Yes folks, it’s coming up to that one day in September when Melbourne loses its mind, and the AFL Grand Final occurs. In recent years, the excitement has been extended to include a public holiday on the Friday prior so we can all head into the city and watch the players being paraded through the streets. Or we can catch up on stuff around the house and catch up with friends which I personally think sounds more fun…
Gazetted public holidays
First things first, we need to remind Victorian businesses that Friday 29th September is a gazetted public holiday. This means:
- If your full or part time employee usually works on this day, it is categorised as a paid day without working and you will need to pay their normal rate for their normal hours of work.
- If Friday is a day that an employee is not normally rostered to work, you don’t need to do anything. They don’t normally work so therefore you don’t need to pay them.
- If your business remains open, anyone who is working on this gazetted public holiday may be entitled to public holiday loading. This will be determined by the modern award or EBA relevant to your industry or specific business so make sure you check it to avoid problems with incorrect payments.
We'll enjoy our public holiday!
Our next to do item is a little bit of stating the obvious, but here’s a reminder to all other states that Victoria will be in the midst of Footy Fever on Friday 29th September and won’t be available to take your calls. Queensland may be a little hard to get a hold of too as many hardcore Brisbane Lions fans migrate to Melbourne hoping to see their beloved team beat the Pies and take the Cup back home.
For the rest of us who don’t care (c’mon Bombers, it’s time to show up!!), enjoy the long weekend or simply watching the game from afar.
