‘Australia's National Day of Mourning’: Big bill for the snap public holiday

An unexpected snap public holiday has left some parents, schools, essential workers and businesses scrambling On the 22nd of September, employers will either close their doors for a national public holiday to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth the second - or stay open and pay higher wages to employees. The prime minister has defended the announcement amid criticism from business and industry leaders.

Events like this one at the 2019 AFL Grand Final Event are going to cost a lot more Source: Supplied

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese left Australians in little doubt about his feelings on the National Day of Mourning for Queen Elizabeth the Second on the 22nd of September.

However, not everyone is happy about the placement of the day itself. With Melbourne in the middle of AFL Grand Final Week, the day allocated to mourning the Queen comes just a day before the Victorian public holiday on Friday the 23rd.

Bruce Keebaugh is the Founder of The Big Group - a company involved in staging Grand Final events at multiple venues in the lead-up to the AFL 's biggest game.

Mr. Keebaugh says it couldn't have come at a worse time for his company.

Some economists - including Stephen Koukoulas - predict the day of mourning will cost the Australian economy around $1.5 billion dollars. And he says that doesn't include the associated penalty payments.

Some business owners such as Bruce Keebaugh says it's time to consider giving greater choice to employees as to what public holidays they take part in.