Daylight Saving Time

Since a couple of weeks all the programs on radio, my FC Twente games on TV, the moment my friends in other countries wake up and more starts at different times. Because when Europe, the U.S. (except Arizona) and 3/4 of Australia went to Daylight Savings Time, this Queensland state did not. 


After trialling daylight saving in Queensland for a total of three years, a referendum was held on 22 February 1992, with the question: “Are you in favour of daylight saving?" and was defeated with a 54.5% 'no' vote.This referendum showed that public opinion on daylight saving in Queensland is geographically divided, with the ‘no’ vote strongest in the north and west regional districts, while the ‘yes’ vote was strongest in the state’s metropolitan south-east. Overall this means that Australia, as a nation, now has 5 different time zones.
Atop of this, there is a Daylight Saving for South East Queensland Referendum Bill, thus creating a sixth timezone, but it seems a majority of the people in southeast Queensland agree with this idea. 


I find it all a bit confusing and brings me to my other point: Although it may seem otherwise, there is almost no such thing as Australia. People are from New South Wales, Queensland or Victoria and that is still divided. Australia is a Federation of States, but prior to the Federation in 1901, each of the Australian colonies was more like its own country with customs houses, railway gauges and even their own military. It was neither natural nor inevitable that Australia would be federated, in fact it wasn't even a very popular idea. (More on this here)

Preferential Voting

Much like the states in the USA, they have their own parliaments and make a lot of their own laws. Even the voting system differs from state to state, which, as ex-political science student I found very interesting. Each state has a bicameral Parliament except Queensland, which abolished its upper house in 1922. The lower house is called the Legislative Assembly, except in South Australia and Tasmania, where it is called the House of Assembly. Tasmania is the only state to use proportional representation (like in the Netherlands) for elections to its lower house; all others elect members from single member constituencies, using preferential voting. (Really Interesting!) The upper house is called the Legislative Council, and is generally elected from multi-member constituencies using proportional representation. The three self-governing territories, the ACT, the Northern Territory and Norfolk Island, have unicameral Legislative Assemblies.


This all brings in some kind of rivalry between the states. West Australians feel they are the 'forgotten state', Sydney and Melbourne have a fierce rivalry, but I have mostly seen the Queensland part of it. 
Queensland is rich in natural resources, but far away from the political centers in the south. So people from the south states who move north to Queensland are occasionally named "Mexicans" because they come from "south of the border." People from the southern states sometimes refer to Queensland as "The Deep North", in allusion to the Deep South of the United States and the socio-political stereotype associated with it.

And then there is the almost hatred for everything that is New South Wales here. Most of it is mostly joking for now, but The rivalry between the states of New South Wales and Queensland goes back over 100 years, stemming from the attitude that New South Wales was the "Mother Colony" while Queensland was viewed as a poorer cousin.
This rivalry is now mostly played out in sports though, as you can see in the Rugby League State of Origin, on which I wrote before. And the name State of Origin says it all now, doesn't it ;-)


So that's it for now on another day off. Think positive thoughts for me that I'll have a job soon.