Sydney won't rule out banning NYE fireworks after Canberra decision

Sydney's fire chief has refused to rule out cancelling the city's New Year's Eve fireworks display, despite Australia's prime minister insisting they will go ahead.

PM Scott Morrison, who faced criticism earlier this month for jetting off on holiday while the nation battled the blazes, said: "On New Year's Eve, the world looks at Sydney. Every single year.

"And they look at our vibrancy, they look at our passion, they look at our success.

"And so in the midst of the challenges that we have face, subject to the safety considerations, I can think of no better time to express to the world just how optimistic and positive we are as a country."

However, New South Wales fire commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said of the Sydney display: "If I determine it to be too risky, that doesn't concern me.

"The pyrotechnics organisations and local authorities are used to working with us around exemptions in the summer period, whether it is Christmas, New Year or some other event.

"They know the arrangements, the procedures, and we will work through to make sure that risk is appropriately addressed and, where necessary, we won't allow them to go ahead."

It comes as the country's capital, Canberra, cancelled its own fireworks display over bushfire fears.

Emergency Services Agency commissioner, Georgeina Whelan, said: "We have thousands of residents who actually go to the vantage points around Canberra.

"With those vantage points only having very limited access and obviously evacuation points, and the curing of the grass in those areas, what I was most concerned about was the fire risk that would be associated with that."

Hundreds of thousands of people have signed a petition calling for the display to be cancelled, using the money to instead to fight the bushfires.

New South Wales, of which Sydney is the state capital, has been worst affected with eight dead and 1,000 homes destroyed.

The petition says that all states in Australia should "say no" to fireworks, with the money given to firefighters, farmers, and animal carers.

Around £3m was reportedly spent on fireworks in Sydney last year.

The firework display should also be cancelled, it said, because it may "traumatise some people" because there is "enough smoke in the air".

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the fireworks would still go ahead despite her "deep sympathies" with the petition signers, due to the money being spent in advance.

"We can't cancel the fireworks and even if we could, doing so would have little practical benefit," she wrote on the petition's website.

It comes as the Australian government announced on Sunday it would compensate volunteer firefighters in the state of New South Wales (NSW) for loss of earnings.

Mr Morrison said payments of up to AU$6,000 (£4,587) would be available for eligible firefighters who had spent more than 10 days in the field this fire season.

"I know that our volunteer firefighters in NSW are doing it tough, especially in rural and regional areas," he said in a statement.

"The early and prolonged nature of this fire season has made a call beyond what is typically made on our volunteer firefighters."

The programme is predicted to cost AU$50 million (£26m), but will be uncapped with the first AU$10m (£5.3m) being made available next month.

Mr Morrison, who returned home early following criticism of his family vacation to Hawaii, added it would be offered to other states and territories requesting help.

The conservative leader previously said compensation for volunteers was not a priority, but has since faced increasing political pressure as widespread fires continue to burn.

On Tuesday, Mr Morrison announced government workers could receive additional paid leave for volunteering.

Bushfires have destroyed more than four million hectares (9.9 million acres) in five states since September, with eight deaths linked to the blazes.

Wildfires have also flared in Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia.

The fire risk has increased in parts of the country in the final few days of the year, despite cooler conditions in many areas over Christmas.

On Sunday, the Falls music festival in the state of Victoria cancelled the event "with a heavy heart", citing extreme weather conditions expected on Monday.

"After consultation with local and regional fire authorities and other emergency stakeholders, it is clear that we have no other option," the organisers wrote on Facebook.

The event was meant to run until New Year's Eve and around 9,000 people were already camping on site when the announcement was made.

A total fire ban is in place on Monday for all of Victoria due to high temperatures and strong winds being forecast, which could create an "extreme" fire risk across the state.