Millions of Aussies reminded as daylight saving change days away

Millions of Australians are being reminded that daylight saving will end in just days.

The annual change gives about 18 million people across the country an extra hour of afternoon daylight over the warmer months of the year.

But as the sunrise gets later and the weather gets colder, all that is about to change.

On Sunday, April 5, at 3 am (AEDT), daylight savings will come to an end in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the ACT. Clocks will go back one hour.
These days, most modern devices — including phones, computers and cars — will automatically adjust, but if you use an analogue clock, or do not own a smartphone, Aussies are reminded to get across the change to avoid any mix-ups

People in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not get daylight saving so it will be business as usual.

Neither do Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands residents, but people in Norfolk Island do.

During daylight saving, mainland Australia has five time zones.

Queensland stays on Australian Eastern Standard Time, while the ACT, NSW, Tasmania and Victoria are on Australian Eastern Daylight Time.

Among those impacted are workers pulling overnight shifts, including hotel staff, nurses, delivery drivers and retail employees.

It's a problem that continues to catch employers out, Laurence McLean, Director of Operations at workplace relations firm Peninsula Australia, told Yahoo News Australia.

"This is an issue we see every year, particularly among employers with overnight or rotating shifts," he said.

South Australia is 30 minutes behind on Australian Central Daylight Time, the NT stays on Australian Central Standard Time and WA stays on Australian Western Standard Time.

A poll of more than 13,000 Yahoo News readers found 51 per cent were "not a fan" of daylight saving, while 36 per cent said they wished Australia had it "all year round".

Workers may lose an hour of pay in ongoing 'issue'

While modern technology generally makes the daylight saving time transition easy, the one-hour difference can actually end up costing some workers money.

Thousands of shift workers will be on the job while time quite literally repeats itself. And while it might seem straightforward — work an extra hour, get paid for an extra hour — the reality is far more complicated.

When will daylight saving return?

Many Australians delight in the extra hour of light over summertime to enjoy the sunshine after work, and will be wondering when it will return in 2026.

Daylight saving time will return in seven months on Sunday, October 4, 2026, bringing back that extra hour of sunlight in the evening.

Why was daylight saving introduced

Daylight saving was first introduced in Australia during World War I, as a measure to conserve energy, and was later reintroduced during World War II.

After the wars, it was adopted permanently in the southeastern states— NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory—while Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia do not observe daylight saving.

Health risks associated with daylight saving

Sydney University's Dr Yu Sun Bin told Yahoo News that for many Australians heading into daylight saving in October, the change in time can feel like a case of bad jet lag.

"It's like having jet lag, in the sense that you might feel really tired, you're probably going to sleep less because we're putting the clocks one hour forward," Dr Bin said.

"We know that reduces sleep time by approximately 40 minutes overall.

"With people feeling more tired, that's where we see concerning effects — increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, and possible car accidents."

Dr Bin argued that Australia may benefit from a more uniform approach to standard time, mirroring efforts in other countries.