Only six OECD nations lag behind Australia's public holiday count at the national level
Mon 9 Mar 2026 01.00
Photo: AAP Image/Steven Saphore
Public holidays not only give workers much welcome time-off, they allow people time to come together and form the bonds of community.
But, when compared to the other advanced economies, Australians do not get all that many public holidays. The above chart compares public holidays outside of weekends, where workers are given time-off in addition to a normal weekend.
All Australian states must give people a minimum of nine public holidays, which is a bit less than the OECD average of 10.25 days. But this is just the minimum number of public holidays given at the national-level; depending on where you live in some OECD countries – such as Germany, Spain, and Switzerland – you get additional holidays depending on the region you live in.
Of course, many workers in Australia will enjoy more than nine days of public holidays, because of regional variations. The Australian Capital Territory and Victoria have the most public holidays, with 11 jurisdiction-wide holidays, while New South Wales and Tasmania have only nine. But even Victoria and the ACT have fewer public holidays than a dozen other OECD countries, including Japan, Korea and Austria.
By instituting an additional nation-wide public holiday, the Commonwealth government would bring Australia close to the OECD average. It would also make for an eighth public holiday shared on the calendar across the country, strengthening the sense of community across all states and territories.
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