The Palaszczuk Labor Government’s decision to “sit tight” on the introduction of Daylight Savings Time (DST) is of cold comfort to North and regional Queenslanders, Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader and Traeger MP Robbie Katter has said.

Mr Katter said the Attorney-General’s rejection of a petition calling for the introduction of DST was a fleeting win for all rural and regional Queenslanders opposed to the policy change.

But he said it was disappointing Labor hadn’t ruled out the possibility that it would move on the controversial issue at a later date.[1]

Mr Katter spearheaded an e-petition opposing the introduction of DST due to the way “artificially-lengthened ‘working days’ characterized by an additional hour of oppressive heat and sunshine for a six-month period would further erode livability in rural and regional communities” in Queensland.

The petition garnered 7,750 signatures, while a competing petition in support of DST achieved 18,507 signatures.

In her response to the petitions, Queensland Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman said DST wasn’t a current priority of the Government.

The “introduction of daylight saving in Queensland is not currently under consideration by the Queensland Government (as) the Government believes there are other priorities facing Queenslanders that require attention, including delivering initiatives in response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as outlined in our Economic Recovery Plan,” the Attorney-General wrote in reply to the petitioners.

Mr Katter said the Minister’s response was obscure in the sense the Government claimed only that they weren’t going to prioritise DST, not that they didn’t support it.

He said this position wasn’t good enough, and would only embolden the geographic minority in the south-east corner to continue pushing for the change.

“Those wanting to see DST introduced will interpret the Attorney-General’s words as encouragement to keep agitating,” Mr Katter said.

“Until the Queensland Government takes a definitive position ruling out DST, the State will continue to live at the whim of the recreational desires of the south-east for the foreseeable future.

“An unequivocal response to the petition would have made it clear the introduction of DST wasn’t on the government’s policy agenda, at least for this term of Parliament.”

“As it stands, Labor seems to want to leave the door open.”