Australia State & Territory Public Holidays 2026
Australia has no federal public holiday act. Each state and territory declares its own days, and only seven dates line up across all eight jurisdictions in 2026 — those are the ones in the table below. Everything else, including the King’s Birthday and Labour Day, moves by months depending on where you work.
Dates in 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Thursday | New Year's DayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| January 26, 2026 | Monday | Australia DayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| April 3, 2026 | Friday | Good FridayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| April 6, 2026 | Monday | Easter MondayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| April 25, 2026 | Saturday | Anzac DayAnzac Day falls on a Saturday in 2026. Most states keep it on April 25; a few (such as Western Australia) grant a substitute weekday.Public holiday | Public holiday |
| December 25, 2026 | Friday | Christmas DayPublic holiday | Public holiday |
| December 28, 2026 | Monday | Boxing Day (observed)Boxing Day (Dec 26) falls on a Saturday, so the public holiday is observed on Monday Dec 28.Substitute holiday | Substitute holiday |
King’s Birthday and Labour Day: the two biggest gaps
The King’s Birthday is a public holiday on Monday 8 June 2026 in the ACT, New South Wales, the Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. Western Australia takes it on Monday 28 September and Queensland on Monday 5 October. Queensland has moved the date more than once over the past decade before settling on early October; Western Australia’s date is proclaimed by the state governor each year and normally falls in late September or early October.
Labour Day spreads even wider. Western Australia takes it on Monday 2 March. Victoria (Labour Day) and Tasmania (Eight Hours Day) take it on Monday 9 March. Queensland and the Northern Territory (May Day) take it on Monday 4 May. New South Wales, South Australia and the ACT take it on Monday 5 October — seven months after Western Australia.
The practical consequence is that Sydney and Brisbane share a Monday off on 5 October 2026, but for entirely different holidays — Labour Day in one, the King’s Birthday in the other — while Melbourne works that day and Perth already took both months earlier. If you run payroll or schedule meetings across states, the calendar has to be per-jurisdiction, not national.
Anzac Day 2026: only three jurisdictions get the Monday
Anzac Day falls on Saturday 25 April 2026 and is a public holiday in every state and territory on that date. What differs is the Monday. The ACT, New South Wales and Western Australia declare an additional public holiday on Monday 27 April; the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria do not, so a Monday-to-Friday worker in Melbourne or Brisbane gets no day off for Anzac Day in 2026 at all.
This is a recent change for two of the three. Western Australia has granted the substitute Monday for years, but New South Wales and the ACT are new to it: NSW introduced the extra Monday as a two-year trial covering 2026 and 2027, when Anzac Day falls on a Saturday and then a Sunday. Anzac Day is deliberately treated differently from other holidays — most jurisdictions hold the commemoration on 25 April regardless of the weekday and simply accept the loss when it lands at the weekend.
One-off state and territory days
Beyond the two big ones, each jurisdiction keeps its own local days in 2026. The ACT has Canberra Day (Mon Mar 9) and Reconciliation Day (Mon Jun 1). South Australia has the Adelaide Cup (Mon Mar 9). Western Australia has Western Australia Day (Mon Jun 1). The Northern Territory has Picnic Day (Mon Aug 3). Victoria has the AFL Grand Final Friday (Fri Sep 25, confirmed annually) and Melbourne Cup Day (Tue Nov 3).
Some days are narrower still — they apply only to part of a state. The Royal Queensland Show holiday (Wed Aug 12, 2026) covers the Brisbane area only, and Queensland’s regional show days fall on different dates elsewhere. Tasmania has the Royal Hobart Show (Thu Oct 22) plus a set of regional carnival and show days, such as the Devonport Cup in early January. In Western Australia, the regional cities of Karratha and Port Hedland take their King’s Birthday holiday in August rather than September.
Easter is another place where the lists part company. Good Friday and Easter Monday are observed everywhere, but Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday are public holidays in some jurisdictions and not others — Western Australia in particular does not observe Easter Saturday. Check your state’s own declaration rather than assuming the national pattern applies.
Official sources & data
- Public holidaysVisit sourceFair Work Ombudsman
Frequently asked questions
Is there a national public holiday list in Australia?+
No. There is no federal public holiday act — each state and territory declares its own. The National Employment Standards give you the entitlement to be absent on a public holiday, but which days count comes from your state or territory. In 2026 only seven dates are common to all eight jurisdictions.
When is the King’s Birthday 2026 in each state?+
Monday 8 June in the ACT, NSW, the NT, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria; Monday 28 September in Western Australia; and Monday 5 October in Queensland. The regional WA cities of Karratha and Port Hedland take it in August instead.
Do I get Monday off for Anzac Day 2026?+
Only in the ACT, New South Wales and Western Australia, which declare an additional public holiday on Monday 27 April 2026. In the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria the holiday stays on Saturday 25 April with no Monday substitute.
When is Labour Day 2026 in each state?+
Monday 2 March in Western Australia; Monday 9 March in Victoria and Tasmania (where it is called Eight Hours Day); Monday 4 May in Queensland and the Northern Territory (May Day); and Monday 5 October in New South Wales, South Australia and the ACT.
Why does Queensland celebrate the King’s Birthday in October?+
To spread public holidays more evenly across the year. Queensland shifted the sovereign’s birthday holiday out of June and swapped it with Labour Day, reversed the change, then reinstated it — and has held the October date since 2016. Western Australia has a separate reason: its date is proclaimed by the state governor each year and is set to avoid clashing with Western Australia Day in June.
Which 2026 holidays move because they fall on a weekend?+
Boxing Day is the main one: 26 December 2026 is a Saturday, so every jurisdiction adds a substitute public holiday on Monday 28 December. Anzac Day is the exception — most states do not substitute it. Australia Day (Jan 26) and Christmas Day (Dec 25) both fall on weekdays in 2026, so neither needs moving.