18 December 2019

Canberrans to be given an extra day off in 2020

| Dominic Giannini
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Poppies at the AWM

ACT residents will have an extra day off to mark Anzac Day in 2020. Photo: Jack Mohr.

The ACT Government has announced that Territorians will have an extra public holiday in 2020 on the Monday following Anzac Day, which falls on a Saturday next year.

The new public holiday will be in addition to the Anzac Day holiday on Saturday, 25 April, bringing the ACT in line with Western Australia, which will also observe Monday as an extra day off.

Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety Suzanne Orr said the move will allow residents to mark Anzac Day over a long weekend.

“Anzac Day is a historically and culturally significant time for many Canberrans and should be marked as a holiday for everyone,” she said.

“The ACT Government recognises this and is declaring this public holiday to allow Canberrans to reflect, while spending quality time with friends and family.”

Ceremonial events and activities will still be held on the Saturday.

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Why? It’s like the absurd “Trades & Labour Picnic Day” (or whatever it’s called now) designed to give poor hard-working tradies more time with their families ! Once they’ve finished work for the day what do tradies do with the remaining 16 hours?

This undermines and diminishes the significance of Anzac Day. Making a holiday on days before or after Anzac Day changes the perception of 25 April as a special day of reflection and turns in into just another day off. But should it surprise us that the ACT government is hostile to the concept of Anzac Day?

Capital Retro6:34 pm 07 Dec 19

There will be more reflection from the bottom of a beer glass than reflection of a spritual kind.

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