Daylight saving time to start in Australia in days - what you need to know
The warmer weather and longer days will soon usher in another spring staple when many states and territories put their clocks forward by one hour.
The warmer weather and longer days will soon usher in another spring staple when many states and territories put their clocks forward by one hour.
Daylight saving will soon be impacting many Australians, as the country goes from having three time zones to five.
Heres a rundown of everything you need to know.
When does daylight saving begin?
Four out Australias six states and one of the countrys two territories participate in daylight saving.
Clocks will go forward an hour in NSW, Victoria, ACT, Tasmania and South Australia at 2am on Sunday, October 6.
The day is easy to remember in these states and territory - it is the first Sunday in October.
Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not have daylight saving time.
The warmer weather and longer days will soon usher in another spring staple when many states and territories put their clocks forward by one hour
And for Australians who dont like the extra hour of sunshine, it is set to finish at 3am on Sunday April 6 2025, when when we turn clocks backwards by one hour.
Who invented daylight saving - and why?
It was a New Zealand man, George Hudson, who came up with the idea in 1895 - but for just a two hour time difference, Radio New Zealand reported.
A bug collector, Mr Hudson wanted to collect insects after work and needed more daylight hours to do it.
After presenting his idea to the Wellington Philosophy Society he eventually garnered support from MP Sir Thomas Kay Sidey.
But it wasnt until 1927, when Mr Hudson was 60 that his country passed a law allowing clocks to be moved forward an hour from the first Sunday in November until the first Sunday in March.
Elsewhere, similar ideas were also being discussed by other people.
British builder William Willett self-published a pamphlet in 1907 which called for people to move time time forward in summer so there was more time for outdoor activities - as well as lower lighting costs, the BBC reported.
Which Australian states don’t have daylight saving?
Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not have daylight saving.
But has become a hotly debated issue in Queensland and Western Australia over the years.
Tasmania was the first Australian state to start moving clocks forward in 1916, 7 News reported.
Throughout the 1900s different states and territories trialled daylight saving, reintroduced it and removed it.
The current four states and one territory have participated in the annual time change since at least 1971, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
And for Australians who dont like the extra hour of sunshine, it is set to finish at 3am on Sunday April 6 2025, when when we turn clocks backwards by one hour
Why doesnt all of Australia have daylight saving?
Even in the parts that do participate each year, daylight saving it still questioned.
Aussies against it have multiple reasons to abolish it, including it clashes with Year 12 exams, it results in lack of sleep and that farmers have to get up in the dark during daylight saving.
North Queensland MP Robbie Katter commented in 2019 daylight saving time would be an enormous burden on the liveability and practicality for residents in his region - as it could mean them working an extra hour in temperatures over 40C.
In 1992, Queensland completed a referendum after a three-day trial and the result was 54.5 per cent of residents against its permanent introduction.
Western Australia has had four referendums and its last one in 2009 also returned a negative result - with 54.6 per cent of people against putting their clocks forward.
What is the health and sleep impact?
Australasian Chronobiology Society president Professor Sean Cain studies how circadian rhythms are affected by changes like the annual time-change and believes it is not beneficial for peoples health.
We evolved over millions of years to get used to very bright days and very dark nights, he said.
So, our bodies are expecting these bright days and dark nights — it’s how we function best.
Professor Cain is against daylight saving as it has a negative impact on people - which can make Aussies feel like they are jetlagged.
The professor said the worst part of daylight saving is when the times are switched over because it happens in one day and people are expected to adjust straight away.
It is quite disruptive and it leads to more accidents, trips to the emergency room for heart attacks, things like that, he said.
Research shows people who live where there is no daylight saving each year live longer, experience less illness and are more productive.
