What is the name of the time zone observed in Perth, Australia?

The time zone observed in Perth, Australia, is Australian Western Standard Time (AWST). It is eight hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC+8, and is used throughout the year in Perth and most of Western Australia.

AWST is the standard time for Australia’s westernmost state. Unlike several states in southeastern Australia, Western Australia does not currently observe regular daylight saving time. That means Perth’s clocks do not shift seasonally between a standard-time and daylight-time label.

The name can be confusing because “Western Australian Time” sounds natural in everyday speech, but the formal time-zone name is Australian Western Standard Time. Its abbreviation, AWST, also helps distinguish it from similarly named Australian Central Standard Time (ACST) and Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).

Australia’s main standard time zones are separated by 90-minute steps in some regions: AWST is UTC+8, ACST is UTC+9:30, and AEST is UTC+10. Perth is therefore two hours behind Sydney during periods when Sydney uses standard time, and three hours behind when Sydney moves to daylight time. Western Australia has held daylight-saving referendums, but regular statewide adoption has not followed.