PM urges early daylight saving

[cal04]

PRIME Minister John Howard said today New South Wales and Victoria should join Tasmania in starting daylight saving a month earlier. He said Queensland should also think about introducing daylight saving to the state's south east-corner.But Mr Howard said the daylight saving debate in Queensland was a matter for the people and the government of Queensland. "Let me say, I think daylight saving is terrific," he said on ABC local radio in Townsville, in northern Queensland.

"I think it's a great pity that we have this month when Tasmania and NSW and Victoria are on different time zones. I think NSW and Victoria should start a month earlier. I think Tasmania is showing the lead." Daylight saving starts in NSW, Victoria, the ACT and South Australia on Sunday when clocks go forward one hour. Queensland will then be one hour behind the other eastern states and half an hour behind South Australia. Mr Howard said that created problems in south eastern Queensland and the rest of the country.

"I do think that there is a difference between people who live in say Mt Isa, or way out in western Queensland or in north Queensland, and people who live in the south-east corner," he said. "I think people in the south-east corner, many of them as I understand it, very strongly support daylight saving, they did the last time I checked."

However, Mr Howard said he understood people in northern Queensland did not want their clocks moved forward. "Maybe if there were ever a way of devising a system where you drew the line, irrespective of state boundaries, which happens in the United States and Canada as I understand ...," he said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17062668%255E1702,00.html

[Matilda]

1. OMG! I agree with John Howard!

n/t

[foreigncorrespondent]

2. OMG!

He has gotten to you, hasn't he? ;)