This text provides a fresh global perspective to the Phanerozoic timescale, by bringing together extensive Australian and overseas research on biostratigraphy, geochronology and magnetostratigraphy. Correlations are established between Australian and European biozonal schemes for the entire Phanerozoic, by integrating local and international biozones, isotopic ages and magnetic polarity intervals. The compilation relies on tie points using tightly constrained isotopic and biostratigraphic ages. Its time calibration is heavily weighted by modern application of isotopic dating of the 1980s and 1990s, especially variants of 40 Ar/39Ar and U/Pb zircon-dating, which have radically rescaled some parts of geologic time.