The NSW government's decision to delay the daylight saving time change by a week has caused widespread IT chaos, with Telstra, the RTA, Qantas, and radio station 2GB all reporting problems.
The NSW State Government has extended daylight saving this year by one week in a move to make next Sunday's change in time uniform across Australia.
Consumers noticed the change when the software on their phones switched back an hour at 2am on Sunday. Telstra spokesperson Peter Taylor said the changes had affected many Telstra phones.
"While Telstra has gone to lengths to ensure the update of daylight saving time will be accurate, many phones have software settings that override the measures Telstra have in place," said Taylor.
"We are trying to put together a proper list of phones that are likely to have been affected, but it seems at this stage it is newer model handsets and the problem is across all carriers — Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.
"The simple fix for customers is to go into their phone's settings menu and turn off automatic updates and select manual. In a week's time, turn it back," he said.
Microsoft has released a patch for Windows Mobile devices. The company's Web site acknowledged the problem: "If your device is affected, these [daylight saving] changes could cause clocks and Microsoft Outlook calendar appointments on Windows Mobile devices to display incorrect times."
The ABC reported that 25 speed cameras in Western Australian were put out of action by the time change. WA opposition leader Troy Buswell has called for a full investigation. The RTA confirmed that speed cameras in NSW were unaffected.
Sydney's 2GB radio station reported that the time on the studio's computer system had changed, while the talking clock phone service and clocks at Sydney's Central Railway Station also went back an hour, Telstra's Taylor said.
Qantas also experience several flight delays due to the error. According to a Qantas spokesperson, "Six Qantas flights were delayed yesterday morning in Adelaide due to a technical issue with the check-in system. The issue was rectified by 9am. The duration of the delays ranged from 20 minutes to 1.5 hours."
