This year, Australia Day falls on a Saturday (26 January) and the public holiday has been prescribed for Monday (28 January).
This means for the vast majority of SDA members, work on Monday January 28 – not Saturday January 26 – will be voluntary. If you choose to work on Monday, you should receive public holiday penalty rates for all hours worked.
This means for many workers who work Saturday and not Monday they miss out on their penalty rates or a paid day off.
The SDA believes it is completely unfair that workers who work on Australia Day will miss out on valuable time with their family and friends AND public holiday penalty rates just because it falls on a Saturday.
We believe both days should be recognised as public holidays.
To find out what your rights are on both days, check your Enterprise Agreement or Award here or call the SDA on 8139 1000.”