States Split on King's Birthday Public Holiday, Six Get 8 June Off — Kings Birthday Public Holiday

Australians in most states and territories will get the kings birthday public holiday on Monday, 8 June. Queensland and most of Western Australia will wait until later in the year for their long weekends.

The ACT, New South Wales, the Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria will all have the day off. In Queensland, the first Monday of October falls on 5 October this year, while most of Western Australia marks the holiday on 28 September.

Queensland's 5 October date

Queensland moved the public holiday in 2015 so public holidays would be better spread out through the year. That leaves the state on a different schedule from the six jurisdictions taking the 8 June break.

King Charles III is the monarch whose birthday is marked by the holiday. The public holiday was renamed after Queen Elizabeth II's death, but the dates stayed the same.

Western Australia's later holiday

Most of Western Australia keeps the holiday later in the year to coincide with the Perth Royal Show and to avoid another June public holiday. The City of Karratha and town of Port Hedland will observe it on 3 August because of local event timing.

That split means holiday plans depend on where people live. A worker in Sydney, Hobart or Adelaide gets the break on 8 June, while someone in Brisbane waits until October and most Western Australians wait until late September.

Trooping the Colour on 13 June

King Charles III was born on 14 November 1948, and Queen Elizabeth II was born on 21 April 1926. In the UK, the monarch's birthday has traditionally been celebrated in June or sometimes May for better weather, and this year's parade will be held on 13 June.

For Australians, the practical point is simple: the long weekend arrives now for most of the country, but not for Queensland or Western Australia.