DAYLIGHT SAVING IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

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(Image made by Kerry Filkin)

AT 8PM DURING THE PAST THREE SUMMERS DID YOU DO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:

* Walked home
* Walked to a friend's house
* Walked to the shops
* Went to the beach
* Went for a jog
* Went for a run
* Went for a swim
* Mowed the lawn
* Worked in the garden
* Worked on the car
* Cleaned the car
* Washed the car
* Cleaned outside
* Played with the kids outside
* Played sports
* Had an outdoor meal
* Read a book outside
* Had an outdoor function
* Took the family to an outdoor venue
* Went to a Park
* Took photos
* Took dog for walk
* Tried to find something you lost outside

YOU DID? UNLESS THE YES VOTE WINS, IT WILL BE BACK TO FULL DARKNESS AT 8PM AGAIN NEXT SUMMER. WHICH WILL MAKE MANY OF THE ABOVE IMPOSSIBLE OR MORE DIFFICULT TO DO.

This year, Western Australians will be going to the polls to vote on whether they want daylight saving each summer. Before you vote, there have been many myths thrown around by the anti-daylight saving groups. So we have made a special website to give you the facts on daylight saving in Western Australia, and why it should continue. The referendum will be held on 16th May, 2009.

Make no mistake, if daylight saving is voted out this year, it will be at least 30 years before Western Australians can have a taste of it again. So if you enjoy the longer summer evenings, then please consider voting yes at the up coming referendum. Just think long and hard what you've been able to do outside between 7:30pm and 8:30pm during the past 3 summers, because next year there is a big chance it will be dark again during that hour, unless you help support the yes vote.

1992 Referendum Results
Check out how your area voted (5.38mb)

(Image made by Kerry Filkin)

DAYLIGHT SAVING MYTHS

Myth 1:
We already have enough daylight in summer

Compared to most of the big cities in the world, Perth has less daylight hours than London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Amsterdam and Madrid during mid-summer. Yet, all those cities still have daylight saving. Surely if we have less daylight than them during summer, then isn't it even more of a reason to put our clock forward too? (Source: www.timeanddate.com)

Myth 2:
The eastern states have it because they have less daylight.

Once again many people seem to think the eastern states have less daylight hours than Perth, but this is wrong. During summer, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Hobart all have more daylight, yet they still go on daylight saving time. (Source: www.timeanddate.com)

Myth 3:
It's too hot to have daylight saving in Western Australia.

This is one of the big reasons why some people dislike daylight saving. Over the past two summers on hot days, some like to straight away blame it on the heat. Western Australia will always be hot in summer, it doesn't matter what the clock says. There are many places around the world that have had daylight saving for years, where it can be much hotter than in Western Australia. For instance, the southern parts of the United States, such as Texas, New Mexico, Nevada and Florida. Then there is Mexico, Brazil, Spain and Egypt. We only have to look in our own backyard, such as Adelaide, who can have severe summer heat waves like Perth. Plus the sun sets even later than Perth in Adelaide during summer (8:26pm in Perth, 8:33pm in Adelaide on 1st January). Plus not forgetting places in rural South Australia and New South Wales, plus Victorian towns such as Mildura, where summer temperatures are above 40C on many occasions, with the sun setting past 8:40pm.

UPDATED

2009 Adelaide Temperatures: (Source - http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/200902/html/IDCJDW5002.200902.shtml)

Date - Max Temp - Sunset Time * Perth Sunset Time
27/1 -   43.2   - 8:26 PM     * 8:22 PM
28/1 -   45.7   - 8:26 PM     * 8:21 PM
29/1 -   43.4   - 8:25 PM     * 8:20 PM
30/1 -   43.1   - 8:24 PM     * 8:20 PM
31/1 -   41.1   - 8:24 PM     * 8:19 PM
01/2 -   40.6   - 8:23 PM     * 8:18 PM
02/2 -   38.8   - 8:22 PM     * 8:18 PM
03/2 -   36.3   - 8:21 PM     * 8:17 PM
04/2 -   33.3   - 8:20 PM     * 8:17 PM
05/2 -   35.6   - 8:20 PM     * 8:16 PM
06/2 -   43.9   - 8:19 PM     * 8:15 PM
07/2 -   41.5   - 8:18 PM     * 8:14 PM

2009 Melbourne Temperatures: (Source - http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/200901/html/IDCJDW3050.200901.shtml)

Date - Max Temp - Sunset Time * Perth Sunset Time
27/1 -   36.4   - 8:37 PM     * 8:22 PM
28/1 -   43.4   - 8:37 PM     * 8:21 PM
29/1 -   44.3   - 8:36 PM     * 8:20 PM
30/1 -   45.1   - 8:35 PM     * 8:20 PM
****************************
07/2 -   46.4   - 8:37 PM     * 8:14 PM

Here we are in Perth complaining about our so called "late" sunsets and hot temperatures, when cities like Adelaide and Melbourne can get even hotter, plus having later sunsets!

Myth 4:
It disrupts our body clock.

This is an interesting one. The majority of the population will be use to the new time within 1 day, for others it can take a few days. A very small percentage will have an effect which could last longer than a week. Ask yourself when you've gone on a holiday to a different timezone, and how quickly you get use to the new time? You don't even think about it once you look at the clock. The problem with some people that don't like daylight saving, is that they look at the clock, and say it should really be an hour earlier than what it is. The small minority that do this will continue to have problems. The vast percentage of population look at the clock, say the time is the time, and have no problems whatsoever.

Myth 5:
People that want daylight saving should wake up an hour earlier.

This may be somewhat true for people that can start and finish work earlier, but for the majority of us this just cant happen. For instance you can't tell your boss to open the shop up one hour earlier just for you, I think he/she would have a big laugh! It can also be said that if doing this is so easy, then when we are on daylight saving, why don't the people that hate daylight saving just wake up an hour later and arrange with their work to start and finish later!

Myth 6:
We put the Air Conditioner on more during daylight saving.

Air Conditioner use reaches it's peak on the hot days, but to say that it means people use it more during daylight saving lacks evidence. Summer power use changes from year to year, it just depends on how many hot days we have. When you get home from work on a hot day, you usually turn it on when you get home, whether we have daylight saving or not, and then put it off when you go to bed, or on the very hot nights you leave it on all night. This means that the air conditioner is on the same amount of hours.

Myth 7:
Children wont go to sleep during daylight saving.

The majority of children easily adapt to daylight saving after a couple of nights. Yes during the hot nights they might find it harder to go to sleep, but this is the case even without daylight saving as one hour is not going to make a big difference in temperature. Yes it is still daylight outside at 7:30pm, however a child who usually has no difficulties going to bed will still have no difficulties during daylight saving, just close the curtains. Some children have dramas going to bed even in winter time. For those that say they have troubles getting their children to bed during daylight, there are just as many parents that say they have no problems with their children. Infants sleep during the day under full daylight conditions, so this should also pose no problems at night.

Myth 8:
It's too dark in the mornings.

Under daylight saving in Perth, sunrise is between 6:03am and 6:30am in November, December and most of January. It's even earlier for county towns to the west and south. The vast majority of us don't use daylight at that hour, we are either still asleep, or getting ready for work. Later in March, the sun rises at about 7:20am, which though late, is almost the same as sunrises in July and most don't seem to complain about that! People in Melbourne and Adelaide have sunrise after 7:30am just before the end of daylight saving, and both cities have just extended it into April.

Myth 9:
We will be on a different timezone to Asia.

Wrong once again, Asia has more than once timezone. Yes we might be 1 hour ahead of China and Singapore, but during daylight saving we are on the same timezone as our other major business partners in South Korea and Japan.

Myth 10:
It makes it too difficult for the farmers.

Farmers say they go by the sun and not the time, using this logic it shouldn't matter what the clock says. Others say they have to get everything done an hour earlier, because the trucks and milk tankers still come at the same "clock" time. This might be right, however one would suggest that it should be easier enough to change the truck and tanker arrival times. Or perhaps get some tips from farmers over east, in Europe or North America, who have been farming with daylight saving for decades.

Myth 11:
The northern parts of the state don't need it because they are close to the equator.

This is partly true, however it depends where on the timezone map you are located. For instance, towns located in the Kimberley are actually behind the "sun time", as it would probably suit them more to be on Central Standard Time. Wyndham on the 22nd December has a sunrise during standard time at 4:55am, yet the sunsets at 5:57pm. This is probably a reason why people in the Kunnanurra region voted yes to daylight saving in the past three referendums.

Myth 12:
You work more hours.

People that work in some industries such as at a golf course will be working longer hours, but once again, we are talking about a small minority of the population. The people that do work more, will get more money, and hence good for the economy.

Myth 13:
It was undemocratic the way it was brought it.

The daylight saving bill was one of the few pieces of legislation which gave politicians a free vote, instead of being forced to vote on what their political party wanted them to do. This rarely happens, and it is fair to say, that this made the vote even fairer. Yes, there had been referendums on the issue before, but the last vote was in 1992, and many people that can now vote, were only kids back then and want to have a say on it. Having a trial and a referendum is the most democratic way of doing it. The folks in Victoria and Tasmania have never had to chance to vote on the issue. Tasmania has had daylight saving every single summer since 1968 and Victoria since 1971. Do we ever hear a big uproar from the residents in those states, who have now had daylight saving for about 40 years, without a vote?

Myth 14:
When it's noon on the clock, the sun should be at it's highest point.

The clock is a man made device. Due to the way Earth orbits the sun, the highest point of the sun changes during the year. In Adelaide for instance, solar noon can be as late as 1:30pm in February (12:30pm standard time) or as early as 12:59pm in late October (11:59am standard time). If you were to use "real time" as some like to call it, then your clock would change slightly each day, so the sun would be highest in the sky at 12:00noon. As this is not practical, governments prior to the use of standard time used "mean time", they would average out when "noon" would occur. This meant that a city like Adelaide during the 1800's, was actually 9 hours 14 minutes and 20 seconds ahead of London Time (GMT). The Australian states agreed to standardise their time in 1895, and 31st January, residents in Adelaide turned back their clocks by 14 minutes and 20 seconds to be 9 hours ahead of London. The earlier sunsets after this happened became unpopular, so on 1st May, 1899, South Australians advanced their clocks by half an hour to be 9 hours and 30 minutes ahead of London (GMT), where they have stayed to this day, except for the summer period. So when someone says, "but daylight saving time is not real time". Then a good reply would be "what is real time?".

Myth 15:
It will be still light at 9:30pm.

Some like to over do it, on both sides of the debate, and this is many people's favourite. It will never be light that late, anywhere in Western Australia at 9:30pm. The latest sunset in Perth is at 8:27pm, and twilight lasts about 30 minutes. By 9pm there will only be a small glow on the western sky. By 9:30pm it will be well and truly dark. In country towns to the north and east of Perth, it will be darker even earlier. Only towns to the south-west, such as Busselton and Augusta will have a later sunset in Perth during summer, but this will be only be by about 5 to 10 minutes. Myth 16:
School kids will walk home at the hottest time of the day.

The thing here is, what is actually the hottest time of the day? This can vary from day to day. Sometimes our maximum can be reached well before noon, other times as late as 5:30pm. There is no hottest time of the day, it all just depends on the conditions at the time. The UV factor also helps WITH daylight saving. According the Bureau of Meteorology, the UV alert for 12th December for Perth, was between 9:10am and 5:20pm daylight saving time. This means children are only walking home under a UV alert after school. Under standard time the UV alert for this day will start at 8:10am when most kids are walking to school too. Plus now a days, most parents bring and pick up their children to and from school.

Myth 17:
Daylight Saving would be better in winter.

This is another favourite by some. Yes, later sunsets during winter would be great. But the problem is in the morning. If people are complaining about the later sunrises in March, then can you imagine what they would be saying in July? Sunrise at that time of the year is at 7:17am, under daylight saving time that would be pushed back to 8:17am. Which would be far too late.

jacoba@arach.net.au.

since the 27th January, 2009

This page was last updated on the 11th March, 2009 at 2:00pm WDT