With a few public holidays coming up this summer, know what you’re entitled to as a nurse or midwife. 

The public holidays this summer are Christmas Day (Thursday, 25 December 2025), Boxing Day (Friday, 26 December 2025), New Year’s Day (Thursday, 1 January 2026), and Invasion Day (Monday, 26 January 2026). 

PUBLIC SECTOR 

In the NSW Public Health System, entitlements for public holidays are set out in the Public Health System Nurses and Midwives’ (State) Award 2023 and depend upon your employment status and how you are rostered. The below table sets out a summary of the entitlements:

*usually required to work when rostered on 

^see explanation under Full-time: Seven-day basis 

In each case, the public holiday rates are in substitution for any shift penalties that would normally have been paid, i.e. you are entitled to receive the higher of the two penalties, but not both. 

In relation to full time employees who don’t work on a seven-day basis, a day worker is defined as working their ordinary hours from Monday to Friday inclusive and who commences work on or after 6AM and before 10AM each day. A shift worker is defined as not a day worker. 

In relation to permanent part time employees, the award states at Clause 29. PART I(v) that when a public holiday falls on a day of the week that you regularly work on, and you are not required to work on that day, you are entitled to have that public holiday off without loss of pay, i.e. to be paid at your base rate of pay for the day while being ‘rostered on but not required’. Your employer cannot change the roster to avoid paying you for the public holiday. 

Nurses and midwives working in the public health sector also have 31 December 2025 as an Additional Public Holiday  

(NOTE: This Additional Public Holiday does not apply to NSWNMA union members working at Broken Hill Hospital, who will have had 1 September 2025 as their Additional Public Holiday this year, and will have 1 September 2026 as their Additional Public Holiday for 2026). 

You can find out more on the Public Holidays Know Your Rights fact sheet. 

PRIVATE SECTOR 

In the private health system, public holiday entitlements will vary from employer to employer, including when the Additional Public Holiday falls. Check your agreement or ask your employer.  

If you have any questions about your public holiday entitlements, or if there is an issue with your public holiday pay, please consider contacting your workplace payroll department and notify your manager in the first instance.  

As your union representatives, the NSWNMA can assist you if your employer refuses to resolve your pay issue.  

Should you require further advice about your public holiday entitlements please do not hesitate to contact us in any of the following ways (please include your name, membership number, and a brief description of your enquiry): 

• By submitting an enquiry on Member Central 
• By logging an enquiry on the NSWNMA Mobile App 
• By sending an email to issues@nswnma.asn.au 
• By calling your union on 02 8595 1234 (Sydney Metro), 1300 367 962 (Regional/Rural NSW or Interstate), OR +61 2 8595 1234 (Overseas). 

To understand the benefits of being a NSWNMA union member or to join your union, please visit this page.