HOWARD PLAN FOR TWO TIME ZONES NOT WANTED IN NORTH QUEENSLAND, SAYS WALLACE

North Queensland will be outraged by a suggestion by the Prime Minister, John Howard, today that Queensland should be split into two time zones, Craig Wallace said today.

Mr Wallace said Premier Anna Bligh had already made the tough and correct decision not to adopt daylight saving in Queensland.

She also rejected one time zone for south east Queensland and another time for the rest of the State.

“Now it seems that John Howard would reverse this decision if he could and have two time zones,” Mr Wallace said.

“He already has taken over industrial relations, parts of water policy and he wants to take over education and hospitals.

“North Queenslanders now will be concerned that he has a hidden agenda to reverse Anna Bligh’s excellent decision on daylight saving.

“I say to John Howard – keep your hand off North Queensland clocks.

“John Howard should not try to tell North Queenslanders that he knows better than them how they should live their daily lives.”

Mr Howard told ABC Radio earlier today that: “The pragmatic way of handling this is to really treat different parts of the state differently.

He said: “My view is that southeast Queensland and the rest of eastern Australia should be on the same time.

“There’s no reason why you couldn’t have some other arrangement in the more distant parts and northern parts of the State,” the Prime Minister said.

Mr Wallace said North Queensland was strongly opposed to daylight saving, both in the whole or part of the State.

Media inquiries: Paul Childs, Craig Wallace’s office, on 0407 131 654.