WA: Milking cows argument rears to combat daylight saving push

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WA: Milking cows argument rears to combat daylight saving push

By Selina Day

PERTH, Dec 9 AAP - The thorny issue of daylight saving - and the problem of milkingcows - has again been raised in Western Australia.

A Liberal MP wants daylight saving back on the agenda so WA businesses are not as disadvantagedwhen dealing with the east coast during summer, and to give people more leisure time afterwork.

But the concept has been rejected at three referenda in the West in 25 years - andlooks set to meet a similar fate if a fourth referendum is proposed.

The last yes-no poll, 10 years ago, was lost by a margin of only three per cent. Previousreferenda, held in 1975 and 1983, also rejected putting the clocks forward for summer.

Liberal frontbencher Matt Birney is single-handedly driving a renewed push for daylightsaving, saying lifestyles have changed and people are now working much longer hours thanthey were a decade ago.

Daylight saving would give people an opportunity to spend quality time with familyafter work, he said.

But the state's Liberal leadership is not supporting the push.

And Premier Geoff Gallop - who personally likes the concept - has said the Labor governmentwould not revisit the idea because the community had already spoken three times.

Mr Birney said he recently conducted a straw poll among MPs, and 91 per cent approvedthe concept.

"And 85 per cent of the state cabinet actually support daylight saving," Mr Birneytold ABC radio.

"If the reasoning is that the Members of Parliament are meant to reflect the view ofthe wider electorate then why don't we have daylight savings in Western Australia?"

But during a straw poll on talkback radio today, 10 of 15 callers expressed oppositionto more daylight hours.

Among them was farmer, Doreen, who used the age-old argument of milking cows.

"If you're a mother and you've got young kids going to school, you try to put themto bed before the damn sun goes down," Doreen said.

"And if you're a farmer, and you're milking cows, the bloody milk tanker will comean hour different, and that's an absolute piss off because you've got to milk the cowsearlier, and they're standing out there in the damn sun.

"You guys up there in parliament have no damn idea what it's like down here on theland, or to be a mother who's trying to get kids off to bed early.

"It's only men, I reckon, who want this damn daylight saving, or stupid women who haven'thad any children."

AAP sd/jmd/bwl

KEYWORD: DAYLIGHT (REISSUING)