New South Wales could be in line for an extra public holiday in April, with Premier Chris Minns suggesting his government is seriously considering a Monday day off when ANZAC Day falls on a weekend in 2026 and 2027.

ANZAC Day will be commemorated nationwide on Saturday, April 25, but only Western Australia and the ACT are currently set to observe a public holiday on the following Monday, April 27. NSW misses out under the current arrangements, something Minns says doesn’t quite stack up.

“We’re underserved when it comes to public holidays, there’s a lot more in every other state,” Minns said.

ANZAC Day holiday talks underway

Speaking on Triple M radio, the premier confirmed talks are underway, saying the issue affects more than just one year.

“It’s not just this year, it’s next year as well that you don’t get the day off,” he said. “We’re going to have a conversation about it for this year.”

Minns was clear that any extra day off must not undermine the meaning of April 25 itself.

“I’ve got to have confidence that it’s not going to – if we have a public holiday on the Monday – it doesn’t detract from the salience of the 25th,” he said, to  Guardian Australia. “It’s got to be the 25th that’s hugely important.”

RSL supportive

That concern is front of mind in discussions with the Returned and Services League. RSL NSW acting president Vince Williams said opinions among veterans would likely be mixed, but personally, he supports the idea.

“I can’t see why it couldn’t be a holiday, but it’s a consultation we’d need to have with more detail considered,” Williams told the ABC. He described ANZAC Day as “the most sacred day on our national calendar of commemoration”.

“To enable our veterans, families and the Australian people to commemorate properly, it should be a public holiday,” he said. “As long as that is ringfenced, what else the government decides to do is a choice for them.”

Hospo and retail businesses to feel the impact

Not everyone is cheering the prospect of another public holiday. The hospitality sector has come out strongly against the proposal, warning it could hit already stretched businesses hard.

Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association chief executive Wes Lambert told the ABC the plan was “a terrible idea”, saying penalty rates would make trading unviable for many venues.

Following up on the comments on an interview with Sunrise, Lambert warned:

“Ultimately – especially the hospitality industry that has its revenues up, but its profit at record-low levels – we just can’t continue to bear bureaucracy, the red tape, the extra expenses,” he told Sunrise.

“This is a small business always bearing the brunt of political decisions.”

NSW currently has fewer public holidays than most other states, with just two additional days, the King’s Birthday in June and Labour Day in October. By comparison, workers in states like Victoria, Queensland and South Australia receive three or four extra days off each year.

Minns says no final call has been made. But with consultations underway and public debate heating up, we’ll keep small business owners up to date should anything change.

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