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A British woman who moved to Australia has revealed her surprise at discovering how much money a person can earn working on a public holiday due to fines.
Tara, from Merseyside in the northwest of England, moved to Australia after suffering burnout while working in a management role at a corporate technology company in London.
The 29-year-old decided she needed to change her life and dramatically moved to Melbourne, where she now works in the hospitality industry.
In a video shared on TikTok, Tara was shocked to discover that her hourly wage was $65 for working as a hostess at a restaurant on Good Friday.
In Australia, penalty rates include additional payments made to employees working on public holidays and overtime pay.
Specific penalty rates for holidays may vary depending on industry, type of employment, and relevant agreements in place.
Tara, who moved from England to live in Melbourne, revealed her hourly rate on holidays. The 29-year-old shared her amazement at the “incredible” amount she earned working on a holiday (pictured)
Tara called the holiday pay “insane,” explaining that in a single 12-hour shift she would earn enough to cover half of the month’s rent.
‘The hourly rates for public holidays in Australia are really crazy. “Today I work 12 hours, but they pay me about $65 an hour because I have an informal contract,” Tara said.
‘That’s paying almost half my rent in one shift. That’s paying my way into Glastonbury (a five-day music festival in Somerset, England) and more in one shift. It’s just crazy.’
Tara added that Australia was a place where someone could make “very good money” and enjoy life at the same time.
“It’s a real place where you can make really, really, really good money and just have a sick time doing it,” Tara said.
“I literally love that I got into hospitality and didn’t go back to my corporate job because I’m just having so much fun.”
Holiday rates depend on the industry and the employee’s status (casual, full-time or part-time). However, the current deal for hospitality workers places a 25 per cent burden on top of the ordinary wage rate.
The British expat explained that working holidays has helped her afford to travel.
Other social media users agreed with Tara, with many sharing the high amounts they earn when working on a holiday.
“Here’s to me making $130 an hour today, 10 hours,” one person commented.
‘Three shifts this Easter weekend at $110 an hour!’ another wrote.
‘People who work on holidays deserve everything they get. I’m making $94 an hour during Easter. Beautiful,” chimed in a third.
A fourth person who works as a youth worker explained that he would earn $865 for an eight-hour shift on a holiday, while two others stated that their holiday rates were $89 and $96 per hour.
While public holidays can vary between states and territories in the country, Australia has a total of nine national holidays per year.
National holidays include New Year’s Day (January 1), Australia Day (January 26), Good Friday (March 29), Easter Saturday (March 30), Easter Sunday ( March 31), Easter Monday (April 1) and Anzac Day (April). 25), Christmas (December 25) and Boxing Day (December 26).