Queensland Labour Day public holiday to be moved back to May

Extract from ABC News

Updated about 11 hours ago

Photo: A Labour Day parade in Barcaldine in central-west Queensland in 2012, the last year the public holiday was held in May. (ABC News: Chrissy Arthur)

Queensland's Labor Government has changed the date of two of the state's public holidays.

From 2016, the Labour Day public holiday will once again be commemorated in May after being moved to October by the previous Newman government.
The State Government announced the Queen's Birthday holiday will also be shifted, from June to October.
The new Labor Government is reversing decisions made by the previous government, which bumped Labour Day from May in 2013 to bring Queensland in line with other states.
Before it was moved, Labour Day had been celebrated in Queensland in May since 1891.
Treasurer Curtis Pitt said Labour Day would be returned to its "rightful and historic" date.
He said the changes would better spread public holidays across the calendar year and fulfilled an election promise.
"We will be reversing the LNP's arrogant decision," Mr Pitt said.
"We will also be supporting plans for next year to mark the 125th anniversary of the first Labour Day in May in Queensland, held in 1891."
Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg questioned why the change was a priority.
"This Government's now been in power for almost five weeks and one of its major priorities was to create a public holiday - not to create jobs," he said.

Business happy with changes

General Manager of Queensland's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nick Behrens, congratulated the Government on the decision and for "resisting the temptation" to have two Labour Day holidays this year.
He said unions had wanted the Government to instantly reinstate the May Labour Day but also keep the October holiday, just for this year.
Mr Behrens said that would have cost businesses $350 million.
"The decision is again a demonstration that this Government is governing for all of Queensland, not just the union movement," he said.
Mr Behrens hoped that would be the end of the changes.
"There's no question that public holidays have been regarded as being a political football," he said.
"For businesses, we like certainty, we like to know what will be happening next year and this year and we would like public holidays taken off the agenda."