Public holiday to ease impact of G20

A public holiday has been announced for Friday 14 November 2014 in the lead up to the G20 Leaders’ Summit, which takes place in Brisbane on the weekend of the 15^th and 16^th of November.

Premier Campbell Newman said the G20 Summit will be a once in a lifetime event for the people of Brisbane.

“The G20 Leaders’ Summit will be a fantastic occasion and a great opportunity to showcase Brisbane and Queensland to the world,” Mr Newman said.

“It will also be one of the biggest events Brisbane has seen, with thousands of additional people here.

“So, to ease the impact on the city and help minimise any potential disruptions we have decided to announce a one-off public holiday.

“It only applies to the Brisbane Local Government Area, but the benefits will be enjoyed by people across the south-east.

“Similar to the Brisbane Ekka public holiday, entitlement is not based on a person’s place of residence but their place of work.”

Police Minister Jack Dempsey said there were important security considerations and a public holiday would make these easier to implement.

“Brisbane city will be bustling while the summit is on, which may make it a little harder to move around as freely as people normally would,” Mr Dempsey said.

“It is very likely there will be road closures in and around the CBD and South Bank.

“The public holiday on the Friday will help reduce traffic when final preparations are taking place for the beginning of the summit.”

Mr Newman said that despite the holiday it will be business as usual for shops in the CBD and greater Brisbane area.

“There will be some fantastic flow-on effects that come from hosting the G20 summit,” Mr Newman said.

“It will attract up to 25 world leaders, including US President Barack Obama, seven heads of international organisations, 4000 delegates and 3000 domestic and international media.

“This will be a major boost to the local and state economy and the many large and small businesses in the city.

“Add the Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ meeting in Cairns in September 2014 and the benefits will be felt across the state.  

“Hotels will be booked out and leaders and delegates will be able to experience our world-class infrastructure, skilled workforce and obvious lifestyle advantages.

“We look forward to hosting the G20 summit and hope the additional public holiday will make it a better time for everyone.”

[ENDS] 10 June 2013

Media contact:              Aaron Wakeley (Premier) - 0417 249 295

                                       Lea Emery (Minister) – 0417 226 114