Daylight bill 'to go ahead' in Queensland

Daylight bill 'to go ahead' June 15, 2010 at 1:31 PM

AFTER being inundated by daylight saving supporters, MP Peter Wellington has decided to push ahead with his Bill for a vote on the issue.

Democracy in Action: Labor caucus buries daylight saving in Queensland despite majority support

CourierMail.com.au

THE QUEENSLAND Labor Party has confirmed it won't support Independent MP Peter Wellington's daylight saving Bill.

Caucus met this afternoon to determine its position on the Bill.

Premier Anna Bligh had already foreshadowed that the issue was effectively dead last week, saying she saw no positive momentum for change.

Ms Bligh said this afternoon that the debate in caucus included a number of points of view, but ultimately the vote not to support the bill was unanimous.

Daylight saving results to be released tomorrow

BrisbaneTimes.com.au

The results of a survey on a split daylight saving zone for Queensland are expected to be released tomorrow.

About 78,000 people responded to an online poll on whether they would support the introduction of daylight saving in southeast Queensland only.

The survey was undertaken after independent MP Peter Wellington introduced a bill into parliament proposing a referendum be held on the issue.

Premier Anna Bligh said the government was in the final stages of compiling the figures.

"We'll get all of that data to you when it is accurate and make it as public as we can, as early as we can," Ms Bligh said in Brisbane.

Ms Bligh will use the results to develop Labor's position, which will be decided in a caucus meeting next Monday.

It is understood the data will be filtered to get rid of anomalies, such as multiple votes from the one computer, and broken down into regions to discover if there are any trends.

Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek has already said his MPs will vote against the bill.

MPs will not be allowed a conscience vote when the bill is voted upon later in the year, meaning it is almost certainly doomed given senior party members have been downplaying its success.

But questioned on the likelihood of it passing, Ms Bligh said: "I'm not speculating."

Calls for daylight saving trial this year

BrisbaneTimes.com.au

A trial of daylight saving should be held to give Queenslanders a clear idea of what they would be voting for in 2012, the political party promoting the issue believes.

Daylight Saving for South East Queensland encouraged Independent MP Peter Wellington to raise the idea as a private members' bill in April.

DS4SEQ spokesman Jason Furze said yesterday's "pro-referendum" rally on questions to a Queensland Government website made it imperative a trial was held this summer, before any referendum in 2012.

"The Premier [Anna Bligh] has been clear in saying that if there is to be a referendum that she would prefer to have a trial beforehand so people have that experience and we wholeheartedly agree with that," Mr Furze said.

Mr Furze said a trial was the only way to get an informed vote at a referendum.

"I think the first day [of a trial] should be October 3," he said.

"That is what I would suggest if it is going to be this summer. October 3 is when daylight saving clicks over in the other states.

"If we are going to have trial, that would be the best day to start."

More than 2000 people an hour logged on to the state government website, www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au, causing delays yesterday.

Last night the site was bolstered to cater for the extra demand triggered by media coverage of the issue.

Ms Bligh is expected this morning to announce the results of the website survey and, depending on the vote, may indicate whether daylight saving will go to a trial.

However, the issue was likely to go back to cabinet first.

brisbanetimes.com.au understands Ms Bligh still supports a trial of daylight saving if the public asks for it.

A call for a trial of daylight saving is one of the questions on the website.

Last night Sunshine Coast Independent MP Peter Wellington maintained he was receiving emails backing daylight saving at a ratio of 10 to one, a complete switch from previous negativity to the issue.

"I have made a decision, as a result of this avalanche of calls that the bill will remain on the notice paper," Mr Wellington said.

"I hope that the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition will allow their members, their backbenchers, to have a conscience vote so we can test this on the floor of Parliament.

"And if we can get 45 members of Parliament to support my call for a referendum on daylight saving, it will then proceed to be put as as a referendum question when the next state election is held."

State Parliament's next sitting begins on June 8 for the state budget sessions.

Mr Furze said the next step was to form an all-party committee to make recommendations on the boundary for a split time zone, if that option was supported by the public.

Mr Wellington suggested daylight saving trials be held in Brisbane, the Gold and Sunshine coasts, Ipswich, Logan, Scenic Rim, Redlands and Moreton Bay councils.

The opposition has consistently ruled the debate over daylight saving as "a distraction" from the state's economic issues.

Queensland Dayligh Saving Time debate 'distraction'

http://www.news-mail.com.au

THE debate about a referendum on daylight saving in Queensland has been a welcome political distraction for the government, the Bundaberg region's MPs believe.

Independent MP Peter Wellington reignited the debate on the issue by introducing a private member's bill to have a referendum on setting up a separate south-east Queensland time zone.

A survey on the matter by the government, which closed on Monday, received 78,000 votes.

Premier Anna Bligh has announced Labor members would not get a conscience vote on the issue and the LNP has already announced it will vote against it.

Member for Bundaberg Jack Dempsey said the issue was seized on by the Premier at a time when the Opposition was talking about issues such as Queensland Health payroll problems and asset sales.

Mr Dempsey said the state government was very good at manipulating the topic for discussion.

"The beauty of that is they didn't have to do it themselves. They've got one of the independents to do it," he said.

Mr Dempsey said the issue became more about splitting the state into two time zones rather than daylight saving.

Independent Member for Burnett Rob Messenger said there were more important issues to be debated.

"We've got a crisis still in Queensland Health where people are not getting paid," he said.

"We should be talking about things like the debt crisis, asset sales and the consequences of asset sales."

Mr Messenger said these were the issues people should be talking about.

"We're wasting valuable time in the parliament and in the media talking about an issue that has already been decided on," he said.

"If we are going to have a referendum, it should be on asset sales rather than on daylight saving."

Mr Messenger said he would vote against the motion.

Ipswich slams daylight saving plan

 
Lockyer MP Ian Rickuss.

QT.com.au

IPSWICH residents have slammed a proposal to divide Queensland into two time zones and introduce daylight saving in the south-east corner of the state.

MPs will present findings on the controversial proposal to Premier Anna Bligh today.

It was sparked after Sunshine Coast MP Peter Wellington last month introduced a private member's Bill calling for a referendum on the issue.

Member for Ipswich Rachel Nolan said the daylight saving debate always polarised opinion.

"I've received really mixed views, probably leaning towards the 'no' side. There's no middle ground on this and people are very passionate," she said.

"Certainly some people support daylight saving, but no one really likes the idea of splitting the state into two time zones.

"I think the issue will come up again because people genuinely care about it and it really does impact the way every single person lives."

Member for Bundamba Jo-Ann Miller said the results showed a clear generational gap.

"Without any doubt the answer was 'no' to daylight saving," Mrs Miller said.

"People who are for it are mainly younger people, while people with families or who are a bit older are against it.

"We had some people suggest daylight saving in winter only, and others who want to wind the clock forward two hours in summer."

Member for Ipswich West Wayne Wendt said the community was "overwhelmingly against the idea of daylight saving".

"We've had about 100 people come through the office, and that doesn't include people who have spoken to me at public functions," Mr Wendt said.

"I would say about 90 per cent of people don't want daylight saving and are more than happy with the way we're doing things now.

"The result did surprise me a bit, the last time we asked this question it was about 60 (per cent against) and 40 (per cent for) daylight saving."

Member for Lockyer Ian Rickuss said it was a similar story in his electorate, which includes Peak Crossing, Gatton and Laidley.

"People don't want daylight saving and they don't want to divide the state," he said.

"A lot of the industries out here work by the sun so to speak, and they don't want change."

Despite widespread opposition, Mr Wellington said he would push ahead for a referendum.

He said a late surge of emails revealed people in his electorate were "10 to one in favour" of daylight saving.

"This is totally different to the response I was getting for the last six weeks," the independent MP said yesterday.

"I've made a decision not to withdraw the Bill.

"It will remain on the notice paper and I'm calling on the premier and opposition leader to let their members have a conscience vote."