Has anyone ever wondered why DST in it's original form (circa 1990 say) only had Australia in DST for (less than) 5 months of the year, yet we changed at the same time as the rest of the world? This means that the Northern Hemisphere, who run the world, got 7+ months of daylight savings. Do you think that they would implement anything that would disadvantage them? We only used to change at the same time because it was deemed easier to handle one 2 hour change (for international dealings), rather than staggered 1 hour changes.
In recent times, we've extended the finishing time to the end of March and Tasmania have been smart enough to include October now. But the US have also increased their DST by a further month, which apparently saves their economy billions by better utilizing the daylight hours. Admittedly, I think their major cost saving was heating, which is not as relevant here in Australia, but the lighting scenario is still significant.
There is no doubt that DST becomes less relevant, the further north you go in Australia. However, when you compare Brisbane to Melbourne, the sun rises earlier since they are further east, so this compensates for their northern location. As you continue to travel north to FNQ, the coastline veers to the west, thus making DST less of a necessity and more of a 'personal opinion'.
The question (should) then become: in the interests of the bulk of the QLD population, does FNQ get 'sacrificed' for the sake of keeping the state as one, or does this proposed split go through?
It's my god given right to dislike the possibility of Daylight Savings anywhere... I got a memo from god telling me this!
