Happy New Year! Last night the Victorian Government set fire to $1,500,000.00. Every year we are told that this year the New Year fireworks and celebration will be the biggest ever. Every year it get's bigger, better, more expensive.
I don't know what other states spend, but I imagine that a conservative estimate could be that the governments of Australia will spend close on $10,000,000.00 on fireworks and celebrations this year.
I may be way out of line and out of touch with reality, but I just wonder if this expense is not just a little obscene. In a country where thousands of people cannot afford health care and adequate housing; in a world where millions of people (1.4Billion) live below the poverty line (US$1.25 per day) we are OK with spending more and more on entertainment - because we can!
(I guess at the least the homeless people in Melbourne could watch the fireworks free of charge, in the rain, wind and lightening. Or maybe they couldn't access their usual 'safe places', which last night became prime property for watching their government set fire to money they don't have to address social issues.)
