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Calls Are Growing To Scrap Daylight Saving From Australia

Calls Are Growing To Scrap Daylight Saving From Australia

There are concerns the change causes more heart attacks, more work and road accidents and causes cognitive dysfunction.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

We're only just a few weeks away from the clocks going forward an hour in Australia, in what is a six-month tradition in places across the world.

Daylight saving has been both celebrated and cursed over the years and there are calls for it to be scrapped altogether here.

The clocks will be changed on October 4, however an Australian professor has revealed there are loads of health risks associated with this slight alteration.

PA

Professor of diabetes at Monash University, Paul Zimmet, told 3AW Radio that while many people reckon it's a good thing to have an extra hour of sunshine during the summer months, the days directly after the clock change can be brutal.

"In terms of the scientific evidence, which we will want to stick with at the moment, there are more heart attacks just after daylight saving, more road accidents, and then you've got workplace accidents, car accidents and their implications," he said.

"There is also cognitive dysfunction in relation to the daylight saving and the change in timing to our normal body rhythms."

But Australia isn't alone in trying to give daylight saving the boot.

Last year several US states introduced bills to have the mandated clock change removed, while the European Union voted to have it permanently scrapped by next year. EU member states will have to individually decide whether to be in permanent winter time or permanent summer time.

The EU will join Argentina, Russia and Turkey, who all ditched the changes in 2009, 2014 and 2016 respectively.

It doesn't look likely the same thing will happen in Victoria though.

PA

Premier Daniel Andrews poured cold water on the idea during a press conference yesterday (September 16).

"I don't want to be disrespectful to the professor, who may be a very learned individual. No. Daylight saving will be proceeding," Mr Andrews said.

"That's why the curfew changes, that extra hour is really important, well ahead of daylight saving."

He hopes the clock change will help make summer a little better in the state that is still afflicted with lockdwon restrictions. Daylight saving will, at the very least, push the curfew starting time from 8pm to 9pm. You've got to take the small wins when they come, hey?

Mr Andrews continued: "This will be a summer like no other and daylight saving, I can confirm, will be a feature of it."

Daylight saving will kick off at 2am on October 4, and will affect residents in NSW, Victoria, the ACT, South Australia and Tasmania, who will have to turn their clocks forward by an hour.

Featured Image Credit: PA