Cracker Night Proposal Divides Political Opinion

By Angela Faherty on August 1, 2014 in News

Randwick East Ward Liberal councillor Brendan Roberts is calling for support to bring a regulated firecracker night back to New South Wales by asking those in favour to lobby their state members to support a private member’s bill when it goes to parliament in the spring.

Mr Roberts’ calls come as Randwick City Council voted against the motion to support Liberal MP and Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier David Elliott of Baulkham Hills in his attempt to overturn the three-decade ban on the night.

“I’m disappointed councillors didn’t support my motion,” Mr Roberts said. “The hysterical misrepresentations of what the proposal would be like, made by the Labor councillors, was most disappointing. They wantonly decided to base their arguments on the situation that was in 1986, not 2014 in Tasmania, which is the model I advocate,” he added.

Dating back to the early 1800s, ‘Cracker Night’ in New South Wales was traditionally held over the Queen’s Birthday public holiday weekend. The evening saw families and communities gather together to attend locally organised spectator events or host their own bonfire at home, where they could let off firecrackers in the backyard.

However, following safety concerns and repeated calls for the event to be outlawed, it was eventually banned by the state government in 1986. Today, only the Northern Territory and Tasmania uphold the tradition.

“Tasmania provides the best road-map back to Cracker Night,” Mr Roberts said. “They have a heavily regulated night that mitigates the dangers to an acceptable level. Any return of Cracker Night in New South Wales would be along Tasmania’s lines.”

The rules governing Cracker Night, or ‘Empire Night’, as it is known in Tasmania, mean those wishing to put on a fireworks display have to apply for a permit, be over 18 years of age, have access to a minimum of two to three acres of land and position the fireworks 50 metres from any building.

Figures show that approximately 300 permits were issued in Tasmania this year, with no fire-related callouts and only one minor firework-related injury reported.

“Three hundred highly regulated permits in Tasmania out of a population of 500,000 is not a recipe for danger, but for delight,” Mr Roberts said.

Randwick East Ward Labor councillor Tony Bowen disagrees. He witnessed firsthand the tragedy that can ensue when fireworks are placed in the wrong hands.

“A friend of mine lost his eyesight from a firecracker as a teenager. He was a 17 year-old medical student at Sydney University. We were walking through the park and some other kids were mucking around and a firecracker hit him in the eye. It changed his life forever,” he said.

Randwick North Ward Greens councillor Lindsay Shurey also voted against the motion. She believes that even a well-regulated Cracker Night is too dangerous to be allowed to return.

“I have seen a firecracker burst into flames, shoot into another box of fireworks and then into a wellington boot being worn by a child. Accidents used to happen all the time. Firecrackers are explosives; they are dangerous and also create carnage for animals,” she said.

Randwick mayor Scott Nash also voted against the motion, but said he would like to read and consider the private member’s bill before expressing his final position on the matter.

“At this stage I have reservations, but would like to know more about the controls that can be put in place to ensure safety if Cracker Night was allowed to return,” he said.

South Coogee resident Aidan Reynolds said he is supporting the campaign as it creates a feeling of community camaraderie that is lost in today’s over-regulated society.

“Cracker Night was not just about fireworks, we sat around a bonfire and talked,” he said. “Sadly, it is one of those community events that no longer occurs.

“I would love my kids to have the adrenaline rush we had. They are so shielded from everything these days and I feel part of the reason the next generations have grown up to exhibit a complete lack of responsibility as adults is that they never had a chance to exercise a trial and error learning process,” he said.