# Easter Saturday 2026 as a Public Holiday in Australia

**Easter Saturday (4 April 2026) is not a uniform national public holiday.** Its status depends on the jurisdiction in which the employee performs their work. The position in Western Australia differs materially from every other state and territory.

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## Legal Framework

Under the *Fair Work Act 2009* (Cth), the National Employment Standards (NES) entitle employees to be absent on public holidays (s.114). The Act does not create a single Commonwealth list of public holidays for private-sector employees. Instead, the definition of "public holiday" picks up any day declared to be a public holiday under the law of the state or territory where the employee is based (s.12). State-system employees are governed by the equivalent provision in their own state's public holiday legislation. In both cases the operative question is the same: **does the law of the relevant state or territory gazette Easter Saturday as a public holiday?**

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## Jurisdiction-by-Jurisdiction Position for Easter Saturday 2026

| Jurisdiction | Statutory public holiday? |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | **Yes** |
| Victoria | **Yes** |
| Queensland | **Yes** |
| South Australia | **Yes** |
| Tasmania | **Yes** |
| Australian Capital Territory | **Yes** |
| Northern Territory | **Yes** |
| **Western Australia** | **No** |

Western Australia's *Public and Bank Holidays Act 1972* (WA) provides for Good Friday and Easter Monday as the Easter-period statutory public holidays. Easter Saturday is not gazetted as a public holiday for employees in WA.

Every other state and territory gazetted Easter Saturday as a public holiday under their respective public holiday legislation.

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## What the Answer Turns On

**1. State or territory of employment.** The primary determinant is where the employee *performs their work*, not where their employer is headquartered or where the employee lives. An employee physically working in WA on Easter Saturday has no *statutory* public holiday entitlement. An employee working in any other jurisdiction does.

**2. Award or enterprise agreement.** Even in WA, an applicable modern award or enterprise agreement may expressly list Easter Saturday as a public holiday or attract public holiday penalty rates on that day. A payroll officer cannot conclude that no additional entitlement exists in WA without checking the instrument covering each employee.

**3. Contract of employment or workplace policy.** A contract or policy that is more generous than the statutory minimum can confer a public holiday entitlement in WA where statute does not.

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## Practical Payroll Implication

Process Easter Saturday 2026 (4 April 2026) differently depending on where employees work:

- **NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, TAS, ACT, NT employees** — Easter Saturday is a statutory public holiday. Ordinary NES and award public holiday obligations apply: employees not required to work are entitled to a paid day off; employees required to work are entitled to applicable penalty rates and, depending on the award, a substitute day off.

- **WA employees** — Easter Saturday is *not* a statutory public holiday. Check each employee's applicable modern award, enterprise agreement, or contract of employment. If none of those instruments create an additional entitlement, Easter Saturday is an ordinary working day for payroll purposes in WA.

**There is no single correct answer that applies uniformly to all employees across Australia.** The status of Easter Saturday as a public holiday is jurisdiction-specific, and the payroll officer's answer for each employee turns first on the state or territory in which that employee works, and then on the terms of any applicable industrial instrument or contract.