What are public holidays?

Public holidays are special opportunities to relax. They’re gifts Australians get every couple of months – a day or two off work without having to burn any annual leave.

What makes these public holidays even better is how they can be mixed with a weekend – and even a day or two of precious annual leave – to create a heavenly long weekend! These long weekends are really where the magic happens.

A three-day or four-day weekend is all the time you need for a memorable adventure. It’s enough time to grab a hire car and road-trip it, or fly anywhere in Australia or destinations like Bali or Malaysia. It’s all the time you need to book a campsite or cabin by the beach and 100% chill with friends.

That’s why we exist: to help you start planning to make the most of your public holidays this year and next year. We’re your trusted resource for holiday dates, and our travel guide is inspiration for just some of the local places you can make your destination.

 

The meaning behind public holidays

Public holidays serve another purpose, too. They remind us of our shared and evolving identity. Christmas, Anzac Day, Queen’s Birthday and Labour Day may not mean that much to you, but they are milestones that – every 365 days – recall the people who came before us and built the nation we call home. For better and for worse.

The meaning of public holidays is not set in stone. Each of us gives our official public holidays meaning as we invest time in thinking about them and debating them, celebrating, commemorating or ignoring them.

Here’s the cool thing: Some of the most valuable days for our society to remember are not even official public holidays. World Refugee Day, International Women’s Day and World Teachers’ Day are not days-off, but they are days we should each make the most of to help tell others about important issues at home and abroad.

So what are you waiting for? Start planning now to make the most of your public holidays!

Note: information about laws and regulations related to public holidays is viewable below the 2017 national list.

℘ Public Holidays 2020

Date	Day	Holiday	States
1 Jan	Wed	New Year’s Day	National
8 Jan	Wed	Devonport Cup	TAS
27 Jan	Mon	Australia Day Holiday	National
10 Feb	Mon	Royal Hobart Regatta	TAS
26 Feb	Wed	Launceston Cup	TAS
2 Mar	Mon	Labour Day	WA
3 Mar	Tue	King Island Show	TAS
9 Mar	Mon	Canberra Day	ACT
9 Mar	Mon	March Public Holiday	SA
9 Mar	Mon	Eight Hours Day	TAS
9 Mar	Mon	Labour Day	VIC
10 Apr	Fri	Good Friday	National
11 Apr	Sat	Day following Good Friday	National except TAS & WA
12 Apr	Sun	Easter Sunday	ACT, NSW, QLD & VIC
13 Apr	Mon	Easter Monday	National
14 Apr	Tue	Easter Tuesday *	TAS
25 Apr	Sat	Anzac Day	National
27 Apr	Mon	Anzac Day Holiday	ACT & WA
4 May	Mon	May Day	NT
4 May	Mon	Labour Day	QLD
8 May	Fri	AGFEST	TAS
1 Jun	Mon	Reconciliation Day	ACT
1 Jun	Mon	Western Australia Day	WA
8 Jun	Mon	Queen’s Birthday	National except QLD & WA
26 Jun	Fri	Borroloola Show Day	NT
3 Jul	Fri	Alice Springs Show Day	NT
10 Jul	Fri	Tennant Creek Show Day	NT
17 Jul	Fri	Katherine Show Day	NT
24 Jul	Fri	Darwin Show Day	NT
3 Aug	Mon	Picnic Day	NT
12 Aug	Wed	Ekka Wednesday *	QLD
25 Sep	Fri	AFL Grand Final Friday	VIC
28 Sep	Mon	Queen’s Birthday	WA
2 Oct	Fri	Burnie Show	TAS
5 Oct	Mon	Labour Day	ACT, NSW & SA
5 Oct	Mon	Queen’s Birthday	QLD
8 Oct	Thu	Royal Launceston Show	TAS
16 Oct	Fri	Flinders Island Show	TAS
22 Oct	Thu	Royal Hobart Show	TAS
2 Nov	Mon	Recreation Day	TAS
3 Nov	Tue	Melbourne Cup Day *	VIC
27 Nov	Fri	Devonport Show	TAS
24 Dec	Thu	Christmas Eve *	NT, QLD & SA
25 Dec	Fri	Christmas Day	National
26 Dec	Sat	Boxing Day	National except SA
26 Dec	Sat	Proclamation Day	SA
28 Dec	Mon	Proclamation Day Holiday	SA
28 Dec	Mon	Boxing Day Holiday	National except SA
31 Dec	Thu	New Year’s Eve *	NT & SA
Visit australia.gov.au for the original release.

*Note:
— South Australia and Northern Territory have a part-day public holiday for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve from 7 pm to 12 midnight.
— Queensland has a part-day public holiday for Christmas Eve from 6 pm to midnight.
— Easter Tuesday is a restricted public holiday in Tasmania. Observed by some awards/agreements and the State Public Service. To check award ring Fair Work Infoline on 131394.
— Ekka Wednesday is observed in Brisbane area only.
— Melbourne Cup Day is observed in all of Victoria unless alternate local holiday has been arranged by non-metro council.

Laws and regulations

Australia celebrates seven national public holidays that are recognised in each of the eight states and territories. However, each state also has its own public holidays that are recognised in their region. Some of these holidays may be the same as other states or simply celebrated on different days.

Public holiday law is determined by each of the states and territories of Australia. The federal government has established only the seven official holidays and has granted each area their own power to create additional holidays for their areas.

The Fair Work Act of 2009 requires that all employers provide additional pay to their employees that are required to work on a public holiday. Most work contracts in Australia provide employees with a pay rate of double and one half their normal per hour rate for all work completed on a holiday.

Commerce is restricted or prohibited on some national holidays such as Easter and Anzac Day morning. Also, if an employee is required to work on public holidays due to the nature of their job, they are still entitled to the premium pay rate for holiday work.

Content provided by Public Holidays Global Pty Ltd.