Brisbane Lord Mayor to push for daylight saving trial
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner will lead a new fight to turn back the clocks in Queensland, claiming the current model is costing the state billions. VOTE IN OUR POLL
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Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner will fight for the reintroduction of a daylight saving trial in Queensland, claiming the Sunshine State was missing out on a whopping $4 billion each year.
Speaking in Brisbane on Sunday morning, Cr Schrinner announced he will call for the reintroduction of the “Summer Time Act”, allowing a daylight saving trial to begin.
The Lord Mayor on Saturday voiced his distaste of the current model on social media, saying Queenslanders hadn’t been given a say on daylight saving issues in almost 30 years.
“Our last daylight saving referendum was 30 years ago and no Queenslander under the age of 48 has ever had a say on this issue,” Cr Schrinner wrote.
“Each year the State Government comes up with a new excuse about why they don’t want to give people a say – what will be this year?
“If they really want to fast-track our state’s recovery, a simple way would be to stop wasting the $4 billion a year it costs Queensland because our clocks are out of sync with the rest of Australia’s eastern seaboard.”
Cr Schrinner said out of the five million Queenslanders, between three and four million haven’t had the opportunity to voice their opinion on daylight saving.
He said the five-page 1990 Summer Time Act was prepared and ready to enter parliament.
“Here’s one that’s been prepared earlier, just change the dates,” he said
“All I’m asking is to give it a go.”
Cr Schrinner said during summer, the sun rises at 4.45am in Queensland.
When asked how the $4b figure was estimated, he said “various reports and studies” showed Queensland businesses were missing out on billions of dollars due to early closing times.
“Who is spending money at the moment at 4.45am, not many people,” he said.
“If you shifted that opportunity to the evening, you will get massive lifestyle and economic benefits.”
“We’re letting good daylight hours go to waste.”
Cr Schrinner said he was prepared to concede the daylight saving fight or look at the option of having the Act apply only to the South East once the trial was over and Queenslanders had given their feedback.
“It’s always better to do these things across the whole state,” he said.
“But there are other examples where there are different time zones in different locations.
“Ultimately, though, I think a whole state trial is the way to go and then let people have their say. Now, if as part of having this say they suggest one time zone Queensland that’s something that could be considered.”
Queensland Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said he did not support the introduction of the Summer Time Act and if elected, any daylight saving changes would “not be on his policy agenda”.
“Everything I want to do is about uniting this state, not dividing it,” he said.
“I respect him (the Lord Mayor) and I respect his views, and I’m sure he understands I have different views because I have worked and lived in both sides of the state.”
Government frontbencher Mark Furner also rejected the Mayor’s renewed calls for daylight saving, indicating Cabinet was united against its reintroduction.
“There’s no debate, I can tell you, around the Cabinet table about daylight saving,” he said.
“It’s something I haven’t turned my mind to.”
Mr Furner said it would be “difficult” to introduce separate daylight time zones within the state.
“I reckon that’d be difficult, but once again, once it reaches a point where it’s a matter for consideration, all those things will be explored,” he said.
Cr Schrinner later responded: “After raising this issue repeatedly for eight years, I’ve heard every excuse in the book from the State Government.
“Minister Furner’s effort will rank as one of the worst in years given he couldn’t even muster a proper excuse.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that the state is afraid to ask Queenslanders the (daylight saving) question because deep down they know what the answer will be – a decisive yes.”
Georgie Somerset, president of Queensland’s peak rural body AgForce, said her members would be “less inclined” to support daylight saving as it doesn’t benefit their workday, but impedes it.
“My feeling as someone in a rural mindset and as someone who is beef producer, I wouldn’t support it because it means longer days,” she said.
“Rural life starts at 4-5am in the morning, it’s not dictated by sunlight.
“What happens is they (producers) don’t have the coolness at the end of the day
families have found it quite dislocating as they have dinner and then have to go back out and keep working.
“There needs to be a conversation. I hear that the government is not interested in having that conversation, so the rural industry is less inclined to support this.”
Ms Somerset said the government needs to consider the implications on the state’s economic drivers and not just population.
“Were trying to take things forward in the rural industry and have those jobs for Queenslanders… it’s not always the largest population who are driving those businesses,” she said.
“People regionally now are also working for urban industries. We need to think about the implications on the workforce as well.
“Other parts of the world embrace different time zones, so I find it strange Australia can’t.”
Cr Schrinner was on Sunday accompanied by a group of business owners from various industries who each described how an extra hour of daylight would aid their operations.
Brisbane Powerhouse CEO and artistic director Kate Gould said an extra hour of light at the end of the day, “is a great opportunity for families to be together”.
Riverlife owner John Sharpe said he was “very supportive” of the trial, which would help his tourism business “enormously”.
“For me and all my employees what’s really important is delivering leisure and recreation to the people of Queensland and so for us to have an extra hour of daylight means you can come from work, go climbing on the cliffs, kayaking on the Brisbane River, or just going for your normal leisure run, walk along the river,” he said.
“It would just really enhance the summer opportunities we have in Brisbane.
“When we first started many years ago, we were running morning tours but we don’t run them anymore.
“We only run evening and afternoon tours, (the) middle of the day is just far too hot for us here in Queensland, so that extra hour in the afternoon is exactly what we would need and it would benefit my business enormously.”
Libertine Restaurant and Gresham Bar owner Andrew Baturo said the hospitality industry would really benefit from the daylight saving time change.
“Obviously I’d love to see a bit of daylight saving back in Queensland for hospitality runs very, very much alongside the tourism industry which would be great to see more people enjoying our beaches and our great walks and so on, (for) a little bit longer,” he said.
“(We could) spend a little bit more time with the kids. I know we’re all pretty busy and I also think that will also give us a little extra, possibly an extra seating or two on a Friday and Saturday night which is always helpful.
“We are the Sunshine State after all.”
Oktoberfest Brisbane Festival directors Kim and Boris Zoulek said Queensland should follow in Europe’s footsteps so people could “enjoy a beer” right through the evening.
“Daylight saving would be just amazing for the festival events industry in general,” Ms Zoulek said.
“People could enjoy festivals and events for longer hours in the afternoon, but also for Oktoberfest Brisbane I mean, who hasn’t been to Europe and enjoyed those beautiful long summer nights with daylight still and the sun going down about 9 or 10pm?
“We could have that here and you could sit in a Bavarian beer garden... this weekend and next weekend, and enjoy that.”
Damian Prosser, from Last Man Standing brewery, said gaining an extra hour in the afternoon would aid his everyday business logistics, particularly as he has to regularly deal with NSW and Victorian companies.
“With our business we have to deal with a lot of logistics. New South Wales, Victoria – to align those times with daylight saving on our industry, which has already had a lot of pressure on its staff (is difficult),” he said.
“A lot of little logistics starts sort of between 6.30-7am, so that’s 5.30-6am for us and with staff issues as it is, trying to get staff to get up to deal with that (is hard).
“And then missing the end of the day as well, when at four o’clock you’ve got something that needs to be done urgently and everything’s shut down south, so the combination of all of that just really can throw it out of whack.
“And as a business owner, it makes my day a lot longer because I’ve got to cover the early stuff and cover the (late) stuff.
“Also the afternoon Sunday session, there’s a few days to be drawn there. An extra bit of sunlight wouldn’t hurt, so get on board.
“I think a trial is needed to see whether modern times work for us, we’re excited about it.”
Gold medal winning Olympian and Last Man Standing brewer Steven Bradbury said the daylight saving trial brought back nostalgic memories for him.
“I remember the trial back from when I was a kid,” he said.
“When you get home from school, the first thing you look forward to is when daylight saving kicks in.
“You get the extra time to go out on your bike with your mates and in the 21st century kids spend too much time on their screens already.
“I would love for my kids to get to experience that extra daylight after school to have more fun outside playing with their mates and if that’s while the dads just sit there on a Sunday session having a beer on an afternoon as well, fantastic.”
Neuron Mobility’s Jayden Bryant said the trial could bring more people back into the Brisbane CBD.
“We’re supportive of anything that’s going to trial to bring more people back into the CBD, supporting a lot of these businesses that act as a bit of a conduit between them,” he said.
“Anything that’s going to help attract people to spend money on local businesses, we’re definitely in support of a trial.”
Member for Noosa Sandy Bolton said her electorate remained divided, according to annual surveys.
“For some, the extra hour of daylight was a benefit, for others not so,” she said.
“Ultimately the debate should be based on what the benefits in real terms are, and then presented to Queenslanders if there was to be another referendum.
“With the original rationale being to save power, studies have shown as times have changed, this may no longer be a relevant argument as air conditioners may be utilized for longer in the day, and heating in the morning.
“There needs to be a clear articulation of facts before any further discussion including the cost to households and businesses in terms of sustainability, the impacts to those communities and industries located above the Tropic of Capricorn, as well what it does to families and businesses who are still struggling from the impacts of Covid and the housing crisis.”
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