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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-11-23 Daily Xml
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CHRISTMAS DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:52): Unfortunately, Mr President, the Hon. Ms Zollo asked a question on the exact same topic that I was going to raise. Nonetheless, I will tailor it slightly differently. I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Industrial Relations a question regarding the Christmas Day public holiday.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: I think we would all acknowledge that Christmas Day is a special day. Whether one has religious beliefs or not, it is a day when families get together, and I think that if you have young kids it is certainly a very special day, and that applies also to private sector workers. I ask the minister why he has decided not to declare Christmas Day a specific public holiday on the Saturday this time because, whilst provisions have been made for public sector workers, it seems that private sector workers may miss out in this case.

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister Assisting the Premier in Public Sector Management) (14:53): As I said, what the editorial in The Advertiser was arguing was that we should transfer the holiday from the Monday to the Saturday. The vast majority will not be working on Christmas Day. The only ones who will are particularly those in emergency services. As I say, for private sector workers in the retail sector, the government will ensure that there is no shopping on Christmas Day. Indeed, retail workers will get a three-day break, including a break on Christmas Eve, so that they will have the opportunity to be with their families.

There will be a few private sector workers in traditional seven-day industries, such as health and hospitality, who will be working. They are covered generally by particular awards and, of course, the government is quite happy to look at those issues in the future. I would not expect that any more people than necessary would be working on Christmas Day. Obviously, the bare minimum of people will be working on Christmas Day, certainly within the Public Service. I am informed that about 2,000 people worked the last time Christmas Day fell on a Saturday, and that was restricted to essential services, such as nurses in hospitals, doctors, police, correctional services staff, and the like.

Generally speaking, we seek within the Public Service to ensure that those arrangements are as voluntary as it is possible for them to be. In relation to the hospitality industry, as well as the health sector and the private sector, there are provisions that apply. Of course, we are going through a process now of going towards modern awards, and in most of those industry awards Christmas Day provisions will be specifically mentioned.

I think that Christmas Day next year will fall on a Sunday, so I think it would be appropriate, through the ministerial council on workplace relations, that we try to ensure that the arrangements provide the best possible outcome for any private sector workers who may miss out. I do not expect that more workers than are absolutely necessary will be required to work on Christmas Day; it is a traditional time for people to be with their family. What we have done in this state is ensure that those workers who are most affected by the Christmas break, retail workers being the largest number, will be given, under the shopping hours arrangements, the maximum time with their families.

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