DS4SEQ Party Leader’s Blog

When you look at the accomplishments of the Daylight Saving for South East Queensland Party (DS4SEQ), it’s hard to believe that it has all been achieved through the hard work of very passionate volunteers.  And I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank each and every one of them.

From the first meeting convened in April 2008 to present, not one individual directly involved in the activities of the Party, has ever been paid for their valuable contributions of time or services.  In addition to their time, the Executive Committee members have made large personal and financial sacrifices, without expectation of reimbursement or other compensation.  All of the Party’s 2009 candidates, and a number of Party members and supporters, have also donated some of their time and money to help us continue the good fight.

DS4SEQ only exists because of the passion that exists within the Executive team, and amongst our members and supporters, who all truly believe in standing up for democracy on Daylight Saving.  DS4SEQ are not affiliated with any other political party, or the Government, and are completely reliant upon donations and self-funding.

As noted in my April blog entry, the founding members realised that to try to instigate change on the issue of Daylight Saving, a political party was necessary to ensure genuine political pressure was directed at both the Queensland Government and State Opposition.  The people of Queensland, specifically those in the South East, are continually denied a democratic process on this issue.  DS4SEQ believe that the time has come for democracy on Daylight Saving to be realised.

Ultimately, DS4SEQ are aiming to achieve Daylight Saving for South East Queensland – however, this democratic goal has proven to be a considerable challenge, although it shouldn’t have to be.  The journey of nearly two and a half years, has not been an easy one, particularly since all of us in the founding group started as political novices.  We knew that to establish and run a political party, let alone contest an election, was going to prove a massive task.  We were always going to have our work cut out for us because, for example, none of us had any experience in drafting media releases, delivering presentations to business and community groups, or conducting media interviews.

All of these hurdles never stopped us from progressing, and in fact, we have realised some remarkable achievements:

• September 2008 – the Executive developed a viable proposed dual time zone boundary, to form the basis of the Party’s policy
• October 2008 – the application to become a Queensland Political Party was submitted to the Electoral Commission of Queensland
• December 2008 – DS4SEQ was formally registered as a Queensland Political Party
• March 2009 – the Party contested its first state election and achieved a credible result; gaining 2.5% of the primary vote across 32 electorates
• April 2010 – Daylight Saving was placed back onto the formal political agenda in Queensland, after the tabling of the Daylight Saving for South East Queensland Referendum Bill into State Parliament by Independent MP, Peter Wellington (achieved by Executive Members directly approaching Mr Wellington in February 2010)

We were hopeful that our ultimate goal would also have been realised, particularly as Premier Anna Bligh’s initial response to Mr Wellington’s Bill was to undertake a public consultation process.  This consultation was an opportunity for the people to once again demonstrate that the majority are in favour of Daylight Saving – and they did! 

Almost two thirds of the respondents favoured both a trial and a referendum on dual time zones for Daylight Saving in South East Queensland.

Unfortunately, Premier Bligh (being the consummate politician) blithely ignored these consultation results, and refused to proceed with a trial or referendum.  Nonetheless, we would hope that when the Bill is debated later this year, the Government will have reconsidered their position on a Daylight Saving trial in South East Queensland, followed by a referendum.  We would also hope that the Opposition’s negative position will similarly change.  To deny Mr Wellington’s Bill to pass in Parliament, will be tantamount to a failure of democracy.  We implore our elected officials not to deny a rightful democratic decision on Daylight Saving, to be made for Queenslanders, by Queenslanders.

DS4SEQ has not given up, and we will continue directly lobbying both sides of politics to vote in favour of the Bill in Parliament, and allow a trial and a referendum on Daylight Saving in South East Queensland.

Should the Bill not pass, the Party will continue lobbying this cause and contest the next state election, with the aim of achieving a much greater result than our inaugural campaign – a result that cannot be ignored.  We are therefore aiming to commence a candidate endorsement process shortly, ensuring the Party is well prepared to continue the fight for democracy on Daylight Saving during the next state election.

Whilst the last two and a half years have been a lot of hard work, it has also been an enjoyable learning experience and very rewarding for us all to look back at what we have achieved to date, particularly since we have done so, as volunteers.

Come help us to achieve the ultimate and rewarding goal of having Daylight Saving in South East Queensland!  This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to expand their community involvement; or for anyone who wants to develop a broad range of skills – from political strategy, to marketing and media; or if you are simply passionate about a pursuit for democracy in having Daylight Saving introduced into South East Queensland.  If you would like to become directly involved, or you are interested in becoming a candidate, drop us a line at admin@ds4seq.org.au.  Financial donations are also welcome any time.

Volunteers achieving Democracy on Daylight Saving in South East Queensland? – “It’s About Time!”

Jason Furze

Party Leader

With the Federal election campaign now in full swing, we have received a few enquiries in relation to our Party’s intentions during the campaign.  In short, the Daylight Saving for South East Queensland Party will not be formally contesting this Federal election.

The Party Executive continually discuss strategies, a number of which have been put into practice achieving some degree of success – like having Daylight Saving returned onto the Queensland political agenda.  However, we have not pursued all of these tactics – such as the idea to run a candidate for the senate in the Federal election.

Not long after the March 2009 state election, the possibility of running for a Federal Senate seat in Queensland was discussed – at length.  While this idea has some merit, testing the Daylight Saving issue at a Federal level brings with it a lot more complexities.

Firstly, during a Federal campaign, localised issues that are not funded or administered by the Commonwealth Government, do not gain much attention, if any at all, and if they do they are usually short-lived.

Secondly, the Party is currently registered as a Queensland state political party with the Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ).  In order to run at a Federal level, it is a requirement to formally register with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), which has a separate registration process to that of the ECQ.  Having undertaken a similar course of action to establish the existing Party, we understand how much time and effort is required to register at a Federal level.

However, the main reason we chose not to pursue this avenue, is because the responsibility for setting time zones lies with the states.  Commonwealth power over weights and measures is documented in the Constitution, however it extends only to the measurement of time, and is not clear on whether the Federal Government has the power to legislate time zones.  In other words, to determine whether the Commonwealth could have the power to administer time zones, it may be necessary to test Constitutional Law in the High Court of Australia.  To do this, would require the services of an expert in Constitutional Law (it is more than just “the vibe of the thing”…).

While campaigning at the Federal level might have the potential upside of increased exposure for the Daylight Saving issue, given the uncertainty of Commonwealth jurisdiction, we felt our resources could be utilised more effectively, solely within the state.  For example, the Party’s direct lobbying of Queensland state MPs, including Peter Wellington (who tabled the Daylight Saving Bill in Queensland Parliament).

It is worth noting that there have been a couple of previous attempts at changing Commonwealth legislation, relating to time zones.  The first was in 1991/92, by the then Federal Government, however this was withdrawn after the February 1992 Queensland Referendum on Daylight Saving was unsuccessful.

Another to have taken up the challenge to push for Federal legislation to be introduced, was Ipswich City Councillor Paul Tully.  Cr Tully drafted the Standard Time Bill 2005 which would allow the Commonwealth to become responsible for setting time zones and Daylight Saving times for all of Australia.  Unfortunately, it does not appear to have been progressed by the Federal Government.

However, one thing is certain, the Daylight Saving for South East Queensland Party continues to ‘move forward’ on the issue of Daylight Saving – tackling it at a state level.

‘Moving Forward’ to Daylight Saving for South East Queensland? – “It’s About Time!”

Jason Furze

Party Leader

So haven’t the past nine weeks been rather eventful?  Last September I said that we were all in for quite a ride, and it appears it’s only just begun. 

As mentioned in my last blog entry, the Daylight Saving for South East Queensland Party (DS4SEQ) has been continually lobbying for Daylight Saving to be back on the formal Political Agenda.  We directly approached a number of elected Members of Parliament, from both sides of politics, and threw the idea of holding a ‘Free Vote’ at them.  A ‘Free Vote’ (or conscience vote) would allow all elected Members of Parliament to choose how they vote, in order to more accurately represent their constituents on the issue of Daylight Saving, rather than maintaining a Party policy stance.  This approach has previously been used in Parliament when dealing with a number of contentious issues, and it is evident that Daylight Saving in Queensland is nothing, if not contentious.

As part of our lobbying, we approached the Independent Member for Nicklin, Peter Wellington.  A couple of us met with Mr Wellington in late February, and had a very positive meeting.  He agreed with us that after 18 years in the wilderness it was time for the Daylight Saving issue to be revisited.  He also agreed with the dual time zone concept, given it is fair and equitable to the majority of all Queensland’s residents.  He pointed out that if he was to take this to Parliament, he would propose a Referendum, to give the people of Queensland a say on this emotive and contentious issue.  As it turns out, this mirrors Mr Wellington’s thoughts behind the first Bill he ever presented in Parliament, the Citizens Initiated Referendum Bill.  A few days after our meeting, I received a phone call from Mr Wellington, saying that he would take our proposal for a Daylight Saving dual time zone arrangement on board, and present a Bill into Parliament.  That Bill was to become the Daylight Saving for South East Queensland Referendum Bill.

While drafting the Bill, Mr Wellington picked our brains on various aspects relating to Daylight Saving, and ensured he was well researched on the issue relating to Queensland.  In relation to the border proposed in his Bill, Mr Wellington wanted to provide a ‘starting point’ for consideration of where a workable dual time zone border may be placed.  His main considerations were to include areas where people who predominantly favour Daylight Saving, and conversely exclude areas where people dislike Daylight Saving.  Mr Wellington completely agreed with one of the major aspects of the DS4SEQ proposal, and wanted the border aligned to local council boundaries, thereby ensuring no disruption to local essential services.

A few of us from the Executive ensured we were in Parliament on 14 April – the day that Mr Wellington tabled the Bill.  To witness such an historic moment in Queensland’s history was a rush for us, particularly since we had been working toward this goal for the last two years.

And once the Bill was tabled, didn’t it all happen!  Not long after, Premier Anna Bligh issued a message to her Twitter followers – ”Is it time to give people another say on daylight saving?”.  A frenzy of interest occurred, not only through Twitter, but the media jumped on board too, causing my phone to run hot.  In response, the Opposition Leader stated his disinterest in the subject, even though his own constituents of Surfers Paradise have long been calling for Daylight Saving to be introduced.

Given the interest this issue caused in such a short amount of time, the Premier called an emergency caucus meeting to be held before Parliament the next day.  The Premier announced, that as an outcome of this meeting, she had asked her Members to undertake Daylight Saving consultation over the next four weeks, and for them to be “out there actively doorknocking and canvassing their communities, talking to people at street stalls”.

Well two weeks later, DS4SEQ questioned the efforts put into the promised Daylight Saving community consultation.  We had received advice from a number of our members that their Labor MP had not been active in their community at all.  There seemed to be no evidence that any form of consultation was occurring in a number of Labor electorates in the South East.  In contrast, a number of MPs from northern Queensland regions had made announcements regarding the feedback they had received.  Interesting to note, that Labor has 13 elected representatives in the regional and rural districts of Queensland, where Daylight Saving is least favoured, and only four MPs (out of 10) on the Gold Coast, where Daylight Saving enjoys its highest level of support in the state.  So of course, it wasn’t a surprise that feedback received directly to Labor MP’s was going to be imbalanced and skewed.

Added to this, was the fact that the LNP Opposition was not even bothering to seek feedback from the community on Daylight Saving – this was particularly concerning since they have six elected Members on the Gold Coast.

It was also disappointing that there was limited public notification about the Queensland Government website set up to cater for feedback on Daylight Saving.  Because of this, DS4SEQ decided that we would embark upon the challenge of ensuring people in the community knew of this website’s existence.  To do that, a number of us hit the streets of Surfers Paradise and held our own consultation with locals, in order to obtain some feedback.  We confirmed that many locals had no idea about the Government’s Daylight Saving consultation that was occurring, and that they also weren’t aware they could have their say on the feedback website.  Amazingly the media exposure our Gold Coast consultation received, and my subsequent appearance on the Channel 10 news the next night, caused the Government feedback website to crash due to the overload of people wanting to have their say – further confirmation that this website had not been well publicised by the Government.

During the consultation, the Premier never announced where a possible boundary would lie, nor did she provide any explanation about what dual time zones would actually mean.  In fact when the Premier first announced that community consultation was to occur, she noted that it would be hard for residents to consider the issue without knowing what the state would be like with two time zones and how exactly that may work.  This premise was to justify holding a trial before any referendum, which would ensure people could have the experience of what dual time zones would mean, so residents could make a more informed decision.

After the consultation period had ended, the Premier released the results a few days later.  In the end, there were more than 74,000 responses to the website survey, with the results indicating that almost two thirds of respondents were in favour of both a trial of Daylight Saving in South East Queensland and a referendum.  However, feedback received directly by Labor MP’s had a majority of negative responses, although the number of responses received via this avenue was much lower than that of the website.  In fact, if the results of both means were added together (as one would expect with a consultation that would be considered fair and equal to all respondents), those in favour of a trial and referendum still equated to above 60%.  As expected, a distinct trend was once again evident – that an overwhelming majority in South East Queensland are in favour of both a trial and referendum on Daylight Saving, and conversely the majority in regional and rural Queensland are vehemently opposed to Daylight Saving.

Even though a sizeable majority of respondents indicated they were in favour of both a trial and a referendum, the Premier announced that “there doesn’t seem to be enough momentum for change”, as a basis for the Government not to pursue the Daylight Saving issue any further.

Let’s analyse this.  The majority favoured a trial and a referendum (without being fully informed of what dual time zones would mean for Queensland), in answer to a survey that received over 80,000 responses in total (online and direct to Labor MPs), when feedback on other issues sought by similar means usually attracts no more than 10,000 replies….AND THIS defines ‘not enough momentum’???!!!

Needless to say, we are bitterly disappointed that it appears the findings of the Government consultation have been ignored.  In coming back to our original thoughts, if both parties held a ‘Free Vote’ rather than maintaining a Party policy stance, it would allow all elected Members of Parliament to more accurately represent their constituents on the issue of Daylight Saving. 

How is it democratic, if elected members of the Gold Coast are going to vote against a Daylight Saving proposal that the majority of their constituents are in favour of?  If this remains the case, it would appear that Gold Coast MPs are more interested in the opinions of Northern Queensland constituents rather than their own.

The decision by both the Premier and Opposition Leader to maintain an anti-Daylight Saving stance, indicates that they are only interested in protecting what they deem politically sensitive regional seats, rather than actually addressing the problem.  Allowing politics to get in the way of the Daylight Saving issue is not a democratic approach, and it is certainly not fair to the majority of people who are clearly in favour of trialling dual time zones in Queensland.

The Daylight Saving issue for Queensland will not go away until it has been adequately resolved, and dual time zones may be a viable solution.  Peter Wellington’s Bill will be debated in Parliament later this year, so hopefully both parties will rethink their approach and allow their Members a ‘Free Vote’ in Parliament, ensuring the Daylight Saving issue can be resolved democratically.

Daylight Saving to be resolved democratically? – “It’s About Time!”

Jason Furze

Party Leader

Daylight Saving in Queensland has always been a topical issue.  It is an emotive issue that brings out the passion from those who are in support and those who are against.

The Daylight Saving Referendum in 1992 was a comprehensive way to provide an answer on this issue – by asking the people directly.  However, now that 18 years have passed, the landscape has changed and we live in a very different Queensland.  It is therefore obvious that the Referendum result is outdated and that the issue of Daylight Saving needs to be revisited.

Since the Referendum, Daylight Saving has continued to be a hot topic (pardon the pun) throughout the summer months, particularly around the time of year that other Australian states move their clocks forward.

Business and Industry groups have been continually lobbying the Government, particularly since the turn of the millennium, encouraged by opinion polls that indicated the majority of Queensland residents to be in favour of Daylight Saving.  These survey results are, of course, a definitive change from the 1992 Referendum result.

Not only has the business community applied pressure to the Government, but so too have the people.  Two Parliamentary e-petitions in favour of Daylight Saving received record support from the community.  The first, which had over 62,000 signatures, was tabled in Queensland Parliament in 2006, while at the same time a parallel petition against Daylight Saving, with only 7,500 signatures, was also tabled.  A further Parliamentary e-petition with nearly 80,000 signatures was tabled in 2007.  Unfortunately, both of the pro-Daylight Saving petitions fell on deaf ears and the Government took no action.

However, due to continual pressure, there was a glimmer of hope in late 2006, when Premier Beattie committed the Government to undertake research into Queensland community attitudes towards Daylight Saving.  The Nielsen company was commissioned to carry out the research and the findings of the review were to be the foundation for any decision made on the issue, including the possibility of a trial and Referendum.  That is, if this review indicated different results to that of the 1992 Referendum.

In October 2007, the Nielsen findings were handed to a newly sworn in Premier Bligh, who dashed the hopes of Daylight Saving supporters.  Premier Bligh decided to remain with the status quo, with no further action be taken on the issue.  This was despite the Nielsen report finding that a majority of 59% of Queenslanders to be in favour of Daylight Saving – quite a different story to the 1992 Referendum result of only 45% in support.  The geographic division on the issue was once again highlighted, and it appears that it was considered too hard a task for the Government to take remedial action.  One would have thought, given the findings from Nielsen, that this report should have been the catalyst for the Government to take affirmative action on the issue – but unfortunately it wasn’t.

Being born ‘n’ bred in Brisbane, and having been an advocate for Daylight Saving ever since I enjoyed the three-year trial in Queensland all those years ago, I knew in my heart that the decision made public on that day, was not the true way forward on this issue.  I knew there was more to it than a simple yes or no.  I had heard the discussions about two time zones and I wasn’t totally convinced of that either.  Why wasn’t I convinced?  Because I wasn’t informed enough to understand why a dual time zone could be a viable option.  Nor did I fully understand or appreciate why those in regional and rural Queensland are so vehemently opposed to moving their clocks one hour forward in summer.

The findings from the Nielsen company revealed that there was a lack of community awareness about the views of those residing in other parts of Queensland.  That is, residents in regional and rural Queensland do not fully understand or appreciate why the majority of those in the South East Queensland region are supportive of Daylight Saving and vice versa.

In addition, respondents of the Nielsen review were not provided with details of a defined dual time zone boundary, and therefore the questions asked in relation to a two time zone system, provided only a modest level of guidance.  After all, how can people be expected to truly decide whether or not a dual time zone could be a workable solution, if there is uncertainty about a boundary?  Presenting a defined boundary to respondents, or even two or three defined boundary options, would have resulted in a more reliable indication as to whether the community would support a dual time zone arrangement and where a suitable boundary may lie.

The pressure applied by the business community and by the people (via petitions) on the issue of Daylight Saving, had not resulted in any legislation on Daylight Saving being tabled in Queensland Parliament, let alone any political changes on Daylight Saving policy.  With a growing number of frustrated people in the South East of the state, and with Government inaction after the Nielsen findings were presented, a group of ordinary people, who happily call the sunshine state home, decided enough is enough, and eventually we formed a political party!

Knowing that all of us in the founding group were political novices, we were doubtful about whether a political party was the best approach.  The fact that no political pressure was being applied to, or by, either major party had been a key factor in why the issue of Daylight Saving in Queensland has been ignored for so long.  This aspect was discussed amongst us at great length.  We realised that to instigate change, a political party was needed, to ensure genuine political pressure on the issue of Daylight Saving was directed at both the Queensland Government and State Opposition, in order to have the issue seriously reconsidered.

And thus, the Daylight Saving for South East Queensland Party was born!

Establishing the Party was a massive task for those of us involved, with the journey taking over eight months from when the idea was conceived, to when the Party was officially registered by the Electoral Commission of Queensland.

Because the Party was registered in December 2008, we had a very limited opportunity to lobby the Queensland Government and State Opposition, before the March 2009 election.  Nonetheless, we contested the election in an attempt to force the issue onto the political agenda.  Unfortunately, given the limited time we had to put our campaign together, we did not make as big an impact as we would have liked.  However, the level of support that we did gain, in what was our first campaign, was very encouraging.  Given that the three-month old Party announced such a large contingent of 32 candidates, and had only three weeks to campaign during the state election, the results achieved by the Party suggest that the issue of Daylight Saving requires urgent attention and needs to be addressed appropriately.

Since the March 2009 election, our Party has continually lobbied the State Government and the Opposition, to revisit their respective policy stances on the issue of Daylight Saving, and to seriously consider the option of a dual time zone, which would suit the majority of Queensland’s residents.  We are hopeful that our ongoing and persistent pressure may produce some results in the near future, and with a bit of luck, instigate change on the issue of Daylight Saving, to favour the majority of all Queenslanders.

Given that 18 years has passed since the one and only Queensland Referendum on Daylight Saving was held, it’s about time that the issue was revisited, and a dual time zone was considered as an appropriate solution.

Daylight Saving on the political agenda? – “It’s About Time!”

Jason Furze

Party Leader

Since the beginning of the year, I have noticed a higher level of frustration from those in the South East Queensland region, in relation to ‘live’ television programming, when it’s not actually live.  These circumstances are not only a source of annoyance to viewers in South East Queensland, but also provide a headache for the TV stations, in having to make these programming decisions.  All of this is simply because South East Queensland does not have Daylight Saving.

For sports lovers, during the early months of the year the telecast of many major events is either delayed into South East Queensland, or viewers in the region miss out on some of the coverage.

For example, the One-Day International cricket matches are live into South East Queensland, however, the scheduled 6pm news bulletin impedes upon the full telecast and thus viewers in the region do not see half an hour of coverage.  However, on weekends a programming change is generally made by the station, with the news bulletin brought forward to 5pm to be aligned with the break in the cricket.  In addition, due to South East Queensland not having Daylight Saving, some of the Twenty20 cricket matches were shown on a one-hour delay.

The Australian Open Tennis coverage is also delayed into South East Queensland, except for the Grand Final matches.  In fact, in the lead up to this year’s Federer v Hewitt showdown, I had to laugh when Federal Liberal MP Peter Dutton Tweeted “is ch 7 serious delaying the tennis for home and away”.  This clearly shows that even MPs feel this frustration, however, maybe Peter should aim his dissatisfaction at his state colleagues for having such a negative stance towards Daylight Saving in South East Queensland.

Delayed coverage doesn’t stop at sporting events either.  Reality TV programs are screened into South East Queensland an hour behind the rest of the east coast states.  A number of viewers gleefully take part in Twitter ‘real-time’ banter regarding the contest; however the audience in South East Queensland joins in, only to be informed of results from southern counterparts, just as the show nears its close.

Programs that promote themselves as being ‘live & interactive’, may well be just that for viewers in southern states, but certainly not for the audience in South East Queensland.  Viewers also log in to Twitter to follow comments from others and participate in online discussion, but are left confused for the early parts of the show due to southerners commenting on the final stages of the program.  This is annoying for viewers when trying to interact with others, who become frustrated at being part of an echo within the Twitter world.

I am aware of a number of viewers who have dropped their participation in online discussions due to this continued frustration, and have vowed not to return until after South East Queensland is no longer behind the other eastern states.

There are even some programs that have their timeslot as their title, but could be more aptly named due to this delay into the South East Queensland region.

The integration of social media and television programming appears to be on the increase.  Given the rationale to promote and encourage ‘live and interactive’ debate, I know a lot of people in the South East Queensland region who would love to be a part of it all during the Daylight Saving months.

At the beginning of April, and after six months of once again having to endure the absence of Daylight Saving in the region, the belated echo of South East Queenslanders in these online forums will cease, as will being left behind…well for the next six months at least.

Live and Interactive into South East Queensland? – “It’s About Time!”

Jason Furze

Party Leader

www.twitter.com/ds4seq

Hello to all our supporters and other interested persons! 

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.

I feel very positive about the opportunities that 2010 provides the Daylight Saving for South East Queensland Party, to further progress the issue of Daylight Saving, and I certainly believe there are some interesting times ahead.

Later this month marks 18 years to the day, since the one and only Queensland Referendum on Daylight Saving.  The 22 February 2010 is momentous, because on this day anyone born at the time of the Referendum, becomes eligible to vote.  That represents a full ‘electoral generation’ having evolved since the 1992 Referendum.  These new eligible voters will have never experienced Daylight Saving within Queensland, let alone had a chance to vote on this issue.

This defining moment, further emphasises how a result from 18 years ago is outdated and does not reflect current demographics.

As we approach this red-letter day, I thought I would provide a brief overview of the events that surrounded the 1992 Referendum on Daylight Saving in Queensland:

• In 1989, Premier Mike Ahern (National Party) announced that Daylight Saving would be re-introduced as a one-year trial.  A Daylight Saving Task Force was appointed, in order to monitor and report community opinions, and provide recommendations.
• State-wide Daylight Saving commenced in Queensland on 29 October 1989.
• Wayne Goss (Labor) was elected Premier in December 1989.
• Daylight Saving in Queensland ended in March 1990.
• The Daylight Saving Task Force delivered their report to Premier Wayne Goss in May 1990.
• Premier Wayne Goss considered the Task Force advice, with two of their recommendations adopted, and these were:  to extend the trial of Daylight Saving for a further two years; and to hold a Referendum after the trial.
• State-wide Daylight Saving continued in Queensland for a further two summers 1990/91 and 1991/92.
• On 22 February 1992 a Referendum on state-wide Daylight Saving was held in Queensland, with the majority voting against the concept.

It should be noted that a further, significant recommendation from the Daylight Saving Task Force was ignored:

“That Daylight Saving be introduced for that part of the State, east of the 151 degree East longitude, for the period adopted by the other states.  Eastern Australian Standard Time to apply to the rest of the state.”

Yes, that’s right!  In May 1990 (almost 20 years ago), the Daylight Saving Task Force recommended the implementation, and trial, of a dual time zone.  The Task Force had recognised that Daylight Saving is favoured within South East Queensland, but not supported outside this region.

The Referendum did not provide further scope for gauging support for a dual time zone.  However, analysis of the 1992 Referendum result, confirms the earlier observation made by the Task Force – that Daylight Saving is mainly favoured in the South East Queensland region.  Around 60% of constituents in the South East voted in favour of Daylight Saving.  Out of Queensland’s 89 electorates, 51 resulted in a majority ‘Yes’ vote, and all of which were located in the South East region.

In 2007, a Queensland Government-commissioned Nielsen report provided a renewed outlook on Daylight Saving and again highlighted this geographic divide, by indicating around 70% of South East Queenslanders are in favour of Daylight Saving.

A dual time zone has never been trialled, nor voted upon, in Queensland.  So for both the Queensland Government and state Opposition to continue relying upon a Referendum result from 18 years ago to justify their policy stance, is redundant.

In recognising the Referendum anniversary, let’s reflect upon how the landscape of Queensland has transformed over the past 18 years.

• Queensland’s population in early 1992 was less than 3 million, it has now swelled to around 4.5 million.
• Paul Keating was Australia’s Prime Minister; Wayne Goss was Premier; and Anna Bligh had not yet entered politics.
• Only 1% of the population had a mobile phone; the ‘world wide web’ (internet) didn’t exist; and gaming machines had only been operating in Queensland clubs for just over a week.
• Wally Lewis had recently retired; and the Brisbane Broncos were about to embark on their 5th year in the NSWRL, which was to become their first premiership season.
• The Brisbane Bears were heading into their 6th season in the AFL, and staging their home games at Carrara on the Gold Coast.
• Matt Hayden was enjoying his debut season with the Queensland cricket team, which had still not won the Sheffield Shield.
• Some of the popular TV programs at the time were A Country Practice, E-Street and a show devoted to future developments in science and technology – Beyond 2000.
• Rick Astley and Vanilla Ice were all the rage on the music scene; and Terminator 2 and JFK were screening at the cinemas.

Times have changed over the last 18 years, and the community attitude toward Daylight Saving has progressed to a more generally favourable outlook.  Therefore the issue of Daylight Saving should be revisited, and addressed to more accurately reflect current community sentiment.  To resolve this issue, the option of a dual time zone, with Daylight Saving for South East Queensland only, should be seriously considered as a viable alternative.

After returning to Brisbane last month, Premier Anna Bligh relayed to her Twitter followers:  “…looking forward to 2010 – lots of opportunities & interesting times ahead”.

I couldn’t agree more Premier Bligh.  2010 provides lots of opportunities to resolve the issue of Daylight Saving for Queensland – by introducing a dual time zone.  Instead of ignoring the issue of Daylight Saving, applying a more relevant solution would make for more interesting times for all Queenslanders. 

After 18 years without Daylight Saving in South East Queensland – “It’s About Time!”

Jason Furze

Party Leader

So we are now two weeks in from when the eastern and southern states adopted Daylight Saving for another year, and the frustrations, delays and inefficiencies have also made their way back into the lives of the majority of South East Queenslanders.

South East Queensland businesses that have regular dealings with clients and counterparts in other states, particularly New South Wales and Victoria, are greatly affected.  A number of these businesses are forced to operate on extended times, in order to ensure customer services continue to be provided locally, along with maintaining client expectations and business relationships throughout the whole Australian east coast.  Business travellers are inconvenienced by the necessity to get up at 3am, to ensure that they make the ‘red-eye’ flight and are on time for their 9am meeting in Sydney or Melbourne; or if not, they are forced to fly down the night before, incurring more expense.  Stock order deadlines are brought forward an hour when ordering from Sydney or Melbourne, to ensure warehouse requirements are maintained and client orders can be met.  A number of other inefficiencies also occur, due to South East Queensland’s non-alignment, and overall it is a frustrating time for employees of businesses affected, and of course, adds an unnecessary burden to these organisations.

Television and radio programming is also tested during this time.  In order for programs to air at a station’s desired timeslot, anything that is recorded ‘live’ in Sydney and Melbourne, is suddenly aired into the South East Queensland region, on an hour’s delay.  In the past, these delays have presented problems for viewers wishing to cast their votes during reality T.V. programs.  Other programs that are directly impacted by the time difference anomaly, include major sporting events, along with those that are ‘live and interactive’; for example, the Q & A program on ABC TV, along with talkback radio and various phone-in competitions.

The number of people directly impacted by this one-hour difference is growing each year.  This is added to the ever-increasing amount of individuals who would simply like to have Daylight Saving within the South East Queensland region, in order to enjoy the social benefits and increased lifestyle opportunities that it would provide to them.

We know that the results of the 1992 Referendum emphasised that those who favour Daylight Saving mainly reside in the South East region of Queensland, and this support has been consistently re-affirmed in opinion polls ever since.  There is also no doubt that the majority of people in Queensland would like the opportunity to experience Daylight Saving; and anyone who disagrees with this, is in denial.  The majority support for Daylight Saving was highlighted by the 2007 Queensland Government commissioned Nielsen research, and numerous opinion polls in recent years have also confirmed this trend.

Given this majority support, Daylight Saving could possibly be introduced state-wide.  However, to ensure that the majority of all of Queensland’s residents are satisfied, a dual time zone is the only solution that will achieve this.  Whilst we agree, some of the abovementioned anomalies would exist with a dual time zone within the state, there is no doubt the impact upon individuals and businesses would be significantly reduced.  That is why a dual time zone must be considered the most favourable option to resolve the issue of Daylight Saving within Queensland.

Remember – ‘It’s About Time!’

Jason Furze

Party Leader

Hello once again, to all our faithful Daylight Saving for South East Queensland supporters.

It has been six months since the Queensland state election was held.  We have a newly elected and ‘refreshed’ Labor Government, led by Premier Anna Bligh and a new-look LNP Opposition, who have a greater representation in the Queensland Parliament, and are now under the leadership of Gold Coast MP John-Paul Langbroek.

So, has Daylight Saving been introduced into the South East Queensland region in this time?  Unfortunately not!!

Neither of the two major parties have changed their stance on the issue of Daylight Saving…yet!  South East Queenslanders still have high hopes that either Premier Bligh or Mr Langbroek will finally see to reason, and stop ignoring the issue of Daylight Saving.

With just over a week to go before other eastern and southern states proceed with the annual ‘clock on’ to Daylight Saving for another year, let’s reflect on the facts about the issue of Daylight Saving relating to Queensland.

Firstly, it has been well documented that not adopting Daylight Saving is a burden on South East Queensland businesses, due to additional travel and extended staff hours, in order to accommodate Daylight Saving business hours in other states.

Added to this, a very large number of people are affected by the current disruption that is caused by the ‘time border’ running through the densely populated Gold Coast-Tweed region.  Logically, if the ‘time border’ was shifted to a more sparsely populated area, north-west of the urbanised South East Queensland region, the number of people disrupted would be significantly reduced.

It must also be noted, that it has been nearly 18 years since the one and only Queensland Referendum on Daylight Saving was held, which gauged support for State-wide Daylight Saving in Queensland; and was defeated.  However, since the 1992 Referendum, more than 1.1 million voters have been added to the Queensland electoral roll, and are eligible to have a say on the issue of Daylight Saving; just under 950,000 of these additional registered voters live in the South East region.

In this time, there has been an overwhelming increase in support of Daylight Saving, indicating that the majority of Queenslanders are in favour of its introduction.  This support is geographically divided, with the majority of residents in South East Queensland being supportive of Daylight Saving, while the majority of Queenslanders residing outside this region, oppose its introduction.

Given all of this information, it is easy to understand why the issue of Daylight Saving within Queensland needs to be revisited, and that the most logical solution to resolve this issue, is to introduce a dual time zone.  A dual time zone would assist businesses in the South East region, and would also satisfy the majority of all of Queensland’s residents, not just the minority, as is currently the case.

The issue of Daylight Saving within Queensland has been sitting in the ‘Too Hard Basket’ for so long, that the major parties have become too comfortable and complacent in remaining with the status quo, continuing to ignore the issue, and even claiming it isn’t an issue.  However, Daylight Saving has become an increasingly more significant issue facing Queensland.  To deny this, is to deny the needs of business, and deny the people of South East Queensland greater lifestyle opportunities.

As Daylight Saving is a geographic issue for Queensland, with both major parties having acknowledged this, a question must be asked of both the Premier and the Opposition Leader:  “Why is the geographic issue of Daylight Saving within Queensland, continually ignored, when a logical geographic solution is at hand?”

In light of all of the above (pun intended ), I would like to share some statistics with you, on the performance of the Daylight Saving for South East Queensland Party at the March 2009 Queensland State election.  These numbers are encouraging, however, it is a shame that the election was called so abruptly, as it did not give us the chance to become more widely known and really ramp up the support!

• The Party was born in December 2008 – only 3 months old when contesting the election
• Commenced campaigning only 3 weeks before the election date
• Contested the election with 32 candidates (4th largest party represented, behind the ALP, Greens and LNP)
• The largest ever contingent for a single-issue party in Australia’s history
• Averaged around 2.5% of the primary vote in the 32 electorates contested
• Received the largest ever vote tally for a single-issue party in Australia’s history (in the lower house)

For one issue to be voted upon in this manner, it is obvious that there are concerns throughout the community, that Daylight Saving is a significant issue which requires urgent attention, and needs to be addressed appropriately.  The Party takes pride in the fact that the issue of Daylight Saving in South East Queensland, has now been firmly placed on the political agenda.

One last point:  Before the March election, all of us involved in the Party were political novices.  Now that we have experienced our first election campaign, I would encourage you to follow us on the next part of our journey.  However this time, buckle up!

Daylight Saving for South East Queensland – ‘It’s About Time’

Jason Furze

Party Leader

…..it’s just a jump to the left

…..and then a step to the right

OK, enough of the Rocky Horror anthem, but to be honest whatever the outcome of tomorrows election, be it a ‘jump to the left’ or a ‘step to the right’ one thing will be certain, the lack of Daylight Saving in South East Queensland will be firmly placed on the political agenda.

We have always been very realistic and pragmatic about what we would be able to achieve in or first campaign (note that’s ‘first’, not ‘only’).  We have never had any pretences about forming a government and we have always been totally upfront that we are focused on one issue and one issue alone, the fact that 69% of South East Queenslanders want daylight saving, yet both the main parties continue to be dead set against it. Our objective is to bring about change, change of thinking and change of attitudes on this issue.  Only by accepting the blindingly obvious logic of a dual time zone that meets the needs of BOTH South East Queenslanders and Regional Queenslanders (by not imposing DS on them) can the majority be satisfied on this issue.

Inevitably during this campaign we have been written off by the mainstream parties (and to a great extent, also by the mainstream media) as being a fringe group of loons with a no hope policy.  However the grass roots advocacy of our fantastic candidates, combined with some judicial use of modern on-line campaigning techniques has seen our message extended to a wider, and welcoming, audience.  Slowly, bit by bit, the simple logic of our approach is being understood and embraced by many who would previously never have considered voting for a single issue party.  We are of course fortunate that the ‘optional preferential voting’ that we have in state elections means that a great many voters who would normally vote for other parties have contacted us to say they are going to vote 1 DS4SEQ to get the message across on their demand for daylight saving, and then use their preference vote based on their other political views.

So, am I going to make any predictions for the outcome, well no, not really.  The polls reckon it’s to close to call all around.  I will make one prediction though, whoever winds up a Premier, when they come to the analysis of what they need to do to stay ahead with voters next time around, one of their advisors is going to say most emphatically, ‘we really need to fix this daylight saving issue’!

Let’s make sure that we send our message loud and clear so that when that conversation takes place (and it may happen as early a this weekend) there can be no scope for doubt that the introduction of Daylight Saving in South East Queensland is what the people of South East Queensland want!

VOTE 1 DS4SEQ

After all, it’s really is about time!

Jason Furze

DS4SEQ Party Leader