WA gets two new public holidays, but not everyone is celebrating

After months of consultation, the state government has finally revealed WA’s new-look public holiday calendar, including two new additional days off a year and changes to three existing dates.

But not everyone is celebrating, with concerns struggling business owners could be hit with a sharp wage bill increase, while small businesses in particular faced a tough choice.

In the major shakeup, WA Day, currently in June and often dampened by wet weather, will be moved to the second Monday in November.

In its place, the King’s Birthday public holiday will be moved from late September to the second Monday in June, to better align with other states.

And Labour Day, currently on the first Monday in March, will shift to the second Monday of the same month, and in election years, it will be the third Monday to avoid voting falling over a long weekend.

A new weekday public holiday, to be known as Show Day, will be added to the calendar for the first Monday of the Term 3 school holidays (September and October), to align with the Perth Royal Show.

The second additional public holiday will be Easter Saturday, which also brings WA in line with most other states, which already have the day as an official holiday, as well as Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

Premier Roger Cook said the changes were about “modernising” WA’s public holiday calendar and creating a schedule that “better matches the rhythm of life in WA”.

“And by realigning three existing ones, we are supporting productivity and economic activity across the state,” he said.

“Striking the right balance was essential, and I believe this new schedule ensures our economy remains the strongest in the nation, while workers get the break they deserve.”

WA currently has the lowest number of public holidays per year at 11, while Victoria has 13 and the Northern Territory has 14.

The changes are expected to be introduced into parliament this week and come into effect from 2028.

Despite Cook saying the overhaul had overwhelming support from the public, the government’s own analysis showed it would require WA employers to fork out an extra $147 million a year in wages.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA chief economist Aaron Morey said the move would “rub salt in the wound” of struggling businesses, while small and family-owned businesses faced a tough choice.

“Do they open on these new public holidays? Or do they close their doors and lose a day of revenue?” he said.

“Base wages have climbed dramatically in the past few years, along with every other cost you can think of, and it’s having a real impact on smaller businesses,” he said.

“Around 10 per cent of hospitality businesses in WA have closed their doors in the year to April.

“The addition of two more public holidays is rubbing salt in the wound for these business
owners.”

Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said he would celebrate the new public holidays “if our hospitals were fixed, if there were no maintenance issues, if ramping wasn’t out of control, and there was no lead in the water at [Perth Children’s Hospital]”.

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