Too much leisure is never enough

A POLL has found Mercury readers do not think Tasmania has too many public holidays, but respondents provided a wide range of views around whether the system should be simplified.

Ninety per cent of respondents to a poll on the Mercury’s Facebook page said they did not believe Tasmania had too many public holidays.

Among dozens of comments, David Frost said there were not enough public holidays.

“This same argument comes up this time every year and in November for the Recreation Day public holiday in the north and west of the state,” he wrote.

Breanna Charlesworth said the solution was simple.

“Don’t need to get rid of any, just align them statewide. It really shouldn’t be that difficult,” she wrote.

But Nicole Eckardt said the separate north and south public holidays were positive.

“It means you can visit the other region when it isn’t their public holiday and stay at affordable prices, have everything in that region open and it not be busy,” she wrote.

“Queensland have different regional public holidays. It’s not that hard!”

Kim Bomford said businesses should be able to navigate the different holidays across the state: “With national companies working across jurisdictions and time zones it’s just part and parcel of doing business these days.”

Others commented about how the holidays were structured across the course of the year.

“… we get them at the start of the year then nothing until October,” Missy Griffiths wrote.

Nikki Den Exter added: “Another couple in the second half of the year would be appreciated! It’s pretty hard going between the Queen’s Birthday and Christmas with only Show Day providing relief.”