Private sector employers and employees
Telephone: 1300 655 266
Mailing address
Locked Bag 100
East Perth WA 6892
The information below is only relevant to employers and employees in the WA state industrial relations system – sole traders, unincorporated partnerships, unincorporated trusts and some incorporated or not for profit organisations.
Find out more on the Guide to who is in the WA state system page. If you operate or are employed by a Pty Ltd business – you can find information on this topic on the Fair Work Ombudsman website.
In Western Australia, the public holiday for Australia Day in 2023 is Thursday 26 January.
This page provides information on public holiday entitlements for Australia Day 2023 for:
For information on other WA awards, please view the WA award summaries or contact Wageline.
Award free full time and part time employees who would normally work on Thursday 26 January 2023 but who are not required to work solely because it is a public holiday, are entitled to be paid for that day.
There are no minimum entitlements to additional rates of pay for working on a public holiday for award free employees, including Thursday 26 January 2023. However, award free employees may have contracts of employment which specify other arrangements for payment and paid time off for public holidays.
There are no minimum entitlements to additional rates of pay for award free casual employees working on a public holiday, including Thursday 26 January 2023. However, award free employees may have contracts of employment which specify other arrangements for payment on public holidays.
Full time employees who would normally be required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023 but who are not required to work because it is a public holiday, are entitled to be paid for that day. If a full time employee is required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023, public holiday pay rates will apply. See the Shop and Warehouse WA Award summary for public holiday rates of pay.
The Shop and Warehouse Award also provides that when a public holiday falls on a ‘rostered day off’, a full time employee is to be compensated in one of the following methods by agreement between the employer and employee:
Example
Harriet works 19 days over a four-week cycle (8 hours per day) and has a rostered day off every fourth Thursday. In 2023, the Australia Day public holiday under the award (Thursday 26 January) falls on Harriet's rostered day off. To compensate for this, Harriet and her employer can agree that Harriet:
The Shop and Warehouse Award also provides that when a public holiday falls on a day that a full time or part time employee is usually required to work less than one fifth of their ordinary weekly hours of duty, the employee is entitled to time off duty without deduction of pay equivalent to the difference between the time usually worked on that day and one fifth of their ordinary weekly hours. The following examples illustrate how this works.
Example
Sue Lee is a full time employee who works an average of 38 hours per week. One fifth of Sue Lee's ordinary weekly hours are therefore 7.6 hours (38 divided by 5). Sue Lee normally works 6 hours on a Thursday.
Sue Lee’s employer is closed on Thursday 26 January 2023 due to the Australia Day public holiday. Sue Lee is entitled to be paid for the 6 hours she would normally have worked on that Thursday. Additionally, as the public holiday falls on a day that Sue Lee is usually required to work less than one fifth of her weekly hours (in this case 6 hours) Sue Lee is entitled to paid time off duty equivalent to 1.6 hours. This time off duty represents the difference between the time she usually works on a Thursday (6 hours) and one fifth of her ordinary weekly hours (7.6 hours).
The time off duty may be taken at a time that is mutually agreed between the employer and employee, or it may be taken in conjunction with a period of annual leave.
Part time employees who would normally be required to work on Thursday, 26 January 2023, but who are not required to work because it is a public holiday are entitled to be paid for that day. If a part time employee is required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023, public holiday pay rates will apply. See the Shop and Warehouse WA Award summary for public holiday rates of pay.
The Shop and Warehouse Award also provides that when a public holiday falls on a day that a full time or part time employee is usually required to work less than one fifth of their ordinary weekly hours of duty, the employee is entitled to time off duty without deduction of pay equivalent to the difference between the time usually worked on that day and one fifth of their ordinary weekly hours. The following examples illustrate how this works.
Example 2
Jeremy is a part time employee who works an average of 30 hours per week. One fifth of Jeremy's ordinary hours is therefore 6 hours (30 divided by 5). Jeremy normally works 4 hours on a Thursday.
Jeremy's employer is closed on Thursday 26 January 2023. Jeremy is entitled to be paid for the 4 hours he would normally have worked on that Thursday, and additionally, he is entitled to time off duty equivalent to 2 hours. The time off duty represents the difference between the time he ordinarily works on a Thursday (4 hours) and one fifth of his ordinary weekly hours (6 hours).
The time off duty may be taken at a time that is mutually agreed between the employer and employee, or it may be taken in conjunction with a period of annual leave.
If a part time employee would not normally be required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023, there are no additional public holiday entitlements.
Casual employees who are required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023 must be paid at public holiday rates.
Public holiday pay rates for casual employees are listed in the Shop and Warehouse WA Award summary
Full time employees who would normally be required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023 but who are not required to work because it is a public holiday, are entitled to be paid for that day. If a full time employee is required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023 public holiday rates will apply. See the Restaurant, Tearoom and Catering Workers WA Award summary for public holiday pay rates.
If any public holiday under the award falls on an employee's non-working day (known as a 'rostered day off'), the public holiday is observed on the next rostered working day. In this situation the next rostered working day is considered to be a public holiday, while the non-working day is not. If the employee is required to work on the next rostered working day they are entitled to be paid at public holiday rates of pay.
Example
Cassandra is a full time chef who works from Friday to Tuesday each week.
In 2023, the Australia Day public holiday falls on Thursday 26 January. As this is a non-working day for Cassandra, the public holiday is observed on her next rostered working day. Cassandra is therefore entitled to a paid day off on Friday 27 January 2023. If she is required to work on this day, public holiday pay rates will apply.
Part time employees who would normally be required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023, but who are not required to work because it is a public holiday, are entitled to be paid for that day. If a part time employee is required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023, public holiday pay rates will apply. See the Restaurant, Tearoom and Catering Workers WA Award summary for public holiday pay rates.
If a part time employee would not normally be required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023, there are no additional public holiday entitlements.
Casual employees who are required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023 must be paid at public holiday rates.
Public holiday pay rates for casual employees are listed in the Restaurant, Tearoom and Catering Workers WA Award summary.
Full time employees who would normally be required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023 but who are not required to work because it is a public holiday, are entitled to be paid for that day. If a full time employee is required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023, public holiday pay rates will apply. See the Hairdressers WA Award summary for public holiday pay rates.
If Thursday 26 January 2023 falls on a full time employee’s non-working day (referred to as a ‘rostered day off’), then the rostered day off is to be taken on the employee’s next following working day, or by mutual agreement, another day within the same week.
Alternatively, the award allows the employer and employee to agree on the employee accumulating up to five rostered days off in any given year, which may be taken at a mutually agreed time.
Example
Nathan is a full time hairdresser and works Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday each week (9.5 hours per day).
In 2023, the Australia Day public holiday falls on Thursday 26 January. As Thursday is a non-working day for Nathan (i.e. a rostered day off), Nathan is entitled to another paid day off on his next working day, which is Friday 27 January 2023. Alternatively, Nathan and his employer may agree the paid day off be taken on another day that week, or another mutually convenient time.
Part time employees who would normally be required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023 but who are not required to work because it is a public holiday, are entitled to be paid for that day. If a part time employee is required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023, public holiday pay rates will apply. See the Hairdressers WA Award summary for public holiday pay rates.
If a part time employee would not normally be required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023, there are no additional public holiday entitlements.
Casual employees who are required to work on Thursday 26 January 2023 must be paid at public holiday rates.
Public holiday pay rates for casual employees are listed in the Hairdressers WA Award summary.
Last modified: