rabsody

Anna Bligh said categorically when she was fairly newly elected that DST was not going to be on the agenda in her premiership. Given that Beattie had ummed and aahed and done surveys etc to the nth degree it was at least refreshing to have a decision made one way or another.

Unfortunately it was a very bad decision

Tableland

Have they finished the DST trial in WA yet? How did that go?

bcworld

Everyone had to get new curtains afterwards.

rabsody

I hear the cows are on strike!

Tableland

Just looked it up - finishes at the end of 2009 then in true Aussie style a public referendum will be held.

I find it funny that Australia gives the people a vote on whether or not to have daylight savings, especially when one considers the people of Britain weren't even given a vote to decide if they should give their sovereignty away in the Lisbon Treaty.

sonlymewalter

I'm sure the majority of the population will have economic pressures in mind when making their informed decision and not focus solely on whether the cows will be get one hour less sleep or our curtains will fade

tictac

You'd think so, but this *is* Queensland

calNgary

hi i have tried to make the dark nights work for us, in the uk i didnt see my kids from monday to friday when i got home kids were going to bed so did the 5 hours a night watching the box,now everybody is in house for 6pm i try & spend this time playing with kids iam getting good on play station, we are trying to save up for a night time war game you get 4 body packs 4 guns with night sites then when laser hits your body pack you are out dont know if kids will like it but i will, even the crap on tv helps us as nobody wants to watch it, we do go to bed around 10 but for all the men this is a good thing getting your better half into bed before shes fallen asleep watching the box, just the headaces now to sought out thought of leaving some paracetamol out next to the bed, i guess iam still a kid at heart GARY

JAJ

Nothing to stop the Brisbane community changing its working hours in summer to an 8-4 pattern instead of 9-5 (with a little local leadership) but this may not be the "Queensland way".

That is actually preferable to having DST.

tictac

Or even 7-3

Leadership and change are good. Anna Bligh - take note.

sonlymewalter

If a local business does change, how do they fit in with other businesses and customers who try contact them and their staff after their staff have gone home at 4? People overseas also trying to contact Australia will wonder why they can't contact business after 4pm in Qld. This would create difficulties unless it was a widespread/well known practice and became "the norm".

The reality is it has to be practised by the majority of businesses otherwise it isn't practical.

JAJ

Which is where some local leadership comes in. Large companies, local councils etc, moving to change their working hours to something more suitable.

Many parts of the U.S. and Canada - especially those on the eastern end of the timezone they are in - have standard 8-4 working days.

People from overseas won't care what the standard working day is. In fact, an 8-4 working day in Brisbane would fit in better with NSW and Victoria.

But maybe the native Queenslanders like the traditional 9-5 day?

sonlymewalter

Large companies can make those decisions however they won't do anything to rock the boat if it's not supported by Dept of Trade and Industry, especially in a conformist / nepotistic society where unity is in numbers and if you don't conform, you're soon ostracised. The reality is unless it's supported throughout then it isn't going to be supported within. Local councils are also prohibited by council rule so again, even if they wanted to change, it's highly unlikely unless supported by government and all concerned.

Which demonstrates it can work. The key word being "many" and unfortunately there doesn't seem to be many willing to stick their neck out here - more's the shame.

It's not necessarily about caring it's more about stability, comunication being consistent and being customer focussed.

That's exactly right. It's more about a changing of mindset. Unfortunately until the majority agree, I don't see a change. The forces [in terms of reasoning] against this are strong enough for it not to go ahead. More's the shame but there you go.

The oldies won't always be around so perhaps time will tell

BadgeIsBack

That's a man telling people the reality..Melbourne is definitely in a sweet spot - by the start of August (February) it is starting to get lighter in the evenings already..

Someone said that in the UK - June nights are not necessarily warm then.

Having said that, Melbourne summer nights cool off quite fast. An average summer's day can be just that - cool - and not warm (or rather humid). Does not bother most as a fleece might be just what the doctor ordered.

Light is king, I reckon.