Grand Final eve public holiday: Victorian small businesses still opposed to “irrelevant” and “detrimental” day off

Eight years since Victoria introduced the AFL Grand Final eve public holiday, small businesses across the state are still unsure of its merits, claiming interrupted trade and an extra day of penalty rates will harm enterprises doing it tough.

Victoria will face a statewide public holiday on Friday, September 29, ahead of the final match in the 2023 AFL season.

First introduced by the Andrews government in 2015, the annual public holiday was met with antipathy from much of the business community.

Opponents pointed to a PwC report commissioned by the state government which showed the occasion would result in between $680 million and $852 million in lost economic output.

As late as 2018, a Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry survey of over 500 businesses found three quarters chose to close rather than trade, with three-quarters of those that did trade reportedly operating at a loss.

However, despite a brief rebrand in 2020 to reflect the grand final’s temporary move interstate, the public holiday remains locked into the Victorian calendar.

Speaking to SmartCompany ahead of the 2023 public holiday, Victorian small businesses said the occasion remains a headache.

The public holiday is “not required, irrelevant and most importantly, detrimental to small businesses in this state”, said Jane Kilkenny, owner of Park Orchards exercise studio Fitness Energy.

The current penalty rate requirements “make it impossible for me to trade on this day,” she added.

“Our clients would love to train on this day but it is not viable to open.”

Stephanie Roberts, owner of Armadale salon Beauty at Katan, said the Grand Final eve public holiday is particularly poorly timed for businesses in her field.

“Spring is the time when the salon starts to become busier after a long winter, and this holiday seems like it is smack bang right in the middle of a busy week,” she said.

“Fridays are our busiest day as well.

“Last year, we calculated whether charging a 20% surcharge on clients on this date could cover our staffing costs, but unfortunately it wouldn’t, and increasing the surcharge above this level isn’t reasonable.”

The salon will remain closed on Friday this year, too, Roberts said.

Not every small business feels the same way, with some firms not directly reliant on consumer spending praising the opportunities posed by an extra day public holiday.

Jordan Michaelides is a talent manager at Neuralle, an influencer marketing and social media management firm.

“Contrary to popular opinion, it’s not 100% negative for business,” Michaelides said, posing the public holiday as a “great opportunity” for businesses in the talent, entertainment, and media sectors.

Victorians enjoying a day off equates to an elevated number of Victorians watching their screens, including their social media feeds.

Small businesses that can tap into that attention stand to benefit, along with the behind-the-scenes agencies that can take advantage of higher-than-average social media use and hype around the Grand Final itself.

Despite a discretionary spending clampdown, the potential for Victorians to use their disposable income on the public holiday, particularly among young families, “would be a major boost to the local economy”, Michaelides argued.

In Melbourne specifically, small businesses in Carlton and Collingwood — where both local teams still stand a chance of making it to the Big Dance — could expect a boost in foot traffic in case of Grand Final victory.

However, the lingering presence of the Brisbane Lions and Greater Western Sydney Giants poses an even greater worry: a Victorian public holiday without a Victorian team in the Grand Final, posing a double-whammy for businesses and fans alike.