What's open in Brisbane on Labour Day
Observed on the first Monday of May in Queensland, Labour Day is a day to reflect on the labour movement, the achievements of workers, as well as recognise their fight for better working conditions.
In 2025, the Labor Day public holiday will be held in Queensland on Monday May 5.
A previous Brisbane Labour Day March. Picture: Liam Kidston
In recognition of the labour movement, hundreds of workers will take to the streets of Brisbane, while other workers will make the most of an extended weekend and enjoy a day off work.
The public holiday will have an impact on businesses across the state.
Find out what will be open this Labour Day in Brisbane below.
Supermarkets
Coles
Coles stores will be closed across Queensland on Labour Day.
Woolworths
Woolworths stores will be closed across Queensland on Labour Day, except for Woolworths Skygate at Brisbane Airport, which is open 24 hours a day.
Aldi
Aldi stores will be closed across Queensland on Labour Day.
IGA
Trading hours for IGA stores across Queensland will vary on Labour Day, with shoppers encouraged to check the opening hours for their local stores.
Shopping Centres
Major shopping centres across Queensland will be closed on Labour Day, with the exception of DFO Brisbane.
Westfield shopping centres in Queensland, including Carindale, Chermside, Coomera, Helensvale, Mt Gravatt, and North Lakes, will all be closed.
Some retailers within Westfield shopping centres may have different trading hours on the day.
If you're planning to visit a specific store, contact them to confirm their hours ahead of your visit.
Shopping centres such as the Aspley Hypermarket, Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, Loganholme Hyperdome, MacArthur Central (Brisbane City), QueensPlaza (Brisbane City), Strathpine Centre, Sunnybank Plaza, Uptown (formerly The Myer Centre - Brisbane City) will also be closed.
Major retail outlets like Bunnings and Kmart will also be shut.
DFO Brisbane will be open as usual from 10am to 6pm.
Cinemas
While most major shopping centres will be closed on Labour Day, some cinemas within those will remain open.
Major cinema franchises such as Events Cinema and Hoyts Cinemas will remain open on Labour Day.
Cinema chains such as Cineplex, Palace, Dendy, and Reading cinemas will also screen movies on the day.
Bottle stores
Alcohol and liquor stores are expected to remain open over the long weekend, except those inside closed shopping centres, but customers are encouraged to check with their local stores before heading out.
Public Transport
Most public transport services will run to different timetables for the Labour Day public holiday.
According to TransLink, most services will run to a Sunday/public holiday timetable.
The Maroon and Blue CityGliders will run a reduced timetable, with no late night services.
Bus routes 261, 262, 299, and the Nightlink service will not run.
Route 529 will run a Saturday timetable.
Train and ferry services will run to a Sunday/public holiday timetable, while tram services will run to a weekday timetable.
Post Offices
Australia Post retail stores will be closed across Queensland on Labour Day.
There will be no local deliveries, including Express Post, on the day.
Public Services
Most public services across Queensland will be closed on Labour Day.
Public services such as government customer service centres will be closed.
For Services Australia, all Brisbane offices and call centres will close on the public holiday.
Services Australia reporting and pay dates may change, with customers advised that payments, such as Centrelink payments, will occur earlier than expected rather than being delayed.
Theme Parks
Major theme parks across Queensland will remain open on Labour Day.
Theme parks on the Gold Coast including Wet 'n' Wild, Dreamworld, Sea World and Movie World will open on the public holiday.
Australia Zoo and SeaLife Sunshine Coast will be open.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Perth Now
Young Brit ‘cannot believe' IGA earnings compared to UK wage
A British backpacker has been left stunned by her earnings as a causal supermarket worker in remote WA compared to her earnings in the UK. 29-year-old Lauren from Liverpool quit her job as a support worker earlier this year and flew to the other side of the world to explore Australia. She secured a job stacking shelves at IGA in Derby in May, according to Daily Mail. The young Brit posted a video on TikTok that quickly went viral — breaking down her pay packet from the popular Aussie supermarket, explaining that she earns much more than when she was working gruelling 60-hour weeks in the UK. 'My wages in Australia compared to my wages at home need to be spoken about,' she said in the video. She explained that she earned £12.50 (around $23) an hour as a support worker in England, working 60 hours a week including bank holidays and public holidays, and brought home about £2,500 per month (around $4700). In Australia, the minimum rate of pay for stacking shelves at IGA on weekdays is $34 an hour and those rates are even higher on evenings and weekends. 'After 6pm, Monday to Friday, and on Saturdays, my rate of pay is $38 an hour, which is the equivalent to about £19. The British backpacker has explored various places in Australia, including Melbourne, Cairns and Broome. Credit: @laurensadventures / TikTok 'And on public holidays, my rate of pay is $64 an hour, which is equivalent to about £30 an hour. 'I just cannot believe the difference in wages. It's just insane' she said in the video. She explained that she will be earning more in a supermarket doing 40 hours a week than she did as a support worker working 60 hour weeks. The 29-year-old is aware that there is a higher cost of living in Australia but she still feels like she is better off overall. 'I know accommodation can be expensive here, and that's part of why the pay is higher,' she said. She elaborated that most of the time if you come to Australia as a single person and share with housemates the costs can be reduced, especially in more remote areas like WA's Kimberly region. 'I've decided to experience outback life, so I've come to Derby. My accommodation is $165 a week — around £80,' she said. The video has racked up close to 700,0000 views and was flooded with hundreds of comments from fellow Brits, some of whom agreed with her. 'And this is why everyone is leaving the UK and not only that it's going to s..t, I'm emigrating in December to Perth and I can't wait for the better work/life balance,' one person said. The young Brit has emphasised the other elements of WA she enjoys including sunsets, frozen yogurt and Aboriginal art. Credit: @laurensadventures / TikTok 'Fellow scouser here, how beautiful is Western Australia though 😍 enjoy and get that bank 💰,' a second commented. 'I miss that place, I did the same 20 years ago and I urge you not to come back,' another Brit added. Others were quick to disagree with her stance. 'Give your head a wobble. The cost of living is double over there that's why you need more money,' one person said. 'You can't just compare wages. Brits can travel all over Europe and for a couple hours and for so cheap get a European holiday, would cost Aussie families 30k not to mention the price of housing in Australia,' another replied.
Perth Now
13-07-2025
- Perth Now
‘Really sad': Local Perth shopping centre to be demolished
Duncraig resident Neal Meakins channelled Muriel's Wedding's character Bill Heslop when describing how he was disappointed his local shopping centre would be demolished. 'It's obviously a shame, but you can't stop progress,' he said of the proposed redevelopment of the Glengarry Shopping Centre, which is set to be demolished to make way for a Woolworths supermarket — forcing out the local IGA — as well as new shops, eateries and commercial space. Earlier this year, Woolworths — the country's biggest supermarket chain — lodged a development application with the City of Joondalup to redevelop the 20-store centre, which is currently home to an IGA, several family-owned businesses and a post office. 'I've been shopping here for a long time and it's a shame for me to go somewhere else because I know the shop so well,' Mr Meakins said. Duncraig resident Neal Meakins. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian The controversial Glengarry redevelopment comes as Woolworths postpones new builds on Charles Street in North Perth and Murray Street in West Perth, sparking questions about the supermarket's commercial strategies. It's understood some WA sites had higher construction costs based on their designs, which had affected development timelines. A Woolworths spokesman said it was excited about the opportunity to upgrade and modernise the Glengarry shopping centre. He added the community was currently under-serviced in terms of grocery retail with no full line supermarket. Glengarry Shopping Centre. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian Inside of Glengarry Shopping Centre. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian 'The redevelopment would include new services and convenient shopping options, and aims to create a vibrant place for small business and the community,' the company spokesman said. 'From time to time we acquire existing neighbourhood shopping centres that are in need of investment to improve the amenity and the offer for the community, leading to a local economy and jobs boost.' IGA supplier Metcash told The Sunday Times the independent grocer planned to exit Glengarry because though Woolworths had allowed for a 'very small second supermarket', it was not tenable for an IGA for several reasons, including size and location, with no direct access to a loading dock. Render of Woolworths' proposal. Credit: Supplied Metcash supplies to over 1600 independently-owned stores in Australia across the IGA and Foodland brands. Grant Ramage, the boss of Metcash's food arm, flagged concerns about the independents' ability to remain a viable competitor when one of the bigger supermarkets could just muscle in. Coles last year acquired the Milton Village shopping centre in Brisbane's inner west and as part of the redevelopment, did not renew the lease of the IGA that had been there for decades. In NSW, the Elermore Vale shopping centre was purchased by a developer as a proxy for Woolworths, paying $27 million in 2023. Woolworths is expected to replace the IGA once the lease expires in 2028. 'The trend known as creeping acquisitions is ongoing and contributes to the erosion of independent supermarket presence in local markets over time, and the overall scale of the independent network, needed to maintain a competitive offer,' Mr Ramage said. The Outer Metropolitan Development Assessment Panel will make a decision on Woolworths' application at a later date, with the City of Joondalup yet to provide a recommendation. I'm not sure why we need another Woolworths or Coles when there are so many nearby. For marketing and retail analyst Barry Urquhart, this was just part of the near-50-year-old Glengarry centre's life cycle. 'What you've got to say is that all things come to an end,' Mr Urquhart, managing director of Perth-based research company Marketing Focus, said. 'Any business that has been around operating, in any premises, beyond 15 years, a lot of consumers will say, 'Has it had its life cycle fulfilled' and therefore, it needs to be renewed, upgraded or replaced.' Asked if he agreed with Woolworths' claims the Glengarry redevelopment would improve shopping convenience and create a vibrant place for small business tenants and the community in Duncraig, Mr Ramage said there was no new residential redevelopment to justify another large supermarket. He added there were six existing Woolworths supermarkets within a 10-minute drive of Duncraig. But for some shoppers and local businesses that occupy the centre, the proposed redevelopment is long overdue, with the roof caving in. Rosemarie Persson, owner of Duncraig-Glengarry Flowers & Gifts, said the redevelopment was 'going to be fantastic for the area'. 'It will bring in more people, which it needs. It's a tired old little shopping centre and it just needs it,' she said. 'There's going to be more coffee shops and more places to eat, a Woolworths, more variety. But hopefully all the small businesses around here can come back and benefit from that.' Shopper Moira McFarlane welcomed the news of a bigger and modern centre with basement parking, but she was concerned about the traffic it would bring. '(The redevelopment is) well overdue, well overdue,' she said. 'My concern is the traffic, because it's bad enough now. The deliveries and trucks coming in near the hospitals next door is a bit concerning.' While Woolworths had offered Holmesys Bakehouse owner Steven Holmes a spot in the new centre, he said he wouldn't be able to afford the costs of temporary relocation. 'As a small business owner, I cannot afford it. I've only been here for three years, and I haven't even got the revenue yet,' he said. 'Which I have told them . . . so yeah, I'm just taking the money and I'm gone. 'There's positives and negatives for everything, but I don't understand why (Woolworths) is building here when they've got one literally five minutes up the road in Warwick.' Duncraig local Karen Kroeger said local shopping centres like Glengarry suited independent grocers. 'I'm not sure why we need another Woolworths or Coles when there are so many nearby,' she said. 'I feel for a lot of small businesses who may not be able to operate in a new centre place because of rent increases, or there's not enough space, and it's also hard and costly for them to start somewhere again in a different location,' she said. Duncraig local Karen Kroeger and son Patrick. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian 'It's really sad for them; they've built up their reputations here, and they know all the locals.' The owner of Glengarry IGA declined to comment. Mr Ramage said consumers could face less variety and reduced product range and availability, as well as poorer service — or none at all when they are forced to use self-checkouts — with the arrival of Woolworths. He added that despite the millions of dollars of taxpayer money spent, the string of public inquiries into Australia's supermarket sector inquiries had not adequately addressed the issue of anti-competitive acquisitions. 'We are hopeful that the new merger laws will assist when they come into effect but will only go so far and won't reverse the damage done to date,' Mr Ramage said. Treasurer Jim Chalmers last October introduced new rules requiring any mergers that exceed a broad set of financial thresholds to get approval from the competition regulator. Under the current regime, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission only has the power to stop or legally challenge mergers it deems as having a substantial impact in the market. From the start of next year, a merger will need the green light from the watchdog if the combined turnover of the merging businesses is more than $200m, and either the business or assets being bought has turnover higher than $50m, or the global transaction value is above $250m. Deals where an Australian business turning over $500m tries to buy out another smaller business, with turnover above $10m, will also be captured under the new rules. From this month, businesses may voluntarily notify acquisitions to the ACCC. The ACCC in March delivered its final report into the $120 billion supermarket sector, which confirmed Coles and Woolworths' dominance. Former ACCC chair Graeme Samuel, who led the watchdog between 2003 and 2011, criticised the report's recommendations as not having enough teeth. Among the ACCC's list of recommendations, supermarkets should be required to inform customers when product sizes have changed and this information should be in close proximity to shelf tickets and on relevant websites. In response to the ACCC report, Metcash said it was pleased the regulator recognised the competitive role independents played in local communities. But Metcash said it was concerned with the growing dominance of the major supermarkets and their ability to grow through creeping acquisitions of independents and land banking.
West Australian
13-07-2025
- West Australian
WA public holidays: Premier says additional days would be win for State despite industry's fears
Public holiday reform will give West Australians more of a break through more of the year according to Roger Cook, despite industry concern over an increase in days paying higher rates. The Premier confirmed a review on Sunday that would shake up the State's public holiday calendar, with changes likely to take effect from either 2027 or 2028 by moving days like Labour Day and the King's Birthday to marry up with Eastern States' celebrations. It will also look at permanently moving WA Day from June to November to avoid the winter weather and include Easter Saturday as a public holiday to create a four-day stretch of holidays. A new public holiday would also be established, likely in September, although the State Government says the exact date and reason will be shaped by the public through consultation now underway . The review is open for community consultation from both members of the public and businesses. Despite the touted benefits for West Australian workers, the business sector reaction was mixed. Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA chief economist Aaron Morey said the body supported some parts of the review but feared what impact more public holidays would have on businesses. 'We support alignment of public holidays, that (different holiday in different States) is a productivity drag,' he said. 'The King has far too many birthdays as it is so we do support the intent around aligning public holidays with the east coast. 'We don't support an additional public holiday. For small businesses that are doing it tough right now that just represents extra costs that they can ill afford at this time.' Moving Australia Day will not be considered during the process, nor will changing Christmas, Boxing or Anzac Day. The Premier said there was frustration around the current calendar. 'What I've often heard in the business community is that they're frustrated when our public holidays don't align with a lot of the public holidays in the east coast,' he said. 'I hear from a lot of people who say why do we celebrate WA which has got such amazing weather in the deepest, darkest parts of winter, and of course everyone says why are holidays so jammed in the first half of the year and not spread more evenly throughout the year?' The move to add two more public holidays was welcomed by United Workers Union WA State Secretary Carolyn Smith. 'Our members will welcome this review and the solutions that are being considered,' she said. 'It's a long-standing issue that the public holiday playing field has been tilted against West Australians, and it's great the WA Government is considering important changes to address that. 'West Australians work just as hard as workers in the eastern states, and are just as deserving of public holidays, and this review is a chance to demonstrate that.' Australian Hotels Association WA chief executive officer Bradley Woods warned added public holidays could lead to higher prices for consumers and some venues remaining closed.
