Who gets an Anzac Day long weekend

Only two states and the ACT get a long weekend for Anzac Day this year following the memorial public holiday on Saturday.

Most workers in NSW, Western Australia and the ACT get Monday, April 27 off; however, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia are not so lucky.

This year’s Anzac Day commemorates 111 years since the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed at Gallipoli in Turkey during WW1.

Across in New Zealand, the entire country observes a public holiday on Monday.

The NSW government only decided in mid-February that the Monday after Anzac Day would be a public holiday.

The ACT government came under fire from unions representing seven-day-a-week workers because the capital territory was not even going to recognise Saturday, April 25 as an official public holiday – though the Monday had been pencilled in as a public holiday.

The ACT government then bowed to pressure from the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, declaring the Saturday a public holiday too.

As Anzac Day falls on the weekend next year too, NSW has locked in the Monday public holiday for 2027 as well.

There had been concerns and discussions from hospitality and retail businesses about covering public holiday wages and/or losing a day’s trade. Some sections of the public suggested granting a public holiday on the Monday detracted from the solemnity of Anzac Day, but the Returned and Services League NSW acting president Vince Williams said members did not oppose the introduction of the additional public holiday.

Anzac Day is one of 10 public holidays recognised nationwide.

Double demerits are not a nationwide penalty for driving offences though. Only the jurisdictions who have the Monday off – WA, NSW and the ACT – have double demerits for the Anzac Day weekend.

From 12.01am on Friday, April 24, drivers in NSW and the ACT caught speeding, using their phones or not wearing a seatbelt will cop double-demerit point penalties. This punitive window runs until 11.59pm on Monday.

WA’s double-demerit regime runs for the same three days but applies to more illegal acts, including drink and drug-driving, and running red lights.

Double demerits apply to where the driver is licensed; a NSW licence holder caught on their phone while driving in Victoria on Monday will receive double demerits.

Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the NT do not have time-specific double demerits, while year-round Queensland rotates the offences that incur double demerits.