{"id":"standard-time-act-2009","name":"Standard Time Act 2009","slug":"standard-time-act-2009","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":110232,"registerId":"sa-standard-time-act-2009-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Standard Time Act 2009","content":"South Australia\nStandard Time Act 2009\nAn Act to fix standard time for South Australia; to repeal The Standard Time Act 1898 and for other purposes.\n\nContents\n1\tShort title\n2\tInterpretation\n3\tStandard time in South Australia\n4\tReference to time\nSchedule 1—Repeal\n1\tRepeal of The Standard Time Act 1898\nLegislative history\n\nThe Parliament of South Australia enacts as follows:\n1—Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Standard Time Act 2009.\n2—Interpretation\nIn this Act—\nCo‑ordinated Universal Time means Co‑ordinated Universal Time (UTC) as determined by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures and maintained under section 8AA of the National Measurement Act 1960 of the Commonwealth;\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.\n3—Standard time in South Australia\nStandard time throughout South Australia is 9 hours and 30 minutes in advance of Co‑ordinated Universal Time.\n4—Reference to time\nSubject to the Daylight Saving Act 1971, a reference to time in any instrument or in any oral contract, stipulation or direction is, unless the contrary intention is expressed, to be taken to be a reference to South Australian standard time.\nSchedule 1—Repeal\n1—Repeal of The Standard Time Act 1898\nThe Standard Time Act 1898 is repealed.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian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\nYear\nNo\nTitle\nAssent\nCommencement\n2009\n4\nStandard Time Act 2009\n26.2.2009\n26.2.2009\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on general knowledge, the Act appears to have remained consistent with its original intent of codifying South Australia's standard time and daylight saving arrangements. No significant scope expansion or contraction is known. However, this assessment is limited by the inability to retrieve the full legislative text."},"complexity_factors":["The Act deals with a narrow, well-defined subject matter (time standards) with limited cross-jurisdictional complexity","Daylight saving provisions introduce some calendar-based conditional logic, but this is straightforward","Full legislative text was unavailable, so hidden complexity cannot be ruled out","South Australia's unique UTC+9:30 offset and its interaction with national timekeeping frameworks adds a minor layer of technical nuance"],"plain_english_summary":"The Standard Time Act 2009 establishes South Australia’s legal time standard—Central Standard Time (UTC+9:30)—and governs daylight‑saving arrangements. It affects everyone and every schedule in the state (contracts, business hours, court deadlines) and matters to cross‑border and international parties who need a clear, enforceable reference for timing and deadlines."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"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":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation maintains its original narrow purpose: establishing legal standard time for South Australia. The 2009 version is a straightforward modernisation of the 1898 Act, updating the time reference to UTC and consolidating the law without expanding its scope into new areas such as time zone boundaries, interstate coordination, or digital timestamping."},"complexity_factors":["Only 4 operative sections plus a single-item repeal schedule","2 defined terms in the interpretation section","No cross-references to other legislation except the National Measurement Act 1960 (for UTC definition) and Daylight Saving Act 1971 (single mention)","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions","Straightforward declaratory language ('Standard time throughout South Australia is...')","Total length under 500 words"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does:**\n\nThis law sets the official time for South Australia. It establishes that South Australia's standard time is **9 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Co‑ordinated Universal Time (UTC)** — the global time standard maintained by international scientific bodies.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n- **Everyone in South Australia** — the law applies to all legal documents, contracts, court orders, government directions, and verbal agreements made in the state.\n- **Businesses and government** — any official document or instruction that mentions a time is assumed to be using South Australian standard time, unless it explicitly says otherwise.\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nWithout this law, there would be no legally recognised \"official time\" in South Australia. This creates certainty for:\n- **Legal deadlines** — when contracts expire or court orders take effect\n- **Workplace arrangements** — start and finish times\n- **Government operations** — official announcements and administrative decisions\n\nThe law also **repeals (cancels) the old 1898 Standard Time Act**, replacing it with this modern version that references the current international time standard (UTC) rather than older timekeeping methods.\n\n**Important note:** This law works alongside the *Daylight Saving Act 1971*. During daylight saving periods, that other law adjusts the time forward by one hour. This Act provides the \"base\" time that daylight saving builds upon."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Repeals the 1898 Act (Schedule 1) and restates standard time with updated statutory references and a broad 'instrument' definition (ss 2–3). Functionally it sets the same numeric offset but modernises legal cross‑references and clarifies that, unless Daylight Saving applies, time references default to South Australian standard time (s 4)."},"complexity_factors":["Very short Act (4 sections plus repeal schedule) and plain language","Simple, fixed numeric rule for standard time (UTC +9:30) reduces interpretive complexity (s 3)","Broad definition of 'instrument' expands the set of documents/contracts affected (s 2), increasing practical reach","Cross-reference to Commonwealth National Measurement Act for UTC definition adds external dependency (s 2)","Interaction and exception created by Daylight Saving Act 1971 introduces conditional application (s 4)","Repeal of The Standard Time Act 1898 replaces prior framework and may require checking historical instruments (Schedule 1)"],"plain_english_summary":"**What it does:** Fixes South Australian standard time at 9 hours 30 minutes ahead of Co‑ordinated Universal Time (UTC) (s 3) and provides that, unless the Daylight Saving Act 1971 applies, any reference to time in instruments or oral contracts defaults to South Australian standard time (s 4). It defines 'Co‑ordinated Universal Time' by reference to the Commonwealth National Measurement Act and gives a broad definition of 'instrument' (s 2). This affects anyone who sets or relies on legal or contractual times; compliance is administrative."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/standard-time-act-2009","history":"/api/acts/standard-time-act-2009/history","analysis":"/api/acts/standard-time-act-2009/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/standard-time-act-2009/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/standard-time-act-2009/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/standard-time-act-2009/documents"}}