South Australians are being asked to have a say on making Christmas Day a public holiday regardless of which day of the week it falls on.

The month-long Your Say survey opened on 2 January and will also give South Australians the chance to comment on other changes they would like to see made to the Holidays Act 1910.

Currently, when a public holiday falls on a Saturday, the holiday moves to the following Monday.

This has led to some workers not being paid public holiday rates when rostered on to work on Christmas Day, 25 December.

The move to amend the Holidays Act to make 25 December a public holiday regardless of which day of the week it falls is a Malinauskas Government commitment.

After the proposed changes, where 25 December falls on a Saturday, both the Saturday and the Monday will become public holidays, as is already the case when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday.

There are currently 13 public holidays each year in South Australia including part-day public holidays.

The Holidays Act has not been amended since the introduction of Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve as part-day holidays in 2012.

Feedback from the confidential Your Say survey will help shape the government’s approach to amendments to the Holidays Act regarding public holidays in South Australia. Draft legislation will then be released before introduction to Parliament.

The Holidays Act 1910 determines which days each year are public holidays and bank holidays in South Australia.

It does not regulate shop trading hours or the penalty rates workers are entitled to receive for working on public holidays. These are dealt with under separate pieces of legislation which do not form part of this consultation.

Access the Your Say survey here.