News and Media
Why do states and territories have different school holidays?
Article source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-06/why-do-school-holidays-differ-by-state-territory/105131840
Like many families, we pack up the kids every Easter and head away to enjoy the school holidays and cooler autumn weather.
Good Friday marks the start of our annual week-long holiday. This usually works perfectly, being the start or middle of Queensland school holidays, except for this year.
In 2025 it falls on the final weekend of school holidays in both Queensland and Victoria, a move that’s been dubbed “a bit strange” by some tourism providers and parents alike.In New South Wales, the ACT, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia, the Easter long weekend will be part-way through their school holidays.
While kids in the Northern Territory will already be back in the classroom before Easter after a one-week break.
So why do school holidays differ in states and territories? And what challenges does it create?
Why school holidays aren’t the same
Each state and territory education department is responsible for its holidays “because they’re all responsible for their own education”, according to Dr Rebecca English.
She’s a former teacher and education researcher at the Queensland University of Technology on Turrbal and Yugara lands.”The curriculum (except for NSW who do their own thing) is set at national level through the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority,” she says.
“But each state is responsible, through various mechanisms, for implementing the curriculum.
“So, they can modify and alter things … and holidays seem to be a natural extension of that.
We asked each state and territory education department how they decide the dates for school terms and holidays.
There were some commonalities.
- They all set the dates three to five years in advance.
- They all consult with other sectors, such as Catholic education, independent schools and, where possible, other Australian jurisdictions.
- And they try to have consistent term lengths and examination periods each year.
In Queensland, term dates are set approximately three years ahead.
