Daylight saving Qld: Govt rejects Mayor’s call for referendum

The State Government has rejected the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s call for a referendum on daylight saving. VOTE IN OUR POLL

The State Government has shot down a new push by Brisbane’s Lord Mayor for a referendum on daylight saving.

Frontbencher Yvette D’Ath rejected the call for daylight saving, declaring the matter had been settled in a referendum three decades ago.

“We’ve listened to the people of Queensland who have previously said they do not want daylight saving and we’re just focused on growing our economy and our response to Covid-19,” she said.

“People can advocate for what they want, but right now this is not a focus of the Government, it’s not a priority.”

Ms D’Ath said there were “no discussions within government” to hold another referendum.

It followed Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner calling for a referendum on daylight saving in a renewed push to wind the clocks forward during the summer months in Queensland.

State Cabinet minister Yvette D'Ath

Cr Schrinner wants the poll to be included in the next state election in 2024, insisting a majority of Queenslanders were yet to have their say on the contentious topic.

The state’s last daylight saving referendum was in 1992 but the debate over the clocks has remained a constant divide between the north and south — the southeast want the change to align their clocks with neighbouring eastern states and enjoy longer summer evenings, while the northern regions say the fierce heat would be unbearable late into the evening.

“Thirty years ago was the last time anybody had a say,” Cr Schrinner told the ABC on Tuesday morning.

“But anyone under the age of 48 didn’t get to have a say,” he said, insisting there were more than three million who didn’t participate in the 1992 poll.

“There’s a big differences between South East Queensland and other parts of the state but, having said that, what’s the harm with asking the question?”

The Mayor wants to vote on the clocks in 2024. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Cr Schrinner says winding the clocks forward is “very popular” in Brisbane.

“My gut feeling is 70 per cent of Brisbane and southeast Queensland residents would probably say yes but I’m happy to put it to the test,” he said.

The Mayor has proposed including the referendum in either the council or state election in 2024 to reduce the costs of running the poll.

He told the ABC he would prefer to not split the time zone between the state’s southeast and north but admitted he was open to the idea, saying people would “learn to live with it”.

“You cross the border at the Tweed (River) and there’s a different time zone, so you’ve got the eastern seaboard all on one time zone except for Queensland and having one uniform time zone would really help,” Cr Schrinner said.

“There’s a great tourism opportunity here as well — we get this really early daylight as people are waking up, sometimes the sun comes up before 5am in the morning and, for a lot of people, that’s not useful time for them whereas you’re benefiting from that extra sunlight later in the day and potentially after work.”

Katter’s Australian Party state leader Robbie Katter has led the opposition.

In December, Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman tabled a response in state parliament to a petition, signed by more than 18,500 people, calling on the government to consider winding the clocks forward.

The group requested daylight saving be introduced in Queensland or “at the very least” the state’s southeast to “assist in supporting Queensland’s economic recovery from Covid-19 including through business efficiencies and increased tourism and retail opportunities”.

But Ms Fentiman dismissed the request, revealing the issue was not currently under review by the Palaszczuk government.

“The government believes there are other priorities facing Queenslanders that require attention, including delivering initiatives in response to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the Attorney-General said in the tabled response.

On the same day, the Attorney-General also responded to another petition requesting the state government not introduce daylight saving.

That petition was led by Katter’s Australian Party state leader Robbie Katter and detailed the “unacceptably negative and unfair impact” daylight saving time (DST) would have on Queensland’s north, central and west regions.

“South East Queenslanders annually revisit their desire to introduce DST, despite the fact this would plunge the overwhelming geographic majority of Queenslanders into artificially-lengthened ‘working days’ characterised by an additional hour of oppressive heat and sunshine for a six-month period,” according to the tabled petition, which was supported by 7750 signatures.