CW has rounded up the list of ACT public holidays, school terms and Daylight Saving Time (DST) dates in 2023.
Canberrans celebrate two public holidays that are unique to the ACT – Canberra Day in March and Reconciliation Day in May/June.
New Year’s Day public holiday – Sunday 1 January and Monday 2 January. As New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday in 2023, the following Monday is observed as an additional public holiday. 1 January is also Federation Day, the day in 1901 when the six British self-governing colonies – Queensland, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, SA and WA – united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. But this milestone is largely overshadowed by New Year celebrations.
Australia Day – Thursday 26 January. Also known as Invasion Day and Survival Day. It marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson and the raising of the flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip.
Canberra Day (ACT only) – Monday 13 March. Held annually on the second Monday in March to celebrate the official naming of Canberra at a ceremony on 12 March 1913 by Lady Denman, wife of the then Governor-General Lord Denman.
Good Friday – Friday 7 April. Observed by Christians around the world as the day Jesus Christ died on the cross.
Easter Saturday – Saturday 8 April. The day after Good Friday.
Easter Sunday – Sunday 9 April. Observed by Christians around the world as the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
Easter Monday – Monday 10 April. A public holiday following Easter Sunday. Because who doesn’t love a four-day weekend.
Anzac Day – Tuesday 25 April. Anzac Day falls on a Tuesday this year, meaning many workers will aim to take the Monday off to create a four-day long weekend.
Reconciliation Day (ACT only) – Monday 29 May. Since 2018, the ACT has marked the first Monday on or after 27 May as Reconciliation Day (replacing the Family and Community Day public holiday that was held until 2017). Reconciliation Day marks the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum in which Australians voted overwhelmingly to amend the Constitution to allow the Commonwealth to make laws for Aboriginal people and include them in the census. It also marks the beginning of National Reconciliation Week. As at 2023, the ACT remains the only jurisdiction in Australia to observe a Reconciliation Day public holiday.
Sovereign’s Birthday – Monday 12 June. Formerly known as the Queen’s Birthday public holiday, the name has been changed following Queen Elizabeth II’s death last year. King Charles III was born on 14 November 1948, but there’s no sign of changing the date of the public holiday. All Australian states and territories except WA observe the Queen’s Birthday public holiday on the second Monday in June. Because WA likes to go their own way.
Labour Day – Monday 2 October. This public holiday commemorates the granting of the eight-hour working day for Australians, first regulated in NSW in 1856. In ACT, NSW and SA, Labour Day takes place on the first Monday in October. Other jurisdictions observe different dates to acknowledge the eight-hour day.
Christmas Day – Monday 25 December. A traditional Christian holiday marking the birth of Jesus Christ.
Boxing Day – Tuesday 26 December. Traditionally, Boxing Day in Great Britain and some Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand, was a holiday on which servants, tradespeople, and the poor traditionally were presented with gifts and servants could go home to their families. By the 21st century, it had become a day associated with shopping and sporting events (e.g. Boxing Day sales, Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, and the Boxing Day Test).
ACT School term dates
If you’re planning holidays either to coincide with or to avoid ACT public school holidays, here’s a handy list of term dates as at 13 January 2023.
Term 1 begins Monday 30 January for new students; continuing students return to school on Tuesday 31 January. Teachers return on Friday 27 January (pupil-free day)
Term 1 ends Thursday 6 April (the day before Good Friday)
Term 2 begins Monday 24 April (a day before Anzac Day)
Term 2 ends Friday 30 June
Term 3 begins Monday 17 July
Term 3 ends Friday 22 September
Term 4 begins Monday 9 October
Term 4 ends Friday 15 December
Please note, dates may differ for Independent and Catholic schools and the Term 4 end date could be earlier for ACT public secondary school students
Daylight Saving Time
In the ACT, Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends on Sunday 2 April at 3am when the clock turns back one hour to 2am. An extra hour to sleep in, relax, or get busy.
DST starts on Sunday 1 October at 2am when we’ll move the clocks forward one hour to 3am, which means we lose that hour we gained way back in April.
The ACT, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and SA all observe DST, while Queensland, NT and WA do not.
A handy mnemonic for remembering which way to turn the clock is: Spring forward, fall back.
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