As the Malinauskas Government moves to make Christmas Day a public holiday, South Australians are also being invited to have their say on what they think of public holidays with a new Your Say survey launching today.

The government is committed to making Christmas Day a public holiday regardless of which day of the week it falls on.

Currently, when a public holiday falls on a Saturday, the holiday moves to the following Monday. This has led to some workers not being paid public holiday rates when rostered on to work on Christmas Day, 25 December.

Under the proposed changes, where 25 December falls on a Saturday, both the Saturday and the Monday will become public holidays, as is already the case when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday.

The month-long Your Say survey will give South Australians the chance to suggest changes they would like to see made to the Holidays Act 1910.

There are currently 13 public holidays each year in South Australia including part-day public holidays.

The Holidays Act has not been amended since the introduction of Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve as part-day holidays in 2012.

Feedback from the confidential Your Say survey will help shape the government’s approach to amendments to the Holidays Act regarding public holidays in South Australia. Draft legislation will then be released before introduction to Parliament.

It does not regulate shop trading hours or the penalty rates workers are entitled to receive for working on public holidays. These are dealt with under separate pieces of legislation which do not form part of this consultation.

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Attributable to Kyam Maher

The Labor Government is committed to protecting the rights of South Australian workers. Our legislation will ensure we avoid the unfair situation experienced under the former Liberal government when many workers did not receive penalty rates for working on Christmas Day in 2021.

This survey is also a chance for everyone to express their views on public holidays in South Australia going forward.

This provides the public the opportunity to have their say on what they think of public holidays and changes they would like to see.