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Queensland rules out daylight saving push

Queensland's premier says introducing daylight saving would "divide the state" after a new poll indicated growing support for the move.

Queensland's premier has categorically ruled out any move to introduce daylight saving, saying she doesn't want to "divide the state".

The perennial issue has been reignited with an opinion poll on in the Courier-Mail on Monday showing 55 per cent of Queenslanders surveyed supported the introduction of daylight saving, with 41 per cent opposed to the move and 4 per cent undecided.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said those numbers suggested there wasn't enough support to alienating rural Queenslanders who are mostly opposed to daylight saving.

"There are very strong view on daylight saving - people in the southeast are generally more in favour, those who live out in western and regional Queensland are against," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"I am uniting Queensland, I am not going to divide Queensland."

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The Liberal National Party opposition agrees with the government's position on the issue, with leader Deb Frecklington also ruling out revisiting the issue.

"When I first became the leader I said I wanted to end the divide between the southeast and the rest of the state," Ms Frecklington said.

"By bringing in daylight saving in a different time zone it will only further extend that divide."

Both the premier and the opposition leader ruled out a referendum on the issue, with the last one held in 1992 resulting in a 54.5 per cent 'no' vote.


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



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