Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has ruled out splitting Queensland into two time zones for daylight saving
PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk has ruled out splitting Queensland into two time zones while a petition for daylight saving gathers momentum. Do you want daylight saving on the Gold Coast? Vote in our poll.
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BRISBANE’S deputy mayor Adrian Schrinner has submitted a petition to Parliament calling for a referendum on daylight saving that has attracted thousands of signatures within the first day.
And the number is climbing quickly.
The petition, which already has 3000 signatures, calls on the State Government to commit to a new referendum “to give Queenslanders the opportunity to have their democratic say on this matter.”
“Ideally, the referendum should be preceded by a trial of daylight saving across the State (sic).”
Queenslanders voted against implementing daylight saving in 1992 after having a three-year trial.
But Cr Schrinner argues that: “Since then, the State’s (sic) population has grown by at least 1.5 million residents, meaning the 1992 vote is now entirely outdated and irrelevant.”
By 10am today, a day after it was created, the petition had attracted 3040 signatures, with the number continuing to rise steadily.
The petition closes on February 20.
It has dramatically surpassed another petition to Queensland Parliament calling on all clocks to be permanently wound forward 30 minutes across the eastern seaboard.
That one has attracted 91 signatures since being created on November 30.
However, this morning Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has ruled out splitting Queensland into two time zones to allow for daylight saving.
Ms Palaszczuk says she likes daylight saving, but it is her job to unite the state rather than divide it.
“People feel very strongly and very passionately about this issue,” she told ABC Radio today.
“Brisbane City Council and the Gold Coast City Council would probably support this, but I’m out west and I was meeting with graziers last night and it was daylight at 7 o’clock at night.
“What we will find is we will end up dividing the state on this particular issue.”
Brisbane Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner started a petition on the Queensland Parliament website yesterday to introduce daylight saving in Queensland.
This morning it had received more than 2500 signatures.
Ms Palaszczuk says she was more than happy for people to “have their say” on the issue and sign the petition, but she ruled out introducing split time zones so the southeast corner could have daylight saving.
“That will just not work because that will be dividing Queensland,” she said.
“Queensland is a very, very large state and while the people in the southeast would like it, I know a lot of people across regional Queensland would oppose it.”
Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls said the LNP would not hold a referendum on daylight saving if it won power, no matter the support of the petition.
“Our position’s clear. We’re not splitting the state,” he said.
Mr Nicholls said, despite the fact he found turning the clocks forward during the three-year trial in the 1990s “convenient”, there were many more important issues to concentrate on, like job creation.
“The daylight saving issue raises its head just about every January, if I recall correctly ... but it’s not on the LNP’s radar,” he said.
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