This is the list of 2022 public holidays for each state and territory in Australia. Public holidays can be different depending on the state or territory you're in.
For Educators and ECT's, Public Holidays are provided for in the National Employment Standards (NES). The NES apply to all employees covered by the national workplace relations system, regardless of any Award, Agreement or Contract, including the Children's Services Award 2010 and the Educational Services Teachers Award 2010.
What Days Are Public Holidays?
The following days are public holidays under the National Employment Standards (updated 24 January 2022).
Australian Capital Territory
- Saturday 1 January - New Year's Day
- Monday 3 January - Additional public holiday for New Year's Day
- Wednesday 26 January - Australia Day
- Monday 14 March - Canberra Day
- Friday 15 April - Good Friday
- Saturday 16 April - Easter Saturday
- Sunday 17 April - Easter Sunday
- Monday 18 April - Easter Monday
- Monday 25 April - Anzac Day
- Monday 30 May - Reconciliation Day
- Monday 13 June - Queen's Birthday
- Monday 3 October - Labour Day
- Sunday 25 December - Christmas Day
- Monday 26 December - Boxing Day
- Tuesday 27 December - Additional public holiday for Christmas Day
New South Wales
- Saturday 1 January - New Year's Day
- Monday 3 January - Additional public holiday for New Year's Day
- Wednesday 26 January - Australia Day
- Friday 15 April - Good Friday
- Saturday 16 April - Easter Saturday
- Sunday 17 April - Easter Sunday
- Monday 18 April - Easter Monday
- Monday 25 April - Anzac Day
- Monday 13 June - Queen's Birthday
- Monday 3 October - Labour Day
- Sunday 25 December - Christmas Day
- Monday 26 December - Boxing Day
- Tuesday 27 December - Additional public holiday for Christmas Day
Northern Territory
- Saturday 1 January - New Year's Day
- Monday 3 January - Additional public holiday for New Year's Day
- Wednesday 26 January - Australia Day
- Friday 15 April - Good Friday
- Saturday 16 April - Easter Saturday
- Monday 18 April - Easter Monday
- Monday 25 April - Anzac Day
- Monday 2 May - May Day
- Monday 13 June - Queen's Birthday
- Monday 1 August - Picnic Day
- Saturday 24 December - Christmas Eve (from 7pm to 12 midnight)
- Sunday 25 December - Christmas Day
- Monday 26 December - Additional public holiday for Christmas Day
- Tuesday 27 December – Substitute day for Boxing Day
- Saturday 31 December - New Year's Eve (from 7pm to 12 midnight)
Queensland
- Saturday 1 January - New Year's Day
- Monday 3 January - Additional public holiday for New Year's Day
- Wednesday 26 January - Australia Day
- Friday 15 April - Good Friday
- Saturday 16 April - The day after Good Friday
- Sunday 17 April - Easter Sunday
- Monday 18 April - Easter Monday
- Monday 25 April - Anzac Day
- Monday 2 May - Labour Day
- Wednesday 10 August - Royal Queensland Show (Brisbane area only)
- Monday 3 October - Queen's Birthday
- Saturday 24 December - Christmas Eve (from 6pm to 12 midnight)
- Sunday 25 December - Christmas Day
- Monday 26 December - Boxing Day
- Tuesday 27 December - Additional public holiday for Christmas Day
South Australia
- Monday 3 January - New Year's Day (substitute day as New Year's Day falls on a Saturday)
- Wednesday 26 January - Australia Day
- Monday 14 March - Adelaide Cup Day (subject to proclamation)
- Friday 15 April - Good Friday
- Saturday 16 April - Easter Saturday
- Monday 18 April - Easter Monday
- Monday 25 April - Anzac Day
- Monday 13 June - Queen's Birthday
- Monday 3 October - Labour Day
- Saturday 24 December - Christmas Eve (from 7pm to 12 midnight)
- Sunday 25 December - Christmas Day
- Monday 26 December - Additional public holiday for Christmas Day
- Tuesday 27 December - Boxing Day/Proclamation Day
- Saturday 31 December - New Year's Eve (from 7pm to 12 midnight)
Tasmania
- Monday 3 January - New Year's Day (substitute day as New Year's Day falls on a weekend)
- Wednesday 26 January - Australia Day
- Monday 14 February - Royal Hobart Regatta (only observed in certain areas of the state)
- Monday 14 March - Eight Hours Day
- Friday 15 April - Good Friday
- Monday 18 April - Easter Monday
- Tuesday 19 April - Easter Tuesday - generally Public Service only
- Monday 25 April - Anzac Day
- Monday 13 June - Queen's Birthday
- Monday 7 November - Recreation Day (all parts of the state which do not observe Royal Hobart Regatta)
- Sunday 25 December - Christmas Day
- Monday 26 December - Boxing Day
- Tuesday 27 December - Additional public holiday for Christmas Day
Victoria
- Saturday 1 January - New Year's Day
- Monday 3 January - Additional public holiday for New Year's Day
- Wednesday 26 January - Australia Day
- Monday 14 March - Labour Day
- Friday 15 April - Good Friday
- Saturday 16 April - Saturday before Easter Sunday
- Sunday 17 April - Easter Sunday
- Monday 18 April - Easter Monday
- Monday 25 April - Anzac Day
- Monday 13 June - Queen's Birthday
- TBC - Friday before AFL Grand Final (subject to AFL schedule)
- Tuesday 1 November - Melbourne Cup
- Sunday 25 December - Christmas Day
- Monday 26 December - Boxing Day
- Tuesday 27 December - Additional public holiday for Christmas Day
Western Australia
- Saturday 1 January - New Year's Day
- Monday 3 January - Additional public holiday for New Year's Day
- Wednesday 26 January - Australia Day
- Monday 7 March - Labour Day
- Friday 15 April - Good Friday
- Monday 18 April - Easter Monday
- Monday 25 April - Anzac Day
- Monday 6 June - Western Australia Day
- Monday 26 September - Queen's Birthday (Some regional areas in WA hold the Queen's Birthday public holiday on a different date)
- Sunday 25 December - Christmas Day
- Monday 26 December - Boxing Day/Additional public holiday for Christmas Day
- Tuesday 27 December - Additional public holiday for Boxing Day
My Rostered Day Off Falls On A Public Holiday
If you're a full time employee and your rostered day off falls on a Public Holiday you must:
- be paid an extra day's pay
- be provided with an alternative day off within 28 days
- receive an additional day's annual leave
Term-time Employee Not Working On A Public Holiday
If you are working in an out of school hours care service, preschool or kindergarten you're paid at the ordinary hourly rate for the number of hours you would ordinarily have worked on a public holiday when:
- you are employed as a term-time employee and
- a public holiday falls on a day which the you are normally employed to work
This means they won't be paid for a public holiday that falls outside the term because they aren't normally employed to work in this time.
Public Holidays During Leave
If a public holiday falls when you're on leave, your entitlement to the public holiday depends on whether you are taking paid leave or unpaid leave.
Public Holidays While On Paid Leave
If a public holiday falls during a period of paid leave (eg. annual leave or sick leave), you have to be paid for the public holiday. This includes any hours that fall on a part-day public holiday.
- However, if you are taking annual leave at the same time as unpaid parental leave, then you won't be paid for the public holiday.
- The public holiday will not be counted as annual leave or sick leave. This means that the public holiday hours will not be taken away from your amount of built-up paid leave.
- If you take sick leave either side of a public holiday, you should still be paid for the public holiday if it is on a day that you would normally work. Normal sick leave rules apply for the time taken as sick leave and your Director can ask you for evidence that shows the reason you took the leave.
- If you are rostered to work on a public holiday on a day you don’t normally work, and you call in sick, you don’t get paid for that day.
- If you are taking long service leave on a public holiday, whether you get paid for the public holiday is set out in the state or territory long service leave legislation.
Unpaid Leave
You're not paid for any public holiday that falls during a time when the you're on unpaid leave.
Payment Required When Absent From Work During A Public Holiday
If you're absent from work on a day or part day that is a public holiday, your employer must pay you (other than a casual employee) the base rate of pay for your ordinary hours of work on that day or part-day. The base rate of pay to be paid excludes incentive-based payments and bonuses, loadings, monetary allowances, overtime or penalty rates, or any other separately identifiable amounts.
However, you're not entitled to payment if you do not have ordinary hours of work on the public holiday.
For example, as a part-time employee, you're not entitled to payment if your part-time hours do not include the day of the week on which the public holiday falls.
Substituting A Public Holiday
If, under the law of a State or Territory, a day or part-day is substituted for any of the days or part-days, then the substituted day or part-day is the public holiday.
As a full time employee who works on a Public Holiday, you are entitled to a substitute day as provided for in the NES.
Reasonable Grounds For Requesting Or Refusing To Work On A Public Holiday
In determining whether a request (or a refusal of such a request) to work on a public holiday is reasonable, the following must be taken into account:
- the nature of the employer’s workplace (including its operational requirements) and the nature of the work performed by the employee
- the employee’s personal circumstances, including family responsibilities
- whether the employee could reasonably expect that the employer might request work on the public holiday
- whether the employee is entitled to receive overtime payments, penalty rates, additional remuneration or other compensation that reflects an expectation of work on the public holiday
- the type of employment (e.g. full-time, part-time, casual or shiftwork)
- the amount of notice in advance of the public holiday given by the employer when making the request
- the amount of notice in advance of the public holiday given by the employee in refusing the request
- any other relevant matter.
It's important to know what your entitlements are during public holidays.
References:
- Public Holidays, Fair Work Australia
- Not Working On Public Holidays, Fair Work Australia
- Public Holiday Fact Sheet, Fair Work Australia
- Children's Services Award 2010
- Educational Services Teachers Award 2010
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