Public Holidays during the shutdown period

A shutdown is when a business temporarily closes during slow periods of the year, such as Christmas and New Year. It is also called a “close down”. 

If the business requires employees to attend work during the shutdown period, they should be paid as normal. 

Employees do not have to attend work on any days during a shutdown that are public holidays. 

What happens if a public holiday falls during an employee’s annual leave?

If a public holiday falls during an employee’s annual leave, they need to be paid for the public holiday, not as annual leave. This means that an employee should be paid their base pay rate for the day, and it should not be taken off their annual leave balance.

Public holidays can differ depending on the state or territory employees work in. t is important to remember that public holidays are derived from where the employee is based for work, not where they live.

It’s important to know when public holidays are because employees can get different entitlements on these days. Here is a summary of the public holiday for each State or Territory (festive season only):