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- 12 October 2005
Standard Time Amendment (Daylight Saving) Bill
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Page: 18414
Second Reading
The Hon. TONY KELLY (Minister for Justice, Minister for Juvenile Justice, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Lands, and Minister for Rural Affairs) [7.30 p.m.]: I move:
That this bill be now read a second time.
I seek leave to have the speech incorporated in Hansard.
Leave granted.
The Standard Time Amendment (Daylight Saving) Bill 2005 serves two main purposes.
Firstly, the amendments provide for an extension of the daylight saving period for 2005-2006, by one week.
Honourable members would be aware that Victoria will be hosting the XVIII Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006. The Games commence on Wednesday, 15 March and finish on Sunday, 26 March 2006, which is the date the daylight saving period would normally end.
To ensure the Games and associated events can be completed with minimal disruption, the Victorian Premier, the Honourable Steve Bracks, MP, has requested that New South Wales join Victoria in extending daylight saving by one week to Sunday, 2 April 2006.
Five years ago, New South Wales had the privilege of hosting the Olympic Games and Paralympics. At that time, Victoria demonstrated its support and co-operation by agreeing to commence the daylight saving period approximately two months earlier than usual.
The New South Wales' Government is happy to reciprocate.
The extension of the daylight saving period by one week in 2006 will have minimal impact on business and families. Positive benefits will flow from the Games, including an increase in the number of tourists visiting New South Wales.
The other principle purpose of the bill before the House is to provide for a more flexible means of adopting any future changes to the daylight saving period.
The bill does not alter the current daylight saving period. However, the proposed amendments provide that future changes to the daylight saving period may be made by regulation.
Currently, the Standard Time Act must be amended whenever a change to daylight saving is needed to accommodate a major event. This is neither an efficient use of Parliament's time, nor a very practical way of addressing the situation.
Under legislation in the Australian Capital Territory the daylight saving period may be fixed by declaration by the relevant Minister. In Victoria, it may be fixed by the Governor in Council.
A similar approach could be adopted in New South Wales. However, the Government considers that setting the daylight saving period by regulation is preferable.
The regulatory impact process means that an assessment of any proposed changes to the daylight saving period would be undertaken. The public and peak industry bodies would be given the opportunity to comment on the proposals. Any regulation proposing a change to the daylight saving period would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny and possible disallowance.
The proposed change is a practical measure and will ensure that New South Wales can respond appropriately to new developments, which may require a change to the daylight saving period.
The bill provides for one other change in the nature of statute law revision. The Standard Time Act currently allows the Governor to specify the standard time for Lord Howe Island, by order published in the gazette.
Since 1989, daylight saving time for Lord Howe Island has been fixed by order at 30 minutes in advance of standard time, instead of one hour in advance of standard time. The amendment in the bill simply reflects this long-standing position.
I commend the Bill to the House.
The Hon. DAVID CLARKE [7.31 p.m.]: The Opposition supports the Standard Time Amendment (Daylight Saving) Bill, which has three purposes. First, it seeks to extend by one week the next daylight saving period in New South Wales that would normally end on the last Sunday in March 2006 so that it ends on 2 April 2006. The purpose of this extension is to comply with a request from the Victorian Premier to ensure that our daylight saving coincides with the XVIII Commonwealth Games to be held in Melbourne next year. New South Wales will thus join Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, which have likewise agreed to extend their daylight saving period. Honourable members may recall that when the Olympic Games and Paralympics were held five years ago in Sydney, Victoria extended its daylight saving period by some two months to coincide with those Games. New South Wales is happy to reciprocate because it is important that the forthcoming Commonwealth Games be successful. Australia and New South Wales will benefit by the holding of the Games, including by way of increased tourism.
The second purpose of the bill is to ensure that in future the daylight saving period in New South Wales can be changed by regulation without the necessity of having to amend the Standard Time Act 1987 whenever a temporary change is required to synchronise daylight savings with the holding of a major event. The Government made it clear that any use of the proposed regulatory process will still be subject to the scrutiny of Parliament. The third purpose of the bill is to confirm by way of statute law revision the current position established by an order published in the Government Gazette on 2 June 1989 that daylight saving on Lord Howe Island will be 30 minutes in advance, and not one hour in advance, of standard time. As I indicated at the outset, the Opposition supports the bill.
The Hon. RICK COLLESS [7:34 p.m.]: I wish to place on the public record a few concerns expressed to me about this bill and the provision that will enable daylight saving to be changed by way of regulation. This morning I met with representatives of the Isolated Children's Parents Association, who were appalled that the period of daylight saving will be extended. There is a very good reason for that. Many children in regional areas of New South Wales have to get on school buses as early as 6.30 a.m. and 7.00 a.m. I can tell by the smile on his face that the Hon. Tony Kelly knows only too well what I am talking about.
On 2 April 2006 the sun will rise in Dubbo at 6.17 a.m. eastern standard time; it will rise in Sydney at 6.08 a.m. eastern standard time. So the sun rises in Dubbo about 10 minutes later than it rises in Sydney. What is the position further west, in Broken Hill? And again I am talking about eastern standard time, not the time in the city of Broken Hill, which is on central standard time. Many centres north and south of Broken Hill, including Menindee and Wentworth, operate on eastern standard time. On 2 April 2006 the sun will rise in Sydney at 6.08 a.m. eastern standard time and it will rise in centres north and south of Broken Hill at 6.46 a.m. eastern standard time—almost 40 minutes later than it rises in Sydney. The extension to daylight saving will have an impact on children in these centres who have to catch school buses. With daylight saving the sun will rise at 7.46 a.m., and this means that some children will be waiting at school bus stops by 6.30 a.m., in complete darkness.
This same issue was raised with me on a number of occasions in the run up to the 2000 Olympics. In August of that year children in the Northern Tablelands were standing on the sides of roads at 6:45 a.m. waiting for their school buses There was frost on the ground and the temperature was minus four or five degrees. And I am not talking about 17- or 18-year-olds. I am talking about six-year-old children who have to get up at 5.30 a.m. in order to stand at the side of road in complete darkness to catch a school bus between 6.30 a.m. and 7.00 a.m. Sometime between that time and when they get to school the sun actually rises.
I ask all honourable members to be cognisant of that aspect of daylight saving. Members of The Nationals cop a lot of flack about this. I do not have to remind honourable members of the ridiculous suggestions by the proponents of daylight saving that those who oppose it are concerned about their curtains fading. There are some real concerns about daylight saving, especially with regard to children having to get up so early to get to school. I am concerned also that the period of daylight saving can be changed by regulation rather than by legislation. The people of western New South Wales do not like that provision either. They do not want any relaxation of the procedures relating to the application or extension of daylight saving.
The Opposition is happy to allow the bill to stand in light of the Government's commitment to ensure that any changes to daylight saving are well publicised and that there will be an opportunity by way of a disallowance motion to revoke in the House any inappropriate changes. I assure the Government that if it tries to make an inappropriate change to the daylight saving period we will do everything we can to see it revoked in this place.
Reverend the Hon. FRED NILE [7.40 p.m.]: The Christian Democratic Party supports the Standard Time Amendment (Daylight Saving) Bill. This very simple bill is the result of the Victorian Government's request that the New South Wales Government extend the State's daylight saving period next year by one week to 2 April in order to accommodate the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. As honourable members know, daylight saving usually ends at 2.00 a.m. on the last Sunday in March but the bill will extend that period for one week next year to 2 April. The bill also amends the Standard Time Act to enable future changes to the daylight saving period to be made by regulation. Previous changes to daylight saving were made via legislative amendments to the Act, which often attracted controversy. Although the legislative method remains desirable, the bill permits future changes to be made by way of regulation. In future honourable members will have to be alert to changes to the daylight saving period and challenge them by moving a disallowance motion.
The Hon. HENRY TSANG (Parliamentary Secretary) [7.42 p.m.], in reply: I thank honourable members for their contributions to the debate. The bill provides the flexibility to extend the daylight saving period without having to amend the Standard Time Act on each occasion. This will allow special events such as the upcoming Melbourne Commonwealth Games to be catered for relatively easily. However, at this point the Government believes the current standard daylight saving period, which extends from the last Sunday in October to the last Sunday in March, strikes an appropriate balance between the wishes of those who would like the period to be longer and those who would like daylight saving to be abolished. This compromise maintains well-established community expectations in urban and coastal areas and takes account of the rights of people in rural areas who experience difficulties with daylight saving. It also maintains consistency with the other mainland States that observe daylight saving. It is unfortunate that there is no statewide common interest where daylight saving is concerned, but the Government wishes to strike a reasonable balance between conflicting demands when it is possible to do so. I commend the bill to the House.
Motion agreed to.
Bill read a second time and passed through remaining stages.
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