Here's who gets the most (and least) public holidays in Australia
Ah, public holidays. They go hand-in-hand with long weekends and the sweet, sweet joy of a four-day work week – two things we can easily get around! In Australia, we're lucky to score up to 13 full-day public holidays each year, with the exact number depending on where you live. So which state or territory should you move to if you want to maximise your free days off?
Australia currently has nine annual public holidays that are celebrated on the same day nationwide, including New Year's Day, January 26, Good Friday, Easter, Anzac Day, Christmas and Boxing Day. But some holidays, like the King's Birthday and Labour Day, vary in date depending on the state or territory. Throw in a few local public holidays, and it becomes clear that some Aussies are getting more sleep-in days than others.
The Australian Capital Territory and Victoria both benefit from the most full-day public holidays in Australia, with 13 days off in 2025. The ACT gets two bonus days off for Canberra Day (March 10) and Reconciliation Day (June 2), while Victoria gets the Friday before the AFL Grand Final (September 26) and the Melbourne Cup (November 4).
However, if we include part-day public holidays, the Northern Territory and South Australia both also score 13 days off. The Top End gets long weekends for May Day (May 5), the King's Birthday (June 9) and Picnic Day (August 4), plus part-day holidays on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve (from 7pm to midnight). Meanwhile, South Australia gets Adelaide Cup Day (March 10), the King's Birthday (June 9) and Labour Day (October 6), plus the same half-day public holidays as the NT.
On the flip side, Western Australia and New South Wales have the fewest full-day public holidays, with just eleven each. One of those is the King's Birthday, which most states celebrate on June 9 – except for WA and Queensland. WA pushes its King's Birthday public holiday to the fourth weekend of September to space it out from WA Day on the first Monday in June. This sparked a bit of debate recently, with West Coasters arguing that it doesn't make sense for them to work while the rest of the country is offline.
In response, WA Premier Roger Cook announced that he's considering changing the King's Birthday holiday to align with the East Coast. He also revealed that an extra public holiday is on the table. The new public holiday regime could come into play as early as next year, but is more likely to be introduced in 2027. Looks like NSW might need to start rallying for an extra public holiday too!
Which state has the most public holidays in Australia?
ACT – 13
Victoria – 13
Northern Territory – 13 (12 full days + 2 half days)
South Australia – 13 (12 full days + 2 half days)
Tasmania – 12 (11 full days + 2 half days)
Queensland – 11.5 (11 full days + one half day)
NSW – 11
Western Australia – 11
🏖️ How to turn 20 days of annual leave into more than 50
🤔 Find out when Australia's next public holiday is
⭐️ The best long weekend getaways in Australia
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
2 days ago
- Time Out
A brand-new spring hiking festival is launching in one of Australia's most beautiful regions
First, Aussies were obsessed with music festivals. Then, food and drink fests took over the scene. Now, a new type of festival is marching into town… Debuting this September, Perth Hills WanderFest is a first-of-its-kind hiking festival offering nature enthusiasts the chance to experience the beauty of Western Australia in spring. You don't have to be a hardcore hiker to join the adventure. WanderFest's inaugural program features five wildly different guided walks tailored for beginners, pros, youth, seniors and people with accessibility needs. Led by local experts, these hikes are also extremely inclusive in terms of price, with all tickets available for just $30. Never been hiking before? This is your sign to start. The beginner-friendly three-kilometre F.R. Berry Reserve walk in Gidgegannup winds through woodlands and past wildflowers to a stunning waterfall, revealing one of Perth Hills' most underrated pockets of wilderness. Consider yourself a hiking pro? You can take on the advanced 16-kilometre Kitty's Gorge trek in Jarrahdale. Warning: your legs will burn, but the breathtaking views of Serpentine Falls at the end will make every step worth it. Little adventurers can join the family-friendly, 3.4-kilometre Piesse Brook return hike in Kalamunda; seniors can take it easy on the gentle five-kilometre Armadale Settlers Common loop in Bedfordale; and those with accessibility needs can sign up for the mostly flat three-kilometre Lake Leschenaultia walk in Chidlow, which is suitable for wheelchairs, prams and walking aids. Perth Hills WanderFest is happening over the King's Birthday long weekend in Western Australia from September 26 to 29. While you're there, you might as well make a weekend out of it. Stock up on snacks at the local markets, reward yourself with a pub feed post-hike and rest your legs at a cosy B&B. WanderFest tickets go live on July 1, but all the hikes are ready for you to explore here.
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Brits facing summer of chaos as hotel workers to strike every Friday in Tenerife throughout July and August
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ENRAGED hotel workers in Tenerife are set to strike every single week of summer - in the latest blow to Brit holidaymakers. Colossal strike action, which will include protests outside major hotel chains, will see Brit tourists facing chaos in July and August. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Anti-tourism protests have been fuelled by soaring numbers of Brits flying in Credit: Alamy 7 Thousands of locals march in Gran Canaria, May 18 Credit: Alamy 7 Anti-social behaviour and a large number of tourists have fuelled the anti-tourism movement Credit: Peter Jordan 7 The strikes were proposed by the main tourism union and are expected to hit the Canary Island's capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. They are set to begin on July 4. Union leader Manuel Fitas of the Grassroots Trade Unionists said the action came as employers were yet to agree on a pay rise for hotel staff. He said the employers had a "stubborn refusal" to discuss salary improvements. Fitas explained that on May 29, they gave employers a fifteen-day deadline to respond to their demand for a 6.5% salary increase before negotiating a new agreement. But employers are yet to come to a new agreement. If confirmed, the nightmare strikes will prove disastrous for thousands of Brit holidaymakers rushing to the popular destination this summer. Planned for every Friday of July and August, the action is set to hit the tourism industry's peak summer season. Brit tourists should expect major disruptions as the unions intend to launch protests right outside the doors of hotels for maximum impact. Each of the scheduled walkouts and protests will be confirmed on June 16 when the dates are locked in place. Anti-tourist mob attacks holidaymakers with water guns as they vow Spain faces 'long hot summer' of protest carnage Despite the threat of the devastating strike, the manager of the local employers' association, Juan Pablo González, said they were "moderately optimistic" of making progress in the talks. Asked if they would be willing to make an exception to avoid a strike, he confirmed that "we limit everything to the table because that is how collective agreements are negotiated". The action comes after similar anti-tourism strikes have unleashed holiday hell for Brits in the Canary Islands. Brits headed to Tenerife over Easter faced nightmarish conditions as hotel and restaurant workers walked out on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday, after last-ditch talks to prevent the protests failed. "The Canary Islands have a limit" movement argues the Canaries' current economic model is "based on touristification, speculation, inequality and infinite growth in a very limited land". According to the Canarian Trade Union Federation, the wealth generated by tourism should be distributed more fairly to improve the labour and wage rights of more than 170,000 tourism workers in the Canaries. 7 Protesters gather in front of the Sagrada Familia under the slogan - 'The Canary Islands have a limit' Credit: Getty 7 Thousands of people are known to attend these protests, often held in dozens of cities across Spain They also demand fairer distribution of tourism revenue to improve life for Canarians, boosting public services like healthcare, affordable housing and transport to fix the current road collapses. The movement has issued ten key demands, including halting destructive developments, imposing a tourist tax, enforcing a moratorium on new tourist projects, protecting natural areas and stopping sea pollution, among others. On May 18, thousands of fed-up locals flooded the streets of the Canary Islands in Spain's third wave of protests against overtourism this year. Locals across the Canaries say their home has been turned into a playground for tourists. Demonstrations took place across the Spanish archipelago's islands, including Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. Holidaymakers awkwardly watched from the sidelines as the marches progressed through towns. What is the anti-tourist movement? Locals are calling for three key measures: Tourist moratorium: A freeze on new hotel and holiday rental licences, especially in overcrowded areas, to ease pressure on resources and protect rural and coastal land. Ecotax: A tourist tax to fund public services and offset the environmental impact of mass tourism. Holiday rental regulation: Stricter controls on platforms like Airbnb and real estate speculation to keep housing affordable for residents. In Santa Cruz alone, Tenerife's capital, around 7,000 people were estimated to be on the streets by Spanish security forces. In Gran Canaria, around 3,000 people were estimated to be present. Misbehaving Brits visiting the Canary Islands have also fuelled a growing sentiment against tourism among workers in Tenerife. Shocking footage showed two brits starting a vicious brawl in Tenerife while a crowd of yobs cheered them on. Viral footage recorded in Playa de las Américas, a popular resort in the holiday hotspot, showed the men throwing jabs at each other before bystanders started to intervene. And last week, dramatic footage also showed two Brit women scrapping in the streets of Tenerife while being leered at. Both fights sparked fury among locals, who complained of the manic Brit behaviour on their streets.
Time Out
4 days ago
- Time Out
Here's who gets the most (and least) public holidays in Australia
Ah, public holidays. They go hand-in-hand with long weekends and the sweet, sweet joy of a four-day work week – two things we can easily get around! In Australia, we're lucky to score up to 13 full-day public holidays each year, with the exact number depending on where you live. So which state or territory should you move to if you want to maximise your free days off? Australia currently has nine annual public holidays that are celebrated on the same day nationwide, including New Year's Day, January 26, Good Friday, Easter, Anzac Day, Christmas and Boxing Day. But some holidays, like the King's Birthday and Labour Day, vary in date depending on the state or territory. Throw in a few local public holidays, and it becomes clear that some Aussies are getting more sleep-in days than others. The Australian Capital Territory and Victoria both benefit from the most full-day public holidays in Australia, with 13 days off in 2025. The ACT gets two bonus days off for Canberra Day (March 10) and Reconciliation Day (June 2), while Victoria gets the Friday before the AFL Grand Final (September 26) and the Melbourne Cup (November 4). However, if we include part-day public holidays, the Northern Territory and South Australia both also score 13 days off. The Top End gets long weekends for May Day (May 5), the King's Birthday (June 9) and Picnic Day (August 4), plus part-day holidays on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve (from 7pm to midnight). Meanwhile, South Australia gets Adelaide Cup Day (March 10), the King's Birthday (June 9) and Labour Day (October 6), plus the same half-day public holidays as the NT. On the flip side, Western Australia and New South Wales have the fewest full-day public holidays, with just eleven each. One of those is the King's Birthday, which most states celebrate on June 9 – except for WA and Queensland. WA pushes its King's Birthday public holiday to the fourth weekend of September to space it out from WA Day on the first Monday in June. This sparked a bit of debate recently, with West Coasters arguing that it doesn't make sense for them to work while the rest of the country is offline. In response, WA Premier Roger Cook announced that he's considering changing the King's Birthday holiday to align with the East Coast. He also revealed that an extra public holiday is on the table. The new public holiday regime could come into play as early as next year, but is more likely to be introduced in 2027. Looks like NSW might need to start rallying for an extra public holiday too! Which state has the most public holidays in Australia? ACT – 13 Victoria – 13 Northern Territory – 13 (12 full days + 2 half days) South Australia – 13 (12 full days + 2 half days) Tasmania – 12 (11 full days + 2 half days) Queensland – 11.5 (11 full days + one half day) NSW – 11 Western Australia – 11 🏖️ How to turn 20 days of annual leave into more than 50 🤔 Find out when Australia's next public holiday is ⭐️ The best long weekend getaways in Australia
