Labour Day is a holiday celebrated in many countries of the world. It emerged during the 19th and 20th centuries with the labour union and eight-hour-day movements as a means to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers.

Australia

On 21 April, 1856, stonemasons and workers on construction sites around Melbourne stopped work and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight hour day. Their direct action protest was a success, and they are noted as the first organized workers in the world to achieve an eight hour day with no loss of pay.

The five-day 40-hour week was achieved almost a century later in 1948. Labour Day marches are held throughout the country in celebration of organised labour's achievements on behalf of the worker.

The official Labour Day public holiday in Australia  is determined by various states and territory governments, and so varies considerably. It is celebrated on the first Monday in October in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and South Australia. In both Victoria and Tasmania, it is the second Monday in March (though the latter calls it Eight Hours Day.

In Western Australia, Labour Day is the first Monday in March. In both Queensland and the Northern Territory, it is the first Monday in May.

New Zealand

In New Zealand, Labour Day is a national public holiday marked on the fourth Monday in October.

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