A 4BC phone in poll has confirmed that most people in south east Queensland want daylight saving, but Premier, Peter Beattie, has failed to see the light, saying it will not happen in his time.
One day last week, from 6am-midnight, 4BC gave listeners a chance to vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to one of Queensland’s most vexed issues.
With almost 5000 people phoning in, the result is a clear:
* 52.78% FOR
* 47.22% AGAINST
Breakfast co-hosts, Ross Davie and John Miller, have presented the results to the Premier during his regular segment on the program.
Davie: “Will it be revisited?”
Beattie: “No. The reality, Ross, is that I’ve actually had a good look at your survey because, obviously, you know I have an interest in what you’re doing. The figures haven’t changed a lot since the referendum.”
Davie: “Well, in point of fact, the ‘yes’ vote is actually down.”
Beattie: “Yes, I know. I was actually going to make that point. I’ve had a really good look at your figures and, in fact, it is slightly down and I’ve sort of had a bit of a breakdown on it. What I’ve been worried about, Ross, is there’ve always been good arguments for and there are good arguments against.
“My worry about this is I don’t want to have two Queenslands. People say let’s have zones and all that, but somebody’s got to live on one side of the zone and someone’s got to live on the other.”
Davie: “As they do on the NSW border.”
Beattie: “Absolutely. Now I know, and that’s a very valid point, Ross, but I just say to people on the Gold Coast – where there’s the strongest support – although you’ve got a around about a third or more down there who don’t support it – there are ways that people can actually organise their business, as they did a couple of years ago, and start a bit earlier voluntarily.
“Look, can I just make this point? I reckon the daylight saving argument has moved on. We were talking about unemployment of 5% before. We’ve got Queensland companies that now export to the world, who’ve been part of the reason why we’ve got such a low unemployment. They deal with Beijing or Tokyo which are an hour or two hours different. They deal with the world which is different hours. Our whole business community is more sophisticated and more international than ever before. An hour interstate doesn’t make any difference because they’re doing the same thing in Beijing and Tokyo.”
Davie: “I was talking to a retailer yesterday who tells me that when daylight saving comes around each year, it’s an absolute pain in the you know what for him.”
Beattie: “Yeah, look I’m sure it’s a pain in some circumstances – I agree, but I think it would be a greater pain if we did it for mums who’ve got to drive across – or dads for that matter – drive their kids across lines, which we say it’s one zone – it’s an hour here – an hour there – look, there are disadvantages and advantages.
“I have to travel early morning, too – an earlier start, but you get back an hour earlier. I just think at the end of this, we don’t want to have two Queenslands.”
Davie: “So, while you are Premier, it will never be revisited?
Beattie: “Well, you know, I’m always subject to re-examining issues and keeping my eye on what the public want and I do listen to people and I never say never, but I have to say I can’t see any basis for changing it in the very near foreseeable future. While I am Premier, it is very unlikely.”