In Australia, there is a set of national public holidays under the Fair Work Act, and each state and territory can also declare its own public holidays. In this piece, we'll look at all these lists and give an overview of public holiday pay. We'll also cover the concept of reasonable request and reasonable refusal when it comes to working on a public holiday.
This article is for anyone new to the HR profession, or anyone who would like a refresher. Read on for the basics of public holidays or scroll to the bottom for the latest news.
In Australian law, a public holiday is a day (or part‑day) set in the Fair Work Act or declared under state or territory law.
These are the national public holidays declared under the Fair Work Act 2009:
| Holiday | Observed on |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January |
| Australia Day | 26 January |
| Good Friday | varies per year; in 2026, it's on 3 April |
| Easter Monday | varies per year; in 2026, it's on 6 April |
| Anzac Day | 25 April |
| King's Birthday | Date set by each state/territory |
| Christmas Day | 25 December |
| Boxing Day | 26 December |
| Other public holidays declared under state or territory law | dates vary by jurisdiction |
The federal government sets out core public holidays, with each state and territory declaring their own public holidays based on state or territory laws. Some examples of state-based holidays are:
Some state/territory laws also have an additional day if a public holiday falls on a weekend (Boxing Day, for example).
Here is a listing of each public holiday at the state/territory level for 2026:
| Public holiday | Dates in 2026 |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January |
| Australia Day | 26 January |
| Canberra Day | 9 March |
| Good Friday | 3 April |
| Easter Saturday - the day after Good Friday | 4 April |
| Easter Sunday | 5 April |
| Easter Monday | 6 April |
| Anzac Day | 27 April |
| Reconciliation Day | 1 June |
| King's Birthday | 8 June |
| Labour Day | 5 October |
| Christmas Day | 25 December |
| Boxing Day | 26 December |
| Additional public holiday for Boxing Day | 28 December |
| Public holiday | Dates in 2026 |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January |
| Australia Day | 26 January |
| Good Friday | 3 April |
| Easter Saturday | 4 April |
| Easter Sunday | 5 April |
| Easter Monday | 6 April |
| Anzac Day | 25 April |
| King's Birthday | 8 June |
| Labour Day | 5 October |
| Christmas Day | 25 December |
| Boxing Day | 26 December |
| Additional public holiday for Boxing Day | 28 December |
Regional holidays are not included in this list; see https://nt.gov.au/nt-public-holidays.
| Public holiday | Dates in 2026 |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January |
| Australia Day | 26 January |
| Good Friday | 3 April |
| Easter Saturday | 4 April |
| Easter Sunday | 5 April |
| Easter Monday | 6 April |
| Anzac Day | 25 April |
| May Day | 4 May |
| King's Birthday | 8 June |
| Picnic Day | 3 August |
| Christmas Eve - part day holiday (7 p.m. to midnight) | Thursday 24 December 2026 |
| Christmas Day | 25 December |
| Boxing Day | 26 December |
| Additional public holiday for Boxing Day | 28 December |
| New Year's Eve - part day holiday (7 p.m. to midnight) | 31 December |
| Public holiday | Dates in 2026 |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January |
| Australia Day | 26 January |
| Good Friday | 3 April |
| The day after Good Friday | 4 April |
| Easter Sunday | 5 April |
| Easter Monday | 6 April |
| Anzac Day | 25 April |
| Labour Day | 4 May |
| Royal Queensland Show (Brisbane area only) | 12 August |
| King's Birthday | 5 October |
| Christmas Eve (6 p.m. to midnight) | 24 December |
| Christmas Day | 25 December |
| Boxing Day | 26 December |
| Additional public holiday for Boxing Day | 28 December |
| Public holiday | Dates in 2026 |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January |
| Australia Day | 26 January |
| Adelaide Cup Day | 9 March |
| Good Friday | 3 April |
| Easter Saturday | 4 April |
| Easter Sunday | 5 April |
| Easter Monday | 6 April |
| Anzac Day | 25 April |
| King's Birthday | 8 June |
| Labour Day | 5 October |
| Christmas Eve (7 p.m. to midnight) | 24 December |
| Christmas Day | 25 December |
| Proclamation Day holiday | 26 December |
| Additional public holiday for Proclamation Day | 28 December |
| New Year's Eve (7 p.m. to midnight) | 31 December |
Tasmania - regional holidays not included in this list; see https://worksafe.tas.gov.au/topics/laws-and-compliance/public-holidays#Regional-holidays-(parts-of-Tasmania) .
| Public holiday | Dates in 2026 |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January |
| Australia Day | 26 January |
| Eight Hours Day | 9 March |
| Good Friday | 3 April |
| Easter Monday | 6 April |
| Easter Tuesday (generally Tasmanian Public Service only) | 7 April |
| Anzac Day | 25 April |
| King's Birthday | 8 June |
| Christmas Day | 25 December |
| Boxing Day | 28 December |
| Public holiday | Dates in 2026 |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January |
| Australia Day | 26 January |
| Labour Day | 9 March |
| Good Friday | 3 April |
| Saturday before Easter Sunday | 4 April |
| Easter Sunday | 5 April |
| Easter Monday | 6 April |
| Anzac Day | 25 April |
| King's Birthday | 8 June |
| Friday before the AFL Grand Final | Date TBC |
| Melbourne Cup | 3 November (some regional areas in VIC mark it on a different day) |
| Christmas Day | 25 December |
| Boxing Day | 26 December |
| Additional public holiday for Boxing Day | 28 December |
| Public holiday | Dates in 2026 |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January |
| Australia Day | 26 January |
| Labour Day | 2 March |
| Good Friday | 3 April |
| Easter Sunday | 5 April |
| Easter Monday | 6 April |
| Anzac Day | 25 April |
| Additional public holiday for Anzac Day | 27 April |
| Western Australia Day | 1 June |
| King's Birthday | 28 September (some regional areas in WA mark it on a different day) |
| Christmas Day | 25 December |
| Boxing Day | 26 December |
| Additional public holiday for Boxing Day | 28 December |
The dates listed here can change. Always double‑check on the Fair Work Ombudsman website and your state or territory's public holiday calendar for the year.
Pay on a public holiday depends on three factors:
Let's go over these points in more detail:
An employee is entitled to public holidays in the area where they're based for work. Let's say someone is based in Perth. They'll be working out of the Sydney office in the first two weeks of June. The first Monday in June is Western Australia Day.
If the employee usually works on Mondays, they can either:
The public holiday applies to where the employee is based, not where they are temporarily working.
An employee who normally works on the day of a public holiday should get their base rate of pay for their ordinary hours. This does not include:
It is against the law to change an employee's roster to avoid paying their base rate.
Employees who do not usually work on the day of a public holiday – casual workers or part-timers, for example – do not receive public holiday pay under the NES.
When an employee works on a public holiday, they could be entitled to one of the following:
You should check the relevant award or agreement relevant to your employee. These outline what your employee is entitled to (and, in the case of additional pay, how much) when they work on a public holiday.
Calculating pay for different types of employees, across several locations, and under varying awards or agreements can be complicated. The Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT) can help you figure out what pay and entitlements your employee should receive.
No employer can force employees to work on a public holiday. What they can do is make a request.
Under the law, this request to work on a holiday must be reasonable. If the employee refuses to work, that refusal must be reasonable, too.
What makes a request or refusal reasonable? The Fair Work Act tells us to consider factors such as:
In short, employers must make a reasonable request rather than give an instruction. Employees can say no if their refusal is also reasonable.
The BHP ruling from 2023 is a good example for HR teams. In 2019, BHP rostered 85 miners on Christmas Day and Boxing Day at the company's Daunia mine in Queensland. The company did not seek workers' consent to work on both days.
The court ruled that BHP should have made a request with the workers in line with the Fair Work Act. "Ultimately, after discussion or negotiation, the employer may require an employee to work on a public holiday if the request is reasonable, and the employee's refusal is unreasonable," the court said. BHP was ordered to pay $84,000 to the miners and $15,000 to the union.
This ruling shows how crucial it is for HR teams to follow the Fair Work Act and the NES. Any violation, whether intentional or not, could lead to penalties from government bodies, a breakdown of employee goodwill, and reputational damage.
For more examples of Fair Work Australia cases and court decisions, visit our section on employment law.
Certain industries like hospitality, retail, and essential services will need workers on shift during a public holiday. To strike a balance between meeting service standards and complying with labour laws, here are some best practices to consider:
Contact an employment law firm for detailed guidance and a more fine-tuned approach.
Public holiday laws exist to recognise significant events in Australia's history and to protect employees' rights on those days. Breaches of the Fair Work Act, the National Employment Standards and state or territory legislation can expose employers to fines and other penalties.
To make sure your approach is compliant, check the relevant legislation and seek advice from an employment lawyer where needed. That way, you respect the law and your employees' time and contribution on these important days.
Not necessarily; it depends on what the relevant award or enterprise agreement states. Visit the Fair Work Commission website to see a list of awards and agreements, and details for each.
No, they are separate from annual leave under the Fair Work Act.
If a public holiday falls on a day an employee is on paid annual leave (and it's a day they'd normally work), they must be paid for the public holiday. That day is not deducted from their annual leave balance.
NSW has around 11 public holidays each year, with an additional bank holiday in August that applies only to certain financial institutions. Check the NSW Government website for updated information.
There are 13 holidays in Victoria, the most of any state or territory in Australia. (A national employer association in Victoria has previously said that businesses cannot afford another public holiday.)
No, it isn't, but many workplaces observe a minute of silence at 11 a.m. on 11 November to mark the occasion.
Bank holidays are not public holidays, but some state/territorial governments include them in their public holiday list.
On a bank holiday – which falls on the first Monday of August for certain states/territories – financial institutions are required to close. This does not affect all employees, so it's best to check the relevant award or enterprise agreement and state-specific guidance.
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