{"id":105843,"date":"2025-09-15T19:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T09:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/?p=105843"},"modified":"2025-09-15T19:52:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T09:52:12","slug":"wa-holiday-calendar-two-new-public-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wa-holiday-calendar-two-new-public-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"WA Holiday Calendar Overhaul: Two New Public Holidays Confirmed from 2028"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From 2028, West Australians will benefit from 13 annual public holidays under sweeping reforms announced by Premier Roger Cook<\/a>. The changes include Easter Saturday and a new \u2018Show Day\u2019, while three existing holidays will be shifted to better align with the national calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Western Australian Government has announced a major reshaping of the State\u2019s public holiday schedule, marking the first significant update in decades. The reforms are aimed at modernising the calendar, balancing the needs of workers and businesses, and improving alignment with other Australian states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The announcement follows extensive consultation with community and business groups, with more than 10,000 submissions taken into account, according to Cabinet secretary Daniel Pastorelli<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two Extra Days off Confirmed for All WA Workers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Under the changes, Western Australia\u2019s total number of annual public holidays will rise from 11 to 13<\/strong>, starting from 2028. Easter Saturday<\/em><\/strong> will be recognised as a public holiday\u2014bringing WA in line with every other state and territory except Tasmania. A new weekday holiday <\/a>known as Show Day<\/em><\/strong> will also be introduced, set to fall on the first Monday of the September\u2013October school holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Premier Roger Cook<\/em>, the changes are a response to what he described as \u201coverwhelming\u201d public support and part of efforts to \u201cstrike the right balance\u201d between economic productivity and employee wellbeing. \u201cThis is a win for families and for business,\u201d he said, as reported by The Sunday Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The amendments will be formalised through the Public and Bank Holidays Amendment Bill 2025<\/strong>, expected to be introduced into the WA Parliament this week. The State Government stated that the reforms were shaped by broad consultation across unions, businesses, community groups, and industry bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, business leaders have expressed strong opposition. Aaron Morey<\/em><\/a>, acting co-CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA, said last month: \u201cWA businesses can\u2019t afford another two days where they\u2019re paying someone $65 an hour to wash dishes.\u201d The Tourism Council of WA<\/em> and the Australian Hotels Association WA<\/em> have also voiced concerns about the financial impact on small enterprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Holiday Shifts to Better Align with Eastern States<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As well as adding new holidays, the Government is restructuring the timing of three existing public holidays. The King\u2019s Birthday<\/strong> will move from late September to the second Monday in June, and WA Day<\/strong> will shift from June to November\u2014just ahead of the pre-Christmas period. Labour Day<\/strong> will also be moved to the second Monday in March, except in election years when it will be held on the third Monday to avoid overlap with polling days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Premier said these changes are intended to simplify business operations with other Australian states, enhancing economic coordination and reducing disruption. \u201cWe want WA\u2019s economy to remain the strongest in the nation,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel Pastorelli<\/em> <\/a>added that spreading holidays more evenly throughout the year would support both work-life balance and economic activity: \u201cMoving WA Day to November will only enhance the celebrations of our great state.\u201d The reforms are set to come into effect from 1 January 2028.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Western Australians will soon enjoy a revamped public holiday calendar, with more time off and some surprising changes to key dates. A long-awaited update is finally locked in, but not everyone is celebrating. Business groups are warning of rising costs, while the State Government promises better balance and national alignment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":105845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105843"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105846,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105843\/revisions\/105846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}