We’re in the thick of the Women’s World Cup right now and Australia’s home team the Matildas have been absolutely smashing it with some spectacular victories. Thanks to a win against France over the weekend, Australia is officially through to the semi-finals, one step away from the Grand Final. This notion has stirred up all kinds of excitement across the nation. It’s even raised the question of whether we might get a public holiday in Australia in honour of a potentially historic win at the World Cup.
Let’s break down what the chances are of us getting a holiday if the Matildas go all the way at the Women’s World Cup.
Could we get a public holiday in Australia for the Women’s World Cup?
If you haven’t noticed, the Women’s World Cup has been quite the event in Australia. From smashing ratings records on Channel 7 to packing out stadiums, parks and pubs across the country, the sport has captured the attention of the nation.
It also helps that the Matildas are doing really well in the competition, and during a year that Australia happens to be co-hosting the World Cup as well.
No Australian team has ever won a FIFA World Cup in either the Men’s or Women’s competition. In fact, this is the furthest an Australian team has ever gotten.
In response to that, it’s been posited whether Australia could get a public holiday to commemorate such a victory. If the Matildas win the World Cup, it will be a historic event and, quite frankly, we’ve had public holidays for less.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has raised the idea of having a public holiday should the Matildas continue on to win the World Cup.
Speaking to the ABC last week, he said that “I’ll be raising with all the premiers and chief ministers, seeking their views on the potential to have a day off” during the next National Cabinet meeting, which is slated for Wednesday, August 16.
The decision to implement a public holiday comes down to the individual state and territory governments, so while Albanese is pushing the idea, it all comes down to the Premiers.
NSW Premier, Chris Minns, has supported the idea, telling 2GB that “if the Matildas win the semi-final and then win the World Cup final, then yes, we will pursue a public holiday in NSW.”
If this were to happen, the public holiday would likely fall in the week after the victory, rather than the Monday immediately after the game.
However, not everyone has been supportive of the new public holiday, with concerns being raised over the costs to businesses.
“Look, if the Matildas win the World Cup, then obviously we have to celebrate, but doing that through a public holiday will probably not be great for business,” Greg Harford, Canberra Business Chamber chief, told the ABC.
National Party leader David Littleproud has also spoken out against a public holiday for the Matildas win.
In response to these concerns, Albanese pointed to the last-minute holiday in honour of Queen Elizabeth’s death last year.
“What that did, of course, was lead to increased economic activity in a whole lot of businesses, particularly small businesses, and it actually benefited a whole range of those businesses,” he said.
Ultimately, we should know more about whether a public holiday is likely for a Matildas win after the National Cabinet meeting on the 16th.
Of course, it also depends on whether the Australian team make it past the semi-final game on Wednesday night and can go on to secure a win in the Grand Final. You can find a schedule of the upcoming matches here.
Regardless of whether the Tillies win us a public holiday or not, their achievements thus far are already worth celebrating.
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