I too believe its a huge waste of tax payers bucks but hey the whole Australian Govt system themselves are a huge waste of tax payers bucks so it's just another hole in the money bucket.
:ugh:

Wmk2

601, Forkie, Cleared and related...

I could say a dozen things at this point that would demean, offend and/or show you up as fun-spoiling, miserable old _arts that have nothing to do but .... ok I'll stop now and instead will show you a _real_ bit of government spending gone stupid to the point of idiocy.

Only around the corner, on the way to the gig was this:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7319/1...9f914edd_z.jpg

followed by (the aforementioned artwork in the middle of the roundabout):

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2883/1...fd692ce3_z.jpg

Then closely followed by (on the other side of the divided road):

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7431/1...a18321e2_z.jpg

If you need something else to complain about, there is always the CASA... pick your own angle there...


Yes you should have watched the Telstra YouTube stream. Aunty was _very_ second rate.

Do you remember the Tourism Australia "investment" into Paul Hogan including the ads, the movies, etc and the amount of tourism they generated?


Well the crackers on Sydney Harbour were watched by over 5 million people LIVE.

Matt Hall did a great routine, the 15 yo kid got to design her own cracker and show it off to the world, everybody left on a high and feeling great.

What did you do at midnight, Forkie?

btw, Dubai?

Dubai Fountains
As featured in 3 days in Dubai
Ranked #1 of 182 attractions in Dubai

SMCCU Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
As featured in Dubai for young kids
Ranked #2 of 182 attractions in Dubai

Dolphin Bay
Ranked #3 of 182 attractions in Dubai


Dubai Metro
Ranked #4 of 182 attractions in Dubai


Burj Al Arab (Tower of the Arabs)
Ranked #5 of 182 attractions in Dubai

Hope you don't feel like a beer either....

Foreign Office Dubai travel advice to Brits: No sex, alcohol or holding hands

Wally Mk2

Just on a quick calculation the NSW government makes money from the NYE fire works party. The event this year is reported to have cost the state government $6.6M to stage. Crowds are reported to have been in the order of 1.5M. Assuming each person spent $50, $75M would have been taken by retailers which would generate $7.5M in GST which is returned to the state. If you add the revenue generated by the public transport system the direct income easily out ways the costs. Add in private sector profits etc and net return is easily 10x the cost of the event. Indirectly this helps Australians be the most giving people in the world.

404 we will never know what the local economy would have racked in on NYE (as people would venture in to the cnteral area's anyway spending their $$$$) without such an extravagant waste of tax payers money to compare with now will we?:-)
The GP down this way is the biggest joke & waste of $$$$ known to mankind:ugh::ugh:Blue poles painting, the yellow peril...................Christ need I go about how Govt's totally waste OUR money!:ugh:


Wmk2

While The Palm Jumeirah and The World Islands played host to a glittering display of fireworks that achieved the colossal task of setting off over 400,000 fireworks across 100km of shoreline, in just six minutes...

...hosted by Emaar Properties

NSW budget: ca AUD7,500,000

Dubai budget: Today, Mr Zaalof will only say that next week’s extravaganza is costing “millions and millions of dollars”.

It must be nice living in a state where you get your GST back. :mad:

Fireworks...were fun when as a kid you could go to the shop and buy them and let them off yourself. No fun just watching all that money go up in smoke. Are the fireworks made in China?

there are tens of thousands of international tourists who come to Australia just to see in the new year in Sydney. then carry on to the blue mountains, hunter valley, and port Stephens just to name few. at £300-£3000 per night just for hotels the government is making way more than they spend either directly or indirectly from the private sector through increased revenues and gst.

the age old saying "you have to spend money to make money" is still running true to form.

I was tucked up in bed, Sprocket, wondering who the hell was invading paradise! :confused:

wally Mk 2

I'm a firm believer in government delivering a return to tax payers. By any measure the Sydney NYE fireworks have delivered it in spades. Government has a roll in helping those that genuinely can't help themselves but I draw the line on those that won't help themselves.

Clare Prop

Under the constitution every cent of GST must be returned to the states. How equitable that return is, is another question all together and we could discuss the fairness of that until the cows come home.

Both foti and howards manufacture the fireworks in australia. I suspect pretty much all that was blown up last night was made here.

And when the GST was introduced stamp duty on real estate was to be axed, maybe you miserable bastards should be whinging about that, not something that is creating jobs, generating income & maybe.............putting a smile on people's faces, you're still a miserable pack of bastards.

"Waste of money"
Must be a sad life that you people live.. and, some what ironically, uneducated in this lucky country of ours.
What a one dimensional, simplistic and ignorant attitude..

Wonderful NYE celebration - always look forward to Sydney fireworks.

The last three posts sum this thread up succinctly.

I can't believe the negativity of some of you people :ugh: