Longer daylight saving locked in for SA
Posted
SA gazettes longer daylight saving (user submitted: John Schilling)
South Australia will start daylight saving from the first weekend of October this year.
A trial started last summer when the SA Government extended daylight saving by four weeks to move SA into line with the practice in most other states.
The Government has gazetted regulations today for daylight saving to start on the first Sunday of October this year and finish on the first Sunday of April next year.
It says SafeWork SA will consider the concerns of businesses, schools and community groups in western regions of SA, where the sun rises and sets later than in eastern areas, affecting community activities and work.
SA Industrial Relations Minister Paul Caica says longer daylight saving has firm community support.
"An extensive consultation process last year, which resulted in submissions received from almost 7,000 people, told us that two-thirds of South Australians supported extended daylight saving," he said.
The Minister thinks it boosts areas such as tourism and recreational activities, saying people can do more outdoor activities and sport.
By gazetting four more weeks for daylight saving, Mr Caica says SA avoids any possible detrimental effect of spending those four weeks 90 minutes behind eastern states' daylight saving time.
The Government will advertise news of the longer term and says SafeWork SA will liaise with businesses where advance planning for changes of time zones is needed.
Mr Caica says there will be community feedback gathered again in the future about the longer daylight saving in SA.
