It’s curious that we might get a referendum on this, but people don’t get a say on whether or not they want their local government authority amalgamated with other ones.
Andrew Bartlett draws attention to the re-born Daylight Saving issue in Queensland.
Always an interesting public debate, and one which still manages to draw out the lunatic fringe with their faded curtains and disgruntled cows. I’m amazed that even in these supposedly enlightened times, some folk still believe that because we human beings alter the way we measure linear time for six months of a year, we magically cause the planet’s rotation to alter as well.
Senator Andrew Bartlett raises an interesting point in this debate, that being the issue of choice. Chairman Beattie is all for giving the people a referendum on DLS, which is really a discussion on personal likes and dislikes about how one spends ones waking hours, yet refuses to allow the people to choose whether their local government authority is amalgamated with another. I’d venture that the latter has far more impact on Queensland lives, businesses and economies than an extra hour of chronologically measured daylight during summer. Mind you, when you consider DLS among other more contentious and political issues under discussion, it’s clear to me that raising the perennial question at this time is serving only as a distraction. Why debate public policy issues when you can hold a referendum, which will undoubtedly be loaded, give the people a voice and then say "what a good boy am I". It’s well documented that Peter Beattie doesn’t support the concept of DLS, which strikes me strange because his opposition flies in the face of Queensland’s so-called staunch support of business and commerce. Each year we remain isolated from the rest of the country on the issue of DLS, is another year of commercial disruption and confusion, and doubtless, loss of business opportunity for Queensland businesses. Political convenience and maneuvering aside, it’s way past time we simply joined the rest of the country and adopted DLS.
To the nay-sayers I offer this. If you’re afraid of having your curtains fade prematurely, pull the bloody things back and let the sunshine of awareness into your life. The cows don’t give a hoot, so why should you?