Just over a day after the Gazette revealed that four Anzac Day marches in the Mountains had been cancelled, it now appears they will go ahead.
The state government has agreed to share with council the cost of the traffic management plans which the RSL sub-branches need to conduct their marches.
According to the office of Roads Minister, Duncan Gay, the offer is a 50:50 split of the costs.
Included within the traffic plans will be the expenses associated with closing roads with water-filled barriers, rather than post-and-rail barriers as used in previous years.
It is understood that only in the Blue Mountains are the water barriers required by police. A police media spokesman said it could not comment on “specific security arrangements” for “operational reasons”.
Council welcomed the state government offer, with the mayor, Mark Greenhill, issuing a statement saying he was “confident that we can now work towards the safe conduct of the Anzac Day marches in the Blue Mountains for 2017”.
The president of RSL NSW, John Haines, said he was delighted the marches will go ahead.
“I congratulate the council and the government on the initiative of paying for the safety measures.
“I’m sure that will be reassuring to the branches and in particular to the community because they’re the ones who attend the marches.”