Daylight saving 'dead and buried' in WA

as posted here

Western Australia will not get daylight saving after voters rejected the idea in the fourth referendum on the issue, electoral commissioner Warwick Gately has declared.

When polls closed with 71 per cent of the vote counted, the "No" vote has maintained a 55.5 per cent to 44.5 cent lead over the "Yes" vote - a lead which could translate into the biggest "No" result in WA history.

Daylight saving campaigner Matt Birney declared the concept of daylight saving in WA "dead and buried".

The "No" vote has registered about 532,000 votes to 426,000 for "Yes".

The "No" vote fared strongly in regional areas and the outer suburbs of Perth, including Armadale, Swan Hills, Gosnells, Geraldton, Dawesville, Darling Range, Central Wheatbelt and Albany.

Perth's northern electorates such as Hillarys, Churchlands, Midarie and Carine flew the flag for daylight saving in what was ultimately a losing race.

WA Premier Colin Barnett said the result was clear.

"West Australians don't like daylight saving,'' he told ABC radio.

Nationals WA president Colin Holt, one of the leading campaigners for the "No" vote, was understandably thrilled with the result.

"We're very pleased with the result of course," he said. "But we were a little surprised by how strong the ("No") vote was in some of the city electorates."

He expected the regional areas to vote against daylight saving, and they delivered with flying colours.

"If you were away from the coast, people didn't like it," Mr Holt said.

"There were (only) three or four electorates away from the coast who were in favour (of daylight saving).

"Some of the big ones who were against it were Darling Range, Armadale and Forrestfield."

He said most of the people who lived well away from the coast thought daylight saving would not improve their lifestyle, considering they "could not go to the beach" after a day's work.

Earlier today, Mr Birney told WAtoday: "It seems we are a little bit ahead in metro Perth and a whole lot behind in the country and that's not really sustainable unfortunately.

"... We're encouraged by so many people voting yes, but the great shame is that it doesn't appear to be enough at this stage."

More than 1.3 million West Australians today flooded their local school or sports centre to cast their vote on daylight saving.

In the weeks leading up to today's vote, WA was gripped with debate in the workplace, on talkback radio, on trains and even inside households. But now the people have finally had their say on the issue that has split the state in half.

Three times already the push for daylight saving in WA has failed.

The first vote on daylight saving in 1975 saw 53.7 per cent of the population vote against it.

The WA Electoral Commission has had its hands full to cater for the masses today with the Fremantle by-election also taking place today following the retirement of stalwart Labor MP Jim McGinty.

In that battle, Labor candidate and former Fremantle mayor Peter Tagliaferri has locked horns with Adele Carles of the Greens for the seat vacated by former Labor Health Minister Jim McGinty.

Before today, about 72,000 electors have already had their say on the daylight saving vote via postal and early in-person voting.

"The daylight saving debate has been of high interest to the people of Western Australia in recent weeks ... ," Mr Gately said.

The Commission set up about 800 polling places across the state and recruited 5000 casual staff for the day.

Almost 1.8 million ballot papers for the referendum and 62,000 for the Fremantle by-election have been produced during the campaigns.

- with AAP


as posted here