{"id":"daylight-saving-act-1971","name":"Daylight Saving Act 1971","slug":"daylight-saving-act-1971","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":31891,"registerId":"sa-daylight-saving-act-1971-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Daylight Saving Act 1971","content":"South Australia\nDaylight Saving Act 1971\nAn Act to promote the longer use of daylight in certain months of the year and to provide for matters incidental thereto.\n\nContents\n1\tShort title\n2\tInterpretation\n3\tAdvance of time\n3A\tPower to make regulation\n4\tReference to time\n4A\tGovernor may exclude part of State from application of this Act\n5\tSavings\nLegislative history\n\nThe Parliament of South Australia enacts as follows:\n1—Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Daylight Saving Act 1971.\n2—Interpretation\nIn this Act, unless the contrary intention appears—\nthe prescribed period means—\n\t(a)\tif no period for the observance of South Australian summer time is prescribed by regulation—the period from 2 a.m. South Australian standard time on the last Sunday in October until 2 a.m. South Australian standard time on the first Sunday in the following March;\n\t(b)\tif a period for the observance of South Australian summer time is prescribed by regulation—the period so prescribed;\nSouth Australian standard time means the time declared by The Standard Time Act 1898 to be standard time throughout South Australia;\nSouth Australian summer time means the time to be observed throughout the State as prescribed by this Act.\n3—Advance of time\n\t(1)\tSouth Australian summer time shall be one hour in advance of South Australian standard time.\n\t(2)\tNotwithstanding The Standard Time Act 1898 but subject to section 4A, South Australian summer time shall be observed throughout the State during the prescribed period.\n3A—Power to make regulation\nThe period for the observance of South Australian summer time may be prescribed by regulation.\n4—Reference to time\n\t(1)\tSubject to section 4A, in relation to the prescribed period, a reference to time in any instrument or in any oral contract, stipulation or direction shall, unless the contrary intention is expressed, be taken to be a reference to South Australian summer time.\n\t(2)\tIn this section—\ninstrument means—\n\t(a)\tan Act or an instrument made in pursuance of statutory powers; or\n\t(b)\ta proclamation or order in Council; or\n\t(c)\ta judgment, order, judicial direction or process; or\n\t(d)\tan order, direction or notice given in pursuance of an executive or administrative authority; or\n\t(e)\ta deed, contract, or other instrument.\n4A—Governor may exclude part of State from application of this Act\n\t(1)\tThe Governor may, by regulation, exclude from the application of this Act any specified part of the State with effect for the whole of the prescribed period or any specified part of the prescribed period.\n\t(2)\tWhile this Act does not apply to a particular part of the State by virtue of an exclusion under subsection (1), The Standard Time Act 1898 applies in relation to that part of the State.\n5—Savings\n\t(1)\tExcept as otherwise expressly provided in this Act, the provisions of The Standard Time Act 1898 are not affected by this Act.\n\t(2)\tNothing in this Act affects the use of South Australian standard time for the purposes of astronomy, meteorology or navigation, or the construction of any document mentioning or referring to a point of time in connection with any of those purposes.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nPrincipal Act and amendments\nNew entries appear in bold.\nYear\nNo\nTitle\nAssent\nCommencement\n1971\n54\nDaylight Saving Act 1971\n30.9.1971\n30.9.1971\n1972\n81\nDaylight Saving Act Amendment Act 1972\n12.10.1972\n12.10.1972\n1986\n1\nDaylight Saving Act Amendment Act 1986\n27.2.1986\n27.2.1986\nProvisions amended since 3 February 1976\n\t•\tLegislative history prior to 3 February 1976 appears in marginal notes and footnotes included in the consolidation of this Act contained in Volume 3 of The Public General Acts of South Australia 1837-1975 at page 429.\nNew entries appear in bold.\nProvision\nHow varied\nCommencement\ns 2\n\n\nthe prescribed period\ninserted by 1/1986 s 2\n27.2.1986\ns 3\nsubstituted by 1/1986 s 3\n27.2.1986\ns 3A\ninserted by 1/1986 s 3\n27.2.1986\ns 4\nsubstituted by 1/1986 s 3\n27.2.1986\ns 4A\ninserted by 1/1986 s 3\n27.2.1986\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act remains tightly focused on its original purpose: establishing daylight saving time with flexibility for dates and regional exemptions. The 1986 amendments added regulation-making powers (sections 3A and 4A) and clarified the default dates, but these were natural elaborations of the original scheme rather than scope creep. The Act has not expanded into unrelated policy areas."},"complexity_factors":["Only 5 operative sections plus interpretation section","Minimal defined terms (3 definitions in section 2, 1 in section 4)","Simple conditional structure: default dates apply unless overridden by regulation","Single cross-reference to The Standard Time Act 1898","No nested exceptions — only straightforward carve-outs for scientific purposes and regional exclusions","Legislative history table included but does not affect operative text complexity"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does:**\n\nThis law sets up **daylight saving time** for South Australia. It moves clocks forward by one hour during summer months so people can enjoy more evening daylight.\n\n**Key points:**\n\n- **When it applies:** By default, clocks go forward at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday in October and back at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in March. But the government can change these dates by **regulation** (a type of delegated law made by the executive without needing a full parliamentary vote).\n\n- **What changes:** During the daylight saving period, all official times shift forward one hour. This affects:\n  - Government documents and laws\n  - Court orders and legal processes\n  - Contracts and business agreements\n  - Any spoken instructions about time\n\n- **Exceptions:**\n  - The **Governor** (acting on ministerial advice) can exclude specific regions of South Australia from daylight saving entirely, or for part of the period. When excluded, those areas stay on standard time.\n  - **Astronomy, meteorology and navigation** keep using standard time regardless — so scientists and pilots don't get confused.\n\n- **Relationship to other laws:** This Act works alongside the old *Standard Time Act 1898*, which still applies for everything else and for any excluded areas.\n\n**Who it affects:** Everyone in South Australia — businesses, schools, government agencies, and anyone making appointments or contracts. Regional communities can be exempted if the government decides it's practical for them to stay on standard time.\n\n**Why it matters:** It provides legal certainty about what \"3 p.m.\" means in a contract during summer, and lets the government adjust dates or exempt regions without passing new Acts of Parliament."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Yes. Amendments expanded the Act from a fixed, statewide observance to a framework allowing the observance period to be prescribed by regulation and permitting the Governor to exclude parts of the State (see s3A, s4A). That change introduced temporal and geographic discretion, requiring reliance on regulations to determine when and where the Act applies and increasing executive decision-making on scope."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-reference and interaction with The Standard Time Act 1898 (definition of South Australian standard time and savings) (s2, s5)","Regulation-making power to prescribe or vary the observance period (s3A) introduces temporal variability","Governor's power to exclude parts of the State by regulation creates geographic variability in application (s4A)","Default \"prescribed period\" is set in the Act but may be superseded by regulation (s2)","Automatic legal effect on instruments, contracts and directions during the prescribed period unless a contrary intention is expressed (s4(1))","Savings preserving use of standard time for astronomy, meteorology and navigation therefore creating sectoral exceptions (s5(2))","Need to consult subordinate legislation (regulations) to know the current operative period or exclusions increases operational tracing and compliance burden"],"plain_english_summary":"This Act sets South Australian summer time at one hour ahead of standard time for a defined \"prescribed period\" and makes that summer time the legal reference for contracts, instruments and directions during that period unless an exclusion applies. Regulations can set or change the observance period and the Governor can exclude specified parts of the State; where excluded, standard time continues and scientific uses remain on standard time. It therefore affects courts, businesses and anyone using time in legal or commercial arrangements."},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Unable to assess whether the scope changed from original intent, as the legislative text was not accessible. Based on the title alone, the Act appears to have remained focused on its original narrow purpose of regulating daylight saving time in South Australia. No scope assessment can be confirmed without the actual text."},"complexity_factors":["Legislation text was not retrievable — analysis is based on title only, limiting depth of assessment","Daylight saving laws are generally short and mechanistic in nature, typically involving proclamation powers rather than complex legal frameworks","South Australia's unique half-hour time offset (UTC+9:30) adds a minor layer of complexity when cross-border time interactions are considered","The Act dates from 1971 and may have been amended multiple times, but the extent of those amendments cannot be assessed from available content"],"plain_english_summary":"The Daylight Saving Act 1971 sets South Australia’s daylight saving rules — when clocks move forward in summer — and therefore determines the legal time for residents, businesses and government. It matters for work hours, contracts, transport schedules and deadlines, and creates additional time‑difference complexity for businesses and individuals dealing across state borders."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/daylight-saving-act-1971","history":"/api/acts/daylight-saving-act-1971/history","analysis":"/api/acts/daylight-saving-act-1971/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/daylight-saving-act-1971/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/daylight-saving-act-1971/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/daylight-saving-act-1971/documents"}}