Reconciliation Day 2027

Reconciliation Day is a public holiday in the Australian Capital Territory. It recognises reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians. The day off applies in the ACT only, and no other state or territory observes it as a public holiday. It falls on the Monday on or after 27 May, the anniversary of the 1967 referendum. In 2027 it falls on Monday 31 May.

Shops, schools and work

Reconciliation Day is a full public holiday in the ACT, with no part-day arrangements. ACT Government offices, banks and government schools are closed. Many shops, cafes and supermarkets in Canberra typically open, sometimes with reduced hours. Public transport usually runs to a weekend or holiday timetable. Employees who work on the day may be entitled to penalty rates under their award or agreement. For businesses operating on both sides of the ACT and New South Wales border, the Monday remains a normal working day in NSW. The working days calculator and the ACT public holidays page show how the holiday affects each year.

History

On 27 May 1967 Australians voted in a referendum to change the Constitution. The amendments allowed the Commonwealth to make laws for Aboriginal people and removed the provision that excluded them from population counts. More than 90 per cent of voters supported the change, the highest yes vote recorded at any federal referendum. The date later became the start of National Reconciliation Week, which runs from 27 May to 3 June. The closing date marks the High Court's Mabo decision of 3 June 1992, which recognised native title.

The ACT Government legislated Reconciliation Day as a territory public holiday, replacing Family and Community Day. It was first held on Monday 28 May 2018, making it Australia's first public holiday dedicated to reconciliation. Because it is fixed to the Monday on or after 27 May, the holiday always falls within National Reconciliation Week. It sits alongside the other ACT public holidays under the Holidays Act 1958.

How Australians spend the day

Observance centres on community events in Canberra, many supported by the ACT Government and local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations. Events commonly begin with a traditional welcome ceremony led by Ngunnawal elders, who are recognised as the traditional custodians of the Canberra region. Programs typically include music, dance, art, storytelling and family activities, mostly held outdoors or in public venues. Schools and workplaces often run reconciliation activities in the days around the holiday as part of National Reconciliation Week. Reconciliation Australia sets the week's theme nationally, and it shapes many of the talks, exhibitions and displays held across the territory.

Facts

• Reconciliation Day is a public holiday in the ACT only. Queanbeyan and other nearby New South Wales towns work as normal on the day.
• Under the Monday on or after 27 May rule, the holiday always falls between 27 May and 2 June.
• It was first observed on Monday 28 May 2018, replacing the ACT's earlier Family and Community Day public holiday.
• Elsewhere in Australia, 27 May to 3 June is observed as National Reconciliation Week, a commemoration without a public holiday.