Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore has come under fire for reportedly planning on spending $621,500 of taxpayers money on an upcoming New Year’s Eve party.
The grand celebration funded by ratepayers will be held at Dawes Point, a suburb of Sydney, and is expected to be attended by the who’s who in town.
Two thousand guests are scheduled to attend ‘the beach-house chic mini festival within a festival’ that gives invitees uninterrupted views to the stunning Harbour Bridge and Opera House, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore (pictured) is under fire for money planning on being spent for a NYE party in Sydney
Food caterers are expected to be paid $150,000 to feed guests with a variety of gourmet food and drinks which include several types of ‘red and white wines, three types of beers, cider and soft drinks’, the publication reports.
A live band will also entertain guest with a stage made out from ‘upcycled wood’.
A spokesperson for the Lord Mayor clarified that the ratepayers party is organised by the City of Sydney and not the Lord Mayor as originally reported.
The spokesperson said Ms Moore’s invite-only party usually held in front of the iconic Opera House was discontinued earlier in the year.
‘The City’s New Year’s Eve (organised by the City of Sydney) celebration attracts more than a million people to Sydney Harbour and is watched by millions across Australia and more than a billion worldwide,’ a spokesperson for the Lord Mayor told Daily Mail Australia in a statement.
‘Research by Destination NSW found Sydney New Year’s Eve has a direct economic impact on NSW of more than $133 million.
A spokesperson clarified that the ratepayers party is organised by the City of Sydney and not the Lord Mayor as originally reported
‘It’s the City’s gift to the people of Sydney.
‘As Australia’s largest public event and one of the largest and most technologically advanced fireworks displays in the world, it showcases Sydney as an event capital on the global stage.
‘The function at Dawes Point fulfills contractual obligations to the sponsors and government partners that enable this massive community event to go ahead.
‘The Lord Mayor will continue to host the New Year’s Eve picnic for local charities, children with special needs and their families and carers on the Royal Botanic Gardens.’
Last year, Ms Moore’s final invite only party cost taxpayers $763,508, the newspaper reports.