Daylight saving starts today: what time is it across Australia now?

Australian News | 4 October 2026

Daylight saving began today in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, with clocks moving forward by one hour overnight.

In NSW and Victoria, the change occurred at 2:00am standard time on Sunday 4 October, when clocks moved forward to 3:00am. Most phones, computers and connected devices update automatically, but analogue clocks and some household appliances may still need to be changed manually.

Which states changed their clocks?

Daylight saving now applies in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the ACT. Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not observe daylight saving.

That means Australia effectively operates across five local time zones during the warmer months. Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Canberra move to AEDT, Adelaide moves to ACDT, while Brisbane remains on AEST, Darwin on ACST and Perth on AWST.

What travellers and businesses should watch

The biggest practical issue is interstate timing. A meeting scheduled for 9:00am in Sydney is now at a different local time in Brisbane than it was yesterday. Flight times, appointment reminders and calendar invitations should be checked carefully, particularly where people are travelling between daylight-saving and non-daylight-saving states.

Victoria’s business guidance also notes that workplace arrangements may be affected when clocks change, so employers and employees should check applicable awards or agreements where working hours cross the transition.

Official sources

See the NSW Government daylight saving guide and Business Victoria guidance.

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