Electorate Office Address
1 Paradise Ave,
Miami QLD 4220
2 Nov 2012 1:28 PMMichael Hart
Burleigh workers will have a well-earned break in the second half of the year with the Labour Day holiday to move to the first Monday in October from 2013.
The amendments to the Holidays Act 1983 were passed in Parliament on 30 October.
Burleigh MP Michael Hart said the change would break up the concentration of holidays in the April-May period.
“The former Labor Government amended legislation to move the Queen’s Birthday holiday to October, but that meant we were out of sync with the rest of Australia,” Mr Hart said.
“The Queen’s Birthday holiday will now be consistent with all other states and territories with the exception of Western Australia.
“We had two public holidays at Easter as well as ANZAC Day and Labour Day all in a relatively short timeframe, so it made sense to break them up.”
A review of the 2011 amendment to the Holiday Act 1983 showed strong community support to move Labour Day as opposed to the Queen’s Birthday public holiday.
The move was also supported by The Courier Mail survey earlier this year where more than 70 per cent of voters wanted the Labour Day holiday moved.
Mr Hart said the move would benefit local tourism operators that rely on the Queen’s Birthday holiday for a boost during the quieter winter months.
“Also, the impact on businesses payroll expenses will be minimised as we have not added another public holiday, but simply moved the date when we observe Labour Day.”
