Most Australians will soon find themselves with an extra hour in their day. Daylight saving time will come to an end on Sunday, April 5, 2026, at 3am, when clocks are turned backward by one hour to 2am. The change applies to five states and territories: NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the ACT.
For those in the participating jurisdictions, the shift brings tangible benefits. Sunrise and sunset will be about one hour earlier on April 5, 2026, than the day before, meaning there will be more light in the morning and less light in the evening. This reversal feels especially welcome for early risers who have endured months of pre-dawn commutes.
Which states and territories observe daylight saving?
New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory observe daylight saving, while Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory do not. This fragmented approach has deep historical roots. Tasmania made daylight saving permanent in 1968, with New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and the ACT following suit in 1971.
The three states that have opted out remain firm in their position. Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not participate in daylight savings, mostly because the broader distance between their southern and northern latitudes would result in very different experiences for those that live there. The rejections have been consistent; Western Australia has put the issue to a referendum four times in 1975, 1984, 1992 and 2009, all of which were defeated, with voters returning a "no" vote of 54.57% in 2009.
Preparing your devices
Most modern devices, such as smartphones, automatically adjust for daylight saving. However, household appliances and analogue timepieces require manual updating. Microwave clocks, oven displays, wall clocks, and car clocks should all be wound back by one hour before bed on Sunday, April 4.
Historical context
Daylight saving is not a recent invention. Daylight saving time was first introduced in 1916 to save energy during World War I and II, with soldiers taking advantage of longer sunlight hours to increase productivity. The practice faded after the wars but returned in earnest during the 1960s energy crisis. It remains controversial today, particularly in agricultural regions where farmers argue it disrupts livestock routines and harvest schedules.
The patchwork of adoption has created considerable complexity for interstate travel and business operations. Border communities experience the most acute disruption; residents of places like Tweed Heads, NSW, and its adjacent Queensland counterpart Coolangatta can cross the street and find themselves in a different time zone during these months. For Australian businesses operating across state lines, the twice-yearly transition demands careful coordination of schedules and communications.
The debate over daylight saving reflects a genuine tension between modernist efficiency arguments and the practical realities of regional life. Urban professionals tend to favour the extra evening light for after-work activities; farmers and rural communities cite legitimate concerns about the mismatch between clock time and natural rhythms. Neither perspective is without merit, which is why the question remains unsettled after more than a century.