Standard time arrives
In the 19th century each Australian colony kept its own local time. In 1895, the colonies agreed to adopt standard time zones based on meridians a whole number of hours from Greenwich:
| Zone | Meridian | Offset |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern | 150° E | UTC+10 |
| Central | 135° E | UTC+9 |
| Western | 120° E | UTC+8 |
In 1899 South Australia moved from UTC+9 to UTC+9:30. The Northern Territory, then administered by South Australia, followed it, and both still use the half-hour Central zone today. For the current offsets, see the Australia time zones guide.
Wartime summer time
Daylight saving first came to Australia as a wartime measure. The federal government introduced it nationally during World War I, from January to March 1917 and again in the summer of 1917–18, and once more during World War II, in each summer from 1942 to 1944. In both cases it was dropped after the war.
Tasmania leads the way
After the war, time was left to the states. Tasmania was the first to bring back daylight saving, in 1967. A severe drought had reduced water for its hydroelectric dams, and moving the clocks was seen as a way to save power. The change proved popular and stayed.
The 1971 decision
In 1971, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory introduced daylight saving. Most of them have kept it ever since. Queensland, however, left after the first season, beginning a long debate that continues today.
Queensland and the 1992 referendum
Queensland tried daylight saving again in a three-season trial from 1989 to 1992. Support was strong in the south-east around Brisbane but weak in the north and west, where summer evenings are hot and the sun already sets late. In a 1992 referendum, a majority voted against daylight saving, and Queensland has stayed on UTC+10 all year since then.
Western Australia’s four referendums
Western Australia has held several trials of daylight saving and four referendums on it, in 1975, 1984, 1992 and 2009. Each referendum was rejected. The most recent trial ran for three summers from 2006 to 2009.
The Northern Territory
The Northern Territory has not used daylight saving since World War II. Close to the tropics, its day length varies little over the year, so there is little daylight to save.
Harmonized dates
For many years the participating states used different start and end dates, and Tasmania often started earlier than the mainland. For the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the south-eastern states started daylight saving early, in August 2000.
Since 2008, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT have used common dates:
| Change | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Clocks go forward | First Sunday in October | 2:00 standard time |
| Clocks go back | First Sunday in April | 3:00 daylight time |
Five times in summer
Because some states change and others do not, mainland Australia goes from three times in winter to five in summer:
| Region | Winter | Summer |
|---|---|---|
| Western Australia | UTC+8 | UTC+8 |
| Northern Territory | UTC+9:30 | UTC+9:30 |
| South Australia | UTC+9:30 | UTC+10:30 |
| Queensland | UTC+10 | UTC+10 |
| NSW, Victoria, ACT, Tasmania | UTC+10 | UTC+11 |
There are some local quirks too. Broken Hill in New South Wales keeps South Australian time, and Lord Howe Island moves its clocks by only 30 minutes.
A southern summer
Because Australia is in the southern hemisphere, its daylight saving period runs from October to April, roughly opposite to Europe and North America. This changes the time difference between Sydney and cities such as London or New York twice a year. Read what is daylight saving time for the background, or check the current status on the daylight saving time page.