# Easter Saturday 2026 – Public Holiday Status Across Australia

Easter Saturday (the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday) in 2026 falls on **Saturday, 4 April 2026**. Its status as a public holiday **is not uniform across Australia**. Whether an employee is entitled to a paid day off on this day depends on the state or territory in which they work, and in some cases, on the terms of their employment instrument (e.g., award, enterprise agreement, or contract).

The following table summarises the position for each jurisdiction as at FY2025‑26:

| Jurisdiction | Easter Saturday is a public holiday? | Legal basis / notes |
|--------------|-------------------------------------|---------------------|
| **New South Wales** | No | Not listed in the *Public Holidays Act 2010* (NSW). It is a bank holiday but not a general public holiday. Employees have no automatic entitlement unless provided by an award or agreement. |
| **Victoria** | Yes | Declared under the *Public Holidays Act 1993* (Vic). |
| **Queensland** | Yes | Declared under the *Holidays Act 1983* (Qld). |
| **South Australia** | Yes | Declared under the *Holidays Act 1910* (SA). |
| **Western Australia** | Yes | Declared under the *Public and Bank Holidays Act 1972* (WA). |
| **Tasmania** | No | Not listed in the *Statutory Holidays Act 1973* (Tas). It is a bank holiday but not a general public holiday. |
| **Australian Capital Territory** | No | Not listed in the *Public Holidays Act 1997* (ACT). |
| **Northern Territory** | No | Not listed in the *Public Holidays Act* (NT). |

**Key takeaway:** There is no single national answer. An employee’s entitlement to a paid public holiday on Easter Saturday 2026 turns on:
1. **The state or territory** where they are employed (or where they usually work, depending on the applicable legislation).
2. **The specific terms** of any applicable federal or state award, enterprise agreement, or employment contract that might create an additional entitlement where the default legislation does not.

Therefore, the payroll officer must determine the employee’s primary place of work and check the relevant jurisdiction’s public holiday proclamation, as well as any applicable industrial instrument, to ascertain whether Easter Saturday 2026 is a public holiday for that employee.