Planning Annual Leave Around Labour Day
Labour Day is a Monday public holiday in every state and territory — but on wildly different dates, and under different names (Eight Hours Day in Tasmania, May Day in the Northern Territory). Wherever you are, it is a guaranteed long weekend.
Because the date is so scattered — March in Victoria, WA and Tasmania, May in Queensland and the NT, October in NSW, the ACT and SA — Labour Day is the holiday people most often forget to plan around.
When Labour Day falls, by state
| State / Territory | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Mon 5 Oct 2026 (Labour Day) | Mon 4 Oct 2027 (Labour Day) |
| Victoria | Mon 9 Mar 2026 (Labour Day) | Mon 8 Mar 2027 (Labour Day) |
| Queensland | Mon 4 May 2026 (Labour Day) | Mon 3 May 2027 (Labour Day) |
| Western Australia | Mon 2 Mar 2026 (Labour Day) | Mon 1 Mar 2027 (Labour Day) |
| South Australia | Mon 5 Oct 2026 (Labour Day) | Mon 4 Oct 2027 (Labour Day) |
| Tasmania | Mon 9 Mar 2026 (Eight Hours Day) | Mon 8 Mar 2027 (Eight Hours Day) |
| Australian Capital Territory | Mon 5 Oct 2026 (Labour Day) | Mon 4 Oct 2027 (Labour Day) |
| Northern Territory | Mon 4 May 2026 (May Day) | Mon 3 May 2027 (May Day) |
Public-holiday dates rechecked 20 July 2026 against the Fair Work Ombudsman and state/territory sources.
Worked Labour Day examples for 2026 and 2027
Each example below is calculated from that jurisdiction's dated public holidays. The algorithm tests consecutive non-working segments and the working days between them, then ranks the qualifying blocks by days off per leave day. Workplace shutdowns, part-day holidays, rosters, and regional substitutions are not assumed.
2026 worked examples
| State or territory | Optimiser-derived example |
|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | Book 4 leave days (Tue 6 Oct 2026, Wed 7 Oct 2026, Thu 8 Oct 2026, Fri 9 Oct 2026) for 9 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| New South Wales | Book 4 leave days (Tue 6 Oct 2026, Wed 7 Oct 2026, Thu 8 Oct 2026, Fri 9 Oct 2026) for 9 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| Northern Territory | Book 4 leave days (Tue 5 May 2026, Wed 6 May 2026, Thu 7 May 2026, Fri 8 May 2026) for 9 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| Queensland | Book 4 leave days (Tue 5 May 2026, Wed 6 May 2026, Thu 7 May 2026, Fri 8 May 2026) for 9 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| South Australia | Book 4 leave days (Tue 6 Oct 2026, Wed 7 Oct 2026, Thu 8 Oct 2026, Fri 9 Oct 2026) for 9 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| Tasmania | Book 4 leave days (Tue 10 Mar 2026, Wed 11 Mar 2026, Thu 12 Mar 2026, Fri 13 Mar 2026) for 9 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| Victoria | Book 4 leave days (Tue 10 Mar 2026, Wed 11 Mar 2026, Thu 12 Mar 2026, Fri 13 Mar 2026) for 9 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| Western Australia | Book 4 leave days (Tue 3 Mar 2026, Wed 4 Mar 2026, Thu 5 Mar 2026, Fri 6 Mar 2026) for 9 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
2027 worked examples
| State or territory | Optimiser-derived example |
|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | Book 4 leave days (Tue 5 Oct 2027, Wed 6 Oct 2027, Thu 7 Oct 2027, Fri 8 Oct 2027) for 9 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| New South Wales | Book 4 leave days (Tue 5 Oct 2027, Wed 6 Oct 2027, Thu 7 Oct 2027, Fri 8 Oct 2027) for 9 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| Northern Territory | Book 4 leave days (Tue 27 Apr 2027, Wed 28 Apr 2027, Thu 29 Apr 2027, Fri 30 Apr 2027) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
| Queensland | Book 4 leave days (Tue 27 Apr 2027, Wed 28 Apr 2027, Thu 29 Apr 2027, Fri 30 Apr 2027) for 10 days off, 2.5× efficiency |
| South Australia | Book 4 leave days (Tue 5 Oct 2027, Wed 6 Oct 2027, Thu 7 Oct 2027, Fri 8 Oct 2027) for 9 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| Tasmania | Book 4 leave days (Tue 9 Mar 2027, Wed 10 Mar 2027, Thu 11 Mar 2027, Fri 12 Mar 2027) for 9 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| Victoria | Book 4 leave days (Tue 9 Mar 2027, Wed 10 Mar 2027, Thu 11 Mar 2027, Fri 12 Mar 2027) for 9 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
| Western Australia | Book 4 leave days (Tue 2 Mar 2027, Wed 3 Mar 2027, Thu 4 Mar 2027, Fri 5 Mar 2027) for 9 days off, 2.2× efficiency |
Related guides
Other holidays: Easter · Christmas & New Year · King's Birthday · Anzac Day · Australia Day.
By state: New South Wales · Victoria · Queensland · Western Australia · South Australia · Tasmania · Australian Capital Territory · Northern Territory.
Or read the complete strategy guide.