Daylight saving starts at 2 am on Sunday 6 October 2024 in parts of Australia. Find out what employees get if they work overnight when daylight saving starts.
Daylight saving
Daylight saving starts on Sunday 6 October. At 2 am, clocks go forward one hour to 3 am in:
- Australian Capital Territory
- New South Wales
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria.
Daylight saving doesn't apply in all states and territories. There is no change to the time in:
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- Western Australia.
What employees get if they work overnight
Employees should check their award, enterprise agreement or employment contract to see if there is anything about working overnight when daylight saving starts or ends. If it doesn't say anything, all employees who work overnight when daylight saving starts are paid 'by the clock'.
Daylight saving starts by rolling the clock forward at 2 am to 3 am. Employees who work an overnight shift work one hour less but are still paid for the full shift.
When daylight saving ends next year and the clock rolls back an hour, employees who work overnight will work for an extra hour but aren't paid for that extra hour.
Example: Working through the night when daylight saving starts
David is a shiftworker in a factory. His usual shift over the weekend is 8:30 pm on Saturday until 5 am on Sunday. He works for 8 hours and has a 30 minute unpaid break.
Dave doesn't have an award or a registered agreement that says anything about daylight saving.
During Dave's weekend shift, daylight saving starts and the clock rolls forward an hour. While Dave actually works 7 hours, which is one hour less than usual, he is still paid for 8.
When daylight saving ends next year, the clock rolls back an hour. If David is working his usual shift, he will work for 9 hours, which is one hour more than usual, but he will be paid for 8 hours.
You can also learn more about daylight saving in our Library article Daylight saving in Australia.
How to check your award or agreement
Check your award or registered agreement for any rules about daylight saving.
Awards
If you know your award, go to our List of awards page. Search to see if your award says anything about daylight saving.
Unsure of your award? Use our 3-step Find my award tool to find out what you're covered by.
