The upcoming public holiday could be an ideal excuse for Aussies hanging for mid-year respite to sneak in an extended break without burning through too much annual leave.
The King’s Birthday on Monday, June 8 will hand full-time east-coast workers who get public holidays off in their contract a standard three-day long weekend.
But with some extra planning, savvy Aussies can stretch the break into nine consecutive days off by taking just four days of annual leave.
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By booking time off from Tuesday, June 9, to Friday, June 12, workers in VIC, NSW, ACT, NT, SA and TAS can enjoy a week away from the office while only lightly dipping into their leave balance.
West Aussie and Queensland workers aren’t due to reap the benefits of the King’s Birthday’s long weekend just yet, with the public holiday observed on September 28, 2026, and October 5, 2026, respectively.
But, West Aussies are first in line for some winter time off, with upcoming WA Day on Monday June 1 offering workers a chance to maximise their leave balance.
Full-time employees in the west can take four days off from Tuesday, June 1 until Friday, June 5 to get a whole work week away.
Labour Day is another state-specific holiday that will give workers extra opportunities to combine the public holiday with their accrued leave in the latter half of the year.
Celebrated on the first Monday in October, people in NSW, ACT and SA will be treated to the Labour Day public holiday on October 5 this year.
Combining the public holiday with four days of annual leave from Tuesday, October 6, to Friday, October 9, will result in a nine day break.
Maximising time off over the festive season
The festive season remains the golden window for Aussies looking to maximise their annual leave, with a small number of time-off days stretching into 16 days away from work.
December 21-24: Annual leave (four days leave)
December 25: Public holiday
December 28: Public holiday
December 29-31: Annual leave (three days leave)
January 1: Public holiday
