## Short answer

No. There is no single national substitute Monday. Whether an employee gets an extra public holiday on Monday 27 April 2026 depends entirely on which state or territory they work in, because public holidays in Australia are set by each state and territory, not by the Commonwealth. For Anzac Day specifically, most jurisdictions do **not** add a substitute Monday when 25 April falls on a weekend; only a minority do. So a payroll officer cannot apply one uniform rule across the country.

## Why it varies

Although the *Fair Work Act 2009* (Cth) lists "Anzac Day" as a national public holiday entitlement, it defers to the day declared as a public holiday under the relevant **state or territory** law. There is no federal power that creates a uniform substitute day. Each jurisdiction's own public-holidays legislation decides:

- whether a holiday falling on a weekend is "substituted" by the next available weekday; and
- whether **Anzac Day** is excluded from that substitution rule (it commonly is, because the commemoration is fixed to the actual day, 25 April).

This is the key trap: many holidays (New Year's Day, Australia Day, Christmas, Boxing Day) are routinely substituted to a Monday when they land on a weekend, but Anzac Day is treated as a special case in most jurisdictions and is **not** moved or doubled up.

## Jurisdiction by jurisdiction (Anzac Day = Sat 25 April 2026)

**No additional/substitute Monday (Anzac Day stays on Saturday 25 April only):**

- **New South Wales** - Anzac Day is fixed at 25 April; the weekend-substitution provisions do not create an extra Monday for Anzac Day. No Monday holiday.
- **Victoria** - Anzac Day is a fixed-date holiday and is specifically excluded from weekend substitution. No Monday holiday.
- **Queensland** - Anzac Day is fixed at 25 April and is not subject to substitution. No Monday holiday.
- **Tasmania** - Anzac Day is fixed at 25 April. No Monday substitute.
- **Australian Capital Territory** - Anzac Day is fixed at 25 April; not substituted to a weekday. No Monday holiday.
- **Northern Territory** - Anzac Day is fixed at 25 April. No Monday substitute.

**Additional substitute Monday DOES apply:**

- **Western Australia** - WA's public-holiday arrangements provide that when Anzac Day (and certain other days) falls on a weekend, the **following Monday** is also observed as a public holiday. So in WA, Monday 27 April 2026 is an additional public holiday.
- **South Australia** - SA likewise provides a substitute/additional public holiday on the **following Monday** when Anzac Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday. So in SA, Monday 27 April 2026 is an additional public holiday.

(These should always be confirmed against each jurisdiction's gazetted public-holiday declaration for 2026, as governments can vary or proclaim dates, but the structural position - Anzac Day generally not substituted, WA and SA being the standout exceptions that add the Monday - is the FY2025-26 position.)

## What an employee's answer turns on

An individual employee's entitlement to a paid day off / public-holiday penalty rates on Monday 27 April 2026 turns on:

1. **Which state or territory they work in** - because that jurisdiction's public-holidays Act (not the Fair Work Act on its own) declares the day. WA and SA employees: yes, extra Monday. Employees in NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS, ACT, NT: no extra Monday from Anzac Day.
2. **Whether that jurisdiction excludes Anzac Day from weekend substitution** - most do exclude it, which is why the Monday holiday is the exception rather than the rule.
3. **Any specific 2026 government proclamation or gazettal**, plus any local/regional public holidays in their area.
4. **The terms of their award, enterprise agreement or contract**, which can affect how the day is paid (penalty rates, substitution of the day off) but cannot create a public holiday where the jurisdiction has not declared one.

## Bottom line for payroll

Do not run payroll as though there is one national substitute Monday. Treat **WA and SA** employees as potentially having an additional public holiday on **Monday 27 April 2026**, and treat employees in the other states and territories as having Anzac Day on Saturday 25 April only, with no extra Monday - then confirm against each jurisdiction's official 2026 public-holiday list and the applicable industrial instrument.