The ACT government has declared anzac day a public holiday after union pressure, reversing an earlier plan that would have left the territory the only jurisdiction not to mark April 25 when it falls on a weekend.
What prompted the reversal?
Industrial Relations Minister Michael Pettersson announced the reversal after meeting with shopkeeper union delegates. Michael Pettersson said, “This decision reflects the realities of our shared regional workforce and the feedback we’ve received from stakeholders. ” The announcement follows pressure from the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (NSW/ACT branch), whose branch secretary Bernie Smith said not declaring April 25 a public holiday was disrespectful to veterans and meant staff could not reasonably refuse to work to attend commemorative events.
Why Anzac Day was controversial in the ACT?
The ACT was set to be the only state or territory not to mark Saturday, April 25 as a public holiday this year because the day falls on a weekend. That position created a practical contradiction for a jurisdiction that shares borders and labour markets with New South Wales. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said alignment with NSW was important, noting that “the ACT is uniquely positioned within NSW, with many families living on one side of the border and working or studying on the other. ” The government’s reversal—declaring both Saturday and Monday as public holidays—was framed as providing “clear, straightforward arrangements” and removing cross-border confusion.
Who is affected and what now?
The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association argued the original plan disadvantaged workers, pointing out that many shops traditionally do not open until after commemorative marches and therefore would not receive penalty rates despite reduced hours. Bernie Smith noted the ACT had previously kept Anzac Day as a public holiday on weekends in other recent years. While RSL ACT did not take a position on whether the day should be a public holiday, media officer John King encouraged people to commemorate the day on April 25 and said the assumption from government had been that employers would allow veterans time off to attend marches. Soldier On chief executive officer Paul Singer emphasized the importance of people observing the day in ways that are meaningful to them, whether on the day, a moment of reflection, or another time.
Verified facts: The ACT government declared Anzac Day a public holiday; Michael Pettersson announced the reversal after union meetings; Andrew Barr said alignment with New South Wales and cross-border clarity motivated the change; the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association and its NSW/ACT branch secretary Bernie Smith publicly opposed the original plan; RSL ACT and Soldier On offered distinct views on commemoration and access to observance.
Analysis: The reversal illustrates a tension between operational scheduling and ceremonial recognition in a jurisdiction with an integrated cross-border labour market. Union pressure highlighted a practical obligation: workers who are veterans or wish to attend memorials may face barriers if a public holiday is not declared, particularly when retail trading patterns and penalty-rate arrangements intersect with commemorative timetables. The government’s decision to declare both the weekend day and the following Monday as public holidays is presented as a compromise to remove ambiguity for employers, employees and families who live and work across the ACT–New South Wales border.
Moving forward, the sequence of events underscores the need for transparent decision-making processes that surface how trading hours, industrial arrangements and commemorative practices interact. The reversal sets a precedent for how the ACT will address similar scheduling conflicts and raises questions about how stakeholders will be consulted in advance to avoid last-minute policy shifts that affect workplaces and community commemorations of anzac day.
