The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) and Queensland Hotels Association (QHA) have attacked the Queensland Government’s decision to grant an extra public holiday, on a weekday, when a public holiday in the Christmas-New Year’s period falls on a weekend:

Additional public holiday creates $342 million liability for Queensland employers

Cost of extra holiday may force hotels to shut down for Christmas, New Year’s Day

The QHA is correct that it may make it uneconomic for some hotels to open on the day of the substitute holiday. Alternatively, they may have to charge a premium (15%+) to cover the higher wages, as cafes now do on public holidays. Ultimately, the new public holiday arrangements will reduce choice and impose costs on Queensland consumers and probably should have been more thoroughly assessed.