Fed: Queensland still goes it alone on daylight saving

AAP General News (Australia)
04-13-2007
Fed: Queensland still goes it alone on daylight saving

By Peter Veness

CANBERRA, April 13 AAP - There may be a big agenda for today's meeting between state
and territory leaders and Prime Minister John Howard, but no issue is likely to stir more
passion than daylight saving.

Victoria, NSW, the ACT and Tasmania will all sign an agreement at today's Council of
Australian Governments (COAG) meeting to bring their daylight saving periods into alignment.

But as Victoria holds out on water, Queensland is holding out on daylight.

While Queensland Premier Peter Beattie today said he was happy for his state to remain
in a different time zone, he has commissioned research which may lead to the banana state
finally joining Australia's other eastern states.

He called arguments about Queensland being left behind economically because of its
daylight saving stance utter nonsense.

"These arguments are 70s, it's all bloody passe," Mr Beattie told reporters.

"No one's interested other than a few people who want to argue about it."

NSW Premier Morris Iemma offered no advice to Mr Beattie, but said he was keen for
NSW to join the other states.

"He's got a position on daylight saving, we've agreed to harmonise our dates," he said.

AAP pv/evt/cdh

KEYWORD: COAG DAYLIGHT

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