SYDNEYSIDERS' goodwill towards World Youth Day has been eroded by revelations of large-scale city road closures and an $86 million bill to taxpayers. A Sun-Herald/Taverner poll found that 64 per cent of Sydneysiders were in favour of World Youth Day being held in Sydney.
But that number fell to 47 per cent when taking into account the disruption to traffic and road closures announced by Deputy Premier John Watkins.
A separate snap poll by The Sun-Herald last week found widespread criticism of the bill that will be borne by the NSW Government, with many saying the money should be spent on other things, such as health care and roads.
The Sun-Herald/Taverner poll was conducted two weeks before the $86 million cost to the Government was revealed.
The money will be spent on extra trains and buses, traffic management, security and emergency medical units and turning schools into dormitories.
Taverner Research managing director Philip Mitchell-Taverner said people supported WYD in principle but the view of many changed when road closures and traffic disruptions were raised.
"It didn't matter if you lived in the city or lived in the country, the attitude was exactly the same," he said.
"The respondents were not objecting to these things on religious grounds - they don't like to be inconvenienced."
The poll of 360 people was conducted throughout NSW on April 9 and 10.
WYD chief operating officer Danny Casey said fears about the Sydney Olympics were unfounded, and this event would be the same.
"I think people who stayed in Sydney during the Olympics saw that Sydney smiled for a fortnight and were very, very proud of their city," he said. "I think there's been a tremendous amount of work done by the NSW Government to minimise the transport impact.
"This is an opportunity for young people to explore the values in which they want to live their life. It's a rebuilding of the social capital, providing a forum for people to explore their values."
Australian Federation of Islamic Councils' head, Ikebal Patel, said that, for any large-scale event to be held successfully, government funding was needed. He supported the Catholic Church in hosting World Youth Day.
"More of these sorts of events should be supported," he said.
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