Daylight saving starts at 2am on Sunday 2 October 2022 in parts of Australia. Find out what employees get if they work overnight when daylight saving starts.
Daylight saving
Daylight saving starts at 2am on Sunday 2 October in:
- Australian Capital Territory
- New South Wales
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria.
This means that clocks go forward 1 hour.
Daylight saving doesn't apply 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 daylight saving in it. If it doesn't say anything, all employees who work overnight when daylight saving starts are paid according to the clock (follow the clock).
Daylight saving starts by rolling the clock forward to 3am. This means that employees who work an overnight shift work 1 hour less but are still paid for the full shift.
When daylight saving ends and the clock is rolled back an hour, employees will work for an extra hour but are paid according to the clock.
Example: Working through the night when daylight saving starts
David is a shiftworker in a factory who regularly works from 9pm on Saturday until 5am on Sunday. He gets a 30 minute break. His award doesn't say anything about his pay entitlements when daylight saving starts or ends.
When daylight saving starts and the clock rolls forward, David works his usual shift. While he actually works 1 hour less, he is still paid for the 7.5 hour shift.
When daylight saving ends and the clock rolls backward, David works 1 hour extra but is still paid for 7.5 hour shift.
Tools and resources
Check your award or registered agreement for any terms about daylight saving.
If you know your award, go to our List of awards page. Unsure of your award? Use our 3-step Find my award tool.
If you're covered by a registered agreement, search for yours in the Fair Work Commission - Find an agreement database.
You can also learn more about daylight saving in our Library article Daylight saving in Australia.
