Public Holidays in Australia 2026 + Free Staff Planning Template

Complete list of official public holidays and free downloadable staff planning templates

Official Public Holidays

7 holidays in Australia for 2026

Holiday	Date	Day	Applies To
New Year's Day New Year's Day is the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar used in Australia and many ...	January 01	Thursday	Nationwide
Australia Day Australia Day is the Australian national day. It is celebrated on January 26 each year.	January 26	Monday	Nationwide
Good Friday Good Friday is two days before Easter Sunday and is a national holiday in Australia.	April 03	Friday	Nationwide
Easter Monday Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is a nationwide holiday in Australia.	April 06	Monday	Australian Capital Territory,New South Wales,Northern Territory,Queensland,South Australia,Tasmania,Victoria,Western Australia,Cocos and Keeling Islands,Heard and McDonald Islands
ANZAC Day ANZAC Day is the anniversary of the landing of troops from Australia and New Zealand on the Galli...	April 25	Saturday	Nationwide
Christmas Day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day, which is in the middle of summer in Aus...	December 25	Friday	Nationwide
Boxing Day December 26 is the Boxing Day holiday celebrated in Australia.	December 26	Saturday	Nationwide

Legal Notice: This information is for guidance only and should not be considered legal advice. Always validate with local authorities or legal practitioners in Australia.

📅 Free Staff Holiday Planning Templates

Download our ready-to-use templates to plan your team's time off around Australia's public holidays

Google Sheets Template Excel Template

Perfect for HR managers, team leads, and small business owners planning staff coverage around public holidays

Managing staff leave around these holidays?

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Automatic Public Holiday Import: All public holidays for Australia and 180+ other countries automatically loaded. No manual data entry required.
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Commercial Director, Intatec Limited

How It Works

Simple, powerful leave management in four steps

Employees Request Leave

Simple, intuitive interface lets employees request time off in seconds. Public holidays are automatically excluded from calculations.

Book leave in under 30 seconds
See available leave balance instantly
Mobile-friendly for on-the-go requests

Managers Approve Instantly

Managers see all request details including conflicts with public holidays and other team members' leave.

Approve/reject directly from email
See team coverage at a glance
Complete audit trail of decisions

Plan Team Coverage

Beautiful visual calendar shows exactly who's off when, including public holidays, so you can plan optimal team coverage.

Color-coded wall chart
Filter by department or team
Spot conflicts before they happen

Generate Reports

Comprehensive reporting gives you insights into leave patterns, costs, and compliance - all exportable to Excel.

Full audit trail of all leave
Export to CSV for further analysis
Track entitlements and accruals

Don't Forget Your Free Planning Templates!

Get our ready-to-use staff planning templates to organize your team around Australia's 2026 public holidays

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About Public Holidays in Australia

In Australia, public holidays are designated days when employees are entitled to take a day off work with pay. These holidays vary by state and territory, reflecting local traditions and historical events. Common public holidays include New Year's Day, Australia Day, Anzac Day, and Christmas Day, among others. Each state may also have additional holidays specific to their region, such as Labour Day or Queen's Birthday. Understanding public holiday regulations is essential for effective absence management and staff leave planning, ensuring compliance with the Fair Work Act and promoting a healthy work-life balance for employees.