Sydney is fighting to keep Christmas Christian: Clover Moore has more than doubled the budget for ‘secular’ celebrations
CLOVER Moore has more than doubled the “secular” Christmas budget, amid warnings that decorations could cause offence to non-Christians.
NSW
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FORMER Grinch Lord Mayor Clover Moore has more than doubled the budget for this year’s “secular” Christmas celebrations, amid bizarre warnings from shopping centre bosses that decorations could cause offence to non-Christians.
“Evergreen Sydney, City of Christmas trees,” has been chosen as the theme for this year’s festivities, with “forests” of festive pines dotted around the CBD, including a hi-tech whopper at Martin Place.
Councillors will be asked to rubber stamp the idea next Monday, with one slamming it and calling for something more unique to Sydney.
A council tender document described why the theme was chosen: “Historically secular and recognised by many cultures, the Christmas tree reaches out across communities with a message of inclusion, generosity and celebration — green, global and connected.”
A council spokesman defended the plans and revealed this year’s Christmas budget has more than doubled from the miserly $879,000 spent last year to a far more festive $1.925 million in 2014.
Ms Moore was branded the Christmas Grinch in 2004 amid reports she’d slashed the decorations budget.
“Anyone who celebrates Christmas knows the symbolism of the Christmas tree. There is no move to make Christmas more secular in Sydney,” the council spokesman said. Santa and Jesus will still feature in the council’s Christmas celebrations.
Australian Retailers Association chief Russell Zimmerman sits on a council retail advisory committee that helped devise the trees theme.
He revealed several shopping centre bosses had raised private concerns about Christmas decorations causing offence.
“One of them was a shopping centre in the Sydney metropolitan area and it was discussed that ‘We’re a multicultural society and we can’t have people having Christmas decorations up, we might offend’,” Mr Zimmerman said.
“I’m going to say that we are a Christian society and if you go to another society you do as that society does.”
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