Labor and SDA Union call for government to recognise Easter Sunday as a public holiday

"My daughter is at work today," Ms White said.

"She's not being paid the same as someone in her position doing the exact same role as someone on the mainland."

"So she has to be away from her family on a day when we all should obviously be eating Easter lunch together. But she's not.

"She's away and she doesn't get that choice and she doesn't receive the extra penalty rates that she should be."

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Tasmania and South Australia remain the only two states that do not recognise Easter Sunday as a public holiday.

Ms White joined Bass Labor MHA Janie Finlay and Tasmanian Senator Helen Polley and SDA's Joel Tynan on Brisbane Street Mall on Sunday to call on the government to recognise Easter Sunday as a public holiday.

Ms Finlay said that although some smaller businesses were shut on a Sunday, there were workers in supermarkets, service stations, bottle shops and across retail and hospitality who would be at work today.

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"We've got workers today who aren't being treated like the rest of the country," Ms Finlay said.

The Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce has previously said that more public holidays added to Easter would "make it too expensive for a number of small businesses to even open".

However, Ms Finlay said they were advocating for the workers that were working on Easter Sunday and unable to be with their family.

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"We know that right across the country, workers on Easter Sunday are being supported with public holiday rates, but not in Tasmania and not yet in South Australia," Ms Finlay said.

Mr Tynan said most states and territories had made the decision to treat Easter Sunday as a public holiday since 2010.

"The state government is refusing to act and is consequently leaving our members in the lurch compared to the rest of the country," Mr Tynan said.

Tasmanian workers will receive 11 public holidays in 2023.

"We've been told by the state government that's comparable to other states and territories. It's the bottom of the pack when it comes to public holidays," he said.

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"The Northern Territory now has 14 plus public holidays. Their government took action, their government did the right thing by workers and declared Easter Sunday a public holiday. Again, we call on the state government to do the same."

A government spokesperson said that a proposal to recognise Easter Sunday as public holiday "is not under consideration."

"The government believes the current balance of public holidays in Tasmania strikes an appropriate balance for both businesses and workers," the spokesperson said.

"The number of holidays currently observed in Tasmania is comparable with other jurisdictions, and statutory holidays are in place for Good Friday and Easter Monday."

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