Who decides what time it is? The politics behind contested clocks

Despite contentious local debates about time zones and seasonal shifts, University of Queensland research shows there is no official global time zone system.

With most Australian states switching to daylight saving time soon and the United States considering a permanent move to ‘summer time’, human geographer Associate Professor Thomas Sigler investigated global timekeeping to better understand the political structures supporting time zones, and how changes are made.

Dr Sigler said while there were standard measurements for units of time, there was no international authority responsible for maintaining global time zones. 

"Most people assume time zones are fixed and objective, but they are constantly being contested and renegotiated,” Dr Sigler said. 

“Time zones are not neutral technical systems but politically negotiated arrangements shaped by competing social, economic and biological priorities.

“The world's computers, smartphones and digital systems behind everything from stock markets to airlines actually rely on unofficial databases to keep on track.”

Dr Sigler’s study identified Australia as one of the world's most active centres of time zone debate, with Queensland and Western Australia not shifting to daylight saving despite recurring political campaigns and public discussion. 

“The question of what time it should be in any particular place is often deeply political,” he said.

“That explains why there are currently 2 petitions in the Queensland Parliament about daylight saving locally. 

“In July, the US House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act proposing permanent daylight saving time.

“This movement is gaining momentum globally, with the Canadian province of British Columbia recently moving the clock forward permanently.”

Dr Sigler said the North American debates illustrated the tensions identified by his research. 

“Supporters want permanent daylight saving because they value more evening light and potential economic benefits, while opponents argue that darker winter mornings could affect health and wellbeing,” he said.

"The annual daylight saving debate in Australia reminds us that time zones are socially constructed, rather than scientific truths.” 

Read the research published in Journal of Economic Geography.