silence at the cricket.

Please no comments about my lack of decorum during this time, the mods have done their job and that's that.

After Bali, Paul Mccartney cancelled his aussie concerts as a mark of respect. ( I also heard because he wanted way too much money for the gig??)

I don't know if it's a waste. Surely there must be some benefit to having a big party to see the year out? Lots of people seem to enjoy it.

It's a bit unfortunate that it happened just after such a massive disaster, but as you said, the money has most likely been spent already so why waste it by cancelling the festivites?

Yes the money will have been spent...and I guess it could send the fireworks people bust if they loose their big gig

Maybe paid events around the place can donate some of their takings to the relief funds??

I bet some of the people coming back from over there are looking forward to a much happier new years eve party.

Yep...it would help to enjoy and laugh...but would imagine they will be in a lot of shock still...but good to celebrate life for those that can

i wonder if someone will tell the however many thousands of homeless people around aus that the millionsm of dollars spent on 20 mins of fireworks is worth it?

Makes the billions wasted on a war in iraq look like a crying shame as well.

....well I guess on that one... many of them will probably be at a fireworks display somewhere in Oz

It does happen in so many countries around the world on New Years Eve...I don't know if anyone has cancelled theirs...

Okay i do agree that a cool $10 mil is not much in the big scheme of things but lets put it in perspective. We are by all accounts a relatively small country with a population of about 20 million. Personally I find it pathetic that the US with it's massive popluation of I'm guessing well over 100Million could only come up with $20mil initially. I think people need to look at the per capita efforts.

Kind of like the rich guy that gives $1000 to charity and everybody thinks he is king shit and then some little old lady that gives her last $50 is just well $50. I should have been a priest. Hey I might start a cult.

I know our relief figure has since gone up and good on them for doing it. Not sure about the US though. Lets not also forget that in the governments defence we do have problems at home that the money could of fixed like hospitals etc. that have already been mentioned. And as Aussie's some of our hard paid taxes already goes to some of these countries in Aid every year. Hell some countries we are not the best of friends with get cash.

So as a proud Aussie I say we do our bit pretty good, the government even though I can't stand them are between a rock and a hard place and your dead right about New Years Eve celebrations. You know one family has been doing the fire works display for like 10 years or something. I'm guessing they don't do it for cost either. Every year bigger and better. Bigger and more expensive or is it bigger and bigger profit. Clearly I am a pessimist.

Long live the revolution.

Please don't attack me becasue of my comments . I'll cry.

u.s have no loose change after iraq. :duh

Come on all you "southerners"...The Townsville city council has cancelled the New Years fireworks etc and given the money to help out the relief efforts for the less fortunate after the tidal wave. I wonder how many others will do the same??:rudolf:rudolf:thumb

[Edited on 29-12-2004 by Mick H]

Spending government money on NYE does support businesses and therefore families dont forget, its not entirely wasted.

So I'm guessing Townsville council owned a hotel that got wiped out over there. I'm joking. I'm joking. Good on them. Good to see that they have the balls to do it.

Chewy wrote:Spending government money on NYE does support businesses and therefore families dont forget, its not entirely wasted.

The council uses rate payers money.It is not "government money" it is ours,the ratepayers.:P

....but it does support the businesses in the areas people are gathering..they would be counting on the trade for that time of year

Maybe these businesses can donate a little too if they've had a good night :sandrine

most businesses would be closed then. probably scared of looters

...well all the food venues...cafes...bars etc

....all the people who sell the glowing necklaces and trumpets :jesus 😀

mmm i agree. The NYE australian anthem is a joke. It sounds like a 13 year old producer in his bedroom made it.

I heard on the news this morning that someone had an idea for everyone on NYE to pay $1 extra for their first drink, and then to have it donated to the relief fund. I doubt it will happen though. Feel so helpless about it all actually.

Squiz.....

i watched farenheit 911 for the first time last night (and i watched it twice!) so im feeling a little saucy and argumentative... be prepared.

had this natural event been closer to say... england or america, we would not be hearing the end of it. we would still be having 24 hour news channels days after the fact, even if it was only 3000 people killed. oh woe is me, look a big wave came and hit a big country, feel sorry for us because we control your economy.

but it didnt hit america or england.
the biggest shame about this disaster is that it hit nothing but 3rd world/very poverty stricken countries... countries who rarely have a say in anything, and unfortunately, have many people who are of a belief system that the first world seems to have a deep hatred for.
im quite sure that the US could have come up with ALOT more than its $20 million for aid, but why would they give their hard earned tax payers dollars to a bunch of islamic fundamentalists (because in their country's eyes, if you believe in islam, you are automatically a cold blooded psycho killer) or hindus? dont forget, there isnt any oil there either, so whats the point?

over 60, 000 people are DEAD, from countries who are stretched to the limit trying to help their people on a normal day, let alone after a natural disaster on this scale. 60, 000 people who tried hard to support their families and live their lives suddenly have children dead or spouses missing... is 20 million from the us going to go far enough to rebuild so many lives in so many countries?
i dont think so. I agree with type one that we are doing alot better per capita than the US for our donation to aid but...

i also agree with sax, that we need to look at the big picture... one city is spending millions of dollars for fireworks for one day... ney... 15 minutes. and they do this EVERY YEAR!!
people, so we have made our trip around the sun aboard this blue planet, again, wow... guess what we will do it next year too! I know everyone is wanting to enjoy themselves and celebrate the coming of the next orbit, but something big has happened not many days ago, and alot of innocent people less fortuntate than ourselves are dead, no doubt they were excited about spending the coming of the next orbit in celebration, now they have to spend it cleaning up and in mourning, trying to find somewhere to live, something to eat, and the bodies of their loved ones.
and we will be partying, watching wasteful expensive flashes in the sky and not thinking about those less fortunate.

ive gotten paid today, and i will be giving some of my celebration money to the aid effort. if i can afford to party just because our planet has done its usual thing and travelled around the sun, then i can afford to help those inhabitants of the planet who have just had their lives shattered by a big wall of water.
i think everyone should do their little bit to help, even if it is just a few dollars, for your karma... because you would be feeling alot differently if this had happened to say... perth or sydney.

please excuse the rant...my $0.02

why should we worry so much about the crisis?

if it happened to us, we'd be left on our own.

enjoy the new year celebrations

id hate to think that you actually believe what you are saying killakornkob... with the amount of natural resouces other countries could get their hands on if anything of this magnitude happened to australia, i think they would all be flocking to give us aid in the chance that we would give them some nice mineral assests...
not only that, but its in their interests to help us because they wouldnt have any nice holiday destinations to go to if we got wiped out by a wave... a pessimistic outlook i know, but its true 🙁

just read the paper, front page is a little swedish boy who is looking for his mum, dad and brother who were washed away...im sure he would have liked to enjoy the new years celebrations too.

If that happened off the east coast of Australia we'd be fucked. Pure and simple.
Our hospitals can't cope on a normal day let alone this. NO decent infrastructure away from the coast, and everything centralised in the big cities means we would be a third world nation if a big disaster like this hit us.

But I agree, no oil to be found in any of these poor countries so really no point in the USA getting too concerned.

But let's not forget the 3000 who died on September 11.

Or on an even sourer note, let's not forget the "six million" (supposedly) jews who died in WW2. They will never let us forget that.

But remember when it was trendy to look after starving african nations?
What happened there, are they all fed now or are they not flavour of the month anymore??

Approx 400 years ago a tsunami hit the South Eastern Shore of Australia.. Experts have agreed that the wave height must have exceeded 140 metres!

One tool used to calculate was the force required to carry rocks the size of small cars several kilometres inland.. These rocks have been found 40 kilometres into the greater Sydney basin..

140 metres high!! Just imagine it

So tell me people who seem to be outraged at responses from various areas of Australia.

Which Government is paying for which fireworks? as in what State or local Govt? who is repsonding with aid money? aside from the Federal Govt? (who has also sent over more personnel than the TV would like you to know).

How shi**y would you be if it was revealed that after speding their (lets estimate) $2.5 million on fireworks for Sydney, hat the Govt decided not to hold the celebrations, but still had to pay for it (and I bet they would do to a small thing call contractual obligations - and no the other party would not back down because they have to pay their staff who need to do this thing called - Eat!).

Want to guess how expensive this has been already for (at least some members of) the ADF? See the guy in this picture? thats a good mate of mine, is he in harms way, maybe not. I he at home with his wife (who he has not actually lived with in the same city for the last year), No, is he at home relaxing with his three kids? NO, is he getting ready for his next job as he has just handed in his resignation from the RAAF, No.

Any idea how many aircraft and bits of kit have already gone over there? any idea how many people have been off leave for a few days already and how many more will be coming back now?

Got any idea how much is being contributed by the EU? (and that includes England), by Canada? by Australia? no. not after you look it up on the net, try now, off the top of your heads! No, wonder why? because the news programs don't tell you that. It doesn't 'sell'.

Bet you are safe at home doing what you want to do. Why aren't you out in the streets protesting about the 'slow' govt response? weather too hot? why not make a few water purification units and mail them over? what? too hard to do. But the plans are on the net somewhere I bet, so why not?
Why not go back to work now? cancel the remainder of the holidays, go on, that way you could contrbute your pay to them.

Yes I am a lot dissappoitned at the US, but thats their business, not ours. Are you an American? or are you Australian, did we vote in their last elections? Not the last time I looked.
Before you say that we (Aust) as a developed country should be doing more. Look at what we have and are doing. Count it all, not just the money side of it, and thats one of the reasons I dislike QANTAS at these times.
I don't even want to guess how much they charge the Govt for flying a jet into Phuket or places like that for 'disaster or refugee relief'. It aint free. As for Virgin Blue, not sure yet, but I am trying to find out if they did contribute the flight, or if they charged like wounded bulls as well. I know they are all entitled to, they are businesses, but you never hear of that outisde, only that the Govt should have put on more flights. Look at all the people who have been brought back from their Xmas leave, and what they are doing.

What else do you want? we cannot go where we are not invited, its called invasion or illegal entry if we do. You think that everyone would just open their borders and let people in? have you seen passports in hands of relief workers (Yes).

People, think about it.
Just committing people isn't enough, and too many in one hit is as bad as not enough. Too much money in one hit also leads to stealing (want to bet that the thieves of the world are feeling sorry for all these people?). Thats why a lot of Govts around the world contribute goods, like water purification units etc. That way they at least have some moral good feeling of it going where it is meant to.

Thats my 2cents.

PS (added afterwards)
If you are so ashamed at the way things happen after events such as this, what have you done about it? run for Government? instigated a drive? given up your life savings?? or just sat back and had a whinge here on a forum?
if you are not prepared to stand up or act on something that you say you believe in, why bother even mentioning anything in the first place.

Yes, I am annoyed at this. Yes I am expecting to be recalled to work. Am I upset at the recall, no, am I upset at the crap way that other people are viewing this, yes.

[Edited on 30-12-2004 by penguin]

Sorry but I just have to have my say......

Don't forget - these fireworks/NYE celebrations create an entire's night entertainment for lots of ppl/families - whoever. I don't just think it's "15 minutes". I know that it's a seems an inapropriate time to be celebrating - or an unfortunate time (to say the least), however on the other hand - there does need to be some joy for those that wish to celebrate/forget/remember - whatever the reason.

I feel awful about what happened - I can't watch the news anymore as it brings me to tears - but one night away from it may be what the world needs right now (and I don't mean any disrespect to those that cannot get away from it). It's one night that I think those that wish to celebrate are entitled to.

Would be interested to know - those that think the new years eve celebrations/fireworks should be cancelled - or are a waste of $$ for 15 minutes - what are you up to tomorrow night??

I will be in Kirribilli with another forum goer watching them from the best vantage point in Sydney.
Why not?, I helped pay for them.

Well - gotta respond Sax...

Why not indeed - as per my previous post I have no probelm with anyone wanting to celebrate this NYE - in fact I think it would be wrong to cancel celebrations - but it is interesting in light of the fact that you started this thread - including your comment below (sorry i can't work out the "quote" box thingy)........

"It's Ok to feel all warm & fuzzy after giving your credit card number to a charity call centre, but to really respect the dead all NYE celebrations should be cancelled and the money given to charity"
"No, lets party on and clear our conscience with a donation or two"......

What does that comment mean?? Were you referring to the "powers that be" only - or were you referring to everyone in general?

Well - gotta respond Sax...

Why not indeed - as per my previous post I have no probelm with anyone wanting to celebrate this NYE - in fact I think it would be wrong to cancel celebrations - but it is interesting in light of the fact that you started this thread - including your comment below (sorry i can't work out the "quote" box thingy)........

"It's Ok to feel all warm & fuzzy after giving your credit card number to a charity call centre, but to really respect the dead all NYE celebrations should be cancelled and the money given to charity"
"No, lets party on and clear our conscience with a donation or two"......

What does that comment mean?? Were you referring to the "powers that be" only - or were you referring to everyone in general?

Brisbane has just announced that they are cancelling thier fireworks celebration and donating the money to the disarter victims.

Hadn't heard that yet. They must have struck a deal. This close in, I doubt to many places will be able to as theres got to be a limit to how much fireworks they can take back into store.

yeah they just mentioned it on the 5 o'clock news (daylight savings).

Well there you go.....that's pretty full on. Personally though i just don't agree with cancelling. As previous posts mentioned - I think the money would already mostly be spent - so why not continue and then still donate equal amount (or something along those lines).

I just think this will just cause so much disappointment and add to the gloom. I'm thinking of all the the little kids that don't really understand what is really happening in the world - but have been looking forward to the big fireworks in the city with mum & dad tomorrow night - or the families that want to celebrate each other at these tragic times - things like that.

We all feel the hurt in our hearts and i just think cancelling NYE is pointless.

Agreed CB,
but if they can and they decide to, then good for them. As I said above, at least they are doing soemthing, no matter how small. I think there will still be things on, but probably just not the fireworks.
They were talking about having collectors wander aboput asking for donations, but I think thats dangerous and very open to abuse.

Me, as there are no fireworks here in Bris, I may head to the gold coast for theirs. Otherwise, if that doesn't happen, then its just another night.

Sympathy, yes. Aid, yes.

But I don't think the world should stop.

15 years ago the fireworks went ahead after Newcastle got shut down.

One of my workmates wife was the news on her way to Phuket looking for her mother and 14 other rellies that they think have been drowned. Its ....don't take this the wrong way .."another disaster" till it affects someone you know personally and then you see it in a different light altogether.It is devistating and any thing to help in any small way must be a help to these poor people who don't have the resources or know how to start the huge clean up. Good on all the local councils that are doing the right thing. Good on all others that are helping in unseen ways.

For the husband and young daughter of this woman left here at home I can't even try and understand what they must be going through. We are all hoping against all odds that there is some sort out come for them that will be enough help them get through it....god knows what !

140 metres.!! Thats higher than... Bugger me! Everything!!..

Penguin.. Well said.. I recall the enormous effort we (read the ADF) put in after the tsunami hit Rabaul a few years back.. Unfortunately many seem to bash the govt over the head at any opportunity these days.. Our civil servants operate the machine.. not John Howard! And they do bloody well in most cases.. How do people think it's done.. Johnny sitting down with Janet reading the SMH and thinking up a number for aid relief.. Give me a break..

My brother was in Bali (lost 6 from his rugby team) he as badly affected by days searching for mates though hospital wards and makeshift morgues.. One thing I recall was his gratitude to see Aussie assistance arrive and make some sense of the pandamonium!!.. Come on people.. Stand up.. be proud and get behind all our people!!
Don't mention the media!! They are populist pricks

cbhotdogd wrote:Well - gotta respond Sax...

Your constitutional right I guess.

Why not indeed - as per my previous post I have no probelm with anyone wanting to celebrate this NYE - in fact I think it would be wrong to cancel celebrations - but it is interesting in light of the fact that you started this thread - including your comment below (sorry i can't work out the "quote" box thingy)........

Easy.

"It's Ok to feel all warm & fuzzy after giving your credit card number to a charity call centre, but to really respect the dead all NYE celebrations should be cancelled and the money given to charity"
"No, lets party on and clear our conscience with a donation or two"......

What does that comment mean?? Were you referring to the "powers that be" only - or were you referring to everyone in general?

In all honesty I was hypothesising on what would happen in a perfect world where people really DID care.

I'm realistic enough to know that by this time next year people will be saying " What disaster ? "

140 meters!!!:cry
thats on the magnitude of a huge meteor hit! were supposedly overdue for one of those too... must have been many indigenous peoples wiped out from that wave 400 years ago

Yeah Stenguns,
some of my mates were in that Tsunami relief as well. I guess being the field engineers gets us used in this sort of thing a bit more than a lot of other people (medics aside!). Only thing to come out of that for my lot was one of ours was pictured on a telscum phone card 🙂

Agreed Spook, and that was one of 'our' disasters and happened just about the same time as well from memory. Between Xmas and New years, but I thinkmost were still in shock and even though it was big, we were very very lucky and had only a small loss of life. This is pretty huge loss of life.

Vern, my sympathy. Cannot empathise as I have not been in that situation or similar, but my sympathy and hopes that she can find even a few alive. I have not even tried calling about my friends (and host family relo's) in Penang. I will wait out and see what comes in a few weeks.

Heard word this morning that the poor lady buried 10 of her rellies yesterday including her mother !
Only one Aunty surviving so far hoping to find more
Some horrific stories filtering back via her husband
Very sad

Sh**,

at least she has an answer by finding the bodies. I think that from next week, thats going to be the hard bit, identifying them all. But still not nice/

I think much better to bury them than to not know has happened or where they are. Now the mourning period starts and that takes a while apparently. Before she left she had been told there was only one niece surviving and her and her husband were getting the ball rolling to adopt her !
So much going on in such a short time