The December long weekend is 25–28 December, in every state and territory.

The dates line up and the reasons do not

25–28 December is a long weekend in ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC, WA — but for 3 different reasons: ACT for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Additional public holiday for Boxing Day; NSW for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Additional public holiday for Boxing Day; NT for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Additional public holiday for Boxing Day; QLD for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Additional public holiday for Boxing Day; SA for Christmas Day, Proclamation Day holiday and Additional public holiday for Proclamation Day; TAS for Christmas Day and Boxing Day holiday; VIC for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Additional public holiday for Boxing Day; WA for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Additional public holiday for Boxing Day.

It matters more than a trivia note. A national employer running one roster across those states is covering different public holidays on the same calendar days, and the penalty rates follow the holiday, not the date.

Measured from the gazetted dates, not from the holiday's name

A long weekend here means three or more days in a row with no working day in the middle — a weekend plus at least one public holiday touching it. It is computed from each jurisdiction's own list rather than assumed, which matters because a public holiday landing on a Saturday does not make one by itself.

Anzac Day 2026 is the case in point. It falls on a Saturday everywhere, and only New South Wales and Western Australia get a long weekend out of it — because only those two add a Monday. The same holiday, the same weekend, and six states and territories go back to work on the Monday.

This models a standard Monday-to-Friday week, which is not everyone's, and it counts only whole-day public holidays: an evening part-day holiday does not extend a weekend. Every date traces to the Act named on the jurisdiction's own page.