But Sydney's lord mayor Clover Moore said the fireworks would go ahead. Ms Moore said she shared the "deep sympathies" of those who had signed the petition, but the fireworks were planned 15 months in advance and most of the budget had already been spent. "We can't cancel the fireworks and even if we could, doing so would have little practical benefit," the lord mayor wrote on the petition's website. However, Australians who signed the Change.org petition said a firework display would be an "insult".