Key Changes - Public Holidays Act 2023

 

The Public Holidays Act 2023 replacing the Holidays Act 1910 came into effect on 1 January 2024.

 

The key changes to the Act include:

 

• When Christmas Day falls on a Saturday, both the Saturday and the following Monday will be public holidays. Previously only the following Monday would have been a public holiday, meaning the actual Christmas Day was not and some workers did not receive public holiday rates when rostered to work on Christmas Day.

 

• Easter Sunday has now been declared a public holiday, aligning South Australia with all states and territories.

 

The legislation also establishes a consistent approach for public holidays that fall on weekends, providing clarity and aligning with industrial relations laws. These changes will result in an average of 1.1 additional public holidays per year over the next decade in South Australia. It is important to note that this legislation does not address shop trading hours or penalty rates for working on public holidays, which are regulated separately.