Millions of Australians are heading into a three-day weekend, but whether you get Monday off depends entirely on where you live.
Monday, October 5, 2026, is a public holiday in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. For people in the Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia, however, Monday is generally a normal working day.
There is another twist: not everyone enjoying the long weekend is celebrating the same holiday. ACT, NSW and South Australia will mark Labour Day, while Queensland will observe the King’s Birthday.
The timing also coincides with the start of daylight saving in several parts of the country, making it an unusually busy weekend for calendars and clocks.
Which states have a public holiday on Monday, October 5?
| State/Territory | Monday, October 5 |
| Australian Capital Territory | Labour Day public holiday |
| New South Wales | Labour Day public holiday |
| Queensland | King’s Birthday public holiday |
| South Australia | Labour Day public holiday |
| Northern Territory | No statewide public holiday |
| Tasmania | No statewide public holiday |
| Victoria | No statewide public holiday |
| Western Australia | No statewide public holiday |
The dates are confirmed in the Fair Work Ombudsman’s 2026 public holiday calendar.
The difference can be confusing because Australian states and territories set a number of their public holidays separately.
Queensland, for example, already celebrated Labour Day on May 4. Its October 5 holiday instead marks the King’s Birthday. The Queensland Government public holiday calendar confirms the date.
King Charles III was actually born on November 14. The official birthday holiday is held separately from the monarch’s real birthday, continuing a longstanding tradition of celebrating the sovereign’s birthday on a designated date.
ACT, NSW and South Australia, meanwhile, use October 5 for Labour Day.
Labour Day is not a celebration of Australia’s Labor Party. It commemorates the labour movement and the campaign for better working conditions, particularly the push for an eight-hour working day.
A major moment came in Melbourne on April 21, 1856, when stonemasons stopped work and marched in support of an eight-hour day. The movement eventually contributed to major changes in Australian working conditions.
Labour Day does not fall on the same date nationwide. Western Australia observed it on March 2 this year, Victoria on March 9, while Tasmania marked Eight Hours Day on the same date. Queensland observed Labour Day on May 4 and the Northern Territory marked May Day.
Daylight saving also starts this weekend
The public holiday is only part of what’s changing this weekend.
Daylight saving time begins early on Sunday, October 4 in the ACT, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. Clocks move forward by one hour.
Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not observe daylight saving.
That creates an unusual split across the country: Queensland gets Monday off but does not change its clocks, while Victoria and Tasmania change their clocks but do not receive the Monday public holiday.
For NSW residents, the NSW Government’s official calendar lists Labour Day on October 5, followed by Christmas Day on December 25 as the next statewide public holiday.
For ACT residents, Christmas Day is also the next public holiday after Monday. Queensland and South Australia will have part-day public holidays on Christmas Eve before Christmas Day.
Tasmania has holidays before Christmas in some areas, including the Royal Hobart Show on October 22 and Recreation Day on November 2 where applicable. Victoria’s Melbourne Cup public holiday falls on November 3, although arrangements can vary in some regional areas.
Public holidays also do not necessarily mean every employee will be away from work. Under Australia’s National Employment Standards, employees generally have the right to be absent on a public holiday, although employers can make reasonable requests for employees to work. The Fair Work Ombudsman provides more information on public-holiday workplace rights.
For another ACT update, families are also preparing for Canberra Catholic school fee increases in 2027.
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