NSW Premier Chris Minns shuts down farmer push to end daylight saving

The NSW premier Chris Minns has shut down calls from farmers to axe daylight saving, arguing the extra hour of evening sunlight is key to encouraging active lifestyles.

Members of NSW Farmers will vote at the peak body’s state conference later in July on whether to take an official position of opposing daylight saving, the practice of putting clocks ahead one hour between October and April.

Advocates of daylight saving say it helps save electricity, has economic upsides and allows more time for physical activity, but opponents say it disrupts people’s internal body clocks and makes rural life harder due to darker mornings.

Mr Minns said NSW would not change its position, citing the need to encourage healthy lifestyles.

“I understand that there are different views, particularly in regional communities, about daylight saving, but it’s an important measure for the state,” he told reporters on Friday.

“It means that you get more time outside when the sun’s out, particularly in summer, and that’s not a trivial thing, particularly when we’re fighting obesity, we’re fighting diabetes in the community.”

Daylight saving also helped get children “off devices and into the open air”, the premier said from the site of a planned hospital on the state’s south coast.

“Those extra hours of sunlight and activity in summer are pretty crucial to an active community,” he said.

NSW Farmers board member Oscar Pearse, from Moree in the state’s far north, said there was evidence daylight saving affected people’s health.

“There is real scientific evidence the circadian rhythm disruptions and the unnatural process of getting up regularly in the dark can have an impact,” he told Sydney radio station 2GB.

Daylight saving is currently used in every state except Queensland and Western Australia. The Northern Territory is also yet to adopt the measure.

It has been in place in NSW since 1971.