Yes Is Mise, I find those fireworks typical Green/Labor. Like the mobs of Rome, supply bread & circus, to keep the mobs of Sydney/Melbourne anesthetised. Wouldn't want them seeing all the tax payer funded stuff ups now would we, when we can hide behind tax payer funded coloured smoke.

With all those colours being of tons of chemicals far more carcinogenic than anything in cigarette smoke, those actually paying for that pollution should be jailed not praised.

Meanwhile the same green blob is pushing for more restrictions on the poor cigarette smoker, putting his few grams of smoke in the air. That is so dangerous that he must be removed from decent society. Incidentally, I don't smoke, but still can't hate those who do.

I sometimes wonder if the increase in cancer is due to our increased life span, or the increase in damn fool fireworks, that seem to be required at every event. My bet is on the latter.

A couple of comments.
To Albie, re "despite all the dollars spent on education, safety awareness programmes etc we still see ungodly amount of lives lost and damaged as a result of idiots behind steering". In fact a range of measures have had a huge impact: education, safety awareness, better roads, better cars, seat-belts, better medical treatment, and being tough on drink driving. In Australia in 1975 the deathrate was 27/100,00 population, by 2014 it had dropped to 5/100,000. The USA it is running at 10/100,000. Yes, it's still too high, but education, regulation and better technology have radically lowered the death rate, regardless of the idiots out there.

Hasbeen: "About time we started charging those miserable kayakers for polluting our waterways with their presence." The difference is that kayakers don't stop other people using the rivers; shooting ranges do (of course you may have been intending sarcasm).

Hasbeen: "I find those fireworks typical Green/Labor."

Weird. If the rifle-range is an historic site and shooting has a long tradition in Australia, then fireworks are equally significant as a traditional form of celebration, and are certainly heritage. They have nothing to do with political sides (is there anything at all in the world that some people can't label left or right?)

I can still remember the first fireworks I saw on Sydney Harbour, in 1951, to celebrate 50 years since Federation and I've loved them ever since though these days I watch on TV (and also the replay!). The earliest newspaper reference I can find at short notice is 1804, when 'a brilliant display of fire-works' was part of the celebrations in Sydney (probably at Government House) for His Majesty's Birthday (George III). That led to a long tradition of bonfires and fireworks on the King or Queens birthday. (Strangely, Wikipedia gives 1996 as the first Sydney NYE fireworks; that may be the first with fireworks on the bridge or on NYE).

So instead of fireworks being some lefty plot, they have always been associated with the monarchy and government. Personally I think they appeal to everyone, of every age, and of every or no political affiliation.

Except to grumpy old men who want to spoil everyone's fun, and spread division by labelling something that brings us all together in joy and happiness as one or other political side (the side they don't like). I'm even prepared to lobby to reimburse you for your share of the cost if you will just shut up about this and leave us to our enjoyment

Cossomby, it's a lost cause calling on the gun freaks to just shut up.

They are on a mission to indulge their dangerous hobby and reverse every impediment to their death cult until all the reforms brought in by John Howard for our safety are stripped away. Not only do they demand that we pick up the tab for it, but they have the effrontery to libel the miraculous men who re-took the Kokoda Trail (Track), leaving many of their corpses on ground defiled by Jap vermin, as being like the gun freaks.

No, they were conscripted men whose basic training for jungle warfare including weapons training was carried out by the Australian armed forces. Some had gained familiarity with weapons where I gained mine -in school cadet corps. A very few may have been gun hobbyists. But many of the men who inspired the conscripts ("chocos") on the battlefield were AIF with battle experience in Africa and whom Mr Curtin brought home at great risk of their ships being spotted and sunk by the enemy leaving us virtually without an army.

What garbage Julian. Those kids were a quickly raised militia, with no time for any decent training. They were desperately chucked in as we had nothing left.

They were mostly country kids, who had learnt to use a gun, supplementing the family larder with rabbits & ducks, in those very lean times in the 30s. We were still doing it into the late 40s.

I very much doubt many of them were sporting shooters, ammunition was far too expensive for most of them to waste on shooting at targets you couldn't eat. The school cadet cores were a post war activity in most areas.

I have no interest in sporting shooting. I have not been on a range since I left the navy 50 years ago, but I don't hate those who have such an interest.

My guns are to protect my young stock from the wild dogs that roam our shire. The authorities will do nothing to control them, so it is up to us. It is a chore I would happily leave to someone else, if I could.

Cossomby,

Are not the fireworks massive pollution?

Sydney expended 12 tonnes of pyrotechnics and Melbourne 13.5 and yet the great anti-pollution advocates say nought.

The Greens are on record as being opposed to wood heating in homes and to the burning of wood, a renewable energy source, for other purposes.

The Greens have voiced concern that gunfire on ranges disturbs animals yet are strangely silent about the huge amount of noise pollution associated with the fireworks.

The RSPCA is also strangely silent, don't they care about this yearly extravaganza in audio cruelty to dogs and cats?