Christmas Day to be a Public Holiday in Victoria

If you are an employee in Victoria, find out how it impacts you!

Source: giphy

Victorian Government has announced Christmas Day this year as a public holiday after a long debate.

This means those people who will be working on Christmas this year, will be paid penalty rates.

Until now, every time Christmas Day fell on a weekend, the public holiday was substituted to the next available weekday.

This year, Victoria will observe Sunday 25 December as a public holiday in addition to the public holiday set to be observed on Tuesday 27 December.

Source: Public Domain

The move will align Victoria with other states and also other public holidays – such as ANZAC Day and Australia Day, which are observed on the date they fall.

While trading restrictions apply to businesses on Christmas Day, Sunday 25 December, trading restrictions will not apply to the substituted holiday on Tuesday 27 December 2016.

Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade Philip Dalidakis said, “I’ve had time to consider how the existing arrangements unfairly affect those Victorians required to work on Christmas Day when it falls on a weekend – that’s why I’m making this change.”