Australian Eastern Time (AET)

Australian Eastern Time (AET) is a time zone used in the eastern states of Australia, including New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory. It operates on Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) at UTC+10 during the non-daylight saving months, and shifts to Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) at UTC+11 during daylight saving time, which is observed in all AET regions except Queensland.

Importance and Global Use of Australian Eastern Time

AET is the most widely used time zone in Australia, covering major cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, and Hobart. It serves as the default time zone for federal government operations, national media, and economic activity, making it central to domestic coordination across multiple Australian states and territories.

Internationally, AET is critical for coordinating business, communication, and transportation across the Asia-Pacific region. It supports time alignment between Australia and key partners in New Zealand, Japan, Southeast Asia, and global financial centers, particularly in sectors such as finance, tech, education, and international diplomacy.

Where and When AET is used worldwide

Australia

Australian states and territories using AEST during winter and AEDT during summer:

• Australian Capital Territory
• New South Wales - except Broken Hill (Yancowinna County) and Lord Howe Island InfoYancowinna County observes ACST/ACDT time zones; Lord Howe Island uses LHST/LHDT time zones.
• Tasmania
• Victoria

Australian states and territories using AEST all year:

• Queensland