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 22 October 2026 against the Fair Work Ombudsman 2026 and 2027 lists.
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.