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ACT Public Holidays

ACT Public Holidays in 2026

Public Holidays

9 Jan 2026 (Last updated 9 Jan 2026)

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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 longer 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 an expert adviser at Peninsula.

List of Public Holidays for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) for 2026

Holiday Date in 2026
New Year’s Day Thursday 1 January
Australia Day Monday 26 January
Canberra Day Monday 9 March
Good Friday Friday 3 April
Easter Saturday Saturday 4 April
Easter Sunday Sunday 5 April
Easter Monday Monday 6 April
ANZAC Day Saturday 25 April (As ANZAC Day is on a Saturday, Monday 27 April is an additional public holiday)
Reconciliation Day Monday 1 June
King’s Birthday Monday 8 June
Labour Day Monday 5 October
Christmas Day Friday 25 December
Boxing Day Saturday 26 December (As Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, Monday 28 December is an additional public holiday

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 like pharmacies, newsagencies, and hospitality businesses are allowed to operate on public holidays. 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 (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 expert team for free initial advice.

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Public Holidays

Northern Territory Public Holidays 2026

Looking forward to the next public holiday Many employees flick through the calendar to find the dates of public holidays so they can request annual leave for some extra time off or to have an even longer, long weekend. When it comes to public holidays, Northern Territorians get to enjoy 12 state wide days, two part-day holidays, and various regional public holidays. As an employer or business owner, there are certain obligations you must meet in relation to public holidays. These will depend on your business type and industry. If you’re unsure of your public holiday obligations or employee wage rates, call and speak to a specialist adviser at Peninsula. List of state wide public holidays in the Northern Territory for 2026 Holiday Date in 2026 New Year's Day Thursday 1 January Australia Day Monday 26 January Good Friday Friday 3 April Easter Saturday Saturday 4 April Easter Sunday Sunday 5 April Easter Monday Monday 6 April ANZAC Day Saturday 25 April May Day Monday 4 May King’s Birthday Monday 8 June Picnic Day Monday 3 August Christmas Eve* Thursday 24 December Christmas Day Friday 25 December Boxing Day Saturday 26 December. As Boxing Day is a Saturday, Monday 28 December becomes an additional public holiday New Year’s Eve* Wednesday 31 December *In the Northern Territory, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are part-day public holidays (7 pm - midnight). List of regional public holidays in the Northern Territory for 2025 Holiday Date in 2026 Alice Springs Show Day Friday 3 July Tennant Creek Show Da Friday 10 July Katherine Show Day Friday 17 July Darwin Show Day Friday 24 July Borroloola Show Day Friday 14 August Employee entitlements on public holidays in the NT All employees are entitled to public holidays under the National Employment Standards (NES). Full-time and part-time employees absent from work because of a public holiday must receive their base rate of pay for the hours they would have worked had it not been a public holiday. Employees are not owed incentive-based payments, bonuses, overtime, penalty rates, loadings or monetary allowances. Employees are only entitled to payment if the public holiday falls on a day they normally work. Casual employees only receive public holiday entitlements if they work on the public holiday. Employing staff on public holidays in the NT If you employ staff on a public holiday, the employee may be entitled to: Penalty rates for each hour worked that day. Time off in lieu (an extra day off). Equivalent time added to their annual leave for each hour worked that day. Modern awards, enterprise agreements, and other registered agreements can provide entitlements for working public holidays, including: Extra pay. An extra day off or extra annual leave. Minimum shift lengths on public holidays. Agreeing to substitute a public holiday for another day. You can request staff to work on a public holiday if the request is reasonable.Whether the request is reasonable or not, will depend on the: Nature of your business. Employee’s personal circumstances, such as family responsibilities. Amount of notice you provide. An employee can refuse the request if it isn’t reasonable, or if they have a reasonable reason to refuse to work. Sit back and relax Public holidays mean enjoying fun times with family and friends. If you’re a business owner or employer in the Northern Territory, you need to know all the public holidays and appropriate employee entitlements to ensure you meet your legal obligations. The expert team at Peninsula can answer your public holiday questions. Call our team for free initial advice.

Public Holidays

Western Australia Public Holidays 2026

When is the next public holiday? Public holidays are a great time to relax, recharge and spend some extra time with family and friands. While we all look forward to a public holiday, as an employer in WA you need to be mindful of your obligations and stay up to date with employee entitlements. These will depend on your business type and industry. And there are certain public holidays that will 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 WA Public Holidays for 2026 Holiday Date in 2026 New Year’s Day Thursday 1 January Australia Day Monday 26 January Labour Day Monday 2 March Good Friday Friday 3 April Easter Sunday Sunday 5 April Easter Monday Monday 6 April ANZAC Day Saturday 25 April (Monday 27 April. An additional public holiday for Anzac Day) Western Australia Day Monday 1 June King’s Birthday Monday 28 September Christmas Day Friday 25 December Boxing Day Saturday 26 December (Monday 28 December. An aAdditional public holiday for Boxing Day) When New Year’s Day, ANZAC Day, or Christmas Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday the next following Monday is also a public holiday. When Boxing Day falls on a Saturday the next following Monday becomes a public holiday, when Boxing Day falls on a Sunday or Monday the following Tuesday is also a public holiday. Some regional areas in Western Australia, such as the City of Karratha and Town of Port Hedland, hold the King’s Birthday public holiday on an alternative date. This is usually to coincide with a significant date or event for that area. The King’s Birthday public holiday that’s observed in the rest of the WA is not a public holiday in these regions. Special public holidays in Western Australia Special public holidays can be proclaimed by the Governor for days that are not normally public holidays. Employees covered by a WA modern award or industrial agreement that provides higher rates of pay for working a public holiday are to be paid those higher rates if they’re required to work on a special public holiday. Is Easter Saturday a public holiday in Western Australia? Easter Saturday is not a public holiday in Western Australia. Some WA modern awards do recognise Easter Saturday as a public holiday. For the purposes of the award, and employees under these awards who work, Easter Saturday must be paid public holiday rates. You can find a list of these WA awards here. Employee entitlements on public holidays in Western Australia Two systems of employment law operate for the private sector in Western Australia. The state industrial relations system and the national fair work system. Pay rates and employee entitlements for public holidays are based on which system they are covered by, the employee’s award or agreement coverage, and whether they are full-time, part-time or casual. Many state system employees are covered by a WA award (or an industrial agreement) which requires the employer to pay a higher rate of pay when full time, part time or casual employees are working on a public holiday. Under the Minimum Conditions of Employment Act 1993, full-time and part-time employees who are not required to work on a day solely because that day is a public holiday are entitled to be paid as if they were required to work on that day. Casual employees who are not required to work are not entitled to be paid on a public holiday. The entitlement to be paid for a public holiday is based on whether an employee would: Ordinarily be required to work on that day. But is not working because it is a public holiday. If the public holiday is a day that the employee would ordinarily work, they would generally still have an entitlement to be paid for the day, if there has been a one-off change to the roster made to avoid the public holiday. Full-time and part-time employees who are not required to work on a day because it is a public holiday, must be paid for the same hours they would ordinarily work at their usual rate of pay. This applies to all full-time and part-time employees, including apprentices and trainees, employees paid by commission or piece rate, and staff hired by household employers in a private home. Pay rates for public holidays in Western Australia There is no minimum entitlement under the Minimum Conditions of Employment Act to payment of a higher rate of pay for working on a public holiday for full-time, part-time or casual employees. End-to-end HR and H&S Solutions with Peninsula Navigating public holidays, the various pay rates, and additional leave requests for extra time off can be challenging for business owners and employers in Western Australia. If you’re a business owner or employer in Western Australia, you need to know all the public holidays and appropriate employee entitlements to ensure you meet your legal obligations. Peninsula is committed to providing answers to your WA public holiday questions. Call our team for free initial advice 24/7.

Public Holidays

Employee entitlements for 2026 public holidays in Victoria

One of the things most employees do is study the calendar to find the next public holiday so they can request annual leave for some extra time off or enjoy a long weekend. When it comes to public holidays, Victoria and the ACT lead the way with 13 each. For employers and business owners, there are certain obligations you must meet. These will depend on your business type and industry. And there are certain public holidays that will affect all Aussie businesses. If you’re unsure of your public holiday obligations or employee wage rates, talk to a specialist adviser at Peninsula. List of public holidays in Victoria for 2026. Holiday Date in 2026 New Year’s Day Thursday 1 January Australia Day Monday 26 January Labour Day Monday 9 March Good Friday Friday 3 April (ristricted trading day) Easter Saturday Saturday 4 April Easter Sunday Sunday 5 April Easter Monday Monday 6 April ANZAC Day Saturday 25 April King’s Birthday Monday 8 June Friday before the AFL Grand Final Subject to AFL Schedule Melbourne Cup Tuesday 4 November Christmas Day Friday 25 December Boxing Day Saturday 26 December As Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, the following Monday, 28 December 2026, is an additional public holiday. Employee entitlements on public holidays in Victoria All employees are entitled to public holidays under the National Employment Standards (NES). Full-time and part-time employees who are absent from work because of a public holiday must receive their base rate of pay for the hours they would have otherwise worked. Employees aren’t owed incentive-based payments, bonuses, overtime, penalty rates, loadings or monetary allowances. Employees are only entitled to payment if the public holiday falls on a day that they normally work. Casual employees only receive public holiday entitlements if they work on the public holiday. Employing staff on public holidays in Victoria If you employ staff on a public holiday, the employee may be entitled to: Penalty rates for each hour worked on that day. Time off in lieu. Equivalent time added to their annual leave for each hour worked on that day. Modern awards, enterprise agreements, and other registered agreements can provide entitlements for working public holidays, including: Extra pay. An extra day off or extra annual leave. Minimum shift lengths on public holidays. Agreeing to substitute a public holiday for another day. You can request staff to work on a public holiday if the request is reasonable. Whether the request is reasonable or not, will depend on the: Nature of your business. Employee’s personal circumstances, such as family responsibilities. Amount of notice you provide. An employee can refuse the request to work if it isn’t reasonable, or if they have a reasonable reason to refuse. Restricted trading days in Victoria Under Victorian law, there are two-and-a-half restricted trading days each year. Good Friday (Friday 3 Aprol 2026), Christmas Day (Friday 25 December 2026), and ANZAC Day (Saturday 25 April 2026) between 12.01 am and 1.00 pm. On these days, only exempt shops are permitted to open. The Shop Trading Reform Act 1996 prohibits shops from trading on restricted trading days. The Act provides two separate ways in which a shop is exempt from restricted trading days and can operate. The specific types of shops that can open on restricted trading days are: Chemists Petrol stations Restaurants Cafes Takeaway outlets. A shop that meets a particular size criteria is also exempt: These have 20 or fewer persons employed in the shop at any time on a restricted trading day. The number of persons employed by the shop and its related entities is no more than 100 at any time during the 7 days immediately before the restricted trading day. ANZAC Day (25 April) has additional restrictions. Some businesses must not operate before 1.00pm, even if they’re exempt from other restricted trading days: Cinemas (whether indoor or outdoor). Other entertainment-for example, live dance or music events, concerts or plays. Real estate auctions. Businesses that are factories, warehouses or where any premises has any manufacturing process being carried out must be closed throughout ANZAC Day subject to the prescribed criteria in the ANZAC Day Act 1958. Sit back and relax The holiday season, public holidays, and long weekends mean enjoying good food and fun times with family and friends. If you’re a business owner or employer in Victoria, you need to know all the public holidays and appropriate employee entitlements to ensures you meet your legal obligations. Peninsula is committed to providing answers to your public holiday questions. Call our team for free initial advice.

Public Holidays

Easter Weekend 2026: Your guide to paying employees

For hospitality, tourism, and retail businesses the Easter holiday period is one of the busiest times of year. It also often coincides with school holidays in many states, so you’ll need all hands-on deck. A long weekend such as Easter means a time of relaxation and leisure for families, which leads to an influx of consumers. This is good news for business owners and employers who have been battling the cost-of-living crisis, inflation, increased wages, and rising operating costs. If your business is open over the Easter public holidays you need to know What to pay your employees and their entitlements, Do they get additional time off? Can you even ask employees to work on public holidays? Easter holidays 2026 If your business is opening over the Easter holidays, you should be aware of the rules around employer obligations and restricted trading days. Easter Dates Day Good Friday 3 April is a public holiday in all states and territories Easter Saturday 4 April is a public holiday in the ACT, NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, and the NT. It is not a public holiday in WA or TAS Easter Sunday 5 April is a public holiday in the ACT, NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, the NT, and WA. It is not a public holiday in TAS Easter Monday 6 April is a public holiday in all states and territories Easter Tuesday 7 April is a unique public holiday exclusive to certain Tasmanian public services, awards or agreements ANZAC Day 2026 ANZAC Day (25 April) this year falls on a Saturday. If an employee would normally work on a Saturday, they are entitled to public holiday rates for that day if they work. Monday 27 April is an additional public holiday for ANZAC Day for the ACT and Western Australia only Asking employees to work on public holidays An employee can be made to work if the public holiday is observed on a day the employee would normally work and their employment agreement says they have to work on the public holiday. If the employee is made to work, there is a public holiday rate of pay which is time and a half and the employee will also get another paid day off later, otherwise known as a day in lieu. If an employee works a public holiday which is not a usual day they would work, the employee is entitled to time and a half. Roster your employees easily and quickly from your PC, tablet or phone with BrightHR. Employees don’t have to agree to work on Good Friday, Easter Monday or ANZAC Day, unless: these are days that the employee would have normally worked their employment contract says they have to work on the public holidays Easter trading rules Easter trading laws govern that shops cannot open on Good Friday, Easter Sunday or before 1:00pm on ANZAC Day (25 April). However, there are some exceptions to Easter trading hours: Certain shops including service stations, take-away food businesses, restaurants, cafes and souvenir stores can open with conditions limiting the goods they can sell according to the type of store they are. Garden centres can only open on Easter Sunday. Pharmacies can open with no restrictions. Some shops have an area exemption, for example, tourist resorts. Some shops are covered by a city and district council Easter Sunday trading policy. These rules only apply to businesses that are shops as covered by the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990. Other businesses can open during the Easter and ANZAC holidays. Easter public holiday pay For public holidays, there are a number of things to work out: which day the public holiday will be observed for each employee if it’s a public holiday that might be Mondayised (or Tuesdayised). That is an additional day off for when a public holdiday occurs on a weekend whether or not the day is an otherwise working day for the employee whether or not the employee will be working on the day how much the employee will be paid for the day whether the employee is entitled to an alternative holiday Public holiday rate of pay is time and a half. If the employee is made to work, there is a public holiday rate of pay which is time and a half for each hour worked. In certain circumstances, the employee will also get another paid day off later, otherwise known as a day in lieu or an alternative holiday. Misconception: ‘I already pay above minimum wage, so I’m covered for public holiday rates right?’ It’s great you pay above the minimum wage, but it doesn’t automatically exempt you from paying public holiday rates. You still have to pay the appropriate public holiday rate for an employee who is working a public holiday. You may be able to pay the employee a higher rate of pay to off-set a certain amount of public holidays, depending on the provisions in the applicable collective agreement and their employment contract. Easter weekend: What to pay? There is an added dimension to working on public holidays which can be best illustrated in the case of Easter and when employees work over this period. The public holidays for Easter are Good Friday and Easter Monday. Easter Sunday is different again as it is not a public holiday in all states. So if it's not a public holiday in your state, and your employee works, they are only entitled to their usual rate of Sunday pay. If the employee does not work on Easter Sunday, they are not entitled to a paid day. Keep in mind there are separate rules for shop employees. Employers of shop employees who want their employees to work on Easter Sunday must give them notice and the employee is allowed to refuse work. Ensuring you pay your employees correctly for working on public holidays can be confusing. To have your wage rate questions answered, contact the expert HR team at Peninsula.

Public Holidays

Public Holidays in Tasmania 2025

When it comes to public holidays, Tasmanian employees get to enjoy 10 state-wide days as well as some regional days like the Royal Hobart Regatta or Flinders Island Show. Depending on your business and industry, there are certain holidays that affect all businesses and Aussie companies. Making public holiday plans Scrolling through the calendar searching for the next public holiday so they can have some extra time off, or spend a longer long weekend with family and friends is something many employees do. For employers and business owners, if you’re unsure of your public holiday obligations or employee wage rates, call and speak to a specialist adviser at Peninsula 24/7. List of Public Holidays in Tasmania for 2025  Holiday Date in 2025 New Year’s Day Wednesday 1 January Australia Day Monday 27 January Eight Hours Day Monday 10 March Good Friday  Friday 18 April Easter Monday Monday 21 April Easter Tuesday (generally Tasmanian Public Service only) Tuesday 22 April ANZAC Day Friday 25 April King’s Birthday Monday 9 June Recreation Day Monday 3 November Christmas Eve Wednesday 24 December 7 pm-midnight Christmas Day  Thursday 25 December Boxing Day  Friday 26 December Substitute holidays in Tasmania When New Year’s Day, Australia Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day fall on the weekend the public holiday is held on the following Monday (or Tuesday in some cases): If 25 December is on a Saturday, then both the Saturday and following Monday holidays If 25 December falls on a Sunday, then both the Sunday and following Tuesday holidays If Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, then Monday is the public holiday If Boxing Day falls on a Sunday, then Tuesday is the public holiday When ANZAC Day falls on Saturday or Sunday, no substitute or additional holiday is observed. Regional holidays in Tasmania in 2025 *Holiday 2025 Remarks * Holiday Date in 2025 Regions Devonport Cup Wednesday 8 January Tasmanian State Service Only Royal Hobart Regatta Monday 10 February South of and including Oatlands and Swansea excluding Bronte Park, Catagunya, Strathgordon, Tarraleah, Wayatinah & West Coast Launceston Cup Wednesday 26 February Tasmanian Public Service Only King Island Show Tuesday 4 March Only in King Island AGFEST Friday 2 May Municipal area of Circular Head Only Burnie Show Friday 3 October Municipal areas of Burnie, Waratah-Wynyard and West Coast Royal Launceston Show Thursday 9 October Municipal areas of Break O'Day, Dorset, George Town, Launceston, Meander Valley, Northern Midlands, West Tamar Flinders Island Show Friday 17 October Municipal area of Flinders Island Royal Hobart Show Thursday 23 October All of Tasmania south of and including Oatlands and Swansea also Bronte Park, Strathgordon, Tarreleah and Wayatinah. Excludes West Coast Devonport Show Friday 28 November Municipal areas of Devonport, Kentish and Latrobe Employee entitlements on public holidays in Tasmania Listing a day as a public holiday in Tasmania does not mean employees can have the day off work or get paid more for working on that day. If you are an employer or business owner in Tasmania, you will need to check your award, agreement, or National Employment Standard (NES), to find out if the public holiday applies to your workplace. Employees also have a right to not work on a public holiday. They should be given a choice if they should work or not on the public holiday. Ensure you get public holidays right with Peninsula The holiday season, public holidays, and long weekends mean enjoying good food and fun times with family and friends. For business owners or employers in Tasmania, juggling HR and WH&S responsibilities can be challenging. You need to know all the public holidays and appropriate employee entitlements to ensure you meet your legal obligations. Peninsula is committed to providing answers to your public holiday questions. Call our team for free initial advice 24/7 on make an enquiry today.

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