Why doesn't Queensland have daylight saving?

Ah, that time of year again! I'm wondering why Queensland gets it so very wrong year after year.

Glenelg susnset

YOUR SAY: Ah, that time of year again!

Look, I am sitting here in beautiful Glenelg (try spelling it backwards, you'll get the same result) in South Australia contemplating this weekend's arrival of daylight saving in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, Tasmania and right here in SA, and wondering why Queensland gets it so very wrong year after year.

It is a fact that 80% of the Queensland population favours aligning the state with the nation for twelve months of the year, rather than six.

Interesting to note that both the Premier and Opposition Leader love it but don't have the courage to legislate for its return.

Please don't use Western Australia as a reason not to, as that state will either be 1, 2 or 3 hours adrift of the nation no matter what - that's what happens when you're parked on the Indian Ocean rather than the Pacific Ocean.

But for the other 90% of us parked in the east and central Australia we demand, except for Queensland, a standard time all year round for economic, communications, travel, tourism and, most importantly, family reasons.

And, I note, South Australia (go the Crows) is contemplating a referendum with the goal of alignment with the east all year round. That is all parts of the east save for Queensland.

I travel a bit and I can assure you that I pose the daylight saving, love or hate, question to everyone I meet and I can tell you truthfully, without exception, they love it.

So folks, for people who work, travel, communicate interstate, trade and enjoy family time, here are some of the consequences of turning our back on the nation for half a year.

A flight from Brisbane West Wellcamp airport to Sydney right now departs at 6.20am, far too early I agree. But get this, from Monday it departs at 5.20am so it's up at 3.00am, shower, shave etc to get there on time, very convenient, not!

A flight from Brisbane West Wellcamp airport to Melbourne right now departs at 7.00am, reasonable I agree. But get this, from Monday it departs at 6.00am so it's up at 4.00am, shower, shave etc to get there on time, very convenient, not!

A Sydney/Canberra/Melbourne/Hobart/Adelaide business calls a Toowoomba business to place an order at 9.00am their time and gets an "Our business opens at 9.00am message" - order placed elsewhere.

Toowoomba business calls Sydney/Canberra/Melbourne/Hobart/Adelaide at 5.00pm to respond to respond to order request and gets a "Sorry our business is closed for the day" message.

I drive to Boggabilla, on the NSW border south of Goondiwindi, regularly, 3.5 hours for six months of the year, 4.5 hours in eastern daylight saving time.

Mostly, but mostly, it's the, lost family time that's the most painful part of this recurrent debate.

4.00am in Toowoomba, broad daylight. Go for a walk? Sure. Go to work? No. Mow the lawn? Go to jail!

4.00am in the south and centre, darkness.

6.00pm in Toowoomba, go to bed. 8.00pm south and centre, mow the lawn, go for a walk, spend quality time with family or maybe do the gardening so you've got the whole weekend of quality, family time.

Sure, hit me with the "the children won't sleep, the curtains will fade, the cows won't give milk, what about farmers?" etc

In Europe, in summer, it's daylight until almost midnight and the children still sleep, the curtains don't fade, the cows still give milk and the farmers still do what farmers do universally, up with the sun and down with the sun.

OK, hit me with the usual against arguments - "go back to where you came from" or "if you don't like it leave."

Or accept it. Queensland without daylight saving is akin to us re-adopting pounds, shilling and pence as our currency, different rail gauge, God Save the Queen as our anthem, and imperial measurement as our rule.

OK you lot, go for it, I am ready!

GREG JOHNSON, JOHNO'S SAY

Originally published as Why doesn't Queensland have daylight saving?