What do I pay my employees for working Australia Day?
Australia Day is the first public holiday of the new year. It’s a time for Australians to celebrate what they love about their country. Many Australians go camping in the outback, in rainforests or to the beach for the weekend. Others take time out to catch up with family and friends by having a barbecue or other shared meal. Australia’s culture is diverse and the celebrations include the diversity and celebrations of each of these cultures. For most Australians, they’ve returned to work after the Christmas and New Year festivities. The short week at the end of January extends the holiday season for a little longer. It heralds the return to school for most young Australians.
As an employer, how do I pay my employees for working Australia Day?
Most employees throughout Australia take Australia Day as a paid holiday at their base pay rates for the normal hours they would normally have worked, however there are those sectors of the community that may have to work on Australia Day. Most employees will get extra pay for working on a public holiday.
The conditions of working on public holidays can vary from award to award, and can become complex, so go here to find your employees’ entitlements if they are working on Australia Day: Working on public holidays - Fair Work Ombudsman
It’s important to get this right for your employees. When an employee works on a public holiday there are several ways of handling it:
the employee is paid extra, usually at public holiday rates. (See your award, using the link above).
the employee can take an extra day off or have an extra day added to their annual leave.
there are minimum shift lengths that must be considered before asking an employee to work on a public holiday.
you and your employee can agree to substitute Australia Day public holiday for another day off.
Take time to reflect on Australia Day and what it means for you this week. For me, Australia is an amazing country with amazing talented people in all walks of life.
Covid-19 and the bush fires of 2020 taught me Australians are generous and compassionate people.