Here's who gets the most (and least) public holidays in Australia
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
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