Daylight bill to go ahead: Wellington

A private member's bill to introduce a split time zone for daylight saving in Queensland will go ahead after a late surge in support for the idea.

Independent MP Peter Wellington wants Queensland to hold a fresh referendum on a split time zone, with daylight saving to be observed in the southeast corner only.

Public comment has been sought over the past six weeks, ahead of a deadline on Monday night.

Responses had been largely negative until this week, but a sudden jump in interest has filled the Sunshine Coast MP's email inbox and sent a government's feedback website into meltdown.

Mr Wellington said earlier on Monday he was considering withdrawing the bill if it lacked support but the jump in interest had steeled his resolve to push ahead.

He told AAP that at one stage on Monday he was receiving one email per second on the issue.

At the same time, residents were experiencing heavy delays as they attempted to fill out the daylight saving survey at www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au before it closed at midnight on Monday.

Mr Wellington said he was now seeing responses "10 to one in favour" of daylight saving.

"This is totally different to the response I was getting for the last six weeks," he said.

"I've made a decision not to withdraw the bill."

Mr Wellington called on Premier Anna Bligh and the opposition to let MPs have a conscience vote on the issue.

He said he hoped the bill could receive enough support to progress to a referendum at the next state election.

An alternative plan would be for an all-party committee to examine the issue, including where the boundary for the southeast should be drawn.

"Every year when the clocks change in NSW, people have asked me: `Why can't we do it?'" he said.

"... It's about taking it out of the hands of politicians and giving the voice to people and let them decide."

Ms Bligh said she would carefully consider public submissions before making up her mind on the issue.

But Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek said the daylight saving issue was not important and he would not support it.

His deputy, Lawrence Springborg, said a split time zone was a "stupid idea".

"Blind Freddy can see that even the people who support daylight saving think it's absolutely brain dead to split the state," he said.