Is Boxing Day a public holiday in Australia? State by state, and the extra day in 2026

Yes, in every state and territory. The NSW Government, Business Victoria, the Queensland Government, the Western Australian Government, SafeWork SA, WorkSafe Tasmania, the ACT Government and the NT Government each list Boxing Day, 26 December, as a public holiday on their public holidays pages; SafeWork SA names it the Proclamation Day holiday. In 2026, 26 December is a Saturday and each government lists an additional or substitute day on Monday 28 December 2026.

Saturday 26 December 2026 is Boxing Day, and each state and territory list adds Monday 28 December 2026. The NSW Government’s public holidays page says: “The public holiday standard in the Act provides that when New Year's Day, Christmas Day or Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday there is to be an additional public holiday on the following Monday or Tuesday.” Business Victoria’s 2026 page says, in a note on its Boxing Day row, that as Boxing Day falls on a Saturday an additional public holiday is given on the following Monday.

Each of the eight government lists shows it: the NSW Government, Business Victoria, the Queensland Government, the Western Australian Government, SafeWork SA, the ACT Government and the NT Government list Saturday 26 December 2026 and Monday 28 December 2026, and WorkSafe Tasmania’s table prints 28 December for 2026 with the note “*Substitute holiday applies”. A part of a state may differ only where its page says so; none of the Boxing Day rows is marked regional.

SafeWork SA’s public holidays page lists Saturday 26 December 2026 as the “Proclamation Day holiday” and Monday 28 December 2026 as an “additional public holiday for Proclamation Day”. The Public Holidays Act 2023 provides: “(2) If Christmas Day or New Year's Day falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the following Monday will be a public holiday in addition to that day. (3) If Proclamation Day holiday falls on a Saturday, Sunday or Monday, the following rules apply: (a) where it falls on a Saturday, the following Monday will be a public holiday in addition to that day; (b) where it falls on a Sunday or a Monday, the following Tuesday will be a public holiday in addition to that day. (4) If Australia Day falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the following Monday will be a public holiday instead of that day.”

26 December 2027 is a Sunday. The NSW, Victorian, Queensland, Western Australian, South Australian, ACT and NT government pages list Sunday 26 December 2027 and Tuesday 28 December 2027, and WorkSafe Tasmania’s table prints 28 December for 2027, a Tuesday. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s 2027 list says: “Some states and territories add or substitute public holidays when one falls on a weekend, while others don’t. Some states and territories have regional public holidays or public holidays that are only for a capital city.”

The Holidays Act 1983 (Queensland) schedule provides: “27 December A public holiday is to be observed on 27 December only if 25 December is a Saturday or Sunday. 28 December A public holiday is to be observed on 28 December only if 26 December is a Saturday or Sunday.” WorkSafe Tasmania’s public holidays page says: “When New Year’s Day, Australia Day, Christmas Day or Boxing Day fall on a weekend the public holiday is held on the following Monday (or Tuesday in some cases): if 25 December is a on a Saturday, then both the Saturday and the Monday following are holidays. if 25 December falls on a Sunday, then both the Sunday and the Tuesday following are holidays. If Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, then Monday is the public holiday. if Boxing Day falls on a Sunday, then Tuesday is the public holiday.”