Retail, fast food and warehouse workers in the ACT have secured a change to the territory’s Anzac Day public holiday arrangements, after the government moved away from its earlier position and recognised Saturday, 25 April 2026, as a public holiday.
The Canberra Times reported on 24 March that the ACT government had reversed its original stance after advocacy from unions, while the ACT government’s current public holidays page now lists Anzac Day in 2026 as falling on both Saturday 25 April and Monday 27 April.
That marks a clear shift from the government’s position late last year. In December, ACT Industrial Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Michael Pettersson said the public holiday would be observed on Monday, 27 April, because Anzac Day falls on a Saturday in 2026.
A formal declaration issued on 28 November went further, stating that Monday, 27 April, would be a public holiday in the ACT and that Saturday, 25 April, would not be a public holiday.
The dispute mattered most for workers in seven-day industries, where rostered shifts often determine whether people can attend dawn services, marches and commemorative events without losing income. The SDA, which represents many retail, fast food and warehouse workers, says that for most workers in those sectors, work on a public holiday is voluntary and attracts higher pay if they do work.
Fair Work’s 2026 public holiday guidance now also lists both Saturday 25 April and Monday 27 April for the ACT, bringing workplace advice into line with the updated ACT holiday listing.
The controversy had also raised questions about why the national capital, home to the Australian War Memorial, appeared set to treat Anzac Day differently from much of the country. The earlier ACT decision drew criticism because it would have left many weekend workers commemorating the day without the protections that usually come with a public holiday, even though the day itself would still have been marked on 25 April.
The unions’ argument was strengthened by the ACT’s own record. Government archives show that when Anzac Day fell on a Saturday in 2020, Monday 27 April was declared a public holiday in addition to Anzac Day on 25 April. In 2021, when Anzac Day fell on a Sunday, an additional public holiday was declared for Sunday 25 April and Monday 26 April was observed as Anzac Day.
The outcome means ACT workers now look set to be able to join Anzac Day commemorations with their public holiday entitlements intact, rather than being forced to choose between work and remembrance.
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