The time is ripe to reduce daylight saving from six months to four but local government wants more consultation.
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Gunnedah councillor Owen Hasler brought forward a motion at council’s ordinary meeting last month to recognise the campaign by members of Citizens Against Daylight Saving (CAD) by supporting the request for government to act on the issue. He also proposed the message be conveyed to members of government via our local member, Kevin Anderson.
The motion was lost, in part because fellow councillors felt the community was not properly consulted on council’s impending representation, Cr Hasler said.
An outspoken supporter of the CAD movement since its inception, Cr Hasler stressed they were not seeking complete abandonment of daylight saving, just a reduction.
“I think people in NSW are fine for it to be four months,” Cr Hasler said.
“But six is fairly wearing in a number of ways.
“The agricultural sector is the most adversely affected.
“I believe there should be a compromise.”
Member for Northern Tablelands and former Gunnedah mayor Adam Marshall is also a keen supporter of a daylight saving cutback.
He launched a statewide petition last year calling for an end to daylight saving by one month each year.
“There is wide support for this move, particularly in country areas, and the petition is designed to demonstrate to city MPs the strength of that support,” Mr Marshall said in October.
He raised a similar petition at parliament in 2015 but found little sympathy from government.
NSW Attorney-General Gabrielle Upton said there were “no plans to change the current provisions” for daylight saving.
“If not made in conjunction with other jurisdictions, any changes to the length of the daylight saving period in NSW would create a range of new cross-border issues for communities and issues throughout NSW,” Ms Upton said.
Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson is on leave this week but has in the past also supported the push for a daylight savings reduction.
“If there is one issue that that is continually raised with me from across the electorate, it is the issue of daylight savings,” Mr Anderson said.
What do you think? Email: mail.nvi@fairfaxmedia.com.au
