@phoneboy 20+ years ago, it was realised that Australia was running out of 9-digit phone numbers. The transition to 10-digit numbers was by no means easy or logical. Area codes pre-change were 2-digit for capital cities & 3-digit starting with 0 for regional areas. For example, my area code was 059. Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania, South Australia/Northern Territory & Western Australia capital cities all had their own 2-digit area codes.
After the change, zone codes replaced capital city codes. WA/SA/NT came under 08; Queensland score 07; NSW/ACT 02 & VIC/TAS is now 03.
Regional area codes lost their 0, having it replaced by the relevant zone code. So my Victorian regional code of 059 became 0359. The rest of the phone numbers were mostly unchanged although the transition had to be staggered to prevent extreme confusion.
// @matigo @larand