Maximising public holidays
When it comes to public holidays, the ACT and Victoria lead the way with 13 each. That’s why many employees scan their calendar to find the next public holiday so they can request annual leave for some extra time off or enjoy a long weekend.
As an employer or business owner, there are certain obligations you must meet in relation to public holidays. These will depend on your type of business and industry sector. There are also certain public holidays that affect all Aussie businesses.
If you’re unsure of your public holiday obligations or employee wage rates, call and speak to a specialist adviser at Peninsula.
List of Public Holidays for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) for 2025
| Holiday | Date in 2025 |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Wednesday 1 January |
| Australia Day | Monday 27 January |
| Canberra Day | Monday 10 March |
| Good Friday | Friday 18 April |
| Easter Saturday | Saturday 19 April |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday 20 April |
| Easter Monday | Monday 21 April |
| ANZAC Day | Friday 25 April |
| Reconciliation Day | Monday 2 June |
| King’s Birthday | Monday 9 June |
| Labour Day | Monday 6 October |
| Christmas Day | Thursday 25 December |
| Boxing Day | Friday 26 December |
As Australia Day falls on Sunday 26 January 2025, the public holiday is moved to Monday 27 January 2025.
Canberra Day (as the name suggests) is only celebrated in Canberra. It is on the second Monday in March each year to celebrate the capital’s official naming in 1913. Schools and many businesses are closed. Reconciliation Day is also only observed in Canberra and honours Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their culture.
Keeping your business open on public holidays in ACT
Australian business owners can stay open on public holidays. However, there are rules and regulations to follow when trading on public holidays.
Certain types of businesses are allowed to operate on public holidays like pharmacies, newsagencies, and hospitality businesses. The type of employment agreements, or modern award will determine if employees work on public holidays or not.
Employee entitlements in the ACT
Full-time and part-time employees are entitled to be paid their base pay rate for their ordinary hours if they are absent from work because of a public holiday. The base rate of pay excludes incentive-based payments and bonuses, loadings, monetary allowances, overtime or penalty rates, or any other separately identifiable amounts.
An employee is not entitled to payment if they do not have ordinary hours of work on the public holiday. If a public holiday falls during a period of paid leave, the employee must be paid for the public holiday. The public holiday isn’t counted as annual leave or sick leave.
Employees should be given the choice if they want to work on a public holiday or not. You can request an employee to work on a public holiday, but the request has to be reasonable.
An employee can refuse the request if the request isn’t reasonable or if they have reasonable grounds to decline.
Key criteria for ACT employers
If you’re an employer in the ACT and want to operate on public holidays, you need to know your responsibilities and employee entitlements.
Before you consider working or having staff work on public holidays you should consider:
- The nature of your business.
- The amount of notice provided to employees.
- The role and type of work the employee does.
- Personal circumstances of the employee in question (caring responsibilities or time off needed due to constant workload).
- Employment status.
- Overtime, penalty rates or other entitlements or payment the employee might receive.
Enjoying some time off
If you’re a business owner or employer in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), you’ll need to know the appropriate public holidays and employee entitlements. This will ensure you offer your employees the time off they are owed, accurate pay, and meet your legal obligations.
Peninsula is committed to providing answers to your public holiday questions. Call our team for free initial advice.
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