Row erupts after Liberals try to insert name of ‘Australia Day’ and other days into public holiday legislation

A row has erupted over the wording of public holidays in new legislation, as the opposition accuses the government of leaving open the option to change the date of Australia Day.

The government has been accused of leaving open a change to the date of Australia Day after it refused to spell out the name of the day in new public holiday legislation.

But the government has dismissed the accusation as misinformation, and says its bill instead guarantees the dates of Australia Day and other holidays.

Labor’s Public Holiday bill, which passed this week and adds Easter Sunday as a new public holiday, does not describe public holidays by their traditional names but instead by their dates.

Australia Day is referred to as January 26, Christmas Day as December 25 and Anzac Day as April 25.

Holidays that fall on different days each year, such as Good Friday and Easter Sunday, are referred to by those names.

The opposition attempted to amend the bill to rename Australia Day, Christmas Day and Anzac Day, but the changes were rejected by the government.

Opposition finance and tax reform spokeswoman Heidi Girolamo said it was “suspicious” that the government refused to identify January 26 as Australia Day.

“Labor’s legislation gives Peter Malinauskas the authority to move Australia Day from January 26 to another date and we want to know why he needs that power,” she said.

Opposition finance and tax reform spokeswoman Heidi Girolamo. Picture: Matt Loxton

Industrial Relations Minister Kyam Maher. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Brenton Edwards

“South Australians would be right in thinking that Peter Malinauskas only needs that type of power if he has plans to possibly change January 26 as Australia Day.

“And in another bizarre move, Peter Malinauskas is behaving like the grinch by refusing to define December 25 as Christmas Day.

“It’s also disrespectful to veterans who served and protected our country that Anzac Day is now defined as only April 25.”

But Industrial Relations Minister Kyam Maher said the opposition’s complaint was “misinformation”, and there were no new powers included in the legislation.

“This legislation does not give the premier or any other minister new powers, it remains the same as it has since the Holidays Act came into existence in 1910,” he said.

“For over 100 years, this legislation has given power to move public holiday dates on rare occasions, such as when Easter and Anzac Day fall on the same day, as we saw in 2011.”

Mr Maher said the bill does not change the date of Australia Day, Christmas Day, Anzac Day, New Year’s Day or any other public holiday.

“In fact, it guarantees the dates of all of them, and ensures workers will receive penalty rates on all public holidays, something the Liberals are shamefully trying to stop,” he said.

Mr Maher accused the Liberals of “a pathetic attempt … to cover up their efforts to remove Easter Saturday as a public holiday and their embarrassing display of ignorance of Australia’s history”.