Victoria’s ‘Grand Final Friday’ as public holiday is a 'joke' to business owners

Oct. 2 has been declared as a public holiday in Victoria, Melbourne Australia, in honour of the Australian Football League (AFL). The event has been marked on the state’s list of holidays as “Grand Final Friday,” which calls for the celebration of the AFL Grand Final Parade a day before the football grand final competition. While football fans see this as a reason to bond with friends and families, some consider it as a “joke.”

Some may rejoice at the announcement, but a few readers of KISS 101.1’s official website think that having a “Grand Final Friday” as a public holiday is a waste of business opportunity. A reader named Rhonda Martinez said the only people probably benefiting from the holiday are those who don’t run a business since it would not cost them penalty rates.

“Costing the country millions, small businesses will most likely stay closed because of the forced penalty rates, what a joke!!!!! The only people who think this is a good idea are those who have never run a business and have never had to find enough money for wages at the end of each working week,” Martinez wrote on the comments section of KISS 101.1 ’s website.

Another reader named Jill OConnor simply called the declaration a “joke” and another named Athena Velonis sympathised with Martinez and said, “Definitely a joke I hope! Businesses are suffering as it is....the government needs to pay us the losses we will make!”

Other readers also expressed their opinion on how Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is making bad decisions for the state’s business revenue with his declaration of the “Grand Final Friday.” Martin Luby said the public holiday only brings another mess for small business owners while David Mazzocca said it only gives another reason for the Labour Party to put Victoria in a state of debt.

Victorian state opposition leader Matthew Guy personally thought of it as “ill-conceived” and unnecessary. Guy said he doesn’t see any worth in a “Grand Final Friday” as a public holiday and that it would likely be abolished if ever the coalition is elected, according to News.com.au .

Andrews confirmed during a radio interview with Matt Tilley and Jane Hall from KISS101.1 that Oct. 2 will be “Grand Final Friday” in keeping with their commitments to fans of the sport. This is reportedly not the only holiday dedicated to a sports event, as there’s also the Melbourne Cup Day in November.

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