The National Retail Association (NRA) has praised the Queensland government’s decision to change the Labour Day holiday until 2016.
It is believed that the move will provide welcome certainty for businesses.
The announcement made yesterday will see Labour Day moved to the first Monday in May, while the Queen’s birthday will be shifted to the first Monday in October.
NRA CEO Trevor Evans has spoken out and said that whilst the government was initially meant to reinstate the holiday in May, their decision to halt was a sensible one.
“The NRA had two concerns about changing this holiday. Firstly we were concerned that it would be additional to – rather than in place of – the October holiday, as happened under the Bligh Government. Secondly, we were worried about the impact on business that would have been caused by a sudden change to the gazetted public holidays. Many businesses will have already issued their rosters for May, and would have been forced to reassess their arrangements.
Evans has urged state and federal governments to consider the impact that snap decisions could have on retail and small businesses.
“All governments need to remember that businesses thrive in an environment of certainty and stability. This is the most important factor for growth, prosperity and creating more jobs.”