Daylight saving and a single permanent time zone for all eastern states

Eligibility - Queensland residents
Principal Petitioner:
Allan Clarke
PO Box 1299
BUDDINA QLD 4575
Total Signatures - 490
Sponsoring Member: Clerk of the Parliament
Posting Date: 20/10/2010
Closing Date: 31/1/2011
Tabled Date: 16/2/2011
Responded By: Hon Anna Bligh MP on 17/3/2011
TO: The Honourable the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland

Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House that Australia has 3 time zones in winter and 5 time zones in summer. This adversely affects business within Australia and with our trading partners in SE Asia.

 

Summer daylight saving is controversial. The overwhelming objection is the disruption caused by the time change. The modern trend for regions at low latitudes like Australia is to avoid this disruption by using daylight saving year round. Government research in 2007 indicated that the majority of all Queenslanders want more light in the evening. Only one third (34%) of all Queenslanders are opposed to summer daylight saving for all of Queensland. Queensland (and Australia) is better suited to 30 minutes of year round daylight saving and this should have greater support than 60 minutes of summer daylight saving.

 

Nineteenth century time zones and summer daylight saving designed for the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere have no place in Australia in the 21st century. The eastern states should use daylight saving by advancing their clocks 30 minutes ahead of standard time year round. This would give Australia three permanent time zones, avoid disruptive time changes and save Australia millions of dollars annually.

 

Your petitioners therefore request the House to investigate the feasibility of utilising 30 minutes daylight saving year round in all of Queensland and to liaise with the Governments of the other eastern states with the aim of utilising a single year round time zone for all the eastern states.