|
Let’s sink daylight saving
extras! Minister for Industrial Relations Michael Wright has asked for feedback about the daylight saving trial, saying that his government will take all views on board. Member for Flinders Liz Penfold called for a significant response that would sink the extension that now sees daylight saving operating for six months of the year. Mr Wright claimed that the government, when the trial was introduced, deliberately said it would be a pilot. “We will make sure that we get a broad consultation phase going to ensure that all people do provide feedback and, look, if the feedback is negative, we’ll obviously have another look at it,” he said. But the “consultation” won’t happen until the extra three weeks of daylight saving in October have passed! Mr Wright said, “Once we’ve completed that (trial) in October, gone through the consultation following that three weeks where we will be extending it in October, I think we’ll be in a better position to know what the community wants.” Mrs Penfold urged everyone to let Mr Wright and the government know their feelings now, not to wait until October when the consultation may be buried and people will have forgotten about March to April extension. “I would love the Minister to receive an avalanche of mail protesting the 6 month daylight saving proposal. And if possible I’d appreciate a copy of letters to the Minister so that he can’t wriggle off the hook,” she said. Letters can be addressed to Minister Michael Wright at Parliament House, North Terrace, Adelaide 5000. ENDS
Member for Flinders Liz Penfold urges everyone to make their views about daylight saving known to the government’s consultation. “If we are to dent the government’s proposed extension of daylight saving to six months of the year, and to stop this underhand move to Eastern Standard Time, then we must overwhelm the consultation. “Meals on Wheels began from the concern of one woman who acted. Never say ‘I’m only one. I can’t do anything’,” she said. Written comments on the state government’s daylight saving consultation can be made until Friday 15 June. Email:
daylight@safework.sa.gov.au More information is available on the Daylight Saving Consultation website at www.safework.sa.gov.au/daylightsaving or by contacting the Daylight Saving Consultation Hotline on Freecall 1800 350 002. Mrs Penfold said it is essential that comments be made to the consultation as a backup to the petition that is circulating calling for central standard time in South Australia. “Petition forms can be downloaded from my website or you can phone my office on 1800 182 097 for some to be sent to you,” she said. Daylight
robbery, not daylight saving Member for Flinders Liz Penfold branded the state government’s latest consultation on daylight saving as daylight robbery and a foregone conclusion. “The Labor Government know this so called consultation on daylight saving is a con and should really be asking if South Australians want True Central Standard Time or to become appendages on Eastern Standard Time,” she said. The Minister for Industrial Relations Michael Wright proposes commencing the first Sunday in October instead of the last Sunday in October and then finishing on the first Sunday in April instead of the last Sunday in March adding four weeks of daylight saving. The claimed aim is to bring the State into line with New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT however the fact that at present with South Australia only half an hour behind the eastern states, the adverse effects are significantly greater. “Labor knows full well where the majority of people live and that the small minority of adversely affected people, who mostly live on the west coast of the State, can easily be ignored. They are just asking about daylight saving as an exercise to look good and say they consulted while moving the State closer to Eastern Standard Time. “This so-called consultation is nothing more than window dressing in what is the first move by Labor to attempt by stealth to take the state to Eastern Standard Time. “If they are going to truly consult the people they should ask if South Australians want true Central Standard Time. That would result in one full hour difference between South Australia and Western Australia and one full hour difference between South Australia and the Eastern States or do they prefer to become an appendage of the Eastern States on Eastern Standard time.” “Labor hasn’t got the money to keep our hospitals operational, to fix our roads, to address the water crisis, to ensure schooling for our children, or to adopt clean power technology but it can find the thousands of dollars necessary for a consultation that is nothing more than a con,” she said. “Unless ordinary people protest, eventually the whole of South Australia will be sold out by the government bowing to pressure from the eastern states thus making this state a small superfluous adjunct to them,” she said. The repeated documentation by health professionals over the years of the adverse effects on children of daylight saving in the west of the state is once again ignored with this proposal to extend daylight saving even further. “I encourage South Australians to move to True Central Standard Time so that the adverse effect of daylight saving is reduced and more sensible 1 hour time zones are put in place between the States. A petition can be downloaded from my website www.lizpenfold.com “ “This issue has not had time to come before our party but I will be voting against any changes proposed by the Labor party regardless.” ENDS
Signatures are still being collected on the petition asking for South Australia to move to True Central Standard Time (TCST). Member for Flinders Liz Penfold has extended the date when the petition will be presented to parliament to March 27 to coincide with the end of daylight saving. “The extension emphasises that the adoption of True Central Standard Time would reduce the effect of daylight saving by half an hour – a change which was supported by many of the metropolitan people who contacted my office in support of the legislation that I proposed,” she said. Mrs Penfold said that, since the petition was circulated, a constituent had come across another time zone map that didn’t even show South Australia let alone Adelaide. “It is a matter of state pride that we build our own identity so that we are seen on the world stage rather than the outback of the eastern states,” she said. She said her Bill to move to True Central Standard Time and Kris Hanna’s Bill to move to Eastern Standard Time were both defeated in parliament last week. “Nevertheless it is important that as many people as possible realise the strong support for True Central Standard Time and the even stronger opposition to Eastern Standard Time so we get the change made next time,” she said. Mrs Penfold said petition forms were circulating in the community and were available at her electorate offices in Port Lincoln and Ceduna. Time
war It’s 7 am on a fine sun shiny morning in Sydney and it’s 7 am in South Australia. While it’s sunny in Sydney, for most of the year at 7 am, South Australia will be in the dark. This will be the outcome of Greens MP Kris Hanna’s Bill currently in State Parliament to move South Australia permanently to Eastern Standard Time. In response, Member for Flinders Liz Penfold’s Bill proposes that SA should revert to True Central Standard Time which is a full hour behind Eastern Standard Time. “When my proposal was aired in the Adelaide media my office was inundated with phone calls and letters mostly from metropolitan Adelaide agreeing with the proposal,” she said. “I was told many times that the aviation and maritime industries would love me forever if I could get our time zone changed to our true Central Standard Time.” Mrs Penfold said there is a real danger that Mr Hanna’s Bill could be passed through the Lower House on Wednesday next week. She said Premier Mike Rann and Treasurer Kevin Foley are two senior Labor Ministers who in the past have publicly expressed their support for SA adopting Eastern Standard Time. “South Australia should not play second fiddle to the eastern states. “I am urgently distributing a petition requesting that South Australia revert to True Central Standard Time. “The time frame is extremely short nevertheless a solid response will be an indication of public opinion. “Copies are available from my office. People of any age can sign and every signature will hopefully help put an end to Kris Hanna’s Bill to take South Australia to Eastern Standard Time.” ENDS
Member for Flinders Liz Penfold is again pushing for South Australia to move to True Central Standard Time which is half an hour behind the state’s current time. Mrs Penfold today (9 Feb 2005) put a private member’s Bill into parliament to effect the change which is strongly supported by marine and aviation groups. “Greens MP Kris Hanna last year proposed that South Australia move to Eastern Standard Time which I have strenuously opposed in the past and which I continue to strongly oppose. “I was interviewed on radio by Adelaide media and I have received an avalanche of phone calls, letters and information from metropolitan residents. “This has encouraged me to again bring up this issue,” she said. Speech as given under speeches. ENDS |
|
Back to Media Releases |
