New Holidays for Queenslanders in 2012

As a result of overwhelming support for the Queensland Government’s survey on changing holiday arrangements, changes will be made in 2012 to public holidays and student free days at schools. The changes will start from this Christmas season, and will include:

• An extra public holiday when Christmas, Boxing or New Year’s Day falls on a weekend;

• The Queen’s birthday holiday will be moved from June to the first Monday in October due to the majority of public holidays being clustered in the first half of the year.

• To recognise the inconvenience of moving community and sporting events planned for the June long weekend in 2012, a one-off Queen’s Diamond Jubilee holiday will be celebrated on the June long weekend in 2012. Therefore, for the 2012 calendar year there will be one extra public holiday – normal June Queen’s Birthday public holiday and the new Queen’s Birthday public holiday in October. However, for businesses working on a financial year calendar, the number of public holidays for the 2011/2012 financial year and the 2012/2013 financial year will be the same.

• Student free days will not be spread across school terms. Instead, three student free days will be shifted to create a two-week break at Easter. Premier Bligh considers this will make it easier for families to plan a holiday; will keep the length of school terms more consistent and ease disruption for families caused by student free days.

KEY POINT: Employers need to be sure they provide the additional public holidays to employees where they would normally work on that day of the week. With both Christmas Day and New Years Day falling on a Sunday this year the additional public holidays will be Tuesday, 27 December 2011 for Christmas Day and Monday, 2 January 2012 for New Years Day. If an employee is required to work on these days, they will be entitled to public holiday rates of pay if covered by an award.