Thousands of people have taken up key vantage points for New Year’s Eve fireworks, with Chris Minns asking Sydneysiders to “square your shoulders, puff out your chest and walk out” to celebrate as a show of defiance after the Bondi attack.
Key viewing sites, including at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and other areas in the Royal Botanic Garden, were already at capacity on Wednesday afternoon.
The New South Wales premier said police were putting “extra measures” in place for the city’s public transport system, which many were expected to use before and after Wednesday’s celebrations. He said this was in addition to the presence of more than 2,500 police officers, including some with long-arm weapons, on Sydney’s streets.
“We need to show strength and resilience during this period,” Minns said on Wednesday. “And if that is that you square your shoulders, puff out your chest and walk out even in the face of genuine community concern, I think that we’ve got an obligation do that.”
The transport minister, John Graham, said Transport for NSW was expecting more than a million people to celebrate New Year’s Eve in the city, including at free viewing sites around the harbour.
“More than a thousand extra [public transport] services are going to be in place, that’s at 40% up on a normal day,” he said.
Public transport services will run continuously for 46 hours, with roads in the CBD closing from noon and train stations close to the harbour closing progressively from 3pm.
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Minns said police were on “high alert”, and there were extra measures in place on public transport, but declined to provide detail on tactical operations.
He would not comment on the number of officers carrying long-arms but confirmed they would be embedded in crowds rather than in tactical positions.
“They’ll be operational and highly visible,” Minns said.
A minute’s silence was to be observed and the Sydney Harbour Bridge lit up at 11pm, with a menorah, a dove and the words “unity” and “peace” projected on to the structure.
Announcements broadcast inside CBD train stations have asked that passengers switch on their phones’ torches at 11pm to “shine a light in solidarity with the victims and anyone affected by the attack”.
At Circular Quay, a steady stream of people with camping chairs, picnic mats and umbrellas poured out to secure the remaining viewing spots on the harbour’s south side.
Hours before the midnight display, thousands sat on the concrete looking out towards the bridge. Steve Gunson, 60, from Perth, arrived at about noon with his wife.
His son warned him not to attend after seeing posts on social media making claims about the security situation.
But Gunson, in Sydney for the first time, said seeing the fireworks was “a bucket list thing”.
It was a similar story for Neha and Shonal from Fiji, visiting Australia for a family reunion, who planned to see the 9pm fireworks display before catching a return flight at 6am on Thursday morning.
“I’ve always wanted to see the fireworks,” Neha said.
Their cousin Preeti, from north-west Sydney, said “there was some hesitance” about attending the celebrations in the CBD after the Bondi attack.
But apart from noticing the increased police presence, the group did not feel any concerns for their safety.
Royal commission calls
Minns refused to weigh in on whether there should be a federal royal commission into the Bondi attack after the Daily Telegraph reported the state opposition leader, Kellie Sloane, had urged the premier to lobby Anthony Albanese to establish one.
“They [the federal government] have made their decision,” Minns said. “We’ve made our decision, we are going ahead with the royal commission in NSW.
“This is not something that’s going to be over and done with 20 days, 30 days. We believe there needs to be fundamental change in NSW to combat antisemitism, to combat extremism in our community.”
Minns, who visited Ahmed al-Ahmed on Tuesday after he was readmitted to hospital, said he would respect the Bondi hero’s privacy but added that the 43-year-old was “recovering”.
“His injuries are very serious … he was in serious danger of not making it, and his recovery has been phenomenal.”
