WA: Daylight saving detractors plan to ignore it in WA

AAP General News (Australia)
08-07-2007
WA: Daylight saving detractors plan to ignore it in WA

By Liza Kappelle

PERTH, Aug 7 AAP - Daylight saving is so despised in parts of rural Western Australia
some people are plotting a campaign of civil disobedience against it.

National Party members from southern Albany plan to move a motion at the party's state
conference calling for party members to ignore the remaining two years of WA's controversial
three-year daylight trial.

The party's state president Wendy Duncan says the motion, which will be debated at
the conference in midwest Geraldton this weekend, reflects the strength of opposition
to daylight saving.

"I think it indicates the feeling of disillusionment and disenfranchisement of people
who have actively said they don't want daylight saving in WA," Ms Duncan said today.

"There are obviously issues of practicality and implementation, and I am not sure it
will be carried, but this resolution comes from our grass roots and deserves debating."

Ms Duncan agreed there was an "element of civil disobedience" to the motion, which
calls for members to ignore daylight saving time.

"I guess it would be," she said.

WA began the trial last December, despite bitter opposition from people who had previously
rejected daylight saving in three state referendums over three decades.

The National Party, which has about 1,200 members in WA, garnered the support of 66,000
people earlier this year to petition the state parliament to hold an early referendum
on daylight saving.

The bid failed.

A new referendum about whether to adopt daylight saving permanently each summer will
be held after the current trial ends.

The three year trial was the brainchild of independent MP John D'Orazio who endured
months of harassment, abuse and even death threats over the summer from daylight saving
detractors.

The second leg of WA's daylight saving trial will begin on October 28.

AAP lk/jt/de

KEYWORD: DAYLIGHT

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