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The national government has
given State and Territory governments the
responsibility and authority to implement standard
time in relation to the standard Coordinated
Universal Time or UTC. The International Bureau of
Weights and Measures provide basis for the
application of standard time in Australia under the
Commonwealth government’s National Measurement Act
of 1960, specifically section 8AA. The National
Standards Commission also has a say in time
standardization. The commission is mainly
responsible in giving the national government advice
on technicalities involving the national measurement
system. |
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Just like in most countries,
Australia is observing standard time. Because of its
great scale and diverse geography, the
nation-continent has a varied time system.
Three
time zones are observed throughout Australia,
namely: Eastern Standard Time or EST used in
Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania, Queensland,
Victoria, and New South Wales; Western Standard Time
or WST used in Western Australia; and Central
Standard Time or CST used in Northern Territory and
South Australia.
External territories also have
different time zones. Australia first submitted
itself into standard time in the last decade of the
19th century. During that time, all British colonies
adopted applicable standard times. |
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Prior to the introduction of
standard times in Australia, each of the country’s local
municipalities had freedom to choose and implement its very
own local time, also referred to as local mean time.Coordinated Universal Time was
adopted and implemented only last September 2005. The
Australian National Measurement Institute proposed the time
adaptation in an effort to standardized local times. The
implementation of standard Australia time has helped the
country eliminate or reduce the impact of the planet’s
rotation rate, which have constant slight variations in
relation to the applicable mean solar time.
Australia time is also influenced and affected by the
implementation of daylight savings time in certain states
and territories. Annually, daylight savings time is rolled
out and applied in the Australian Capital Territory, South
Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and New South Wales. The
state of Western Australia occasionally observes DST but
still on a limited trial basis, while Northern Territory and
Queensland are firm in resisting application of DST within
their jurisdictions.
Tasmania subjected itself to DST in 1968, making it the
first Australia state to embrace the daylight saving
practice. DST is a practical strategy in effort of Australia
(and other countries using the system) to generate cost and
utility savings through adjustment of time. Office and
business hours in DST states are adjusted so that more
companies will be able to lengthen their daytime operations
and shorten night functions to be able to save on
consumption of electricity and other utilities. This energy
saving strategy is mostly using measurement and standards of
time. DST is also currently being used by other countries,
especially those with diminishing energy sources. |
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