Who gets a public holiday on Monday?

When is the King's Birthday public holiday? Which states get Monday off? Thu 4 Jun 2026 at 3:38pm Many Australians are about to have a long weekend thanks to the King's Birthday public holiday on Monday. But not everyone will have the day off. Here's why. Which states have a public holiday on Monday? The following states have their King's Birthday public holiday on Monday, June 8: - ACT - New South Wales - Northern Territory - South Australia - Tasmania - Victoria Which states don't have a public holiday on Monday? - Queensland - Western Australia The public holiday for the sovereign's birthday in Queensland is on October 5. Most of Western Australia has its King's Birthday public holiday on September 28 this year. But regional cities Karratha and Port Hedland will have their public holidays on August 3. Last year, Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said his government was looking at aligning the state's public holidays with the rest of the country. But he said that probably wouldn't happen until next year. In 2012, the Queensland government decided to move the public holiday from June to October to spread public holidays throughout the year. A year later, there was a change of government, which decided to change the sovereign's birthday public holiday back to June and shift Labour Day to October. Then in 2015, a new Queensland government moved the sovereign's birthday holiday back to October and changed Labour Day back to May. When is King Charles's actual birthday? King Charles was born on November 14. Why isn't the public holiday on King Charles's actual birthday? It goes back to a British tradition called Trooping the Colour — and has quite a bit to do with the weather over there. Trooping the Colour is essentially a military parade that the British Army says dates back to the reign of King Charles II from 1660 to 1685. "In 1748 it was decided that this parade would be used to mark the official birthday of the sovereign," the British Army's website says. "It became an annual event after George III became king in 1760." While troops are trained to march in all kinds of conditions, it's generally better for a military parade to be staged during fine, sunny weather — especially if you want crowds of people lining the streets to watch. And England's winters are notoriously un-sunny, so it was generally best to hold a parade in summer even if the reigning monarch's birthday was in a different month. Here's how the royal family website explains it: "Official celebrations to mark the Sovereigns' birthday have often been held on a day other than the actual birthday, particularly when the actual birthday has not been in the summer. "King Edward VII, for example, was born on 9 November, but his official birthday was marked throughout his reign in May or June when there was a greater likelihood of good weather for the Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour." Remember that the UK is in the Northern Hemisphere, which experiences summer while we in the Southern Hemisphere are in winter. That means the English summer months are June, July and August. To take advantage of the cheerier weather, the Trooping the Colour parade is generally held on the second Saturday of June every year. While Australian state and territory governments can decide when to mark the public holiday, many have opted for a date that fairly closely aligns with the British celebrations. This year, Trooping the Colour will be held in London on June 13 — the weekend after most Australians get the public holiday. Why does Australia have a public holiday for King Charles? Because, as a result of the colonisation of Australia, we're part of the British Commonwealth. And King Charles is the head of the Commonwealth. King Charles is Australia's head of state, represented here by the governor-general, but the king does not have a role in the day-to-day running of the country. When is the next public holiday? There are only a few more public holidays left in the year. Tap the drop-down box to see the list of the remaining public holidays for your state or territory. ACT: October 6 Read moreHere are the rest of the ACT's public holidays for the year: - Monday, October 5: Labour Day - Friday, December 25: Christmas Day - Saturday, December 26: Boxing Day - Monday 28 December: Additional public holiday for Boxing Day New South Wales: October 6 Read moreHere are the rest of the state's public holidays for the year: - Monday, October 5: Labour Day - Friday, December 25: Christmas Day - Saturday, December 26: Boxing Day - Monday 28 December: Additional public holiday for Boxing Day Northern Territory: August 3 Read moreHere are the rest of the Northern Territory's public holidays for the year: - Monday, August 3: Picnic Day - Thursday, December 24: Christmas Eve (from 7 pm to midnight) - Friday, December 25: Christmas Day - Saturday, December 26: Boxing Day - Monday 28 December: Additional public holiday for Boxing Day - Thursday, December 31: New Year's Eve (from 7 pm to midnight) Queensland: October 5 Read moreHere are the rest of the state's public holidays for the year: - Monday, October 5: King’s Birthday - Thursday, December 24: Christmas Eve (from 6 pm to midnight) - Friday, December 25: Christmas Day - Saturday, December 26: Boxing Day - Monday 28 December: Additional public holiday for Boxing Day South Australia: October 5 Read moreHere are the rest of the state's public holidays for the year: - Monday, October 5: Labour Day - Thursday, December 24: Christmas Eve (from 7pm to midnight) - Friday, December 25: Christmas Day - Saturday, December 26: Proclamation Day holiday - Monday, December 28: Additional public holiday for Proclamation Day holiday - Thursday, December 31: New Year's Eve (from 7pm to midnight) Tasmania: October 22 Read moreHere are the rest of the state's public holidays for the year: - Thursday, October 22: Royal Hobart Show (only observed in certain areas of the state, including Hobart) - Monday, November 2: Recreation Day (areas of the state that don’t observe Royal Hobart Regatta) - Friday, December 25: Christmas Day - Monday, December 28: Boxing Day Victoria: September 25 Read moreHere are the rest of the state's public holidays for the year: - Friday, September 25: Friday before the AFL Grand Final - Tuesday, November 3: Melbourne Cup (some regional areas in Victoria hold the Melbourne Cup public holiday on a different date) - Friday, December 25: Christmas Day - Saturday, December 26: Boxing Day - Monday, December 28: Additional public holiday for Boxing Day Western Australia: September 28 Read moreHere are the rest of the state's public holidays for the year: - Monday, September 28: King's Birthday (some regional areas in WA hold the King's Birthday public holiday on a different date) - Friday, December 25: Christmas Day - Saturday, December 26: Boxing Day - Monday, December 28: Additional public holiday for Boxing Day Source: Fair Work Ombudsman and Business Victoria