January carries two fixed public holidays: New Year's Day on 1 January and Australia Day on 26 January. Both are observed nationally, though several states shift the public holiday to the following Monday when either date lands on a weekend, a rule also applied to Christmas and Boxing Day later in 2028. The rest of January runs without a further national public holiday. New Year's Day and Australia Day are the only two fixed public holidays that fall within the month.
The working-day count for January 2028 subtracts weekends and the two fixed public holidays, New Year's Day and Australia Day, from the 31 days on the calendar. Where either date shifts to a Monday under a state's substitute-holiday rule, the working-day total for that state drops by one compared with a state that does not apply the same rule. Bushfire risk in the south and cyclone risk in the north both remain at their seasonal peak throughout the month.
The transition from January into February brings school terms back into session nationwide and ends the run of long summer holidays that January 2028 carried in full. The Australian Open and the Big Bash cricket season both wrap up in the same window, closing out the summer sporting calendar until the football codes open the following month. January sits seven months into the financial year that began the previous July as well.