More than three quarters of respondents to a State Government consultation favour shifting South Australia’s time zone away from Central Standard Time.

However, while there appears to be an overwhelming mood for change, determining exactly which change remains fraught.

According to Trade Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith, who is leading the consultation: “Some 42 per cent of respondents favour aligning with the Eastern States’ time zone, while 37 per cent favour moving 30 minutes back towards West Australian time.”

The Government has received feedback from more than 1000 respondents since consultation began last month.

Hamilton-Smith said “the numbers so far show a real appetite for change, with 79 per cent of responses so far wanting to shift away from our current time zone”.

It’s understood while opinion is divided on raw numbers, the push for EST is overwhelmingly favoured by industry group submissions, with the bulk of those pushing for a shift west coming from private respondents.

The minister today launched a new social media ad campaign “to encourage further debate on this issue”.

It features the push for a shift to EST articulated by the likes of ANZ chair Jane Yuile and Strikers cricket star Tim Ludeman, with former Liberal Premier and Regional Development SA chair Rob Kerin warning such a change could adversely affect those on the state’s west coast (see above).

An industry roundtable will be held next Thursday at Parliament House, followed next month by regional consultations in Ceduna and Port Lincoln in the west and Mount Gambier in the south east.

“We are reaching out to people, in as many ways as possible, encouraging them to tell us their views,” said Hamilton-Smith.

The justifications for change floated on the ad campaign range from the trivial – with a mother frustrated at hearing a spoiler for her evening’s reality TV viewing – to economic self-interest with TV host David Koch extolling the business case for an eastern-ward shift.

Two pillars of Jay Weatherill’s much-hyped “bold” policy agenda celebrated milestones today, with a Royal Commission into the state’s place in the nuclear fuel cycle formally kicking off.

Governor Hieu Van Le signed off on the final terms of reference this morning, formalising the appointment of his predecessor Kevin Scarce as Royal Commissioner.

He’ll be given a deadline of a little over a year, with a stipulation that “you are required to report as soon as practicable but no later than 6 May 2016”.

However, the inquiry can request an extension if the Scarce believes it is warranted.

Again, more than 1000 submissions have already been received during the initial four week consultation, with corresponding “cosmetic” changes to the draft Terms of Reference.

“Minor changes have been made…including placing further emphasis on learning lessons from past experiences in regards to environmental impacts,” said the Premier.

The commissioner will seek to consider risks and opportunities of enhancing — but not decreasing – SA’s role in exploration and extraction, processing and manufacture, generation, storage and disposal of nuclear fuel.

Inserted into the draft terms are the requirement to consider environmental impacts “including considering lessons learned from past South Australian extraction and processing practices” and the economy, “including the potential for the development of related sectors and adverse impact on other sectors”.