Australia has, at various times, been viewed as a “workers’ paradise” and the land of the long-weekend, a place where workers enjoy high wages and people live an easygoing or laid back lifestyle. But the social advances that underpin these stereotypes were the result of a century of concrete political and industrial struggles. The social dividends of these struggles included paid annual leave, and the holiday – especially the long break over summer – became part of the Australian way of life in the post-WWII era.

More recently, however, the legacy of the annual holiday has been undermined, as the evidence presented in this report clearly shows.

The erosion of the Australian annual holiday will impose a range of negative consequences on individuals, families and Australian society – including implications for employment and unemployment, mental and physical health, family well-being, and more.

The report concludes by putting forward several recommendations aimed at defending – and extending – the place of paid annual leave in Australia.