One-off public holiday to honour Queen Elizabeth II

To honour the life and service of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, the Prime Minister (the Hon Anthony Albanese MP) announced on Sunday, 11 September 2022 that there will be a one-off public holiday on Thursday, 22 September 2022.

The Federal Department of Education has also advised the following:

• Thursday, 22 September 2022 has been declared an official public holiday and National Day of Mourning for Her Majesty The Queen.
• Normal public holiday provisions apply.
• Services can submit absences and claim Child Care Subsidy (CCS). Read more about absences on DESE website.
• Providers that charge a family for an allowable absence on this day must collect gap fees from the family.

The CCS Helpdesk will be closed for the national public holiday. It will reopen at 9 am on Friday, 23 September 2022. Services can contact the helpdesk at any time via email.

The following FAQs are also provided for your reference:

Q1: Does the recently announced public holiday on Thursday, 22 September also apply to ECEC services?
A1: Yes, the upcoming public holiday applies nationally and will be taken as an ordinary public holiday.

Q2: Can services still claim CCS & gap fee still apply as normal?
A2: Yes, fees will apply as normal as all other public holidays. CCS will be applied and gap fee.

Q3: Do I pay my staff their ordinary working hours?

A3: Employee will be paid their ordinary working hours if they’re employed on the day the public holiday falls on or are rostered on that day in advance.

Q4: How do we notify our parents?
A4: Like all public holidays, provide your parents a notice by your normal communication methods to advise that your service will closed due to the recently announced upcoming public holiday.

For any further information/clarification, members can contact the ACA NSW team via 1300 556 330 or nsw@childcarealliance.org.au.

PUBLISHED: 12 SEPTEMBER 2022