KEY POINTS:
- Anzac Day will be commemorated on Tuesday, 25 April.
- There are changes in trading hours not usually seen during the rest of the year.
- Two-up, an unregulated form of gambling, can also be played in bars, pubs, and clubs.
Since 1916, April 25 has been commemorated as Anzac (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day, a solemn occasion memorialising the lives of those who have died in military operations.
The national public holiday brings with it some changes in trading hours and rules on gambling not usually seen during the rest of the year.
What’s closed and what’s open?
In NSW, Victoria and Queensland, businesses cannot open on Anzac Day until 1pm.
Exempted shops include chemists, petrol stations and convenience stores, but small businesses normally remain closed until 1pm.
Non-exempt shops in South Australia can trade between 12pm to 5pm within CBDs.
In Western Australia, general retail stores like major grocery stores are closed throughout the day, but this does not include service stations and smaller retail shops.
In Tasmania, shops cannot open before 12.30pm.
In the Northern Territory and ACT, there are no restrictions on trading hours.
How do alcohol rules change?
There are some changes when it comes to alcohol laws on Anzac day. Source: AAP / AAP
In WA, taverns, hotels and clubs can generally open from 12pm to midnight, but specific times may depend on the type of liquor license a business holds.
In Victoria, people can buy alcohol in restaurants, cafes, pubs and bottle shops from 12pm until 1am.
In NSW, pubs, clubs, small bars, restaurants and cafes can sell alcohol from 1pm, if those are part of their normal trading hours.
The NT and Queensland have altered rules for April 25, in Tasmania, people are allowed to buy alcohol at a liquor licensed or liquor-permit-granted shop that mainly sells alcohol.
In the ACT and South Australia there are no specific Anzac Day alcohol restrictions.
What is two-up?
Two-up is a form of unregulated gambling in which a wooden paddle is used to flip two coins. Source: AAP / Diego Fedele
The game dates back to the 1800s and was played by Australian troops during the two world wars.
It's usually an illegal form of gambling, but on Anzac Day it can be played in bars, pubs and clubs.
Broken Hill’s The Palace Hotel is one of the only places in Australia that has a license to run regular two-up games, which it does every Friday night.
Co-owner and two-up game manager Fisk Nagas has been running two-up for 10 years and said playing the game is a “very social way to lose your money”.
“The game itself facilitates conversations … and brings people from all walks of life on Anzac Day,” he said.
Mr Nagas said the social aspect of the game was more important than the money, and it was essential to play responsibly.
“We’ve had ex-servicemen playing who could be up to 80 years old … the game changes and it’s a special day,” he said.
SBS has translated the Ode of Remembrance into 45 languages.
