Australia’s public holidays are being exploited, freelance writer Ryan Cheng says

Some of Victoria’s most beloved public holidays are being exploited for commercial interest, writer Ryan Cheng says.

In an article published in the Huffington Post, Mr Cheng says some of Victoria’s public holidays are undeniably stupid, and Singaporeans have the right idea celebrating cultural holidays.

Mr Cheng moved to Melbourne from Singapore.

During his travels, he’s often asked why Victorians celebrate a horse race.

“I think a lot of the sporting ones, especially a public holiday for a horse race I find particularly weird and also the Grand Final eve for the parade, those are the two I use as case studies in the pieces I wrote,” he said.

“My problem isn’t so much sport itself…but my problem surrounds the way public holidays are exploited by business to tap into human weaknesses like alcohol and gambling.

“These are portrayed as leisure activities.”

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