This unspoken tradition is stalling our economy. But is it really so bad?

November 5, 2026 — 1:19pm

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There’s an annual tradition that occurs only in Australia. Every year, some time between the Melbourne Cup and Australia Day, the country slows down. Kids wrap up school for the year, workers turn out-of-office replies on, meetings evaporate from calendars and there’s a collective acknowledgement that everything is just going to run at half speed.

Welcome to the Great Australian Shutdown.

This months-long pause isn’t carved into any legislation, but is an unofficial countrywide tradition that says – after one last big push of the year – that not much important work is going to happen over the warmer months.

But as emails start bouncing back, and the familiar catchcry of “let’s pick this up the new year” echoes around workplaces, there is an important question that needs to be asked: is this a national........

© The Age