Update:We've won Christmas day as a public holiday.
This year, Christmas Day falls on a Sunday.
In Victoria, the Christmas Day public holiday substitutes to Tuesday 27 December 2016.
Monday 26 December 2016 (Boxing Day) is a public holiday and Tuesday 27 December 2016 is a public holiday.
Sunday 25 December 2016 is a day on which most shops are required to close, but it is not a public holiday in Victoria.
In every other State and Territory of Australia, all three days are public holidays — 25, 26 and 27 December.
Some SDA members will be working on Christmas Day (25 December) in Woolworths Petrol and Coles Express and other sites.
The SDA does not think it is fair if members do not receive public holiday penalty rates on Christmas Day.
The SDA has lobbied the State Government to make Christmas Day 2016 a public holiday in Victoria, like it is in the other States and Territories of Australia.
At the time of writing this article, we are awaiting a decision by the State Government.
NEW YEAR’S DAY
One week later, New Year’s Day (1 January 2017) falls on a Sunday.
The good news is that this problem is fixed for New Year’s Day. Both Sunday 1 January 2017 and Monday 2 January 2017 are public holidays in Victoria and public holiday penalty rates apply on both days.