We are nearly at the end of the first day in 2023. Presumably, most people have ruined their resolution diet hopes with a full English breakfast to dull the thudding of New Year’s Eve celebrations. Or perhaps there was a bit of Christmas cake left that just had to be eaten and besides, the last of the chocolate box would melt or be stolen by a sibling if it was left unattended.

I asked Twitter, the source of all intelligent and reasoned social opinion, which apocalypse people would prefer to see in 2023, given that we’ve averaged one major global disaster a year since 2019.

Overwhelmingly, the answer was ‘aliens’ but, as science fiction entertainment commentator Nerdrotic said, ‘They want no part of this.’

Which is probably fair.

Aliens have had plenty of time to come and shake hands with humanity. For a small, water-logged rock, we make a heck load of radio noise that gets blasted out into space non-stop. It’s more likely that someone has put us on the ‘no-fly’ list after the first Biden speech.

If we want to look at something interesting in the sky, we’ll have to settle for fireworks. Speaking of which, as a child I remember picnicking on the harbour foreshore with other families. In the most wonderfully Aussie fashion possible, we’d ensconce ourselves in collapsible plastic chairs balanced hazardously on the uneven ground. A few idiots would slosh about in the harbour while pack mules (those who drew the short straw) were sent off into the city for more food. Meanwhile, our parents would pretend to be drinking fruit juice rather than the champagne they’d smuggled in via their children’s backpacks. It was there, as a great mass of cheerful and festive humans, that’d we’d wait for sunset and later, the fireworks.

Then along came the New South Wales government who decided that no, the public foreshore of Sydney Harbour is not for the plebs and peasants… Part of it was to be reserved for the ‘special’ guests of the Premier while the rest was roped off and ticketed.

Today, news.com.au call this a ‘tax on fun’.

This cynical and nasty behaviour of charging entrance to public land ruined the once great Australian tradition. So much for ‘sharing’ and letting the people enjoy their city. When it comes to making money, the government was never going to let an opportunity like New Year’s Eve go to waste.

In 2019, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said that she was ‘furious’ that the state government had decided to begin charging admission for a fireworks display funded by the taxpayer.

‘I frankly think that is outrageous that they’re trying to make money out of something we’re putting on to bring the community together harmoniously. People are concerned about many of the sites around the city being ticketed. I just want to stress … this is a free community event. Free for our locals, free for our interstate visitors, and free to our overseas visitors, all the city-owned sites are free. Any of those that are ticketed are ticketed by Property for NSW or the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust.’

This was the first time that ticketing had been introduced. The city’s previously free locations were now being sold starting at $55 a head. However, the design for ticketing came much earlier in 2011, tabled by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. According to Joseph O’Donoghue from Keep Sydney Open, this idea had been refined by Sydney’s local councils and was being championed by NSW Police in the interests of ‘safety’ as it would give law enforcement significantly more control over the event. At the time, Police Minister Tony Grant had shown his support for the measure because it promised to help control the crowds.

‘My personal opinion is we’d all like to do everything for free in life, but things to look after the community do ultimately come at a cost. Nothing in life is for free.’

No, the fireworks show is not free – it is funded by the taxpayers who were only asking for the opportunity to go down and watch something they’d already paid for.

As for ‘controlling crowds’, last night the excess barriers and fences erected around North Sydney station forced revellers to snake up and down the road – even when there were no crowds – causing frustrated people to start climbing over and through barriers.

It was the existence of ticketed and non-ticketed events at the Rocks that turned the celebration into a dangerous event. According to the Daily Mail, there was a ‘near-disaster’ when crowds pushed through a barrier into a ticketed section where there was a better view.

Ordinarily, crowds have hours to sort themselves out, but ticketed events result in density fluctuations. Crowds see space and a better vantage point and naturally try to fill it.

‘People were trampling me, as I was on the ground with about a dozen other people and some were running over the top of me. I lost my footing when I was pushed to the ground and landed on top of two others,’ said one person to the Daily Mail.

This sort of thing should not be happening.

The privatisation of New Year’s Eve was a disgraceful moment in the history of Sydney, one that our current Premier and state Liberal government could have made right as a gesture of goodwill. That might be tricky though, as this was conducted under the watch of the state Liberal government – something that remains incredibly disappointing.

When the accusation of ‘privatisation by stealth’ was first levelled at the government, then Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton replied: ‘There is no privatisation by stealth when there are so many public places that are free for everyone to go and watch the fireworks.’

The truth is, the best places are ticketed. The harbour foreshore has been divided up with councils roping off the places they can make the most money out of despite it being public land and a publicly funded event. New Year’s Eve is not the time or the place for petty cash grabs.

In addition to profiteering, the public health and safety crazies started fencing off large sections of the waterfront, denying that space to the public and generally pushing everyone further and further back until you might as well stay home and watch the unwatchable #Woke ABC coverage.

New Year’s Eve around Sydney Harbour was never a dangerous event to begin with. That excuse, which was not backed up with compelling data, has been left largely unquestioned because it remains in the financial interest of local councils to rake in one last pile of cash before the year finishes.

There is a lot to pick holes at when it comes to the logic of ticketed events. Alcohol is banned on the foreshore for those partygoers who want a sip of champagne at midnight – but ticket holders can buy alcohol from licensed vans. Is alcohol too dangerous to have at this event, or not? Or is this another way to push up ticket prices and increase demand…

Today, most vantage points are ticketed, and the price varies wildly. Places like Barangaroo Reserve average around $40, but if you want to go to the Botanic Gardens you could end up paying nearly $600. A family pass (for two adults and two children) at Bradley’s Head Amphitheatre is $208.24. Long gone are the days when the family – with all the kids, grandparents, and cousins – would head down for a free night of fun. It might bankrupt them. The full list is here.

Unsurprisingly, Clover Moore’s moral spine didn’t survive for very long. Not only has she been previously accused of wasting a genuine fortune in taxpayer money on ‘ticketed’ invite-only exclusive New Year’s Eve parties, fierce opposition to ticketing has all but evaporated.

Instead, Clover Moore spent her time pitching the 2022-2023 display as the ‘best ever’, focusing on Indigenous culture and World Pride celebrations – as well as serving as a bit of taxpayer-funded propaganda for the ‘Yes’ campaign regarding the Voice to Parliament.

‘We’re hoping that this is going to give our First Nations people a massive global audience in what we hope will be the lead up to a successful ‘yes’ vote for the Voice to Parliament later in the year.’

Are taxpayers happy to see their money spent supporting the enshrinement of racial supremacy into the Constitution via New Year’s Eve festivities? Were parents thrilled to have a drag queen singing about ‘touching themselves’ in front of children?

Not really, if the social media backlash is anything to go by.

The ‘global audience’ Clover Moore was hoping for has manifested as a barrage of embarrassing headlines, mocking Sydney for its ‘Woke’ and ‘boring’ fireworks display that once held the untouchable position as ‘best in the world’.

New Year’s Eve is one of the few nights where networks are aware that there will be kids sitting up all night. The ABC has been rightly attacked for their choice of performers and content. ‘Absolutely appalling… The ABC needs to get a grip!’ wrote one viewer. Inclusive? Hardly.

With a rainbow skirt on the bridge, there could be little doubt that everything – everything – in Australia is now either a political show, money-making opportunity – or both.

Meanwhile, the only thing Australians want is to sit by the water with a glass of champagne under the glow of exploding coloured gunpowder. Is that too much to ask?

Well, the Liberals better be careful because the Labor Party have worked out how angry Sydney residents are about this behaviour, and are floating the idea of scrapping most ticketed events if they win power. Liberal Premier Dominic Perrottet hasn’t realised that Labor are onto something, trotting out the tired line from previous Liberal Premiers that ‘there are plenty of free places’ – which is fine to say when you spend your New Year’s Eve at a private party on the water.

Ticketing New Year’s Eve is a mistake that the Liberals ran with and now they have no idea how to get out of it without upsetting councils and the privileged few businesses operating inside these special gated areas. That doesn’t mean the problem is going to go away, especially in an election year when Labor are looking at emotional hooks to claw their way into power.