September 19, 2019
The State Government is pressing ahead with a proposal to make Christmas Eve an official public holiday.
Legislation has been introduced into State Parliament to establish a part-day public holiday for six hours from 6:00pm on Christmas Eve, starting this year.
“The night before Christmas is as important to families as the day itself,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said
“It’s a very special time for family and friends as well as communities and churches to come together.
“Many Queenslanders though, do have to work Christmas Eve and the change would ensure proper compensation for them.”
Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace said the proposal had attracted strong community support during public consultations.
“Of the 1779 submissions received during the public consultation period, 1271 or 71 per cent were in favour of creating the public holiday,” Ms Grace said.
“We received submissions from retail workers, bus drivers, mothers and religious leaders, just to name a few, who wrote of the ever-growing importance of Christmas Eve as a special time for family and friends to come together and celebrate the season and the need to properly compensate those who were required to work.
Christmas Eve is also a part-day public holiday in South Australia and the Northern Territory.
