Anzac Day falls on a Saturday next year which means most of us won’t get a day off work.
Most states and territories have ruled there will be no “extra” public holiday to commemorate the day.
Often, but not always, when a public holiday falls on a weekend, a public holiday is granted on a Monday.
Next year, Boxing Day falls on a Saturday and so the next Monday will be a public holiday.
But Anzac Day is a little bit different.
Victoria is the latest state to rule there will be no extra public holiday for Anzac Day in 2015.
“The purpose of Anzac Day is to respect, commemorate and remember the brave soldiers who sacrificed so much for our freedoms,’’ a spokeswoman for Victorian small business minister Russell Northe told Fairfax.
“It is not about getting a day off and taking for granted the liberties our soldiers fought so bravely to protect.”
Western Australia is the only state that will get a day off on Monday, April 27.
Backlash has already started from commentators at this “lost” public holiday but I’m finding it hard to get enraged.
The driving force behind having a public holiday on Anzac Day was so that veterans and the public could attend remembrance services and commemorate the day.
No “extra” public holiday is needed to commemorate Anzac Day on a Saturday.
As is usual on Anzac Day, there will be restrictions on trading in the morning.
In a society of seven-day-a-week trading it is more important to have restricted hours on the day the public holiday actually falls on.
It’s a sad indictment on society if we feel we are all owed a day off for Anzac Day.
Cara Waters is a former SmartCompany editor. Previously, Cara was a senior reporter for the Financial Times’ website and worked for The Sunday Times in London.
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