Police commissioner warns rail chaos could trigger NYE fireworks cancellation
Police Commissioner Karen Webb has “grave concerns” for Sydneysiders’ safety on New Year’s Eve and may recommend fireworks be cancelled if rail industrial action continues.
A day after a court dismissed an injunction blocking industrial action, Webb said she could not rule out calling off the event if the 250,000 people expected to visit the city could not get home safely.
“I haven’t ruled out that I will recommend to government that we cancel the fireworks; it’s that serious,” she said.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb.Credit: Kate Geraghty
“When it’s time to go home, and the fireworks are over, the job is to get them out safely and quickly, and if there’s no transport, we can’t do that, and I can’t guarantee safety.”
This transport app shows multiple delays and cancellations from Strathfield to Central.
On Thursday, the Federal Court threw out the state government’s bid to block work bans by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, opening the door to immediate industrial action – which is set to ramp up ahead of New Year’s Eve.
RTBU state secretary Toby Warnes accused the government of “resorting to hysteria” and having public servants “come out and tell fibs about the effect” of industrial action. “The information that the police commissioner has in terms of the disruptions is not likely to be correct,” he said.
“The NSW government has resorted to scaring the people of NSW because it wants to pursue a particular industrial strategy and support its case in the Fair Work Commission, and has asked the police commissioner to come out and up the rhetoric about New Year’s Eve and cancelling fireworks.”
He walked back his comments early this week that the resumption of industrial action could halve train services on New Year’s Eve. Instead, he insisted on Friday that the bans will have a limited effect on services, and he had not considered in his earlier remarks that in fact 40 per cent more staff would be working that night.
Warnes said he gave an undertaking that the industrial action would not result in “any form of safety risk” on New Year’s Eve.
The state government will continue to pursue a block on industrial action in the courts, arguing it should be suspended on economic harm grounds or because of danger to public safety. The matter is listed for Fair Work hearing on Christmas Eve.
RTBU NSW Secretary Toby Warnes says industrial action won’t cause a safety risk on New Year’s Eve.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
While trains were still running on Friday, some services were delayed or cancelled across the network.
Transport authorities said the unpredictable nature of the union’s actions reduced service frequencies, extra journey times, service gaps, and last-minute cancellations. Some nine trains – totalling around 80 trips – were cancelled by mid-afternoon on Friday and about 30 per cent of services were delayed.
The dispute caps off a turbulent year of industrial relations for the NSW government, which has navigated a series of disputes with public sector unions while also delivering significant pay rises to teachers, paramedics and police among others.
But Premier Chris Minns on Friday said the government was “drawing a line” on the negotiations with the rail unions, saying giving into the union’s pay demands would encourage further industrial strife.
“We appreciate members right across the public service are finding it difficult to pay their mortgages and make ends meet, but there’s a limit to how much we can pay and [a pay deal] can’t come because of a threat to the millions of people that live in Sydney,” he said.
“We can’t be held hostage to a situation where people are unnecessarily interrupted in the run up to one of the most important and busy periods of the entire year.”
Warnes said the RTBU had advised the government five weeks ago that it would not be enacting a ban on members working if trains did not operate 24 hours a day on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
However, he said all the other actions which total about 200 “are in play”, adding that a ban on signallers utilising a manual system was the one causing train delays.
Peak body Business NSW estimates that the cancellation of the fireworks will cost the economy $98 million.
City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said she would request an urgent meeting with the premier if the police formally recommend cancelling New Year’s Eve fireworks. “Our priority is maintaining public safety, and we will follow direction from police,” she said.
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