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Last
updated May2009
WA
daylight saving referendum 2009
As
the West Australian daylight saving referendum campaign counts down to
the 16 May, the gloves are off.
In one corner is the entire metropolitan press,
all the commercial TV and radio outlets, the WA Chamber of Commerce (read:
entire WA business community), 70% of WA politicians ... and copious amounts
of faded-cow and confused-curtain jokes.
In the other
corner are the Nationals (to overseas readers, that’s Australia’s
main rural-conservative party) and the Farmers Federation … with
almost no campaigning so far from the metropolitan No camp, despite a
strong metropolitan No sentiment.
Nothing like being an underdog!
Also, in
stark contrast to the 1992 referendum, the Yes campaign is maintaining
a very high profile with a lot of money being spent on advertising.
Still, there
are some strong anti-DLS facts on the ground: the history of three referendum
defeats already; the fact that Western Australia’s climate makes
it arguably the worst place in the whole world to have daylight saving;
the longitudinal reality that Perth residents will never get up in daylight
ever again (a tad exaggerated, perhaps, but not that far from the truth).
Common sense
just might be enough to take on the giant mythology created by the pro-DLS
propaganda machine. We'll
just have to wait and see...
Steve,
a Light of Day reader, has provided some updates on the WA referendum
from a propaganda perspective, which we have collated (with his permission)
into an ongoing blog of sorts - see his blog below
by scrolling down to the end of the page.
Here's hoping that WA voters are aware that, on
referendum day, they are being sweetened into answering what is essentially
a 'trick' question:
‘Do you
want daylight saving operating from the last Sunday in October through
to the last Sunday in March?’
The
dates specified in the question mean that WA would start its annual DLS
period 3 weeks later than the other DLS states and end it one week earlier.
This keeps the door well and truly open for the government to extend the
annual DLS period down the track by a simple parliamentary or Cabinet
vote without any community consultation - in the interests of 'uniformity'.
This
process has happened over and over again in the DLS states since its introduction.
The question is no doubt being framed in this way to increase the chances
of a Yes vote. The late spring and autumn sunrises in WA under the DLS
trial, especially on Perth's westerly longitude, have proved to be very
unpopular, even in the normally pro-DLS business community.
_______________________________________
3 May: WA Nationals launch their No daylight
saving campaign
The Nationals WA have officially launched their
no daylight saving campaign in Kings Park, unveiling ‘no’
t-shirts, badges and a 30-second television commercial to be run on regional
stations in the lead up to the referendum. State
President Colin Holt said The Nationals message was simple and to the
point and reflected the feedback the Party had received from across the
State.
Full statements
on the campaign can be found at theWA
Nationalswebsite.
Also, here is a quote from Light of Day reader,
Mia, regarding the WA Nationals anti-daylight saving campaign:
''[The
WA Nationals] argument has never drawn on the old myths of cows getting
confused or curtains fading. It has always been based on the fact that
the majority of people we represent do not support the introduction of
daylight saving, for a number of different reasons. There are plenty of
legitimate reasons why people don't support its introduction, as you well
know. In Western Australia, The Nationals represent all communities outside
the major metropolitan region of Perth. Our success at the recent State
election is proof that our membership and supporters are far more diverse
than the farming community.
Our [Nationals]
website is kept up to date, and while perhaps not as slick as the 'Yes'
campaign (underwritten by the CCI and big business) we are endeavouring
to promote the 'no' case and give people who don't support the introduction
of DLS a legitimate voice.'
___________________________________________
2 May: Light of Day
comment
To cringe or not to cringe ... The politics of embarrassment
The strident campaign of embarrassment that has
been wielded by the WA media against the No case, especially against the
WA Farmers Federation, seems to be finally subsiding ... for now at least.
It's hard
to know what the fuss was all about. Contrary to cringe-on-cue reporting
from both the Yes camp and even some metropolitan No's that the WAFF is
obssessed with cows,
curtains and wristwatches,here is what the
WAFF is REALLY saying:
‘Have you considered these below…
• ‘Does it make it harder to put your children to bed, while
it is still light outside?
• Are people becoming more fatigued, as they are inclined to stay
awake an hour later at night, and what safety concerns does this raise
(i.e. accidents while driving)
• Does it make sense to be driving to work in the dark during the
daylight saving period?
• Does it put businesses out with their key trading partners in
Asia, given that WA’s normal time zone is the most populist time
zone in the world?
• Are you concerned that children may be in the sun during the hotter
and more dangerous part of the day during daylight saving?
• Are there animal welfare issues, from farmers being forced to
work livestock during a hotter period of the day?
• Is daylight saving convenient?’
No doubt
the non-farming community may not relate to all the points above, but
cringeworth they are not. Even the reference to animals focuses on time
management and work conditions for both farmers and livestock, not upset
cows.
Also, media
attempts to discredit the WAFF reference to work of sleep research pioneer,
Stanley
Coren, by referring to him as a 'dog whisperer' were equally fatuous.
For the record, Coren's work has been a major influence on much of the
sleep research done in the US and worldwide over the last decade.
However,
if we want to fight fire with fire, how cringeworthy are these comments
from the official Yes case appearing at the WA
Electoral Commission website:
'‘[Daylight saving] is potentially the glue that can bond families
back together and minimises our unhealthy reliance on the TV or the internet
as our primary sources of entertainment.’
‘In
a community concerned at falling levels of physical activity and growing
obesity, any increased physical activity due to daylight saving is most
welcome.’
‘Our
small business community are currently suffering from the consequences
of the world financial crises and are already laying off employees. You
have it within your power to remove just one hurdle from their path by
voting yes to daylight saving.’
‘[Families]
are desperate for the opportunity to interact more with each other in
a meaningful way at the end of what has now become a very long working
day and daylight saving provides that opportunity for them.’
"
Yuk...!
___________________________________________
2
May: Light of Day comment
According
to some emails received at Light of Day, there has been some confusion
out there regarding a Nationals
media statementregarding potential
deaths among children due to curtain and blind accidents, which have fed
into the old curtain myths surrounding daylight saving opposition.
This media statement has NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH DAYLIGHT SAVING.
Steve's
'blog'
Steve,
a Light of Day reader from WA, has been
keeping us informed of referendum propaganda developments in WA in the
lead up to the referendum … Scroll down for most recent comments.
(Disclaimer: The comments in Steve's Blog below are the opinions
of the author and are not necessarily those of Light of Day.)
(25
March, 09)
'The
West Australian newspaper has appointed Brett McCarthy as the
new editor. Mr McCarthy was at one time editor of the DLS proactive Sunday
Times, which gives regular slots to the DLS camp's spokesman Matt Birney.
Both the 'West, and Channel 7 are partly owned by Kerry Stokes.
Channel
7 has also given Mr Birney a regular comment on the "news",
his latest angle is the old east coast v. west coast business time disparity.
Given the state of economic panic starting to grip the population they
might think they're on to the panic vote.
The
'opposition' comment is sometimes left to one or another of the fairly
unconcerned Liberals who claim to oppose it. Otherwise it's the Farmers
Federation who have informed me that they will not take a proactive stance
on this issue.
Just
not good enough, and one would tend to think that a well-funded propaganda
campaign might do the trick.
Another aspect of the vote of which I was unaware is that referendums
now feature a published yes/no argument funded by our own electoral commission.
The scary part is that these are written up by our members of parliament,
most of whom support daylight saving! A total commercial media lockdown
is occuring (perhaps).
Nowhere
is the cavalry to be seen.'
(19 April)
...the
Farmers Federation, which had assured me that they would not be active,
have since begun releasing downloadable posters which have already been
ridiculed as ‘emotive’ and a misinterpretation of statistics
... Paul Murray of the West Australian was allocated a feature on this
last week, and the ABC's Antony Green had a good rant under ‘Lies,
damn lies, and the Farmers' Federation’, on his daylight saving
blog. (He has three active blogs on DLS.)
The
West has re-opened a new blog called 'Daylight Saving – will
it stay?' (I think) In my opinion, the propaganda groundwork has been
set well in place by the slick YES campaign. I think one of their main
objectives was to empower individuals to believe that their cause was
righteous, and that they had the right to impose the time regime on neighbors
and friends as long as ‘democracy’ was in place.
Because
the vote will be a referendum, the DLS camp has also been able to avoid
class and cultural antagonisms. They have been busy on some blogs, most
notably The West, propagating the idea that it is a simple lifestyle choice,
a simple vote; yes or no. What's also in favour of the YES vote are the
Labour party faithfuls, ‘the true believers’.
The
opposition, the rural vote at least, are poles apart from.the working
class. Several years ago, during the Patrick's waterfront conflict, the
Farmers’ Federation were threatening a small civil war if any more
trucks were blocked at the port over here. Of course, looking at voting
trends (Antony Green has published some good data on his site) it is hard-to
pick a cultural or class divide or trend.
Anyway, when all public officials remain silent, when all medical authority
of any note remains silent, this leaves only one player, the well organised
propaganda campaign of the YES vote. […] I've made a study of the
propaganda technique being used by the pro-DLS camp, particularly the
efforts of their very busy professionals on many blogs. What to make of
it all now?
(21 April)
Also
The West blog I referred to [earlier] is entitled ‘Daylight
Saving: love it or hate it’. I'm also tipping we might see Matt
Birney replaced as pro DLS spokesman. He has not been seen for at least
a few days. One blogger has described his ego as 'toxic' and demanded
his replacement in the interest of the YES campaign […]
All
very interesting over here – propaganda in action. Several years
ago I became involved in a campaign against the construction of a canal/marina
development at Coogee WA. This is where I first encountered the use of
propaganda, with professional marketers playing the role of pro development
correspondents to local and state newspapers.
I
did not understand anything about propaganda at that time. That is why
I have made it my mission firstly to presume a whole lot of people are
as poorly educated as me, and then to educate them to the science of propaganda.
This can defuse the power of the pro DLS crew.
Of
course, access to popular media would be helpful. Whatever the result
of this one- sided, spiteful battle, it is sure to contain lessons for
the inevitable future attacks of the pro-DLS crew on Queensland.
(1 May)
The question for me has always been: Just who is behind the Daylight Saving
push to create such a massive media campaign? Why are they so desperate
to want such a ridiculous clock changing regime?
[…]
Let's not forget that in 2005 West Australians were sent to the polls
with a referendum on extended trading hours. Extended trading and Daylight
Saving go together like a horse and carriage , Yet strangely enough, neither
the YES or NO campaigns have made any comment on this nexus. Politics
has reached a new level of confusion here in the West with the Labor Party
endorsing confirmed Liberal Mayor of Fremantle, Peter Tagliaferri as the
new (3 weeks a member!) candidate for the safe Labor seat of Fremantle.
Trade unions are divided and may support Greens candidate Adele Carles.
Unfortunately for NO vote hopefulls, both the Greens and Labor supported
the "3 Year trial" of DLS .
No
candidate has raised DLS as a political issue. It just may be that the
West Australian Labor Party sees daylight saving as necessary for the
survival of "Western Australian" capital. […] Whatever
the truth, they are not thinking about the wellbeing of the average worker.
