A seasonal hiring calendar for Victoria starts with the dates that come back every year: Victorian public holidays, the four school terms and the Christmas to New Year break. Everything below is about Victoria, where the state's Public Holidays Act sets the recurring holidays, and each rule holds in any year.
Take each date, subtract your own fill time and induction time, and put the booking date in the roster. The exact days for the current year sit on two official pages, linked below.
Why a seasonal hiring calendar beats last year's headcount
Last year's headcount records last year's calendar. A holiday that sat on a Monday one year can land on a Tuesday the next, and Easter and the Grand Final Friday sit in different weeks. Starting from the rules shows which weeks hold a long weekend before anyone opens the order history.
A long weekend also takes working days away from the booking: someone has to place the order, and the worker needs an induction before the first shift. The post on public holiday pay planning covers penalty rates, casual loadings and the cost of rostering on those days. This peak season planning calendar covers only when the days fall. For how busy they will be, use your own order and hours data.
Public holiday rules that repeat every year
Victoria's Public Holidays Act sets the recurring days, and Business Victoria's public holiday lists show each one for the current year. Each rule below names the day, not the date, so it holds in any year.
Holidays fixed by a rule
- Labour Day. The second Monday in March.
- King's Birthday. The second Monday in June.
- Melbourne Cup Day. The first Tuesday in November. Business Victoria notes that a non-metropolitan council can arrange a different local day, so regional sites should check with their council.
Holidays tied to Easter, the AFL Grand Final and weekends
- The Easter block. Good Friday, the Saturday before Easter Sunday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday run as one block, and the date of Easter changes each year.
- Friday before the AFL Grand Final. A public holiday whose date follows the Grand Final, so it appears only on the official list for the year.
- ANZAC Day. 25 April. Business Victoria states there is no replacement holiday when it falls on a weekend.
- Australia Day. 26 January, or the Monday after when it falls on a weekend.
- New Year's Day. 1 January, with the following Monday when it falls on a weekend.
- Christmas Day and Boxing Day. 25 December and 26 December, with a substitute Monday or Tuesday added when either falls on a weekend.
Business Victoria also marks Good Friday, ANZAC Day and Christmas Day as restricted trading days, so check what applies to your site before you roster for them.
School terms and the summer break
Victoria has four school terms a year. The Minister for Education approves the dates in five-year blocks, and the vic.gov.au page for school term dates in Victoria lists the current year and several years ahead for government schools and kindergartens.
The long summer break spans Christmas, New Year and most of January. Test each term break against your own records: did absences, availability or orders change in the same weeks last year? If your site handles retail freight, the guide to retail surge warehouse staffing has hiring timelines for back-to-school warehouse demand.
The Christmas to New Year closure window
Which weekdays between Christmas Day and New Year's Day are public holidays depends on the weekday Christmas Day falls on, because the Act adds a substitute Monday or Tuesday when Christmas Day or Boxing Day lands on a weekend. Two examples show the range:
- Christmas Day on a Wednesday. Boxing Day is the Thursday, so both are weekday holidays and the Friday is the first ordinary working day.
- Christmas Day on a Friday. Boxing Day is the Saturday, so the following Monday is added as a holiday and the Tuesday is the first ordinary working day.
Count the working days from the current year's list rather than from last year's roster, then decide for each role whether the site runs, runs short or closes.
Working backwards: when to start each hire
The method has three steps. Take the date. Subtract your own fill time for the role plus the induction time before the first shift. Put the resulting booking date in the roster, with the name of the person who places the order.
Your own fill times come from your own records: how long each role took last time, from order to first shift. Published posts on this site give lead times by sector and role, and they differ, so treat them as examples to compare with your own, not as rules:
- Food manufacturing holiday hiring. The post on starting holiday hiring on time puts the hiring process at six to eight weeks from start to finish.
- Stocktake teams. The guide to end of financial year stocktake teams says to start planning four to six weeks before the target audit date.
- Licensed roles. Check your own records for how long a licensed role took last time, because the licence check adds to the fill time. The post on filling shifts at short notice covers how lead times vary by role.
To see the method run, take the six to eight weeks from the food manufacturing post as an example only. Your own fill time will differ.
- Labour Day. If the crew must be in place by the second Monday in March, hiring starts in mid to late January, during or just after the summer break.
- Melbourne Cup Day. If the crew must be in place by the first Tuesday in November, hiring starts in September.
- Christmas Day. If the crew must be in place by 25 December, hiring starts between late October and mid-November.
If a date arrives before the plan does, tell your provider about the gap as early as you can. Chandler Personnel, a Melbourne-based blue collar specialist, is available 24 hours a day because blue collar staffing changes hour to hour. It supplies warehousing labour hire in Victoria and runs site inductions on behalf of clients, and induction time belongs in your count.
What to check before you lock the plan
- Regional holidays. Melbourne Cup Day can be moved by a non-metropolitan council, so check with the council for any site outside metropolitan Melbourne.
- Award or agreement terms. Check your award or enterprise agreement for how it treats work on a public holiday before you commit to a roster.
- The current-year lists. Open the Business Victoria list, which carries the Grand Final Friday, and the vic.gov.au term page, and mark every date on the roster before you set booking dates.
Related Resources
- Business Victoria public holiday lists
- Victorian school term dates
- Warehousing labour hire in Victoria
- Public holiday pay planning
- Starting holiday hiring on time
- End of financial year stocktake teams
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the recurring public holidays in Victoria each year?
Victoria's recurring public holidays are New Year's Day, Australia Day, Labour Day, the Easter block, ANZAC Day, King's Birthday, the Friday before the AFL Grand Final, Melbourne Cup Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Several follow a rule rather than a fixed date, so use the Business Victoria list for the current year's dates.
How many school terms does Victoria have and who sets the dates?
Victoria has four school terms a year. The Minister for Education approves the term dates in five-year blocks, and the vic.gov.au term dates page publishes them for government schools and kindergartens, covering the current year and the years ahead. The long summer break spans Christmas, New Year and most of January.
How early should I book seasonal staff before a long weekend?
Work back from your own fill time plus induction time for each role, because there is no single figure. Published guides on this site give six to eight weeks for a food manufacturer's holiday hiring process and four to six weeks for stocktake teams. Check your records for what each role took last time.
Is the Friday before the AFL Grand Final a public holiday?
Yes. The Friday before the AFL Grand Final is a public holiday in Victoria under the state's Public Holidays Act. Its date follows the Grand Final, so it changes each year and appears on the Business Victoria public holiday list for that year. Check the list before you set the roster for that week.
Where can I check regional holiday dates?
Business Victoria's public holiday lists show the state days. Melbourne Cup Day can be moved by a non-metropolitan council, so check with the council for any site outside metropolitan Melbourne and add any local day to the roster beside the state list.
Start from the date and count backwards
A seasonal hiring calendar built on rules stays right in any year. Mark each recurring date from the official lists, count back by your own fill time and induction time, and put the booking date in the roster. Sites outside metropolitan Melbourne should check with their council about a local Melbourne Cup Day. When you are ready to staff the new year, you can request staff from Chandler Personnel.
