Just like clockwork, ANZAC Day has rolled around, and in 2026, New South Wales, aligning with Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, will observe an extra day off for the next two years.
Here’s why not all states and territories participate in the extra public holiday.
In February, NSW Premier Chris Minns confirmed that the state will be implementing an extra day off for ANZAC Day 2026 and 2027 as the 25th of both years falls on weekends.
“We’re here to announce that in 2026, we will be having an additional public holiday in NSW on the 27th of April, Monday the 27th of April, after ANZAC Day, obviously on the 25th,” Minns confirmed.
Alongside the extra day off, in which the Minns said the state was “underserved when it comes to public holidays”, he stressed that it shouldn’t take away from the importance of ANZAC Day.
“We’re very sensitive to the idea that the 25th of April is a solemn day for our state, for our country,” he said.
“It is probably the most important national day that we have where we recognise servicemen and women’s contribution to our country — what our country has as a result of their determination, their courage, their professionalism, their dedication to our state.
“I think that NSW residents can be trusted with this public holiday in the sense that it won’t detract from the solemnity and importance of the 25th of April. It’s one of the reasons why we’re holding this public holiday after ANZAC Day has taken place, not the Friday before.”
Alongside NSW, WA, and the ACT, will also observe an extra day off as the 25th falls on a Saturday in 2026.
Why don’t all states have an extra day off for Anzac Day?
The reason why all the states offer the same public holiday is due to each state’s laws.
Per ABC News, if ANZAC Day falls on a Sunday, residents in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and the ACT will observe the holiday on the following Monday.
With that being said, the WA, ACT and NSW governments have confirmed ANZAC Day will be celebrated on Monday in 2026, as noted earlier.
Who can change and decide when public holidays happen?
According to the publication, Qld, SA, NSW, the NT and Vic have legislation that allows the state government ministers to make a one-off call to change the date.
However, in Tassie, changes to public holidays can only be made via a legislative reform.
So, if you’re banking on another public holiday and you’re in NSW, it looks like Minnsy used his one call!
The post Why Only Three States And Territories Will Get A Public Holiday This ANZAC Day appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
