Tasmanian Labor leader Josh Willie will table legislation to make Easter Sunday a public holiday when parliament returns, a move he says would deliver cost of living relief to thousands of workers.
Willie made the announcement on Sunday alongside Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association Tasmania secretary Joel Tynan and union members at Northgate Shopping Centre in Glenorchy.
Tasmania is the only state in Australia that does not recognise Easter Sunday as a public holiday.
“After 12 years of Liberal waste and inaction on this issue, it’s time for us to step up,” Willie said.
“This is cost of living relief for workers, thousands of workers across Tasmania.”
Labor will attempt to legislate the change from opposition in the minority parliament.
Tynan said Tasmanian workers received fewer public holidays than any other jurisdiction in the country.
“Some workers in Tasmania will only receive 10 public holidays this year,” he said.
“The next lowest jurisdiction is 13 public holidays in 2026 in New South Wales.”
He said the gap was the result of years of government inaction.
“It should not be where you live in this country determines whether you get Easter Sunday to spend with your family and friends,” Tynan said.
He said the SDA had already won Easter Sunday as a public holiday in some enterprise bargaining agreements with employers who saw it as a “common-sense reform”.
Katrina Barr, a Big W worker and SDA member, said she had worked regular Sundays for around 13 years and routinely missed Easter with her family.
“You’ve got to explain to the little ones why the Easter Bunny comes early, comes on a Saturday instead of a Sunday,” she said.
“It’s really difficult when it should be a family time. And I’m made to work but I’m not given those penalty rates that you should be entitled to.”
Willie said if Labor formed government it would review public holidays more broadly to bring Tasmania in line with other states.
But the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry pushed back against the proposal, saying it was not the right time for an additional public holiday.
“With businesses of all shapes and sizes already struggling with the rising cost of fuel, it is not the time to put further pressure on business with an additional public holiday over Easter,” TCCI acting CEO Colleen Reardon said.
“Businesses have already indicated to the TCCI that they would not be in a position to trade if Easter Sunday was a public holiday.”
Reardon said there were already two public holidays over Easter and adding a third would likely force some businesses to close rather than absorb the additional costs.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said Tasmanian businesses “cannot afford” such a change.
“While I understand Tasmanians might want it I don’t believe that small businesses can afford it,” he said.
