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The Forum > Article Comments > Public holidays - to have or not to have > Comments

Public holidays - to have or not to have : Comments

By Dino Cesta, published 18/12/2014

Should we re-evaluate our existing public holidays, to consider abolishing some and introducing other more worthy public holidays for significant events.

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It's all part of collectivising social-engineering, attempting to create the illusion of a "nation", as if all the people in this continent have something in common - which is of course nonsense.
Posted by Yuyutsu, Thursday, 18 December 2014 7:30:21 AM
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The article misses many key points.

Business, especially small business, bears a high cost in the form of extra wages from public holidays, and consequently opposes their proliferation. Employers are forced to either bankroll a paid day off work or pay overtime, often at a rate of double time and a half. Many small businesses find it unprofitable to trade on public holidays or can only afford to trade if they use family labour only.

The author sings the praises of the ACT's Family and Community Day. I suggest that this reflects little knowledge of its history in the ACT.

The Family and Community public holiday in the ACT is supposed to provide an opportunity to spend time with family and friends. (Is this not what happens in most leisure hours?) In reality it was created partly to give ACT residents the same number of holidays as some other states, and partly in de-facto recognition that ACT residents generally only worked a part-day on Melbourne Cup race day.

The first Family and Community Day was in 2007. For that year, and in 2008 and 2009, the public holiday was held on Melbourne Cup Day in November. There were problems as the holiday occurred on a Tuesday and many people took a four-day-weekend. People missed being able to do the office sweepstakes for the Melbourne Cup and many catering businesses lost income. The holiday came to be regarded as a social and business disaster. Consequently, from 2010 the holiday was moved to the first Monday of the September/October school holidays.
Posted by Bren, Thursday, 18 December 2014 8:25:59 AM
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What public holidays?

The people most concerned with public holidays seem to be the ones, (academics) who always have all theirs!?

We used to manage quite well with the big shopping centres closed at weekends and public holidays!
And rare time for families to engage in family activities and bonding!

People still had the option of the family run corner convenience store/24 hour pharmacists etc, if they forgot something essential?

And families used to need just one breadwinner; given real wages were higher when compared with average (shopping basket/rent/vehicle costs back then!

We've been going backwards for the last 30-40 years, and now we need two wages just to support a single household.

Housing becomes more and more unaffordable; and profit curves have to always go up!
Hence retailers wanting to trade around the clock and ask wage earners to effectively pay for their extended operations; by forgoing family time, weekend leisure time and public holidays; and compelling that option by casualizing their staff!

We got a civilized forty hour week over half a century ago, and most of us now work around fifty+, and for far less in real terms, than comparative incomes fifty odd years ago!

I say, don't mess with public holidays and the very short term relief they afford some families, or indeed, the extra income they enable others (university students etc) to earn.

Employers already get enough breaks, which include hiring youngsters and sacking them automatically, as soon as they're entitled to adult wages!
If it ain't broke, don't fix (Americanize) it!
Rhrosty.
Posted by Rhrosty, Thursday, 18 December 2014 9:21:07 AM
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Rather than celebrate the birth of a semi-mythical entity on Dec. 25 I would prefer to celebrate Newton:

Reason's Greetings

25 December 1643 – 20 March 1727, Isaac Newton, English scientist, possibly the most influential scientist ever, laws of motion, corpuscular theory of light, the calculus (shared with Leibniz), theory of gravity. Before Newton science was a hodgepodge of isolated facts. After Newton it had a powerful theoretical base which could be applied to many phenomena.

Nature, and nature’s laws lay hid in Night
God said “Let Newton be!” and all was light.’ Alexander Pope

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” Newton
Posted by david f, Thursday, 18 December 2014 10:58:29 AM
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People seem to be forgetting that workers need to time for families. Australians are working longer hours and with greater stress, conditions which are not good for individuals let alone families. If you want a society that works people need time for themselves.

Corporations seem to think that only working matters.
Posted by Dashton, Thursday, 18 December 2014 11:46:07 AM
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a couple of quotes by Newton for you David f

‘This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent Being. … This Being governs all things, not as the soul of the world, but as Lord over all; and on account of his dominion he is wont to be called “Lord God”

Principia, Book III; cited in; Newton’s Philosophy of Nature: Selections from his writings, p. 42, ed. H.S. Thayer, Hafner Library of Classics, NY, 1953.

‘Opposition to godliness is atheism in profession and idolatry in practice. Atheism is so senseless and odious to mankind that it never had many professors.’

A Short Scheme of the True Religion, manuscript quoted in Memoirs of the Life, Writings and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton by Sir David Brewster, Edinburgh, 1850; cited in Newton’s Philosophy of Nature: Selections from his writings, p. 65, ed. H.S. Thayer, Hafner Library of Classics, NY, 1953.
Posted by runner, Thursday, 18 December 2014 12:13:13 PM
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