Depending upon what time of the year it is, the time difference between Australia and England is between nine and 11 hours. Both countries utilise daylight savings time (or DST) in spring and autumn, but because they are in different hemispheres, spring and autumn are reversed. This means that as one country goes forward, the other goes back. Consequently, between March and September, the difference is nine hours and between October and February, the difference is eleven hours.
The purpose of Daylight Saving Time (DST) is to make better use of daylight, and not all countries participate, or even have the same change dates. Countries near the equator have days and nights of the same length, so there is little point in making any changes.
The original idea of DST was Benjamin Franklin’s in 1784, though it wasn’t taken seriously until 1907 when the London builder William Willett advocated its use. He suggested that moving the hour should be a gradual thing: 20 minutes forwards every Sunday for four weeks in April, and 20 minutes back again for four weeks in September.
In 1909, a bill was presented to parliament to implement the changes but it was met with derision. In 1916, a year after Willett had died, the idea of the four separate movements was put into place. It caused chaos and confusion everywhere in the country and many people and organisations completely ignored the new system.
Laws were put into place more vigorously in 1925, but it wasn’t until WWII that real benefits of having extra day light were appreciated, particularly amongst farming communities.
The purpose of Daylight Saving Time (DST) is to make better use of daylight, and not all countries participate, or even have the same change dates. Countries near the equator have days and nights of the same length, so there is little point in making any changes.
The original idea of DST was Benjamin Franklin’s in 1784, though it wasn’t taken seriously until 1907 when the London builder William Willett advocated its use. He suggested that moving the hour should be a gradual thing: 20 minutes forwards every Sunday for four weeks in April, and 20 minutes back again for four weeks in September.
In 1909, a bill was presented to parliament to implement the changes but it was met with derision. In 1916, a year after Willett had died, the idea of the four separate movements was put into place. It caused chaos and confusion everywhere in the country and many people and organisations completely ignored the new system.
Laws were put into place more vigorously in 1925, but it wasn’t until WWII that real benefits of having extra day light were appreciated, particularly amongst farming communities.
