There are two public holidays observed in Australia on the 7th of October 2019. One is the Labour Day in Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and South Australia and the other one is the Queen’s Birthday in Queensland. And what does that mean? That is a good time to plan a weekend trip or take the day to lay down on the beautiful beaches and parks around the country.

Despite the fact it is a day off, do you know why they were created and why do we celebrate these holidays? We have collected some information to share with you:

Labour Day

Labour Day is a Public Holiday in various countries all over the world that celebrates the remarkable days on labours’ fight for better conditions on a work journey.

Its history started in the early 19th Century when most labours worked for up to twelve hours a day for six days per week. On 21 April 1856, a significant number of stonemason workers started a well-organised protest in Melbourne. Their main argument was grounded on that labour force should have a balance on time spent to work, leisure and rest.

The government agreed on reducing the work journey to an eight-hour a day with no changes on labours payment. The win was celebrated on a parade on May 1856 and only in 1948, it was approved a five-day working week.

Although internationally it is celebrated on the 1st of May, in Australia it is always on a Monday so that people can have a long weekend. In Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania it is celebrated on March, in Queensland and North Territory is on May and in Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and South Australia it is in October.

Queen's Birthday

The Queen’s Birthday is a public holiday proclaimed in some of Commonwealth realms to celebrate the monarch’s birthday. It is important to highlight that the date does not necessarily match the Queen’s or King’s birth and there is a curious reason for that.

The tradition of celebrating twice a year the Monarch’s Birthday has started over 250 years ago, in 1748 in Britain, and in Australia since 1788. King George II was born in November during winter, and considering that is not perfect time for a street parade, he decided to celebrate the day on a summer parade in June.

The current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, was born in 21 April of 1926. As a heritage, her birthday is still celebrated in June, with a formal parade in London. For her actual date of birth she usually spends the day with her family.

In Australia, the Queen’s birthday is observed on the second Monday of June, except in Western Australia that is on the first Monday of June and Queensland that is in on the first Monday of October. The different dates of celebration in Australia regards to coincidence with others State public holidays.