Australia has three main time zones — Eastern, Central and Western — but daylight saving time splits them into five different clocks in summer. In January, when it is noon in Sydney, it is 11 a.m. in Brisbane, 11:30 a.m. in Adelaide, 10:30 a.m. in Darwin and 9 a.m. in Perth.
Where these times apply
The six states and two mainland territories are included, plus Lord Howe Island. External territories (Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands) appear separately.
Daylight saving time in Australia
New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT, South Australia and Lord Howe Island move their clocks forward on the first Sunday in October and back on the first Sunday in April. Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not use daylight saving time.
Because Australia is in the southern hemisphere, ‘summer time’ runs from October to April — the opposite of Europe and North America. That is why the gap between Sydney and London swings between 9 and 11 hours during the year.
Half-hour offsets and local exceptions
South Australia and the Northern Territory sit on UTC+9:30. Broken Hill in far-western New South Wales follows South Australian time, and Lord Howe Island shifts by only 30 minutes in summer. Along the Eyre Highway near the WA–SA border, a few roadhouses keep an unofficial ‘Central Western’ time of UTC+8:45.
Business hours across Australia
Offices generally work 9:00 to 17:00. The ASX trades from 10:00 to 16:00 Sydney time, so in summer the market opens at 7:00 a.m. in Perth — one reason many Perth finance teams start very early.
Clock changes in 2026 and 2027
| Zone | 2026 changes | 2027 changes |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Eastern Time — NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, ACT | 5 Apr, 03:00 → UTC+104 Oct, 02:00 → UTC+11 | 4 Apr, 03:00 → UTC+103 Oct, 02:00 → UTC+11 |
| Australian Central Time — South Australia | 5 Apr, 03:00 → UTC+9:304 Oct, 02:00 → UTC+10:30 | 4 Apr, 03:00 → UTC+9:303 Oct, 02:00 → UTC+10:30 |
| Lord Howe Island Time | 5 Apr, 02:00 → UTC+10:304 Oct, 02:00 → UTC+11 | 4 Apr, 02:00 → UTC+10:303 Oct, 02:00 → UTC+11 |
| Norfolk Island Time | 5 Apr, 03:00 → UTC+114 Oct, 02:00 → UTC+12 | 4 Apr, 03:00 → UTC+113 Oct, 02:00 → UTC+12 |
No clock changes in 2026 or 2027: Australian Eastern Time — Queensland (no DST); Australian Central Time — Northern Territory (no DST); Australian Western Time; Christmas Island Time; Cocos (Keeling) Islands Time.