Australia’s politicians are split on whether to give the green-and-gold light to a public holiday in celebration of a potential Matildas win at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Matildas made Australian sporting history on Saturday night by defeating France in the World Cup quarter-finals.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Will Australia get a new public holiday if the Matildas win the FIFA Women’s World Cup?
They will next face up to England on Wednesday night in the semi-finals.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he will put forward the idea of a public holiday to celebrate the Matildas — should they go through to the finals and win — at the National Cabinet meeting on August 16.
Nationals Party Leader David Littleproud said he’s a supporter of the team, but doesn’t know if a public holiday is the best choice.
He cited pushback from the business community as a reason.
“Look, I don’t want to be Captain Killjoy on this but, look, I think business has a point here,” Littleproud told the ABC’s Insiders program.
“It’s easy to call for a national holiday when someone else is paying for it,” he said.
“I’m proud of the Matildas, I think every Australian is and we’re going to be riding it home on Wednesday night.
“I think we’ve just got to understand that someone’s got to foot that bill and businesses out there are doing it tough.
“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.”
Albanese on Saturday spoke against claims the business community could be impacted by a public holiday.
“I do note that there were concerns expressed when we had the public holiday for the sad death of Queen Elizabeth II, and some said that that was something that would cause economic disruption,” he said.
“What that did, of course, was lead to increased economic activity in a whole lot of businesses, particularly small businesses, and it actually benefited a whole range of those businesses.”
You can watch the Matildas v England game from 7pm on Wednesday on Seven and 7plus.