
Melbourne Cup Day: The Public Holiday That Doesn't Land on the Same Day Everywhere
Melbourne Cup Day is statewide by default, yet many regional councils move it to a different local show day.

Comprehensive guides covering Australia's complex public holiday system, regional show days, substitute day rules, and how to calculate working days across different states.

Melbourne Cup Day is statewide by default, yet many regional councils move it to a different local show day.

Australia has only seven nationally consistent public holidays. Everything else varies by state—and some variations are genuinely surprising.

Substitute day rules are one of the most misunderstood parts of Australian public holiday law. Get them wrong and you've miscounted your deadline by a day.

Regional show days are legitimate public holidays with the same legal status as Christmas or Anzac Day. But they're easy to miss.

Part-day public holidays create genuine confusion for working day calculations and deadline interpretation.

A payment claim served one day late can be worth zero. SOPA deadlines are strict, vary by state, and are packed with traps.

Anzac Day and Boxing Day fall on Saturdays in 2026, which creates substitute-day chaos across multiple states.

Clear days, business days, and court days are not the same thing. The Federal Court counts differently from state courts.

It is 21 calendar days, not business days. Miss it by one day and your application is usually out.

Easter Saturday is a public holiday in most states, but not WA or Tasmania, which creates payroll and deadline traps.