Interview with Studio 10
17 July 2020
NARELDA JACOBS: PM you're angling to be the unsung hero of the Aussie Screen industry with a $400 million cash splash to lure productions here while the rest of the world still grapples with coronavirus shutdowns. We thank you once again for joining us. $400 million is that going to be enough to entice filmmakers to come down under?
PRIME MINISTER SCOTT MORRISON: Well, it's it's extending a program we've been running very successfully now for several years and making it even more generous than it has been. We do have a big opportunity with the success we've had in virtually all states and territories. I know we've got a problem in Victoria right now, and the world's noticed that, and particularly the screen industry have noticed that. And so there's a good opportunity, just not to do one film now, as we've been sort of doing the one offs up until now. But to get particularly with these big productions that are doing multiple series, both on television for streaming as well as the big movie productions, to get multiple films over many years. This goes out over seven years and so we can really take those deals and working together with the states as well. I know South Australia, I was in contact with Premier Marshall this morning. He's mad keen to get on this. I spoke to the Premier Palaszczuk last night. I know Gladys Berejiklian has always been keen on this, as has, of course, Dan Andrews when, but they're a bit focussed on other things at the moment. So this means eight thousand jobs is the bottom line. And it's not just actors, of course, it's it's sparkies, it's caterers, it's the other suppliers. It's water bottle providers to to sets. And it is, as you know, who work in the industry, it's it it reaches to so many jobs and eight thousand jobs we expect from this.
JOE HILDEBRAND: It sounds like a no brainer PM. It sounds like a great idea. I think everyone across both sides of the aisle would love to embrace it. Just earlier you mentioned that the world was watching Australia. What are you and your ministers hearing about how they are feeling? Has the experience in Victoria unnerved them as it made people a bit shakey about maybe sending these big investments here? Or are they seeing this is a kind of experiment as to how suppression strategy is working? What is the world perception of Australia right now?
PRIME MINISTER: Extremely positive. And as countries around the world have opened up, they've had their own outbreaks. I mean, I participate in a group of of leaders from an interesting collection of countries from Austria to Costa Rica to Israel to Norway. And we're all countries that have had relatively good experiences. Israel is going through a much tougher period now. But in Austria, for example, they've had outbreaks. I was talking to Shinzo Abe just the other day up in Japan. They've had an outbreak in Tokyo. I was talking to Prime Minister Lee in Singapore. They've had their challenges. They've got on top of those. And so we all know that the outbreaks can occur. And the issue is how you get on top of them. And we've got a very good record on tracing and on testing. And Australia, you know, seven states and territories, pretty much no community transmission. A bit more of a challenge in New South Wales, but they're getting on top of that. So our reputation is very strong and not just on the health side, but on the economic side, as you know, of all the developed economies around the world. It's been Korea and Australia that have had the least impact, and that is something that Australians have worked very hard to achieve. And when we're going to keep working hard on that, we're going to make jobs. That's what we have to do.
KERRI-ANNE KENNERLEY: Yeah big congratulations there. Before I get to the spike in Victoria, could I just say, in terms of the camaraderie in Canberra, have you this morning with all these calls that you've made, called your Treasurer Josh Frydenberg to wish him a 49th happy birthday?
PRIME MINISTER: Josh and I haven't spoken as yet, but he's catching up with me Josh, with his age. But he's weathering it very well. I got to say, he looks far more athletic than than I do. And he's he's doing a great job. He's hard at work at the moment. Of course we've got the economic statement coming down next week. He and I have been working together with Mathias Cormann on also the the announcements we'll make next week about JobKeeper and ensuring we've got continued income support. And that's particularly going to be of comfort to people in Victoria and the many other parts of the country we should remember, who are also very affected by COVID-19. It's not just Victoria. There are parts of Queensland of course. I'm heading up there today. Frankly looking forward to that, it's a bit chilly in Canberra, as you can see today. It's a good day to go to Queensland. I can assure you if you're in Canberra.
KENNERLEY: But also, we do know Victoria's doing it very, very tough and Australia cannot heal until Victoria does. So what extra has to be done?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we've put in over a thousand additional Defence Force personnel into Victoria. They're arriving now and will continue over the week ahead. And they're supporting everything from the testing centres to logistics and command support with how the tracing activities are done. They're out on the road with paramedics. They're assisting with the lockdown. But it's not just the Commonwealth, the other states and territories are pitching in as well. New South Wales is supporting with tracing and testing, as is South Australia, I believe Queensland is assisting with public health officials, Tasmania is supporting. I mean, this is a national effort because you're absolutely right for Australia to win, Victoria has got to win. Melbourne's got to win. And so we're all backing them in and we want them to succeed. And it's been a very constructive and collaborative effort. I know there's a lot of criticisms, but that's not for me to get into. My job is to support Dan Andrews to get that job done. And that's exactly what we're doing.
JACOBS: Prime Minister, last weekend you copped some criticism about going to the footy while Melbourne was recording record numbers. And a few days before that, you said we are all Melburnians. Are we all still Melburnians? And are you going to the footy again this weekend?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, of course we are. And I thought, you know, that was all a bit ridiculous, that response. I was in New South Wales. I wasn't in Victoria. I won't be getting there this weekend because they're not playing at home. But I can tell you, I want to thank all those Australians who who leapt to my defence, particularly those in Victoria. I think people have got to get a grip around these things. I mean, there was social distancing applied there, as you'd expect it to. We've got to get on with things. We've got to lift our heads. I said this yesterday, we can't get all downcast. And I know in Victoria things are incredibly tough. But to use a sporting analogy, if you put your head down when you're in a game, then you're your opponents know this and the virus is like this. You know, we've got to keep our heads up. We've got to keep looking forward. Yesterday, we the job figures came out for June. Now, there were 210,000 jobs that came back into the economy in June. That is the single biggest month's increase that we've ever seen in our economic statistics in Australia. Now, that's coming back off more than 800,000 fall. But most of those jobs that came back were for young people. And it shows that as we open up, as we get on top of this, the jobs come back and that gives us hope. So we need to lift our heads. We can't be downcast. We can't be getting around in a hairshirt on this. And we've got to take the action we need to take. We've got to look forward and we've got to go forward confidently.
HILDEBRAND: That is absolutely true PM but one thing that is gathering a lot of momentum at the moment because of these huge unemployment numbers still, is whether or not there will be some kind of substantive, long lasting increase to the JobSeeker payment. I know people on your side of politics have now joined calls from people on the other side of politics for this. Business and welfare groups are as one with this. Can we look forward to some substantial increase in the dole, in job seeker payments and other welfare payments in the mini budget statement next week?
PRIME MINISTER: Those issues aren't being addressed. The longer term issues aren't being addressed in the economic statement next week. It'll be dealing with the immediate issues that will apply after September, when the JobSeeker payment is now is currently double what it is and that is in place. And so we have already provided that additional support for the here and now. Those longer term questions are not being addressed at this point. That is a matter for another time. What matters now and I've got to say, the other thing we saw in the job figures yesterday, is that the flexibility for industrial relations that employees have had has meant they've been able to keep people in jobs. The income support through JobKeeper is is one thing. It's very important. It's kept businesses and employees, you know, in in a in a good place, relatively speaking. But it's also been the flexibility of the industrial relations changes. And if that ends, if we don't get the support to keep that going for businesses, then that is going to cost people their jobs and we saw that yesterday. The flexibility meant more people got to keep their jobs.
HILDEBRAND: I certainly understand. So just to clarify, in September, will JobSeeker go down to its previous level? Will it be halved or will it be higher than it was in March?
PRIME MINISTER: There will be continuing income support and we'll be making announcements about that next week.
ANDREW ROCHFORD: Good. One of the major challenges globally, PM is, is when the virus starts taking out our frontline healthcare workers. And we're starting to see that here probably for the first time in large clumps in Victoria. The Australian Medical Association has come out and demanded that the state governments commit to a zero death target for our health care workers. New South Wales and Victoria are refusing to sign that target. Where do you sit federally?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, there's a practical issue here, and you're right to particularly observe the impact that we've got. And it's been especially the case with aged care employees. And one of the challenges we're dealing with in Victoria at the moment is many aged care employees work in more than one facility. And there has been a concerning level of cases amongst aged care employees, and we're seeking to restrict their movement between facilities. So I've got to say, I mean, our more practical focus at the moment is managing issues like that. Obviously, we want our health care workforce to be as healthy as they possibly can be. And that's why we've put five million masks out of the national stockpile into Victoria for aged care workers to ensure that they can have those in place and they're mandatory in all of those facilities. So I totally agree that the health of our health workforce is absolutely vital, both for their own benefit, but also because of the critical role they play. And we've seen overseas where when your health workforce gets deteriorated because of their own health condition, that only makes the problem harder.
KENNERLEY: Yeah, Tony Abbott has said very recently said that perhaps taking a percentage cut from people in the bureaucracy as well as in the government, people over $150,000 taking a cut of pay, because to be quite frank, we're really not in all this together. What's your view of taking a pay cut and along with the bureaucracy?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, we've frozen pay in all of those areas in the federal bureaucracy. It's the same response that was made during the GFC when Kevin Rudd was Prime Minister. Look, I think, you know, those sort of things grab headlines, but they don't actually solve problems. We put the freeze in place. I think that's appropriate. And we're just getting on with the job.
JACOBS: Prime Minister, thank you very much for your time. Before you go, AFL grand final, Optus Stadium in Perth. Is that an option?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, look. Look, I'm sure wherever it's played, people will enjoy it. I think they're glad to see that it is still being played and and I commend the AFL for their flexibility. They've moved it up there to Queensland. I know they're very happy in Queensland about that. Where they end up playing the grand final, look we'll see. Who knows? I'm just hoping the Sharks have a better outing this weekend.
JACOBS: Prime Minister Scott Morrison, thank you very much for joining us on Studio 10.
HILDEBRAND: Thanks PM.
