Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he would support a public holiday if the Australian women’s soccer team, the Matildas, win the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
New South Wales Premier, Chris Minns, has said he would support the idea, telling 2GB that a Women’s World Cup win would be life-changing for the state’s history.
“If the Matildas win the semi-final and then win the World Cup final, then yes we will pursue a public holiday in NSW, not just to celebrate the victory but also to have a massive civic celebration and allow the Matildas to celebrate with the people of Sydney what will be an amazing, like, life-changing and unbelievable event in the state’s history,” he said.
The Matildas are set to play against England in the semi-final on Wednesday, before the final on Sunday. Minns, who believes a public holiday could be an economic win for the state, said the day off would not occur on the Monday immediately after the game, but would happen within a week of the win – should it happen.
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Though there is much excitement around the win and a possible public holiday, not everyone is in favour. National party leader, David Littleproud, said the move could be costly.
“I think we’ve just got to understand that someone’s got to foot that bill and businesses out there are doing it tough,” he told the ABC. “We live in a great nation – we can celebrate our wins – but we have to get on and pay the bills and make sure that the country keeps going.”
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also called on his peers to “not jinx” the team ahead of the game.
The Australian Prime Minister has said the decision is ultimately up to the individual state and territory leaders, but would support it in Wednesday’s national cabinet meeting.
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