Media Releases
Q&A – CEDA’s State of the Nation Conference
15 June 2020
MELINDA CILENTO, CHIEF EXECUTIVE CEDA: Thank you, Prime Minister. I think it probably goes without saying that for the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia, we’re pretty excited to hear about a series of investments in infrastructure but also I think, you know, the points you were making about and acknowledging the things that people have been able to do, that businesses and governments have been able to do. I think you talked about changes of attitude, I think that’s absolutely a really important call out and we at CEDA by virtue of this forum you can see doing things differently are there are a whole bunch of things we are hoping to do differently in the future as well. But I think the point I wanted to make is that I’m hearing from a lot of businesses that obviously as they deal with the COVID crisis, there is a lot of new cost coming into their business. So having a deregulation agenda that will help to manage that and to be more agile is critically important.
I mentioned we are doing things a little bit differently. We have got people on livestream as well so we are going to ask them to ask questions. Just a quick reminder to those of you that are on livestream. Also we are looking for a question from the room. I’ve got Ellen Derek, who is the Deloitte National Leader of Public Sector and Public Policy to ask the first question. Thank you.
QUESTION: Thanks, Linda and thank you Prime Minister for your remarks and it was great to hear that portfolio of announcements, both click ready digital projects and shovel ready, so thank you. Given we are at CEDA's state of the nation, audience is a number of organisations, cross section of business and academia, and given we are on this country’s growth adventure together, do you have a particular ask or call to action for us today, particularly given that we're kicking off this great day of debate through CEDA?
PRIME MINISTER: What has set Australia apart, I believe, in the last few months, what we have been able to achieve where others have not, is I have not experienced, at least in my time of public life, a coming together, whether it is regulators, business, employers, employees, unions, scientists, medical professionals, manufacturers, defence forces. This has been a time, I think, of great togetherness, more than just the issue of isolation with our families at home. There has been a broader bringing together and that has been a high priority for me, to bring people together. Now, of course, there are some who will chip from the sidelines and choose not to participate and that is for them. But I think the broader experience has been one of coming together and that is what we need to maintain. There is an active debate about the path we are taking forward and I think I have set out this morning some clear direction on that path, as I did when I was last here in this room just a few weeks ago. The JobMaker program is all about the enabling parts of our economy. Sure in the short-term, certainly, we have significant fiscal supports that are in place to support demand in the economy and that has a role to play, particularly given that monetary policy is more or less spent. We understand the role fiscal policy has to play but that does not always have to take the form that it began with and our investments in pharmaceuticals and hospitals and major new agreement we have just announced in the infrastructure and all of these, the tax cuts are still rolling out. That is an important fiscal support to the economy, not just now but when we announced that, we're several years into that plan now and that extends over the next five years and synchronises nicely with the JobMaker plan. That is all fiscal supports. But the supply-side reforms that we are talking about and we are seeking to pursue collaboratively, I think will be important for the next generation. So I would encourage CEDA to do what it has always done, and those in the room, to continue to engage and find the common ground on some of these changes. The Government, obviously, at the end of the will have to make calls on them, and we will and we will not delay because we need to move forward on it. But in the first instance I am very keen to bring as much out of the community as we possibly can. My job is to bring Australians together wherever we can but ultimately as a Government to make a call and get on with it.
MELINDA CILENTO, CHIEF EXECUTIVE CEDA: Thanks Ellen, Prime Minister one of the questions we have gotten through the livestream audience I think follows on nicely from that which is really, picking up of bipartisanship of all in this together with, throughout the crisis. A lot of the things that you’ve announced today really require that to continue. National Cabinet is working well. I'm really interested in how you see that cooperation continuing going forward? And if you look at, even on infrastructure, you have the [inaudible] bodies around the country, you’ve got different departments you’ve got states, you’ve got federal, you’ve got the transport and infrastructure council, how do you see that all knitting together and what role are you going to play in trying to kind of, keep everyone on the straight and narrow, so to speak?
PRIME MINISTER: Well our role federally, and my role as Prime Minister, and Josh’s as Treasurer, Michael as Deputy Prime Minister, and the ministers of my Cabinet, is to set the direction. When we announced the changes to, moving past the COAG era and into the National Cabinet and National Federation Reform Council era, the big change is that there will be much stronger direction coming from the leadership. Not just from obviously from the Federal Government but from states and territories as well. What we’ve seen through the actions of the National Cabinet has been an elevation of state interests into a national interest and so when Premiers and I get around a table it is not to discuss the parochial concerns of one jurisdiction but what the national task is and how they all can play a part in it. I think that is a big shift and, frankly, I think, look the bipartisanship issue, there isn’t a lot of that. There is great difference of view about the economic pathway forward and that is politics. That is part of our democracy. What I have sought to do is brought together the institutions of government and society, whether it be our scientific community, our medical community, our state and territory governments, local governments, indeed as Michael and his Ministers, colleagues and the National Party have been working with local governments, this has been very important. We are bringing people together who have very serious jobs to do and are responsible for things. And that occurs whether it is Larry over at the CSIRO or anyone else. And the COVID-19 commission which will translate into a new mode soon, that has proved to also be a very valuable contributor to our thinking and I see a broader role from that and a broader participation in that. It operated in an early phase of a very small group but I see that group having an onward life and having a few more voices included in it which I think will be productive. It started off as a tactical problem-solving group because we had problems with getting food to grocery stores, that had to be fixed. Now they have been working closely with us on the very things we have been talking about today, the broader industrial relations changes that we are working with people to achieve and so it is providing those opportunities and those platforms for people to come together. We are doing that. But it is also about providing the clear direction and leadership on top of that so those processes can be guided and they just don’t meander off forever. There is a time for having the discussion and then we will make a decision and then we’ll get on with it.
MELINDA CILENTO, CHIEF EXECUTIVE CEDA: Unfortunately we are out of time, I think. I’ve got a long list of questions here. If you don’t mind, I’m just going to give you a bit of a flavor of them.
PRIME MINISTER: Sure.
MELINDA CILENTO, CHIEF EXECUTIVE CEDA: I’m sure in future statements and in future work you will address them, but just so you get a sense of what people are interested in, obviously really interested to see how the infrastructure projects play out, people sort of talking about youth unemployment and obviously very concerned about making sure we get the jobs for young people and I think people are probably mindful of some of the experiences we saw in Europe after the global financial crisis and are really keen to make sure that the stimulus flows through to young people and also women who have had drops in employment faster than others in the community, so that’s a bit of a sense I think lurking beneath that. There is some interest obviously of course, the Treasurer, what we do with JobKeeper and JobSeeker in due course. That is really a couple of the key themes coming up and then not surprisingly people in business want to understand how we rebuild manufacturing in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, let me touch on a couple of those. We absolutely acknowledge and I think you have seen that from, identifying it in the slides that I put up, it has been younger people and it has been women who have been more impacted in the initial shock of this crisis so much and this recession is quite different from the last in that respect. It was often those going through structural transition and was middle-aged males coming out of older industries and things like that that were mainly impacted in that. This one is different. And I think though, that also is a sign of the times and that our workforce is completely different today, we are at record levels of female workforce participation. The lowest gender pay gap we have seen in this country, before the Covid-19 crisis hit, so we were making great, great gains there. And that, those jobs have been hit very, very hard. And so that is obviously a key focus. Now, as I said, as the economy, particularly in those industries which are heavily employing of women, start to revive again, then we would hope to see at least an initial improvement in that situation. But we will need to maintain a key focus on our women's economic security plan, which we were the first to introduce. And that will get a refresh, on top of that the focus we need to put on on youth employment, and we already have a number of programmes in this area, the apprentices wage subsidy was the first thing we did together with the first stimulus package we put back in several months ago because we knew it would be young people who would be worst hit. And particularly things like the HomeBuilder programme and things like that will support young people into jobs. But young people, I remember this from when I was Social Services Minister. You've got to get young people into jobs before they're 22 and no later than when they’re 25. Because the simple analysis of it is, if you don't, the chances of spending a lifetime on welfare go through the roof. I'm very conscious of that. That has been a statistic, the first time I heard it I was Social Services Minister, that has never left my head. And so, how our social services operate, how our employment services operate, how our welfare system operates, has to get these young people back into jobs for their own sake, for their family's sake, but also for the nation's economic state and its fiscal state, because the impacts of lifelong welfare dependency are crippling. And so we are very conscious of those issues. And I'm sure the DPM will be taking many opportunities to tell the country about how this programme is going to roll out, particularly with the states and territories. But let me finish by thanking Melinda, and thanking CEDA for the opportunity to be here today. I thank my colleagues for joining me here this morning. And look forward to working together on the road back.
MELINDA CILENTO, CHIEF EXECUTIVE CEDA: Thank you very much, Prime Minister. Please join me in thanking the Prime Minister of Australia.
Update on Coronavirus Measures
12 June 2020
The National Cabinet met today to further discuss Australia’s current COVID-19 response, easing restrictions in the coming months, helping Australians prepare to go back to work in a COVID-safe environment and getting the economy moving again.
The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, provided an update on the measures underway, the latest data and medical advice in relation to COVID-19.
Treasury Secretary, Dr Stephen Kennedy, provided an update on the labour market and current economic conditions.
There have been over 7,200 confirmed cases in Australia and sadly 102 people have died. There are now less than 500 active cases in Australia, and over the past week, daily infection rates have remained low. Testing remains high, with more than 1.7 million tests undertaken in Australia.
National Cabinet recommitted to a strategy of suppression of COVID-19.
We need to continue to have the right controls in place to test more people, trace those who test positive and respond to local outbreaks when they occur. These are precedent conditions to enable Australia to relax baseline restrictions and enable Australians to live and work in a COVID-safe economy.
National Cabinet again encouraged Australians to download the COVIDSafe app to ensure that we can protect Australians and continue to ease baseline restrictions. More than 6.3 million Australians have already downloaded the COVIDSafe app. This is an enormous achievement but more is needed.
National Cabinet will meet again on 26 June 2020.
Statement on risks of COVID and attending mass gathering protests
National Cabinet reiterated the AHPPC advice that protests are very high risk due to the large numbers of people closely gathering and challenges in identifying all contacts. AHPPC again urges the Australian community to not participate in mass gatherings.
Progress on restrictions
National Cabinet reconfirmed the commitment to the 3 step framework for a COVID-safe Australia to be completed in July 2020.
All states are now in Step 2 or 3, the number of new cases has remained low, and localised outbreaks have been responded to effectively. Active case numbers continue to drop, community transmission remains low, and we are starting to see days with no new cases in most parts of the country. This progress needs to be maintained in order to make further economic and social gains – by living and working in COVID-safe ways as restrictions continue to ease.
National Cabinet agreed to further changes based on AHPPC advice to enable extended removal of restrictions under Step 3 for indoor gathering density rules and reopening ticketed and seated outdoor events, including in stadiums.
Indoor Gatherings
National Cabinet agreed to remove the 100 person limit on non-essential indoor gatherings under the Step 3 Framework and replace it with:
1 person per 4sqm;
staying 1.5 metres away from other people whenever and wherever possible;
maintaining good hand washing and cough/sneeze hygiene;
staying home when unwell, and getting tested if you have respiratory symptoms or a fever;
downloading the COVIDSafe app to allow identification and traceability of people that have been in contact with a confirmed COVID case; and
developing COVIDSafe plans for workplaces and premises.
States and territories will determine when to implement these changes under Step 3.
National Cabinet requested further advice from the AHPPC on the 1 person per 4 sqm density rule and application for small premises.
National Cabinet reiterated that it is vital for our society and our economy that we can live with this virus, and keep ourselves and others safe – we cannot risk a second wave and having to step backwards, especially now that we are making such good progress.
National Cabinet reiterated that high risk venues such as nightclubs do not form part of Step 3 and will be considered following further advice from medical experts.
Outdoor events including stadiums
For outdoor venues up to 40,000 spectator capacity, ticketed and seated events will be able to be held in front of a crowd of no more than 25 per cent of capacity under Step 3.
States and territories will make decisions on when to move to Step 3 under COVIDSafe plans.
At a minimum, COVID-Safe arrangements must be maintained including:
1 person per 4sqm;
staying 1.5 metres away from other people whenever and wherever possible;
maintaining good hand washing and cough/sneeze hygiene;
staying home when unwell, and getting tested if you have respiratory symptoms or a fever; and
downloading the COVIDSafe app to allow identification and traceability of people that have been in contact with a confirmed COVID case.
For outdoor venues of more than 40,000 spectator capacity, further advice is being sought from the AHPPC, with arrangements to be settled by the states and territories on a venue by venue basis.
National Cabinet reiterated that high risk outdoor events without ticketed seating such as music festivals do not form part of Step 3 and will be considered following further advice from medical experts.
International Students
National Cabinet agreed to work closely and carefully to return international students on a small, phased scale through a series of controlled pilots.
This planning process will take time and require well thought through plans from state and territory governments. Preconditions will include the reopening of internal state and territory borders, as well as the return to on-campus learning for the benefit of domestic students and the international students who are already in Australia.
Closing the Gap
Today National Cabinet reaffirmed its commitment to improving the lives of Indigenous Australians so this generation and the next can have the same expectations and opportunities as all Australians. We are doing this in partnership with Indigenous Australians for the first time, working together to decide how policies and targets are developed and delivered.
National Cabinet was provided with an update on the new Closing the Gap National Agreement, and set of targets, that will empower Indigenous Australians to transform their lives. The new National Agreement will set ambitious, yet achievable targets for all governments and will ensure that there is shared accountability and shared responsibility to achieve those targets.
The agreement is very close to final as the draft is now with states and territories for consideration before the Joint Council in July. Our aim is to have the agreement signed by the end of July.
National Federation Reform
Following on from National Cabinet’s agreement to continue as the ongoing forum for first ministers, to form the National Federation Reform Council (NFRC) and to cease the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), National Cabinet today had further discussions regarding the architecture to fundamentally transform federal relations and achieve policy outcomes in areas of shared interest to create jobs and to improve the lives of all Australians.
National Cabinet has announced six initial priority areas of reform, and the formation of six National Cabinet Reform Committees:
Rural and Regional Australia
Skills
Energy
Infrastructure and Transport
Population and Migration
Health
These committees will be driven by leaders of National Cabinet and tasked to progress a rapid jobs agenda.
Deregulation will be taken forward by the Council of Federal Financial Relations (CFFR) as a matter of priority.
National Cabinet held further discussions regarding the role of the CFFR, which is led by the Commonwealth Treasurer and made up of Treasurers of states and territories. The CFFR has a central role in the new system, supporting the work of National Cabinet as it focuses on job creation. Specifically, National Cabinet has tasked CFFR to progress targeted reforms in areas such as tax, deregulation and housing. CFFR will report to National Cabinet on findings and recommendations of these commissioned reform projects, with input from Expert Advisory Groups. Further information on reform projects to be undertaken by the CFFR will be provided shortly.
The CFFR will also take on responsibility for coordination of all commonwealth/state funding agreements, including National Partnership Agreements. National Cabinet has asked that CFFR commence a review of existing agreements with a view to consolidation and rationalisation. This includes identifying agreements that could be ceased in order to streamline responsibilities and to reduce duplication and overlap. CFFR will provide National Cabinet with an update on their progress and a plan for implementation by the end of August.
As new Commonwealth/State National Partnership Agreements are developed, it will be CFFR’s responsibility to negotiate funding elements, in consultation with relevant portfolio ministers.
Interview with Neil Mitchell, 3AW
11 June 2020
NEIL MITCHELL: Prime minister, good morning.
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, how are you?
MITCHELL: I’m okay, a bit to get to I apologise, we haven't spoken for a while and I want to get the economy, obviously. But let's talk about the statues being pulled down around the world, this is going to come to Australia inevitably, you're a member for Cook.
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
MITCHELL: Should we rename the electorate?
PRIME MINISTER: No, absolutely not. And look, I think people need to get a bit of a grip on this. I mean, let's just remember Australia's history. New South Wales in particular, was founded on having no slaves. It was a standout at its time. Cook was no slave trader in his age, in the Enlightenment age, he was very much ahead of his time. I mean, they're also talking about wanting to pull down Lachlan Macquarie's statue. I mean, Lachlan Macquarie emancipated the convicts. And my forefather was such a convict at the time. I think people are getting sort of a bit ahead of themselves here. What has begun with, you know, very important issues and important issues here in Australia, is now getting hijacked by the usual sort of band of noise makers who just want to make an attack on Australia and its society. And, you know, they ‘ve got to pull their heads in.
MITCHELL: There were some bad people though, I mean John Batman and John Pascoe here in Victoria were pretty ordinary blokes.
PRIME MINISTER: I'm not sort of debating the individuals. What I can sense, though, is some taking licence from what has been a very genuinely motivated public feeling about support for indigenous Australians. And it's starting to find its way into a whole bunch of other agendas now. And I think we've got to call that out when it happens. But, you know, Australia was not based on the slave trade.
MITCHELL: I was just was just talking to an Aboriginal leader Lidia Thorpe who is a former member of the state parliament here. And she said that. Well, that millions of it was initially millions, then hundreds of thousands of Aborigines had been massacred by Australians. And we're on a par with Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. What's your view on that?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, look, I think it's important that when we look at Australia's history, we look at it honestly and we look at it, seek to understand it, own it and help frame how we approach the future. I'll give you a good example. In my electorate you've made reference to Cook, we just had the 250th anniversary of Cook's landing and what we did there, we worked with the local community and we put in three huge new installations, statues, you can call them that, if you like. One was of the whale, beautiful statues of whales, which is the totem of the Dharawal people in that area. And the other most striking one on the landing site where actually Cook came ashore. There are these massive, big what looked like the rips of the ship, but they also looked like the ribs of a whale. And it was designed that way by the artist to tell the story of the meeting of two cultures. So I think that expresses beautifully something about our history and about what the way forward is being together. And they are amazing installations. And if people go to Sydney I’d encourage people to go and have a look. They're absolutely stunning. I’ll send you some pictures of them Neil. But you know, so you can do- I mean, how they do that today is different to how they did it, you know, 50 years ago, a hundred years ago. I mean, the original Cook statue, I think, in Hyde Park in Sydney was erected by public subscription, not by some edict of the Kings.
MITCHELL: Look if you could send me some of those photographs. I’ll get your office to send me those photographs we’ll certainly put them online. That sort of leads me into the Black Lives protests, Black Lives Matter protests here. You've rightly said today it's very frustrating and potentially we've got to sit around and wait for another week or more to see whether it's created a second wave. They're talking about more protests. How do you, you can't stop them, can you?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's a matter for the Victorian government. And I commend the Victorian government for taking the position they did, not licencing those protests...
MITCHELL: Well initially they said oh it’s alright, we won't charge anybody. Well, nobody has been charged yet.
PRIME MINISTER: It's a hard issue. I'm not going to sort of buy into a commentary on this on any of the state governments. We've all got difficult issues to manage. But people I mean, I think Premiers Premier Andrews was very clear. Don't go. I was very clear. Don't go. And I think the real risk now is Neil, I mean, people respected the issue being raised. They I think, by and large, Australians did not want people to go out and attend those rallies for the very precise reason that if you can't go to a funeral, and there's nothing more personal to someone than that.
MITCHELL: But what are the issues they’re raising?
PRIME MINISTER: Well the issue, I think, of acknowledging the need to ensure we close the gap with indigenous Australians and we deal with the very high level of indigenous incarceration. That’s a very genuine issue.
MITCHELL: That’s true, there is a sadly high level of indigenous incarceration I think it’s about 30 per cent compared to 3 per cent of the population. But black deaths in custody, I mean, that's that's a furphy, isn't it? I mean, since the Royal Commission, as I saw it, there have been fewer indigenous people, per head of prison population dying in custody than have white people?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, and that is welcome news. And initiative that our government has put in place that’s contributed to ensuring that that continues to be improved. There are targets specifically both in the former and in the new Closing the Gap targets which address this issue. I mean, in my home state, there has been, I understand, one death in sic (police) custody since 2016-
MITCHELL: But they’re painting Australia as a racist country. Do you think we are?
PRIME MINISTER: No. Look, like any country, we've got to be mindful of it. And that's one I say we're being mindful of this issue is a positive thing. I urge people to express this view, not by attending rallies. I mean, if we can stand on the end of our driveways on Anzac Day and remember those who gave us liberty, we can exercise that liberty. And I think in a more respectful way to our fellow Australians who have undergone great sacrifices so-
MITCHELL: If we hadn't had those protests, would you now be looking at easing things a bit quicker?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes. No doubt. And let's put a dollar figure on it. The OECD has come out and said that a second wave would see Australia's GDP fall by 6.3 per cent, not 5 per cent. Now, that is a $25 billion dollar cost to the Australian economy. And that is why people should, I think people wanting to take this further this weekend are showing a great disrespect to their fellow Australians.
MITCHELL: Should they be charged?
PRIME MINISTER: I think they should. I mean, I really do think they should, because you can't have a double standard here. I think the issues of last weekend were very difficult, but I think people carrying it on now, it's not about that. It's about people pushing a whole bunch of other barrows now. And it puts others lives and livelihoods at risk. I saw some people say when they attend this rally, ‘oh, I knew the risk I was taking by attending.’ They were talking about themselves. They weren't talking about the Australians who weren't there. You know, millions of quiet Australians who have done the right thing. And they didn't seem to be that concerned about their health, or their businesses or their jobs.
MITCHELL: The other point of this, though, is even if we do get through, so the next two or three weeks without a surge, is that an indication that we're in a pretty good position? If you can have tens of thousands of people on the streets and you don't get an outbreak and god, let's hope we don’t, doesn't that say, well, hang on, we're in a pretty good position, we can start easing things even more?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, unqualified yes.
MITCHELL: It’s a sort of experiment in a sense isn’t it?
PRIME MINISTER: Well and not one that was welcome and highly risky and dangerous one. And it is certainly our hope, that that is the case. But the only reason that would be the case, Neil, is because so many Australians made sacrifices to ensure that there wasn't that sort of community transmission occurring that would have made that event an absolute certainty of causing a second wave. So everyone paid the price in their own businesses, their own lives, their own liberties. And that produced that scenario where the risk was clearly a lot lower than it might have otherwise been. And I'm just saying to people, look, it's a free country and we have our liberty. But the price of that liberty is exercising it responsibly and respecting fellow Australians. People who would turn up to a rally this weekend would be showing great disrespect to their neighbours.
MITCHELL: You want to reopen state borders quickly? Have you got the power to make it happen? If Queensland wants to stay closed, they can can’t they?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, I've sought to do this, working in concert with people, and that's been how we've run the national cabinet. I am getting a bit frustrated with it, the step three process would have, would see interstate borders, interstate travel, I should say, happening in July. That was the timetable that was agreed. And so what I would like Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania to do is to nominate the date that those borders will be open in July. Now, I'm not confident all would do that. Western Australia's made their position pretty clear. But I would be hopeful that the other three states could, as soon as possible, nominate the date in July that borders will be open. Now, they can pick, frankly, what is more important now is that they give the certainty of a date because, you know, hotels have to be provisioned. Planes have to be fuelled. They have to be ready to get back in the air and crews have to be brought back and training has to be done on COVIDSafe operating environments. And sanitiser needs to be placed in these, so there's a lot of work to do. So nominate the date and let's get on with it.
MITCHELL: Is, on another issue, China, is the belt and road programme sinister?
PRIME MINISTER: It is a programme that the Australian foreign policy doesn't recognise.
MITCHELL: Why?
PRIME MINISTER: Because we don't believe that it is consistent with Australia's national interest.
PRIME MINISTER: In what way? Well, it is a programme, look Neil there are many security issues that the government is, addresses on a day to day basis and they’re addressed in a very secure way. And I don't propose to engage in a public commentary on those. All I can say, it is not a programme the Australian government has signed up to. It is not the Australian government's foreign policy and all states and territories should not be doing things that act inconsistently with the federal policy.
MITCHELL: Isn't it a threat to Australia's security?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it is, it is not something the Australian government has signed up to because we do not believe that it is in Australia's national interests.
MITCHELL: Isn't it an attempt to buy influence in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, these are all of your commentaries, Neil. All I'm telling you what, the Australian government's policy is and it's firm and it's well considered and it's resolute.
MITCHELL: So is it too late? Can Daniel Andrews get out of it?
PRIME MINISTER: He should, because it's inconsistent with Australia's government policy.
MITCHELL: NATO says China is guilty of bullying and coercion and will stand up to the countries. They say it is a threat to open society and individual freedom. That’s NATO, the head of NATO. Do you agree?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we won’t bow or trade away our values when it comes to being an open trading economy. We've been very clear about our positions on a whole range of issues. Those positions have been taken on our national interests, whether it's our position on our telecommunications network, on foreign interference, on how we stand up on issues on human rights, on our positions of open and freedom of navigation.
MITCHELL: So we are critical of China's stand on human rights?
PRIME MINISTER: We have been and those issues have been raised directly in meetings that have been raised directly by me. But, you know, that that's who we are as a people. That shouldn't be surprising. And it's not, doing that is not inconsistent with the relationship that we have.
MITCHELL: So why is China targeting Australia at the moment? Is it all to do with the pandemic and wanting the inquiry or is something else going on?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's really a question for them, Neil.
MITCHELL: Yeah, good luck.
PRIME MINISTER: And to what extent they would say they are. But what we're doing, let me just tell your listeners what we're doing. We’re just being Australians and we have done nothing nor sought to do anything that is inconsistent with our values or have sought to be in any way hostile to our partnership with China.
MITCHELL: But we are accused of being racist towards Chinese students.
PRIME MINISTER: That’s rubbish.
MITCHELL: That's not Australian.
PRIME MINISTER: That’s rubbish. It's a ridiculous assertion and it's rejected. I mean, that's not a statement that's been made by the Chinese leadership.
MITCHELL: Well, made by their mouthpiece the Global Times.
PRIME MINISTER: There are lots of others who issue commentary. And you know what? I just let that pass because I'm not going to respond to those sorts of things.
MITCHELL: You must have theories on why, you must even have advice on them. Fair enough, there are the security issues here as well, but on why Australia is being targeted. I mean, they’re saying that you discussed the pandemic inquiry with Donald Trump and then followed on his urging. Is that correct?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
MITCHELL: So why are they doing it?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you'd have to ask them, Neil.
MITCHELL: But you must get advice on that.
PRIME MINISTER: Neil I'm not the one doing that. What I am doing is being consistent and constant and respectful and engaging with all countries, including China. We have an important trading relationship with China and I'd like to see that continue, but I'm not going to trade Australia's values on it for that country or any other country.
MITCHELL: Even if it costs us a lot of money?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you know, the price of liberty, we were talking about before, Neil. And we all owe a debt to those who gave us that and I can assure you, this Prime Minister will never trade away our values for trade.
MITCHELL: There are a number of former Liberal and Labor politicians who work for various Chinese companies, advisers and the rest. Andrew Robb is one of the high profile ones, a former liberal minister. Have you spoken to him and said, hang on, mate, can you help us sort this out? Can we do some sort of behind the scenes negotiating here?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's been a while since I've had the opportunity to talk to Andrew, he has been a good friend of mine over a long period of time. I have had numerous conversations with people in industry and in business about this. And the point is, we have done nothing to offend the relationship. Nothing at all.
MITCHELL: Well, in that case, why...
PRIME MINISTER: I don’t get defensive about it. And the relationship is not bettered by Australia walking back from positions that we've long held and are entirely consistent and strongly rooted in our national interest.
MITCHELL: A couple of quick things. The unions say a four per cent pay rise is reasonable. Is it?
PRIME MINISTER: What's important is jobs. And I just want to see more jobs.
MITCHELL: Unions jobs on four per cent pay rise?
PRIME MINISTER: At a time like this, I think those who are making those decisions, whether it's Fair Work or others who are considering these issues, you know, you're not better off if you don't have a job. You're not better off if your business is closed. I mean, we've got to be very mindful of the number of people who are underemployed and unemployed. And my focus is on getting them back into jobs and to get back into jobs, you know, we've got to make sure that every single dollar goes as far as it can go.
MITCHELL: There's also a report on that area, reports of billions and billions of dollars, ten billion dollars’ worth in Victoria alone, of construction work and projects is tied up in council red tape. What the hell is...
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, this is frustrating but, look, the good news on that is this is one of the many issues that I think now that the National Cabinet has sort of addressed so much of the health issues in managing the pandemic we can now work together on recovery. And when I announced almost two weeks ago that the National Cabinet would continue, this is the purpose. Its purpose is to ensure that we work together to address what is going to hold Australia back from creating jobs and having a positive and ambitious deregulation agenda, led by the Premiers and myself, driving down into the bureaucracies, driving down in the local governments is, I think, one of the big tasks. This is the skills, industrial nations, infrastructure development. All of this, what we need to do on gas and getting gas availability to support our manufacturing industries. That is a huge issue. There's a lot of regulation and red tape that sits around that. All of this is about creating jobs. Only one thing matters - jobs, jobs, jobs.
MITCHELL: You've got the National Cabinet meeting and you’re talking about pressing those sorts of issues there. Is there a sense around that table that we're through the worst of the pandemic?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's effectively, that's the advice at this point. But there's the risk of a further wave.
MITCHELL: Because of the protests?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, absolutely. Unquestionably, unquestionably. And that's why it's so frustrating.
MITCHELL: It is very hard to convince people, isn't it, to follow the rules, to follow the advice. I was talking to a business owner in Sydney yesterday who said well to hell with them, they can fine me, I’m going to have wedding receptions.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, look, I can understand that sentiment. And I think that's why last weekend was so unadvisable because it really put at risk the great trust that Australians had demonstrated in and their willing participation. I mean, we're a free democratic liberal society and people have been great in the way that they've, you know, often reluctantly, but understanding the need to do what has been done and what happened last weekend, I think, you know, really flew in the face of that, sadly.
MITCHELL: Do you feel we've dodged a bullet?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, I wouldn't put it down to luck. I think we have. There's no doubt about that. I mean, in similar societies to ours, I'm talking about sophisticated developed economies with good health systems. You know, Sweden, 100 times the death rate of Australia, more than that, in fact. The same in the UK and same in France and in so many other countries. In Australia, there was no reason why Australia couldn't have turned up like that and certainly early on in the pandemic they were our great concerns. All Premiers, myself, I mean, and people know Dan and I, you know, we talk. While we have differences of view, disagreements, it doesn't prevent us from working together and particularly on this issue and I'm grateful as I know he is. We were looking at all of that and so yes, we did. But all Australians did. And I think what has set Australia apart as we've worked through this crisis is people have come together. And that's what was really disappointing about last weekend.
MITCHELL: I know you need to go. I appreciate it so much. Just finally, on a personal note, when this was all starting back in February and I've been reading a bit about what you know, you haven’t had a day off since January. When people were briefing you and saying the potential for this, and I know from speaking to some of our state politicians privately, they were just terrified about the prospect of what was ahead. Did you feel that? What was your attitude personally when you were getting all this information in the early days?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I knew we were in completely uncharted waters.
MITCHELL: Were you frightened?
PRIME MINISTER: I don’t know if I would put it that way, Neil. I was very conscious of the gravity of the situation and the responsibility that now fell on my shoulders and particularly the shoulders of the Premiers as well. And, you know, I'm interested in history, always have been. And, you know, I knew that during the Spanish flu pandemic of 100 years previous one of the things that led to so many more lives being lost is the Federation didn't work together. And I knew one of my first responsibilities was going to have to be to keep the country together and make sure the states and territories work together with the Commonwealth. And, you know, it hasn't always gone to plan. But I tell you what, it has been a standout example to the rest of the world about how people can come together and work together.
MITCHELL: I know you'll be modest about this, but if the optimism is right and if we get through it without significant death rates and with the economy rebuilding and there's some hope of that, you'll have your place in history, won’t you?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's for others to judge.
MITCHELL: I thought you’d say that.
PRIME MINISTER: All I know is that when... Look, I learned many years ago a guy called General Norman Schwarzkopf , “When placed in command, take charge.” And that's what that situation required. And I had the very willing cooperation of my fellow leaders around the country, my cabinet ministers of my own cabinet, an extraordinary job, Greg Hunt. Extraordinary job. Josh, tremendous job. So, look, everyone's been doing their bit, Neil, and it’s everyone's been doing their bit. That's why we need to keep doing our bit and not be complacent about it. And so anyone thinking of, you know, going out there this weekend, just don't do it.
MITCHELL: You haven’t had any invitations to the Sharks and St. George Sunday night, have you?
PRIME MINISTER: I do get those invitations now, but I'll go back to the footy when everyone else can. And I know everyone will be looking forward to, you know, that all starting up again in Melbourne tonight with Collingwood and Richmond. As you know, I don't follow that code as closely as the NRL. But I think that’s going to be great.
MITCHELL: So where will you watch it?
PRIME MINISTER: I will just watch it at home at The Lodge on Sunday night and just sit there with a beer. And that's my local derby, St. George and Cronulla. Both the St. George Club and Cronulla Club, both in my own electorate, but everyone knows I’m a Sharks fan.
MITCHELL: Thank you so much for your time.
PRIME MINISTER: Good on you, Neil, all the best.
MITCHELL: Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Interview with Ben Fordham, 2GB
11 June 2020
BEN FORDHAM: PM, good morning.
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Ben.
FORDHAM: Do you agree?
PRIME MINISTER: I've always found that this issue on funerals has been the hardest decision that was taken and the most heartbreaking and of all the letters and, you know, there's been over 100,000 that I've received on so many issues. This has been a very constant one and I do agree. The timing has been complicated, frankly, by these rallies last weekend. We don't know what the health impact of that is. And while I think people were respectful of the issue that was being raised, broadly, I think the double standards that they allowed themselves to perpetrate by turning up has offended, rightly, I think Australians right across the country. There's no disagreement about the importance of the issue that they were talking about. But, you know, the way that was done and the suggestion that they might do it again, sort of, I think, risks public support for even the issue they raise. And so I think they need to think carefully about that and again, I say don't do it and I'm glad that the police in New South Wales and the state government will take a strong approach on that. But on the issue of funerals, I do want to see that go back to normal. I want to see people going back to church and places of worship. I want to see Australia getting back to normal. I want to see planes in the air and we want to see that happen as soon as it can and the health evidence of what's been happening is all pointing towards that.
FORDHAM: So there's no reason why the New South Wales government couldn't double the number of people going to funerals, and that would account for the vast majority of funerals if people were allowed to have 100 immediately. And then you can double it to 200 in a fortnight or whatever and then get back to normal. But this is the only thing that pops up in every email I get - funerals.
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, look and for me, too. But I would only say this one thing, the rally last weekend is the only legitimate real block to this at the moment, because we actually don't know right now whether those rallies on the weekend may have caused outbreaks. We actually don't know at this point and we won't know, my health advice is for at least another week. And we do know that in other countries where there have been these sorts of rallies, that they have led to those sorts of outbreaks and if there's, you know, it just puts a massive spanner in the works. And that's why it's so frustrating. And that's why I appealed to people before last Saturday. By all means, raise your issue. But by doing this, they have put the whole track back to recovery at risk and certainly any further action on this front would be absolutely unacceptable on any terms because we want to see all this stuff come back in and the funerals for me personally, I mean, we both have lost a parent recently and we were both in a position to have our fathers well remembered and that was incredibly important to us. And it breaks my heart about every funeral story that I hear and I want to see that come back like so many other things. But people going out and going to mass rallies puts that at risk. Just do the right thing by each other.
FORDHAM: It's ten minutes to eight. We're speaking to Prime Minister Scott Morrison. PM, we've seen countless statues pulled down around the world because of links to slavery. This is off the back of Black Lives Matter. In London, the Mayor is saying that every monument is now up for review and one of the statues in the UK with a question mark now is of Captain James Cook. How do you feel about the removal of these statues?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, when you’re talking about Captain James Cook, in his time he was one of the most enlightened persons on these issues you could imagine. I mean, Australia when it was founded as a settlement, as New South Wales, was on the basis that there'd be no slavery. And while slave ships continued to travel around the world, when Australia was established yes, sure, it was a pretty brutal settlement. My forefathers and foremothers were on the First and Second Fleets. It was a pretty brutal place, but there was no slavery in Australia. And so I think what we're seeing with some of these protests, they start on a fair point when they're raising issues about, you know, people's treatment in custody or things like that. Fair, fair issue. But now it's being taken over by other much more politically driven left wing agendas, which are seeking to take advantage of these opportunities to push their political causes. And, you know, we've got to... I've always said we've got to be honest about our history. We've got to acknowledge the positive and the negative. But, you know, I think we've also got to respect our history as well. And this is not a licence for people to just go nuts on this stuff.
FORDHAM: Because Australia wants to get to the bottom of coronavirus, China has punished our beef producers, our barley farmers. Now they're telling Chinese students to reconsider studying in Australia. Are we just going to keep on copying the whacks or do we hit back at some stage?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, one thing Australia will always do is act in our national interests and never be intimidated by threats from wherever they come. I mean, I've noted those reports in the state media from China. But equally, what I know is Australia provides the best education and tourism products in the world. And I know that that is compelling. And I also know that, you know, the ability for Chinese nationals to be able to choose to come to Australia is, substantively been their decision. And I'm very confident in the attractiveness of our product. And, you know, we are an open trading nation mate, but I'm never going to trade our values in response to coercion from wherever it comes.
FORDHAM: JobKeeper is due to expire in September. But there's a chance it might end earlier for some industries like it will for childcare on July 20. Do we need to be upfront PM now about the fact that some other industries will not have JobKeeper until September as first indicated?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I don't know why people are suggesting that, childcare was a fairly special case because we had moved to that free childcare arrangement. And what has been done is, is that the normal fee arrangements have come back. But in working with the childcare sector, when there was a choice between going with ongoing JobKeeper or a 25 per cent subsistence payment to the sector, so we're talking about the same amount of support, which means more employees will be helped, in our consultations that was seen as the better way forward. So I think this is a very special case. JobKeeper is there till the end of September.
FORDHAM: What about industries other than childcare?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, there are no other sort of special arrangements like we had in childcare. And we dealt with that one quite specifically-
FORDHAM: So will JobKeeper remain until the end of September for everyone else?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I already said that. So I don't know what that other speculation is about. That sounds like Labor making mischief.
FORDHAM: I thought it was because you guys had said it was under review?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that is about how you're implementing the programme. And that's a lot of administrative issues and things like that. I mean, the reason we put JobKeeper in place for six months was to provide that confidence and certainty. And that's what it's done. I mean, the most recent consumer sentiment survey that came back just this week has shown that we've regathered all the gains and having JobKeeper in place, has been an important part of that. I know the Labor Party, they've been seeking to undermine this right from the get go. I mean, everything they've supported, they've also opposed. I haven't found that a very constructive approach and seeking to undermine people's confidence in this very important programme, look, I'm just very disappointed.
FORDHAM: Just lastly, you've announced a panel to review the evidence into actions of former war hero Teddy Sheean, I know that Alan Jones had called for Teddy Sheean to receive a posthumous Victoria Cross, for his heroics on the HMAS Armidale in 1942. Can you give us an update on this?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, well there's one key issue. I mean, people, very reasonable people have very different views and conclusions on this issue. And the key thing that has to be resolved is whether the very high bar, and you've got to have a high bar when you're talking about revisiting a decision made 80 years ago in the middle of a war. I wasn't there. No one else was there who was in a position to sort of make decisions on this today. And it's important you set a really high bar and the test is and the policies of governments, both Labor and Liberal has been that there has to be new and compelling material evidence that has been presented that would enable that decision to be revisited. Now, that test is there is no clarity presently on whether that has been met. And for me to be able to move forward on this issue, that test would have to be met. Now, I've asked the former Defence Minister, Brendan Nelson, the former chair of the War Memorial, very respected on this issue. Brad Manera, who is the Senior Curator and Historian at the New South Wales Anzac Memorial. David Bennett is the former solicitor general and the former Prime Minister and Cabinet department, Dr. Shergold. Now, they are all people who understand the rules and the issues here. And I'm asking them to advise me whether that high bar is met. Teddy Sheean, an amazing Australian of incredible bravery. That's not in dispute here. The issue is 80 years later how do you second guess the decisions made of people who were there at the time? And if you're going to do that, you've got to get it right. You've got to ensure that the rules are followed and otherwise, as long as people like Les Carlyon have said, like other VC, current VC holders have said, like Keith Payne, you run the risk of creating a two-tiered VC system. And I don't want any Australian who has a VC and has been awarded that, to in any way have any aspersions cast on their honours. By not holding up to these standards on how you would reconsider any other case.
FORDHAM: PM, thanks so much for your time.
PRIME MINISTER: Good on you, see you Ben.
FORDHAM: Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Ordinary Seaman Edward 'Teddy' Sheean
10 June 2020
Ordinary Seaman Edward ‘Teddy’ Sheean was an extraordinary Australian and Australia will remain eternally grateful for his service, dedication and sacrifice.
Overturning a decision relating to a Victoria Cross nearly 80 years after Sheean’s heroic actions in 1942 would need compelling reasons. That is why the Government’s view and clear policy is that consideration of the awarding of a retrospective Victoria Cross would only occur in light of compelling new evidence or if there was evidence of significant maladministration.
Given there are different views on whether there is compelling new evidence about Sheean’s actions in 1942, I have today commissioned an expert panel to provide me with advice as to whether the 2019 review by the Defence Honours and Awards Appeal Tribunal had any significant new evidence, not available to the previous reviews and otherwise available, that is compelling enough to support a recommendation by the Government that Sheean’s Mention in Despatches be replaced by a Victoria Cross.
The expert panel will be chaired by former Minister for Defence and former Director of the Australia War Memorial, the Hon Dr Brendan Nelson AO, and will also comprise former Solicitor-General, Mr David Bennett AC QC, former Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Dr Peter Shergold AC, and Senior Curator and Historian at the NSW Anzac Memorial, Mr Brad Manera. The panel will report to me by 31 July 2020.
The Victoria Cross for Australia is our pre-eminent Australian gallantry decoration. The Government will always uphold the integrity of the Victoria Cross and everything that it stands for.
The evidentiary standards for recommending the award of the Victoria Cross always have been, and always will be, the highest. This is even more so in the case of consideration of a potential historic award, where compelling new evidence must be identified. The Government will continue to apply this very high standard.
Joint Statement on a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Republic of India and Australia
4 June 2020
Today Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I announced a new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between Australia and India.
The CSP takes our bilateral relationship to a new level of cooperation, based on mutual understanding, trust, common interests and the shared values of democracy and the rule of law.
It reflects Australia and India’s strong commitment to working together at a time of unprecedented global challenges, such as COVID-19.
Our Partnership is in line with India's increasing engagement in the Indo-Pacific region through her Indo-Pacific vision and Australia's Indo-Pacific approach and its Pacific Step-Up for the South Pacific.
Our Foreign and Defence Ministers will meet in a ‘2+2’ format at least every two years to discuss strategic issues and take forward our Partnership.
By further strengthening our partnership, we also contribute to a more secure, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
The text of the CSP joint statement is attached.
Interview with Karl Stefanovic, A Current Affair
4 June 2020
Karl Stefanovic: PM good evening to you.
Prime Minister: G’day Karl.
Stefanovic: The Government’s HomeBuilder package you announced today, how many families in the suburbs have got a lazy $150,000 to spend on a renovation to get the cash grant do you reckon?
Prime Minister: Well, none of them do. That's why they borrow the money to do those renovations. I mean, if you’ve got, if you can't afford to go and build a new house and you've got, your kids are growing up and they need a bit more room, then the only option you have is to renovate your house. And the average loan taken in Australia the first three months of this year for those sort of renovations was $164,000 dollars. So that's what people do when they can't knock down their house and build another one, or if they can't go and build a new home, which can cost, you know, about $300,000 to $350,000. But what this programme is all about actually is getting about 20,000 to 30,000 new starts on jobs, that is new home starts renovations to generate jobs and support jobs in the residential building industry and support those apprentices. So it's all about the jobs.
Stefanovic: I understand why you’ve had to set that as a threshold to avoid shocks and rorting the scheme, but how many people are actually do you think, going to use this home builder package?
Prime Minister: Well, the estimate is about 20,000 new home starts and 7,000 renovations. That's what the programme’s designed to achieve. And we'll monitor that closely. But it's a demand driven programme, just like what we're able to do with the first home loan deposit scheme. I mean, we estimated and budgeted for 10,000 people to get those access to their first home loans. So 10,000 Australians have actually got into their first home as a result of that scheme that we launched last year. And I’m really pleased to see that happen. And that's done on the same income tests that we've put on for this new, for this HomeBuilder programme.
Stefanovic: You got the numbers horribly wrong with JobKeeper, have you got the numbers right on this one?
Prime Minister: Well, we'll see. I mean, these are estimates and these are very uncertain times, and we hope that people who may have pulled back from projects that they were going to go ahead with, will now feel more confident. And we've certainly had a lot of that feedback today from the building industry who’ve received this very, very warmly, because at the end of the day, it’s, we understood that we're going to have about a 30,000 drop off in the number of new home starts over the back end of this year. And so the programme is you know, very tightly constrained in a short timeframe to try and get those projects happening so the pipeline of work is there for the apprentices, for the tradies, for the plasterers, for the carpenters, for those who are back in the prefab work that goes in before you get on site and then the retailers who you know, put in the fridges and and the appliances and all the other things. And and that's that's why when you're supporting the residential construction industry, that it has those knock on effects. And so hopefully many will take it up. That's what we've estimated. And hopefully that will provide the support that is needed.
Stefanovic: Given the tight timeframes as you mentioned for signing contracts and delivering on work, the last thing we need right now is another pink batts disaster?
Prime Minister: Well, that's right. I mean this is why you don't do it at the small scale renos, I mean, you're not going to, we weren’t going to have people go knocking on people's doors saying, let me come out and rip your kitchen out, and you'll get some government money. That's what happened when Labor did these schemes. And I’ve heard them making those criticisms of this one well they clearly didn't learn the lessons from those terrible programmes, which in some cases actually led to young Australians being killed. So, I mean, we've ensured that with these programmes, we've put the integrity in place. You've got to have a licenced builder, the builder would already have to be in business. The money is paid directly to the homeowner and they're managing that along with the loans that they'd be taking out and the other equity that they've got to invest.
Stefanovic: There’s a massive skills shortage as you know at the moment with the lack of apprentices in the workforce, are there enough people actually out there to do all the work?
Prime Minister: Well, I just met some this morning, actually out at Googong, but that's why we put the 50 per cent wage subsidy in and extended that out. That was one of the first things we did in our first response to the coronavirus. We extended and we broadened out the wage subsidy for apprentices. And it was great to hear, I mean the young apprentice I met this morning, he's only been on for about the last four months, now he would have been one of the first casualties of this coronavirus had we not been able to continue those wage subsidies for those apprentices. So we've already invested in that programme. We're going to keep that programme going.
Stefanovic: PM Bob Hawke was the last Prime Minister to reside over a recession as Treasurer Paul Keating saying it was ‘the recession we had to have’ they never really lived that down, will you live this one down?
Prime Minister: Well, this is the recession I really wish we didn't have to have, because no one wants that. And the coronavirus has caused this and, all Australians know that, we were running along at over 2 per cent growth before we hit this, we’d brought the Budget back into balance. We'd been working hard to do all of those things. Australians had been working hard, and this has come along and blindsided the global economy and Australia hasn't hasn't been immune to that. But what I can say is that what we saw in the national accounts figures yesterday, we had a 0.3 per cent decline. In like countries to Australia they've seen a situation 10 times worse and more. So Australia we've done we've made, making the best of a very bad situation and we're doing it so much better than so many other countries. And as you signed off from your programme the other night, we're glad we're in Australia mate. I mean, Australia, through all of our efforts, is making the best of what is a very difficult time.
Stefanovic: To the US, how’s your relationship with Donald Trump? Because an awful lot of people in Australia think he’s lost the plot?
Prime Minister: Well it’s my job as Prime Minister to have very good relationships with all our key partners and allies, I mean whoever's sitting in that chair and who's ever sitting in my chair, the strength of our alliance is we've always worked very hard on that relationship. And I've done that, as my predecessors have. And the relationship is very strong and that's important. That's in Australia's national interest. I mean, that's what matters. That's what keeps Australia safe. It's what, it protects Australia's interests, particularly in this part of the world. And so it's an incredibly important relationship and I'm pleased that I have got such a strong relationship there.
Stefanovic: What do you think about the President using a bible, and church and religion, as a PR stunt in what effectively is an election campaign?
Prime Minister: Well, look, I don't judge other people's faith and I don't invite them to judge mine. I think faith is a very personal thing, Karl. I've always held that as a principle, and I leave others to express their faith and how they conduct themselves, that's totally up to them. But it goes back to my answer to the last question. It's not my job as Prime Minister to provide political or other commentary on other leaders around the world, and they tend not to do it in relation to Australia. Our job as leaders is to represent our countries and pursue relationships that are good for our people, and our national interests. And whatever opinions people might have of whatever leaders around the world, it's my job to ensure that we can have as best as possible relationships and protect our interests.
Stefanovic: Okay, what do you actually like about Donald Trump?
Prime Minister: Well, he's always been straight up with me. I can tell you that, and he's always been very straight up about our relationship. And he’s showed a great interest in Australia and through his Presidency of the United States, has been a good friend of Australia. And that's particularly been exhibited in what we've been able to achieve with him on trade when so many other countries were the subject of other sanctions, Australia was not. But equally, the work we do together in our defence relationship is incredibly important for Australia's interests. And he's shown a keen interest in that. So the relationship is very much about what's best for Australians and the keen interest he's shown in Australians, the 100 years of mateship in particular.
Stefanovic: Anything else you like personally about him? His hair?
Prime Minister: He’s a straight talker, and he's easy to get on with. I mean he's got more of it than I do!
Stefanovic: Yeah, I can’t really complain about that either. PM it’s great to talk to you, thank you for your time this evening.
Prime Minister: Thanks a lot, Karl.
Stefanovic: Cheers.
Interview with Ray Hadley, 2GB
4 June 2020
Ray Hadley: It’s good to have your company, the Prime Minister Scott Morrison is on the line right now, Prime Minister good morning.
Prime Minister: Good morning Ray.
Hadley: You looked a bit chilly this morning in Googong, I'll bet it was cold, was it?
Prime Minister: It was freezing. But see that’s what tradies do every morning. So, you know, and they would have been out there early today right across the country. So my hat's off. It was pretty cold.
Hadley: Now, before we get into the serious stuff, I heard some some, a little exchange between you and someone. I thought someone might be standing on scaffolding, illegally, breaking some sort of rule. But I'm told that someone was on some bloke’s lawn opposite you and he was blowing up. Is that right?
Prime Minister: It was quite funny because we were out there at Googong which is you know a housing estate like so many all around the country, and people are very house-proud and this bloke had just built his house and all the media was standing on part of his lawn that he'd re-seeded. And so he wasn't yelling at me but he came and said ‘get off my lawn.’ So I ushered them all off the lawned area and he was quite happy then, he said thanks and went back inside. So it was, it was quite funny actually.
Hadley: I’ve got some mates who absolutely love their lawn and they find a cigarette butt or a match on it, they go into a state of conniption, that someone's left it there and so,
Prime Minister: Absolutely.
Hadley: So I was laughing my head off about it. Now, the $25,000 package you've spoken about for new homes up to $750 grand, and renovations. Yeah, I gleaned from your comments this morning, you may be a little worried about it being open to abuse, a bit like pink batts and all the other stuff we've dealt with previously. What are your concerns?
Prime Minister: Well, look, like what happened with that programme all those years ago, you’ve got to make sure you've got the licence trades people who are involved in this programme and that people don’t set up schemes just to take advantage of it. And it's one of the reasons why we've put the programme at $150,000 or more on renovations. I mean, if it's if it's replacing every kitchen cabinet in the country, then, you know, someone's going to have a load of that there's no doubt about that. And I've heard Anthony Albanese bang on about that today. They clearly haven't learnt the lessons from when they spent all that money all those years ago. So we've been very careful about that. It uses the same systems that the state governments have when they do their new construction grants. So that's a well-established method. The other thing about the $150,000 too Ray, is that, you know, not everybody can go and build a new home. I mean, it costs about $350 grand on average these days to build a new home. And if you’re a, you know, a family that's busting at the seams and you can't afford to do that or, you know, you go through the whole process of selling and buying, particularly at the moment when they might be a bit nervous. The only option you've got is to do a pretty substantive renno. And, you know, you're not going to get much change out of you know $150K on doing rennos of that size when you've for to put an extra room on and everything else that happens. And this is really designed for these big works. It's not designed for these smaller programmes, you know, that, the doing the kitchen or doing the bathroom or whatever. This is about serious, larger scale building works where you get lots more trades in, you get a lot more people involved, and you get the flow one of the appliances and and all of that, and then the apprentices and the prefabricators and all of those trades that are brought into it.
Hadley: Yeah, I did get some emails saying the same thing this morning. What about a kitchen renno or a bathroom renno, and while people are well-intended, that then leaves it open to abuse. I mean, that's where, you know, you know, someone's going to do a home renovations themselves and I mean, that's when you start to have a problem. I understand that. Now there are conditions. And, of course, it's means tested, it’s about how much a year you earn per annum?
Prime Minister: Yeah, $125,000 for an individual. $200,000 for a family. And that's the same rules we put around the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme. And we've had 10,000 people take that up in the last 6 months, which is great. 10,000 people getting in their first home, which is just tremendous. And now under those same rules, I mean, that captures the real majority of households. They can access this as well. And this means that they can go ahead with that big renovation or go ahead with that home build, because - as a second - what the industry’s told us is once you get the other side of September, while there's a bit of work going on now, the you know, what's the next job? That's the question. And we're seeing that in the back end of the year, in the first quarter of next year, then that was going to really be a problem. We'll be down about 30,000 builds. So this is designed to address that and leverage, you know people who are, who had previously committed to it but have pulled back, this enables them to go forward again and to keep that pipeline of work.
Hadley: Now in concert with first homebuyers, in most states and territories, there’ll be, I mean, it's a very good scheme if you think about an extra $10 or $15,000 depending on where you are. It could be $35 to $40 thousand that you’re going to subsidise those young people getting into their own homes. And as a father of young people currently getting to their own homes, I mean, they've moved in already, if you know what I mean, because they could have benefited by that. However, it has a cut-off date and things have to start by July 4 and finish by a certain date as well?
Prime Minister: You've got to enter into a contract from now till the end of the year and then start work three months, no later than three months after it and the money gets paid to the homeowner. So that's another thing we've built into it. So you know, the money doesn't get paid over to the contractor, which is what used to happen with all those failed schemes. So that's another thing we've built into it to make sure it works properly. But yeah I mean, the programmes have got to start at some point with a licenced builder and all of those things. And you’re right the states and territories, they have a number of other schemes, usually for first home owners. But I know that a number of states will actually come in and back this in as well in their states with additional support. And what that means is it deals with two problems. I mean, if you're looking to buy a house, one of our other problems, if we don't build enough houses, then the supply is constricted and that forces prices up even in difficult economic times like this. And so keeping the supply of homes into the market actually puts downward pressure ultimately on house prices because you're increasing the supply.
Hadley: Now, just a correction. I said the 4th of July, I meant the 4th of June, obviously up until the 31st of December. Look, look, one of the things that I've spoken to Josh Frydenberg about, many times, and we all congratulated the government hastily putting JobKeeper together and and, you know, and yeah, the figures were wrong, it came down by $60 billion to $70 billion and all the rest of it. I made the comment, well it would be worse if it was $190 [billion], not $70 [billion].
Prime Minister: We got a miss hit, a miss on the right side of the line.
Hadley: Yeah, exactly. But allowing for that, one of the things that you impressed upon me and others at the time, it was there as a backstop for employers and employees. So we've got people guaranteed an income until September. Even if the company’s not operating and then there was a guarantee that they would employ these people beyond that period. In other words, to give them some stability apart from the $1,500 a fortnight. So I scratch my head when I hear that the Rugby Australia organisation is cutting 30 percent of its staff who are being made redundant despite being on JobKeeper now were that may be legal and Fair Work may say that they can do that. I didn't think that was the spirit of what you and Josh Frydenberg crafted when you announced this?
Prime Minister: Well, I, not so much correcting, but what we did is we bought people time and they had to keep people on for that six-month period. And that's what they're doing. And stay connected to the employer because what we didn't want to see happen at that time, because the uncertainty was just extraordinary. I've never known a time like it. I mean, you didn't know what was going to happen the next day, let alone three months or two weeks from then. And so what we needed businesses to do was not go and make decisions to just lay a whole bunch of people off when, you know, circumstances could improve. Now, the economy has improved far quicker than we had anticipated. And that's a good thing that, we're not out of the woods, we're a long way from that, but we're in a far better position right now than we thought we would be. Now the key thing, I think for businesses looking out ahead now is that once everything gets opened up and we're making good progress to that, but we're not there yet. I mean the states tell me that they have committed to get all that done by, you know, a time in July. I'm thinking mid July, businesses are then having had this time, have got to start thinking about what their businesses look like towards the back end of the year, next year, and making sort of some- starting to make some longer term decisions about, well, in a COVIDSafe economy, how many people can they sustain in their businesses? And then we need to sort of move through that in a transition, which keeps income support for people and makes that process as manageable as it can be. So it wasn't a permanent commitment for people, you know, beyond September. It was to buy that six-months of time. And in the meantime, get businesses going as much as we possibly can. So on the other side, they could take up and take forward as many of those employees as possible. And that's still the plan.
Hadley: So you're saying that once, and I’m just picking on Rugby Australia, there are many other large organisations that have done it. That have made people redundant, they still should receive JobKeeper until at least September when it finishes? The programme finishes as they said they would?
Prime Minister: Yeah. And that's that's that's exactly as it's intended. And that's what's designed. Now, at any time at any time, people can make decisions about their own employment and they have to pay out people's entitlements and all of those sorts of things. And one of the reasons we did it was that if there'd been a crush of employees losing their jobs and then businesses having to pay all those entitlements out at once, then the businesses would've folded as well. And there’d just be nothing on the other side. And so what we've, Josh and I've sought to do is basically, you know, get a bit of a breather, some breathing space, allow things for people to get their, so their fix on the future and then make decisions in an orderly way and over time I mean, the economy is not going to be as big as it was when this started, even with everything opening up, because until we got a, until we’ve got a vaccine, we are still going to be operating at some level of restriction. And we need to get back as close to that as we can, now yesterday's economic numbers, of course, were really disappointing, but they weren't unexpected. Our economy has shrunk by 0.3 per cent in the quarter. But, you know, when you look around the world, it was up to almost 10 times worse than that in other countries, you know, places like France and Italy and indeed the U.K. and the United States and other places. So while things are pretty tough here, there's no doubt about that. You know that, Ray, you talk to people all the time, but I'd rather be here than anywhere else mate.
Hadley: You're right. Now, I, you glean from when you mentioned the middle of July. And I think you're right. I think Annastasia Palaszczuk confronting an election in October, will probably open the borders sometime early-mid July. And I think that will make a big difference. I've got a lot of listeners in Queensland at the moment some on the Gold Coast, some on the Sunshine Coast are eating the date's off the calendar, they’re just about on their knees. They’re gone.
Prime Minister: Yeah.
Hadley: And they needed some respite in terms of people coming from other states and territories to visit the Sunshine State. Do you think she will do it in July as opposed to, when she said, September?
Prime Minister: Well, I don't know, Ray, to be honest. I hope. I certainly hope she does. I mean, when we last spoke about this, I mean, when we set out the three step process together. July was the time when interstate travel was supposed to be up and running again. Now, that doesn't mean it needs to be there today. But what I would hope is that where states I mean, we never said there should be borders. That was never the health advice, it was never the agreement. There was never, that, that that was something they came up with on their own. Now, the problem with that is if if they leave it to announcing it in July, it means that people who might book a holiday for July, will have already booked it somewhere else, and they may be booking it in New Zealand if they're not careful. Because it's really important we get the planes flying again. One of the reasons I'm keen on opening up this border with New Zealand again when we can, is it's going to mean the planes are going to fly and the more planes are flying, the more jobs. And, you know, Virgin’s success will depend a lot on, you know, these routes opening up again. And so if I get planes flying between Australia and New Zealand, I want them flying between New South Wales and Queensland and Western Australia and South Australia. When that happens, I mean those jobs in Virgin depend on ensuring that we open up our aviation industry and this is a blockage to that, and that's threatening those jobs.
Hadley: Look, I've had my say about this young police officer in Sydney recently and the abuse levelled at him by the 17 year old, the challenge issued. And I think most of my listeners tend to agree with me, not with what else has been said. However, in relation to the protests that have followed what's happened in Minnesota, the dreadful conditions that are experienced now by American friends. I've got a few e-mails, and this one comes in it’s from a person who says, look, I couldn't attend the funeral of a loved sister a month ago because of the virus worry, but I look now and there are hundreds of people in the streets of our cities holding disgusting signs about our police force, you know, ‘the best cop is a dead cop’ and all the rest of it. No social distancing, no masks, no nothing. So how is this allowed to happen when we are supposed to be observing certain protocols to protect our health? And that's the question. I mean, I don't expect the coppers to do what they've done and go in with tear gas and, you know, belt people and get them off the streets. But there has to be some sort of responsibility from the protesters that they observe in some way, shape or form that the rules put in place by state and federal governments, surely?
Prime Minister: Well, I do agree, I was asked that question this morning, and it's surely not beyond their wit to do this, observing social distancing requirements and all the rest of it. I mean, we're a free country. So the idea that we would stop protests, I think is something that would jar with Australians rightly. But at the same time, people have got to exercise responsibility. And at the same time, you know, we shouldn't be importing the things that are happening overseas to Australia. I'm not saying we don't have issues in this space that we need to deal with. But the thing is, we are dealing with it and, you know, we don't need to draw equivalence here. We should just Australians about this and deal with it our way and we are. So we respect people's right to protest. But equally, protesters have to respect all other Australians in how they conduct themselves. And I think whether it's this protest or other protests, I think all Australians sort of are okay with there being protests. But when they see people inconvenience others just trying to get to work, or do things like that, well, they obviously get the irrits. And I think it’s important that everyone respects each other, because the reason why we're getting, I think, through this crisis better than pretty much anywhere else, Ray, is I reckon people genuinely have been banding together and supporting each other. And what we don't want is people dividing people. And so, you know, we don't need the divisions that we're seeing in other countries. We need to stick together and look after each other.
Hadley: You just took me back to my grandmother, who used to say, ‘That woman next door gives me the irrits’. We used to say, Nan, what's that mean? We’ve got the Prime Minister of Australia saying what my grandmother said 50 years ago. On a personal note, how is Jenny and how are the girls coping? Because, I mean, you and I say this and this is trying to be bipartisan. Every Premier, everyone in government right across the Commonwealth have been absolutely just on the job 24/7. And you have led the charge, with Annastacia Palaszczuk, Daniel Andrews and Gladys Berejiklian and all the others. But it comes at some cost to your family. So, I mean, how are your daughters and how is your wife coping with all of this?
Prime Minister: We’re getting there, mate, just like every other family. I mean, I'm back down in Canberra now. They're back in Sydney. Hopefully I'll see them this weekend and that's just part of the job. I mean, FIFO workers do that all the time and being a Parliamentarian is a bit like being a FIFO worker, I’ve got to say, during normal times, you're away a lot. So I think we have some empathy, particularly of how their family lives work and it's a lot like that. But, you know, I’ve got a loving family. They're incredible. They, you know, I talk to them every day and then we FaceTime like all normal families do. And when I get home, I cook them a meal and Lily and I watched the footy on the weekend. I’ve got to say, it was good to have the footy back. It was just so good and it wasn’t a great result for the Sharks I’ve got to say.
Hadley: No, of course self interest overtakes there.
Prime Minister: It was still good.
Hadley: Anyway, look, you’ve come a long way from being the round the grounds reporter of Southern Districts on the Continuous Call Team to leading in the country. And I commend you for what you've done. You've stood up, you’ve been counted and in this most difficult period in our history, we're lucky to have you there. Well done. Congratulations.
Prime Minister: Thanks a lot, Ray. Good to talk to you.
Doorstop - Googong NSW
4 June 2020
FIONA KOTVOJS, LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR EDEN-MONARO: Good morning everybody, it's lovely to have you here, I’m Fiona Kotvojs, the Liberal candidate for Eden-Monaro, and it's a true pleasure to be able to welcome the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, the Housing Minister, Michael Sukkar, our Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, and Senator Jim Molan to Googong, a great growth area in our electorate. So we have a wonderful announcement today and I look forward to sharing this with you.
PRIME MINISTER: Well thank you, Fiona, and it's great to be here with you again here in Eden-Monaro. And back here in Googong actually, where we're talking about one of the most important industries we’ve got in our country, our home building industry right across Eden-Monaro, rebuilding communities, rebuilding our economy, right across the country that is also the case.
You wouldn't want to be anywhere else other than Australia. Particularly in times like this, when we look around the world and we see what's happening. And Australia is certainly not immune from the difficult challenges that are being faced. But here in Australia, we're doing better than many, and better than most and that's not just on the health front. Even with the difficult news that we had yesterday that the Treasurer had to share. Australia is making its way, and importantly, we're making our way back. It's going to be a hard road back. There are many lives and livelihoods that are going to be impacted by the dreadful impact of the coronavirus, both on the health impact and on the economic impact. Jobs lost, businesses closed. But Australia is reopening and Australia is in that battle for jobs. And our government is in that battle for jobs. And in that battle for jobs, we've got to deal with the difficulties in the short term and we've got to deal with the challenges over the longer term as well. In the short term, we know that in the residential building and construction industry, that on the other side of September, the pipeline of work that they've been working on will really start to dry up quickly. Some 30,000 homes or thereabouts won't get built. That means jobs not just for tradies and apprentices, but all of the other industries that feed into the home building industry and all the jobs that depend on that. The retail jobs, and the jobs more broadly throughout the community. And that's why we believed it was important that as part of the many, the many measures, the many supports that we're putting into our economy at the moment, supporting our home building industry and not just new homes, but significant renovations of homes, knockdowns and rebuilds. $25,000 dollars to support those families and those Australians whose dream it was to build their home or to do that big renovation, a dream that they thought might have been crushed by the coronavirus. Well, we're here to tell them that we're going to take that dream alive for them and the dream alive of the jobs of the apprentice's and the builders and the, and the tradies and all of those who depend on this critical industry right across the country, in our regional cities, and in our towns, in our suburbs like where we are today, right across the country. This is good news. It's good news because it shows that the government understands the challenges that we face in rebuilding our economy, both the short term challenges of keeping industries like this going, but also the longer term challenges.
Just yesterday, just yesterday, people from employees, and employer organisations sat down together to work out how they could have a better workplace so we could create more jobs. There's just one thing going on and that is creating jobs. And this initiative that we've announced today, $25,000 dollars for families and individuals, $125,000 income, $200,000 per household income. This is going to make a big difference for them. It's going to make a big difference for the economy that will depend on the building industry, the residential home building industry continuing to move forward over the next 6 to 12 months. A lot of thought has gone into the programme. I want to commend the Treasurer and Michael Sukkar the Housing Minister for the work they've done in bringing this programme together. I want to thank the states and territories in advance. This is one of the sectors we've spoken about with Premiers and Chief Ministers, and they'll be doing their part in this as well, in supporting the implementation of the programme. And I know there'll be other states and territories that will come in and provide further support.
We've kept to our principles when it comes to these programmes of using existing delivery methods so we can make sure the money goes where it needs to and we can protect against any integrity issues that can arise. So I want to thank you again, Michael, and it's great to be here out in Eden-Monaro to make this announcement. It's another important step in the road back. We've got the plan to get out of this. We just need to keep applying ourselves to it, taking those steps each and every day and assuring Australians that just as we look around the world today and we can see that Australia is faring better than most. This is a great country to be in. Particularly at a time when the country is going through such difficulty and the world is going through so much hurt. I'll pass over to the Treasurer and then to the Housing Minister.
THE HON. JOSH FRYDENBERG MP, TREASURER: Thank you very much, Prime Minister. Thank you, Fiona, for the invitation to join you here today. Congratulations to the Housing Minister on all the work that he's done. To Jim Molan, and to the representatives of the housing industry thank you for the constructive dialogue that we’ve had in the lead up to today’s announcement.
Well, as the Prime Minister said we are on the road back. We are on the road back to recovery with the agreement by National Cabinet to ease the restrictions. But despite those restrictions being eased, there are still some sectors of the economy that are going to do it tough for a while yet. And the housing sector is one of those sectors. It's worth $100 billion dollars a year to the Australian economy, around 5 per cent of GDP, more than a million people are employed in the construction industry more generally across Australia. So today's announcement is designed to get our tradies back to work. Our plumbers, our carpenters, our sparkies, our painters, to get them back to work. But this house, you see that we’re at today, that has a long supply chain. It has the prefabricated materials. It obviously has the workers on the site, but it also has the many, many other workers who are putting it together, the things that go in, into a new home. So today is a really important day and a really important announcement because what we're trying to do is fill that void in the housing sector and it's going to open up between now and the end of the year. We're on the road back and today’s announcement will help us ride that road back in a much quicker fashion. Michael.
THE HON. MICHAEL SUKKAR MP, ASSISTANT TREASURER AND MINISTER FOR HOUSING: Thanks. Well, good morning and Fiona thanks for having us here in Googong, the PM, Treasurer, Senator Molan, it's wonderful to be here today in announcing the HomeBuilder programme, the Morrison government is saying that this will spark a tradie-led recovery of our economy. As the Treasurer's rightly pointed out, the residential construction industry employs a million Australians. All through the supply chain. This $25,000 dollar grants for new homes and substantial renovations will make that decision so much easier for so many Australians. That big decision to buy a new house, to renovate, a major renovation of your existing home. And that just means jobs for Australians. Those jobs are so important for our economy, we're very pleased the HomeBuilder programme has been warmly welcomed by all of the industry groups, and particularly the Master Builders Association who have said that this investment from the federal government, $25,000 dollars for new homes and for substantial renovation will unlock $10 billion dollars of construction activity. That is a huge multiplier for our economy. Again, supporting hundreds of thousands of Australians. And again, as the Prime Minister said, we will work really cooperatively with the states, many of whom have their own schemes for first time buyer grants or stamp duty exemptions, and we know of some states who certainly back this in with even further support of their own because they understand again how important this sector is for the economy. So the HomeBuilder programme, $25,000 dollars for Australians to purchase a new home or substantially renovate their own home. It's available from today for any of those projects contracted from today onwards. So we encourage all Australians, if you are teetering on the edge of making that decision, this is the investment that the Morrison government that we hope will ensure that you make that decision. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Denita from the MBA.
DENITA WAWN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA: Good morning, Denita Wawn from Master Builders Australia. There's a sense of relief around the thousands of builders and tradies around the country and all of those that supply the building industry. We were facing the valley of death towards hundreds of thousands of job losses, and we simply wanted support to keep people working. We didn't want them on JobSeeker, we wanted stimulus to ensure that the industry kept going. We were facing a 40 per cent decline across the country in residential home building, which would have equated to nearly around about 450,000 job losses over the next 6 months. That had to stop. And we greatly appreciate the federal government coming to the rescue of the industry to ensure that not only we can continue, but all of those supplying the industry can do so, as well as the support services they get, including all those tradies that I saw getting their coffee this morning on the way out here to Googong. So thank you very much to the federal government for their support for the residential sector. Thank you.
GRAHAM WOLFE, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION: Thank you, Graham Wolfe from Housing Industry Association. Today’s announcement of the HomeBuilder programme is great news for the home building industry. It’s great news for the builders and trade contractors, for the professional service providers in the industry. For the schedulers, for the designers, for the supervisors and everybody involved in home building activity. It's also great news for the manufacturer and retail workers, the people who provide all the materials, the building products that go into building a new home and the people that provide the white goods and furnishings that make our house our home. It's fantastic news for the economy too, generating over $15 billion dollars worth of economic activity across the land development, building, manufacturing and retail sectors that all input into the home building industry. I look forward to working with the federal government as they move through the economic recovery, but it's worthwhile acknowledging the federal government's role in bringing together the states and territories also in these endeavours. And I look forward to working with the state and territory Premiers and Treasurers in the coming weeks and months as they announce their programmes to complement what the federal government has announced here today. Great news for the industry. Great news for jobs in our industry. Grate news for the Australian economy as we, as we've recovered from the downturn that was caused by COVID-19.
PRIME MINISTER: Okay, happy to take some questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister it’s safe to assume that this will not save every single construction job at risk of going? And also can you concede that people are doing it tough, how many people really have at least $150,000 to spend on a home renovation right now?
PRIME MINISTER: Whether you’re spending money on a renovation or you're building a home, what this is about is the jobs of the people who work on those projects and ensuring that their jobs are sustained by having those projects continue. We'll see some 30,000 fewer homes expected to be built as a result of what has happened in the COVID-19 crisis. And so whether it's in this sector or many other sectors we're working across. It’s just a straight forward matter of addressing the challenges and the needs that we see in front of us, JobKeeper and JobSeeker work right across the entire economy, 5 million Australians supported right now. And let's not forget, when the Treasurer and I announced both of those programmes, there'd been no figures that had come across at that point about what unemployment was or what the national accounts were going to say, we knew that COVID-19 was going to have a big impact. And we took that action well in advance of all of that news. And we know there's still harder news still to come. And that's why we're making the announcements we're having today. No one measure, no one single thing solves every single problem, but everybody working together, and all of those programmes working together is what enables Australia to make its way back. And that's what our plan is based on. Yesterday's news was really tough. It was really hard. And Australians are doing it really tough. But what they can take confidence in, is that there's a plan that is being put in place to ensure we get ourselves back. And when you look around the world, there's no place you'd rather be than right here in Australia.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister Wayne Swan could never say the word ‘deficit’ can you say ‘recession’?
PRIME MINISTER: It's certainly something that I never wanted to see happen in Australia ever again. I really didn't want to see a recession ever again in Australia. And as a Government, we worked so hard to bring the Budget back into balance, to create one and a half million jobs. And there were many sacrifices that had to be achieved to get Australia's economy back on track and to see Covid-19 hit it like a torpedo is absolutely devastating. And so where we find ourselves now is heartbreaking. But what you do is you respond and you pull together and that's what the country is doing. I think one of the things Australia has done to its credit and is a reason for our success compared to so many other countries, countries just like ours, sophisticated developed economies, democracies. They’ve been hit by the same risks that we have. But Australia's resolve has been so much better and one of the reasons for that is that people were drawn together. As a Government, we have brought people together. As a Prime Minister, I've sought to bring people, the Treasurer the same, all of my ministers in our federal cabinet, working with states, territories, industry, the various groups that are impacted, day in and day out, to bring Australians together to get through this crisis and today is another example.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the home renovations, the threshold is $150,000. That might be alright in the city but in places like Eden-Monaro where home values are much lower, how is it fair to have that same threshold right across the board?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's important to have, and Michael might want to comment on this and so might those in the sector, but when you look around at this estate here and it's like many estates all around the country. I mean, the average price for building a home these days is about $350,000. I mean, that house we were just in there, about $600,000 or thereabouts as a construction price, I think it’s owned by a service family. But the issue is the project. It's the project that creates the jobs and the income limits we’ve put on the test for people to be involved in this are the same that we put in for the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme. Now, the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme, which was a key promise we made at the last election, has been delivered. 10,000 Australians... So it's the projects that count, it’s the projects that count. And I was talking about the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme. 10,000 Australians, as we said would take this program on, have taken it on. And another 10,000 will get that opportunity from the 1st of July. So the parameters we've set around these programmes in the past and here now today have proved to be right on the money and this programme is also right on the money for jobs.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, why not social housing? Why? Why new homes and renovations? What about social housing for vulnerable people in this economic crisis?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, in our partnership with the states, we all do our bit. And as Treasurer, I set up the National Housing Finance Investment Corporation which has been one of the biggest investments in social housing all around the country. And I'll let Michael come in on that. The states are actually investing in social housing and as they should, that’s their job, and we've supported them through programmes like the National Housing Finance Investment Corporation. But these are the things that we can do. And so we all work together. The Federal Government doesn't have to do every single part of the process. States do their bit. We do our bit. It all comes together and they're important projects and I agree. And our support for housing projects at state level continues and we’ve got an ongoing agreement on homelessness and we have the National Housing Agreement. Michael, did you want to?
THE HON. MICHAEL SUKKAR MP, ASSISTANT TREASURER AND MINISTER FOR HOUSING: Yeah, sure. Well, to answer your question, we have ongoing investments in social and affordable housing and the PM when he was Treasurer set up the National Housing Finance Investment Corporation, which has funnelled billions of dollars into the community housing sector. In particular, those support services led to hundreds of additional dwellings being delivered just this financial year. The other point I'd make is, again, was an investment like this from the Federal Government of $25,000 grants in the homelender program unlocks and unleashes a multiplier private investment in a scheme like this. So an investment like this of about $700 million from the Federal Government delivers, whether it’s the Master Builders Association saying it or HIA [inaudible]. So it leverages so much additional private investment but the Morrison Government has done more for social and affordable housing, I think I can quite safely say, than any previous government. That will continue. It’s an annual, ongoing commitment that we’ve made.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, we know that the arts sector injects a similar amount to building and construction into the economy each year. Is that something that you’re looking at supporting in terms of industry-specific stimulus and just secondly, we’ve seen some fairly distressing scenes in the United States over the last 48 hours. It’s triggered a discussion here in Australia. What are you reflecting on as the Australian Prime Minister, given the discussion around black lives matter?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, firstly, I've already indicated the Government is working in the area of media and entertainment. We’ll have more to say about that when we’re in a position to do so. I should stress, though, that that sector is like all sectors supported by the JobKeeper and JobSeeker programme. The Treasurer can talk to those more specifically, I think it’s about 75 per cent of jobs in that sector are actually supported by both of those programmes. So all sectors are supported by the JobKeeper and JobSeeker programme, but there are particular sectors, the tourism and hospitality sector and support we’ve put into the aviation sector, subsidies on flights to keep planes moving around the country and all of those things. There have been sectoral supports. There have been widespread supports.
Now in Australia, when I look around the world at the moment, I look at the distressing scenes around the world, again, my first response is just to be grateful for the wonderful country we live in here and the way Australians have responded to the crisis here. Australia has its own challenges when it comes to some of the issues that have been raised, we will continue to work through those. The Closing the Gap initiative, the work we’re doing with states and territories. This is important work. I meet regularly with the peak Indigenous groups in Australia and we're making good progress on that. Working closely with the states and territories, these are important issues that are taken seriously by my Government, by governments all around the country. We need to make sure that we progress all of those initiatives. In terms of some of the violence we’re seeing around the world today, and to those Australians who find themselves in situations, I would urge them to show great caution and already we have had to provide support, as you probably know, for those in the media or journalists who found themselves in those situations. And of course, we will continue to provide that support. But I would urge people to be extremely cautious. These are dangerous situations and people schedule exercise great care in where they’re placing themselves.
JOURNALIST: The Federal Government [inaudible] domestic flights beyond that initial eight week period which is due to, sort of expire?
PRIME MINISTER: With all of these things, we are carefully considering each step and we don’t get ahead of ourselves. We look at the evidence, we talk to the sector and we make judgements as each step unfolds. We’ve got a long way to go and one of the things we’re careful to do it not get too far ahead of ourselves. As I said, we put JobKeeper and JobSeeker in place for six months and the rest of the world, when they had similar programmes, were only doing it for three. So we’ve had a good vision on where we think this is going and we continue to track closely against that and retain the flexibility to make the decisions we need to make and today is another good example of that.
JOURNALIST: On those protests, there are more planned this weekend, in Melbourne for example. Do you support people’s right to go out and protest or given we’re facing coronavirus restrictions, is it not advised?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, everyone should be seeking to follow the health advice at all times. But we’re a free country and there is a right to peacefully protest and I'm sure it's not beyond the wits and imagination of those who wish to do that, to do that in a safe way and I would encourage them to do so.
JOURNALIST: Just on those protests we’ve seen in the United States, we’ve seen attacks on three Australian journalists now, one in the US and two [inaudible] in London. Do those sorts of attacks by protest groups, being struck by police officers, Australians being hit in those circumstances concern you? But in terms of specific action, are you asking [inaudible]?
PRIME MINISTER: I think our record speaks for itself. I mean, with Amelia the other day in the United States, we moved very quickly on that issue and Ambassador Sinodinos has already been following up on that issue and we’re working closely with Seven on that and we’ll work with others in similar circumstances. But again, I would just say, these are dangerous situations and many of you may have worked in those situations before in other places. We’ve all got to take care in these circumstances. Our Australian consular services are second to none around the world and provides tremendous support to Australians in whatever sectors they work in. So I would urge all Australians, wherever they are around the world, if they still find themselves in those places, to exercise a lot of care.
JOURNALIST: Can you confirm whether anyone in your office was aware that the Channel 7 crew had been attacked before you spoke to Donald Trump on Tuesday morning?
PRIME MINISTER: I wasn’t aware when I spoke to the President. The point is, I mean, it’s a matter for Washington Police. It's not a matter at a federal level. I mean, I'm no more responsible for the Western Australian police than the President is responsible for the state police. I mean, that's just not how the system works. So the appropriate channel for that to be raised was through our Ambassador and with the local authorities there in Washington. So that's what should have happened. That's what did happen. And when I became aware of it, I reached out to 7, as those who work at 7 know. I was concerned for the journalists in that circumstance. But I’m concerned for all Australians that would find themselves in danger at this time in these places. These are terrifying and horrible scenes. They're very distressing scenes. And again, thank goodness we live in Australia. Thank you.
Interview with Neil Breen, 4BC
4 June 2020
Neil Breen: Good morning Prime Minister.
Prime Minister: G’day Neil, how are you mate?
Breen: I’m very well, thank you. I'm going to ask you how you are later on, because I want to ask some personal things.
Prime Minister: Sure.
Breen: But why are you so worried about the building industry?
Prime Minister: Well, the home building industry is critical to our economies all around the country. In regional areas and metropolitan areas and it's a key sector that feeds so many other industries and businesses and the retail sector. And we've been advised that we're looking at the back half of this year, early next year, some 30,000 homes aren't going to get built and that's very important. We need to get those homes built and for people who might have been understandably pulling back or backing off on their commitments to go ahead or things like this, we want them to go ahead and we want to help them do that to create jobs. It’s all about jobs. And at the end of the day, the difficult news we got yesterday about what happened in the first quarter of this year, and we expect that to get worse than the one we're in right now, that's why we're putting these plans in place. We know it's tough, but we've got the plans to get us out of it, not just in the short term with programmes like this, but in the longer term as well.
Breen: A lot of people are asking questions of us on the show today. Why the cap, the $150,000 to $750,000 cap? Why can't I get my bathroom done? Why can't I get this done? I've been telling them two words - pink batts. Is that the reason you've got to keep this at a level where it can't be rorted by shonks?
Prime Minister: That is right. That's a big part of the reason. The other thing is it's about getting big homes built. I mean, those projects have bigger tickets of $500,000, $350,000 that is the average cost to build a house. And then we're looking at the big renos, so when people are making major structural changes. That's bringing more jobs in, more tradies in and all of this has to go through the proper processes. We will be keen to see that the states make sure that those approval processes move quickly. They've been very supportive of this. We learnt a lot of the lessons. It wasn't us, our government at the time, but we've put this money through existing types of programmes. The states have run these before. So there's checks and balances and then we make sure that it doesn't get rorted and the people who are going ahead and the people keep the dream alive of their new home and apprentices and those in the building trades are keeping their jobs alive too.
Breen: Prime Minister, the building and construction industry isn't the only one that's in trouble. Many industries are in trouble. I want to read you a stat. There's only three flights a week landing at Gold Coast Airport. The traffic through the Gold Coast Airport dropped 99 per cent, 99 per cent, in May. It was down 470,000 visitors. You can't travel around. The tourism and travel industry, the hospitality industry around it has been decimated. Is there any hope for them?
Prime Minister: Well, we need to open the borders. It’s simple. I mean, that's what's going to get flights moving again and that's why that's so important. And the timetable that the National Cabinet has is that interstate travel will be up and running again in July and so we need to get to that point and if we can do it sooner, I think that would be fantastic. I mean, states are taking their own health advice on this. But as you know, the National Cabinet never made a decision to close any borders down. And so we've got JobKeeper in place, we’ve got JobSeeker in place. I mean, when we put those in place, that was before any of the numbers that came in. We knew that this coronavirus was going to hit our economy incredibly hard and so we moved quickly to get those programmes in place. Other countries just put them in place for about three months. We knew this was going to go on a lot longer than that, we put in place for six months. As the Treasurer said yesterday, he will be joining me again this morning, in the middle of July we'll be looking at what happens subsequent to that.
Breen: What have you made of the border wars? And it's really been focused on the Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk against the New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian, even though other states have their borders closed. What have you made of that war over the border between Queensland and New South Wales?
Prime Minister: Well, I'm not terribly interested in the conflict. I just want to see the economy get moving again and people make decisions to do that. I'm very appreciative of what has been a very cooperative role between the states and territories. But obviously on this point, there's been you know, there's been a bit of a blue. And I think for those who are working in the tourism and travel industry, in particular, for those who work at Virgin, you know, we want to see that airline get back on its feet and making good progress there. It’s one of the reasons why I'm keen to open up that border with New Zealand that was really going to help Virgin as well as Qantas. And there are a lot of Virgin employees in Queensland and opening up the borders is only good for aviation.
Breen: And just quickly, can I ask you a question about the GDP figures, 0.3 per cent. It's going to be a recession, we know that. Paul Keating called it the recession we had to have in 1990. What are you calling this recession?
Prime Minister: Well, it's a lot of heartache for Australia. That's what it is. I mean, at the end of the day, these aren't numbers. These are about people, people who've lost their jobs. And our job now is to win the battle for jobs and that's why today's announcement is so important. Whether it's in the construction industry or the many other sectors we've been supporting right across the economy with JobKeeper and JobSeeker and we've got to look longer term. I mean, we won't dig ourselves out of this quickly and that's why I've talked about the need for… not talked about, we're already moving on getting people with the right skills in the jobs and working more closely with industry. We've got the groups started meeting yesterday to see how we can get our industrial relations working better. On Monday, the Western Sydney Airport, I know it’s a New South Wales programme, but we've got projects, big projects, running all around the country. That's how you get your economy back on track. Yesterday's numbers were expected and compared to the rest of the world, I mean, we’ve seen almost 10 times worse overseas. I tell you, particularly in a crisis like this, there is no place you'd rather be than Australia.
Breen: Well, Australia's done very well in controlling the virus. It's time for us to get moving again. Now, I don't think there's any doubt about that. But just with regards to your prime ministership, how you're feeling this year, how much pressure did you feel as though you were under when Australia sunk into this crisis and you thought that anything could happen over the next couple of months?
Prime Minister: Well, the crisis was real. This was not a drill. It was deadly serious and literally deadly serious from the health perspective. But I always knew that the impact on the economy would also be absolutely shocking. And so we called that early. I mean, we called the health pandemic before the World Health Organisation. We moved to close our borders, probably the first to do that, particularly with mainland China and then we just got everybody together, getting working together. And that was the key, getting people to work together is the key to getting through these crises-
Breen: Do we have to move that fast to come out now, though?
Prime Minister: To move that fast?
Breen: Opening borders and…
Prime Minister: There’s no grass growing under our feet when it comes to the stuff we're doing. Government has been working at a cracking pace and it will continue to because you've got to have the short term things, like what we're announcing today, really important for now to support the demand in the economy. But you've got to work on the long term things as well. I mean, this is going to be a five year road back for Australia to get us back to that level of employment and that means we've got to work hard over all of that period of time. We will move quickly in these first years and right now, it's about keeping people in those jobs where we can and for businesses to be able to reset themselves so they can be successful on the other side of this virus.
Breen: Can I ask about the COVIDSafe app? I haven't heard any politicians mention it for a couple of weeks. Is it working at all? Is it doing his job?
Prime Minister: Yeah, it is. I mean, we got about 6.3 million Australians who've downloaded the app, which is tremendous. But we still need people to do that and there's plenty more people to download we know and particularly with people starting to move around a lot more now, with things starting to open up, the COVIDSafe app becomes more important than ever. It's one of the protections, one of the important protections we have in place. Isolating those who have the virus and those they've been in contact with is our principal weapon against stopping the spread within the community. We have done that arguably better than almost any other country in the world. And the COVIDSafe app is a key tool in enabling those health workers, those health detectives, tracking down every single case. Now fortunately, they don't have too many to track down at the moment. We want to keep it that way.
Breen: I’ve just got two more questions for you. Firstly, you're doing the announcement today in the seat of Eden-Monaro, you're not going to lose that seat are you, surely?
Prime Minister: We don't hold it. It's a Labor-held seat.
Breen: Oh yes, it is, it is, yes.
Prime Minister: Yes, it’s a Labor-held seat and the last time the government won a byelection against the sitting Labor seat was a hundred years ago.
Breen: I forgot that, because it is the bellwether seat. Normally the government holds it.
Prime Minister: No, it's been held by Labor Party for a while. So look, look we're out here. We've got a great candidate in Fiona Kotvojs and the things, what matters is the jobs and the rebuilt. Rebuilding back better in communities that are affected by the bushfires and this has been particularly one where I am today in the seat of Eden-Monaro. But building back from the impacts of coronavirus, getting through the crisis, but then building back strongly. And, you know, over six years, we worked so hard to get the budget back into balance, to get the funding into the services and we've done it before so we can do it again.
Breen: And I have to ask you, you should have woken up to a loss this morning because Queensland should have beaten New South Wales in the Origin match in Adelaide last night. Of course, it wasn't played. You're going to wake up to a loss on Sunday morning because the Sharkies are coming up to play the Cowboys. You're 0-3. What has happened to the Sharkies?
Prime Minister: Well, it hasn’t been a great start for the Sharks, that's fair to say. But, you know, Sharks supporters are true believers. They're always believing, they're always hoping. I'm a big fan of hope and it should be a good reunion with Val up there and I know the boys are probably looking forward to that. But there's always been a really good, I think, vibe between the Sharks and the Cowboys. The games are always fantastic, there's no doubt about that. But, you know, I wouldn't be too cocky, wouldn't be too cocky. Sharks always surprise you.
Breen: If you wanted to attend, would you be allowed in? Are you an essential worker?
Prime Minister: Oh, look, I get invitations, but I don't- I'll go back to the football when everybody else can. Of course, I'd love to go. I was invited to go out to the Sharks game the other night. I said, well, thank you very much. But the only thing you'll probably see of me at the game is one of those cardboard cutouts like everyone else.
Breen: Thanks very much, Prime Minister. And thanks for correcting me, of course Labor's Mike Kelly has held that seat. That was my bad. Thanks for joining us on 4BC Breakfast, Prime Minister, and keep leading us out of this trouble that we're in with the coronavirus.
Prime Minister: Thanks Breeny, all the best. Cheers.
'HomeBuilder' Program to Drive Economic Activity Across the Residential Construction Sector
4 June 2020
Prime Minister, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing
The Morrison Government is supporting jobs in the residential construction sector with the introduction of the new HomeBuilder program.
From today until 31 December 2020, HomeBuilder will provide all eligible owner-occupiers (not just first home buyers) with a grant of $25,000 to build a new home or substantially renovate an existing home. Construction must be contracted to commence within three months of the contract date.
HomeBuilder applicants will be subject to eligibility criteria, including income caps of $125,000 for singles and $200,000 for couples based on their latest assessable income. A national dwelling price cap of $750,000 will apply for new home builds, and a renovation price range of $150,000 up to $750,000 will apply to renovating an existing home with a current value of no more than $1.5 million.
The program is expected to provide around 27,000 grants at a total cost of around $680 million.
This increase in residential construction will help to fill the gap in construction activity expected in the second half of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In doing so, HomeBuilder will help to support the 140,000 direct jobs and another 1,000,000 related jobs in the residential construction sector including businesses and sole-trader builders, contractors, property developers, construction materials manufacturers, engineers, designers and architects.
HomeBuilder complements existing state and territory First Home Owner Grant programs, stamp duty concessions and other grant schemes, as well as the Commonwealth’s First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and First Home Super Saver Scheme.
This year, the Government delivered the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme to help eligible first home buyers to purchase their first home with a deposit of as little as 5 per cent, allowing them to get into the market sooner. HomeBuilder will create even more opportunities for first home buyers to enter the property market, as well as support other eligible Australians to build a new home or renovate an existing home.
The HomeBuilder program will be implemented via a National Partnership Agreement, signed by the Commonwealth and state and territory governments.
More information on HomeBuilder, including eligibility, can be found on the Treasury Coronavirus Economic Response website.
Interview with Ben Fordham, 2GB
2 June 2020
BEN FORDHAM: The Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, joins us live in the studio. PM, good morning to you.
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Ben, and congratulations and all the best.
FORDHAM: Thank you very much. It's nice for you to be here. I notice we're still bumping elbows.
PRIME MINISTER: Still bumping elbows, we’ll be doing that for some time.
FORDHAM: How long we going to be bumping elbows, do you reckon?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, I at this stage, I couldn't see that changing for the rest of this year, to be honest. I mean, it's those simple things, the social distancing, the bumping elbows, the washing hands, the downloading the COVIDSafe app. They’re the simple things you can do that actually protect us probably more than anything. And people keep doing that, then that means that, you know, we can keep getting this economy open.
FORDHAM: Can you blame people, though, for shaking hands once again, considering the success that we've already had and the fact that at the end of the day we are human beings and when you bump into people that you love and who you know or you want to give them a hug, you want to give them a kiss. Obviously, we're doing our best to look after ourselves and the people that we love. Can you blame people for going back to those things?
PRIME MINISTER: No, it’s not to blame, but to ask them not to because it actually keeps everybody safe, if you don't. I mean, the coronavirus hasn't gone anywhere. It's still out there. We've just been very successful at getting over the top of it. But it can come back pretty quick and we've got to be sure we don't get this further wave and the way we don't do that is people practising all those simple things that have been put in place. You keep doing them, then we can keep opening our economy up.
FORDHAM: There's an announcement that you're going to be making today with the New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian to bring forward the start date of construction for the Western Sydney Airport metro line. So can you confirm that this is now going to start this year?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, we will start it this year. The Premier and I'll be out there today, and I know she'll be in here later this morning, and we're both excited about that. I mean, a big part of coming out of the COVID-19 crisis is our infrastructure spending. Everyone knows about JobKeeper and JobSeeker and all the many other things we're doing. But getting these big projects moving even more quickly is something we've been working together, states and territories and the Commonwealth and the National Cabinet talks about a lot of things and a big part of it is now how we rebuild and rebuild the economy and big infrastructure projects out there in western Sydney. I mean, we've already got you know, we're spending over $5 billion on building the airport itself. This project now will be about double that when it comes to the rail infrastructure and then you've got the roads as well, about three and half billion, which the Commonwealth has been putting into that as well. So there's a lot of work going on out there and that's great for jobs and it's great for western Sydney.
FORDHAM: When you talk about building and construction, you're looking at freeing up billions of dollars in grants for home renovations. Now, how careful will you need to be on the safety front and also to prevent people from rorting the system?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course, the problem and the challenge is a better way to put it, of all of these programmes we're engaged in to get the economy moving is that if you've got to try and avoid the rorting and people taking advantage of it. Because even though Australians have been amazing during this crisis, there are still those who'll do the wrong thing. Now, we've been looking closely at a range of sectors. We've been looking closely at the residential building sector. We’re not making announcements on that today but the Treasurer's been doing some good work with some of the states as well who are interested in working on those issues. And we've been looking closely at the entertainment industry as well. I was having some good discussions with people in the entertainment industry on the weekend about what we can be doing there more specifically. So we've gone from the big, big, broad strokes of JobKeeper and JobSeeker. But as time goes on, we'll be able to narrow it in and focus more on those sectors which need that longer term support.
FORDHAM: Well, what's coming for the entertainment industry?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're still working on those things at the moment. But one of the challenges is going to be is that the entertainment sector will find it difficult to get capital moving again because they've had to draw down on it so significantly and getting started again will be hard. So we're looking at issues like that. We're looking into the film industry and we want to ensure that we're getting those sectors of the economy moving again as soon as they can.
FORDHAM: And on the home renos, is this a way of spreading a lot of money around fast and encouraging people to say, okay, well, everyone's got something around their house where they think, hang on that leaky roof or something they want to fix up? This is a way of injecting a lot of money into the economy quickly and to spread it far and wide.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we are more interested in larger projects and new home builds and things like that, because you get towards the end of this year, post about September, where the economists are telling us, the states telling us also, that we are looking at a bit of a drop off in that current home building that's going on. And that's not good for tradies, not good for jobs. The other thing about those sorts of project is, is you’re going to get more of your local tradies involved in these things. I mean, this is not, you know, building school halls and all those sorts of things. We saw that done through big contractors and small contractors not getting the work and all that sort of thing. So we want to make sure that whatever we do in this space and there's still a bit of way to go here, we want to make sure that jobs get created locally.
FORDHAM: What about what's going on in the US at the moment? What do you think when you look at those images coming in?
PRIME MINISTER: Well Jen and I were watching those images on the weekend together and actually our kids were with us at the time just over breakfast, and they were terribly disturbing. But, you know, there's been you know, there's not always rubbish on social media. I saw a good meme on the weekend, Martin Luther King, you know, didn't change anything by burning anything down and looting any shops. And so as upsetting and terrible is the murder that took place, and it is shocking. It's, that also just made me cringe. And I just think to myself how wonderful a country is Australia. We have our problems. We have our faults. We have our issues. There's no doubt about that. But when I see things like that, I'm just very thankful for the wonderful country we live in.
FORDHAM: The protests are now spreading to other countries, and there's one planned for Sydney tomorrow afternoon. Obviously, you'd appeal to everyone involved in that to not repeat what we've seen in America?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah there's no need to import things from happening in other countries here to Australia. I mean, Australia is a fair country. And also, you know, we applaud all of our- those who work in our emergency services, our police officers, our ambulance officers, firies, everyone. I mean, Australia is not the United States. I mean, the United States is a great country and they're a great friend of Australia and they're going through a difficult time. And we wish them all the best as they deal with that. But it's clearly a very tough period for them.
FORDHAM: The United States wants Australia to step up in an expanded G7. So the G7 is a very outdated group of countries, according to Donald Trump. So what, we'll have a seat at the table in an expanded G7?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah we’re expecting an invitation there. We actually received one from President Macron last year, it was actually on election night he sent me a text Emmanuel Macron saying congratulations, can you come to the G7 in France? And and again, this year, the United States has indicated they're looking to do something similar. And so we welcome that. And it's a good opportunity to deal with a lot of like minded countries. We always have the opportunity to deal with Japan in particular. And I've got a meeting this week by telepresence with Prime Minister Modi. South Korea being involved, that's good. And of course, the U.K. and France and Germany, these as we're working towards free trade agreements with the European Union and the UK. It's always good to be engaging with like minded democracies.
FORDHAM: You just mentioned Prime Minister Modi in India. I noticed yesterday that you were cooking Indian, you like cooking Indian. But you said instead of the Samosas, you said ‘Sunday Scomosas with mango chutney all made from scratch’. How do the girls appreciate Dad's dad jokes when you go to the Sunday Scomosas?
PRIME MINISTER: Like any daughters would appreciate their dad jokes. But I suspect that, I think Jenny coined that one many years ago,
FORDHAM: Oh don’t throw Jenny under the bus! Sorry you’ve got to make your own dad jokes.
PRIME MINISTER: I quite liked it though. And, I didn't, they were done from scratch. I didn't grow and thresh the wheat for the flour, but outside of that, it was a pretty self-contained effort.
FORDHAM: I'm impressed and I’m looking forward-
PRIME MINISTER: I had to get over the Sharkies from the night before.
FORDHAM: Oh, yeah. I won't bring that up. 28-16 the Wests Tigers beat them. But you know what? It's only round three.
PRIME MINISTER: That's right.
FORDHAM: It’s a long long year ahead.
PRIME MINISTER: It was a tough week for our guys. But you know they don’t take excuses. They just, Bomber will get them focussed again. And how good is it just to have the footy back? It was great. I thought the, you know the crowd noises at first sounded a bit odd, but it really did, I thought, support the coverage so well done to, you know, Nine and the work they were doing on the broadcast and Foxtel. It was so good to make things feel normal.
FORDHAM: And you know what? Peter V’Landys will join us in the studio one hour from now. Thank you for your time.
PRIME MINISTER: Good luck mate, cheers.
New Agreement Keeps Sydney Metro (Western Sydney Airport) JobMaker Project On-Track
2 June 2020
Prime Minister, Premier of New South Wales, Minister for Population, Minister for Population Cities and Urban Infrastructure, NSW Minister for Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney, NSW Minister for Transport and Roads
Construction will start this year on the around $11 billion Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport rail, locking in thousands of jobs and providing a long-term economic boost to the Western Sydney and New South Wales economies during the COVID-19 recovery.
Under a new agreement between the Morrison and Berejiklian governments, a further $3.5 billion will be injected into the project, which will service the greater Western Sydney region, in time for the opening of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport in 2026.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the investment was a further demonstration of the Coalition’s commitment to transforming Western Sydney into an economic and jobs powerhouse.
“It also demonstrates our partnership approach to creating jobs with the New South Wales Government. Working with state governments on bringing forward and investing even more in major infrastructure projects is central to our JobMaker plan to restore our economy,” the Prime Minister said.
“The new Metro and the new airport will deliver billions of dollars and thousands of jobs to Western Sydney, while establishing the infrastructure needed now and into the future.
“Construction is already well underway on the airport, and later this year works will start on this new Metro service which will link the suburbs of Western Sydney to the rest of Sydney.
“Getting work started on this project and many other infrastructure projects across New South Wales and Australia is critical to my government’s JobMaker program as we rebuild the economy during COVID-19.
“Late last year we agreed to bring forward $4.2 billion worth of infrastructure investment across Australia to secure jobs and support the national economy, and we continue to look at further opportunities to accelerate projects in all states and territories.”
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport was a key part of the state’s record $100 billion infrastructure pipeline.
“Now more than ever we need projects that provide jobs to support families and this project is major economic stimulus right in the heart of western Sydney,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“This project is moving forward, through the hard work that has been carried out by the Federal, New South Wales and local governments over the past year.
“The opportunities this mega project will provide are vital as our economy recovers from the financial impact of the COVID-19.”
The Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport includes six proposed metro railway stations, including:
Two stations within the airport site, at the airport terminal and at the airport business park;
A station serving the commercial heart of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis;
A station at St Marys, interchanging with the existing suburban railway station and connecting customers with the rest of Sydney’s rail system;
A station at Orchard Hills; and
A station at Luddenham to service a future education, innovation and commercial precinct.
Federal Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said Western Sydney residents will reap the benefits of this investment well before the first train leaves the station.
“This project will support 14,000 jobs, bringing new opportunities for the people of Western Sydney, closer to home.”
“It represents an economic stimulus in the middle of Western Sydney, supporting jobs for electricians, carpenters, plumbers, tunnellers, surveyors, crane and forklift operators and truck drivers.
NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said supporting the airport and Aerotropolis is a key part of the Western Sydney City Deal, a 20-year agreement signed in March 2018 by the Commonwealth Government, NSW Government, and eight Western Sydney councils.
“The Metro Western Sydney Airport project will be a game-changer for the region, providing the backbone for the economic and broader development,” Mr Ayres said.
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance says the new line will service greater Western Sydney and the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport,
“This new metro railway line will become the transport spine for the region, connecting travellers from the new airport to the rest of Sydney’s public transport system.”
The Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport is being funded on an equal joint basis by the Commonwealth and New South Wales governments under the Western Sydney City Deal.
The $5.3 billion Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport is being fully funded by the Commonwealth Government.
Doorstop - Hume, ACT
2 July 2020
DR FIONA KOTVOJS, LIBERAL CANDIDATE FOR EDEN-MONARO: Thank you, everybody, it’s a pleasure to be here again and I would like to thank EOS and Dr Greene for inviting us here in this venue for this announcement today. I'd also like to welcome the Prime Minister, the Minister for Defence Industry, Senator for the ACT as well to today's event. For me, this is all about jobs, and that's the key thing for everybody in Australia at the moment, jobs. And it's been just one of a series of announcements that will result in jobs across Australia and result in jobs in Eden-Monaro and I'm very proud about that and I think it’s a wonderful thing that’s been moved forward in these difficult times. I’d like to invite the Prime Minister, thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, thank you Fiona, Dr Kotvojs. It’s wonderful to be with you once again. Dr Greene, thank you very much for having us here at EOS and as well as your supply chain partners from Queanbeyan and surrounds for the incredible work that you're doing here, which I know Senator Seselja is very excited about. This is part of the industrial hub of this region and it is exciting to see what's taking place here. What is taking place here is something of which Australians should be very, very proud. The sophistication of what is on display in this manufacturing facility and on those that adjoin them as part of the supply chain is world's best. And that's why 95 per cent of what EOS does is exported to the rest of the world. And if you can make those global standards, that means for the Commonwealth, as we're entering into further contracts for incredibly important systems and equipment, many of which I referred to yesterday and the Defence Minister will go into more detail today, then you need partners and a sovereign capability in Australia to do just that. And that means after more than 30 years of EOS operations here, developing its capabilities, developing its people and developing its products and its systems, it means that that capability does this. They’re making things here, they’re making them in Australia and then making them in a way that Australians should be very proud of and they are being made by Australians here with the jobs that are being created.
Earlier, I met Branka, who works in this rather controlled environment under there, under the protection. She used to run a restaurant, she was involved in the hospitality industry. Now she's in the defence industry. I was talking to Peter before, he came out of the construction industry. He was on the tools there, working as a labourer, he had some carpentry skills. And here he is part of the defence industry and couldn't be happier. The jobs that are created by the Government's plan to develop our sovereign capability when it comes to the defence equipment that we need to invest in to defend Australia and to ensure that our interests are protected and that we can engage with our partners around the world, as we achieve the stability that is necessary for peace and prosperity. The jobs that come from that commitment are significant and there are jobs here on this floor. There are jobs at Mechanica. There are jobs at Real Steel and there's a collaboration in meeting the very strong challenges. And so over the course of the last few weeks, as I've moved around the Eden-Monaro electorate with Fiona Kotvojs, our Liberal candidate, we've been on site down in Eden, supporting the timber industry. Prior to the election even being called as a byelection, I was with the Deputy Prime Minister out in Batlow and out in Tumbarumba and seeing the impact there of what was happening in the orcharding industry, and we're investing in that sector as well. We've been out on building sites where the HomeBuilder programme is keeping young people in the construction industry, the home building industry, in work. And the response to that programme has been extraordinary, and I suspect lawn sales have gone up as well after we had our wonderful encounter with our friend out there at Googong.
But here we are again today talking about jobs, because that's what we're focused on. And on Saturday, to vote for jobs, to vote for the economic recovery, to vote for the rebuilding of our communities across the many communities that make up the Eden-Monaro electorate, to vote for the certainty and the stability that has been delivered by my Government, not just in the recovery after the bushfires, not just in how we are working through the COVID-19 pandemic, but more importantly, the rebuilding that comes out of that. To vote for that stability, to vote for that support, to vote for those jobs and for those jobs continuing, then I need you to vote for Fiona Kotvojs, the Liberal candidate for Eden-Monaro. I need Fiona Kotvojs there on the ground ensuring that the Snowy 2.0 jobs and the Snowy 2.0 multipliers go through the local economy. That EOS can continue to do the important work they're doing as we move into new relationships with them and the supply chains they make up. As we help the timber industry get back on its feet. As we help the orcharding industry get back on its feet. The tourism and hospitality sector all across the wonderful, the wonderful reaches of this part of Australia. All of that depends on having someone who can be part of a Government that is getting on with the job of delivering the jobs. And that's why I'm seeking your support for Fiona Kotvojs, the Liberal candidate for Eden-Monaro and I want to thank Fiona for being here again today and, of course, Dr Greene again for the wonderful work that you're doing here.
Now, on that note, I want to hand over to Melissa Price, the Minister responsible for Defence Industry, and she's going to talk a little bit more about what's happening here and then Dr Greene will make a few remarks as well, and then we're happy to take questions. Thank you very much, Mel.
THE HON. MELISSA PRICE MP, MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY: Thank you, Prime Minister, and thank you to Ben and his team and all the staff that we've met today. I think what we've witnessed here today is true advanced manufacturing here in our country. And if there was ever any doubt that manufacturing is alive and well, well, I think we're seeing this on display here today. I think there's nothing like a pandemic to get a nation focused on what is it that we need to be good at? In defence industry, we talk about sovereign capability. But put it simply, what is it that we need to be good at? What is it that we need to be able to produce in our country? And I'm just so thrilled with the work that EOS is doing here for our nation and also for the export opportunities which are creating jobs right here in Australia, not just here in Queanbeyan and in Hume, but right across our country. And I've learnt today that, in fact, they do have employees in my electorate, which was news to me. So it just shows you the spread of EOS. During the COVID-19 period, our Government sat down with defence and talked about what of those projects that we need to bring forward, what are those projects that we need to do to make sure we continue to grow the jobs in defence industry? And today's announcement for the 251 weapon systems that EOS will build four out of Bushmaster and Hawkei vehicles is one of those projects. So just thrilled to be here today supporting 200 jobs in Australia, but not just here at EOS, but actually 100 hundred businesses right across the country. And the most important part is that with these weapons systems, 80 percent of that will be built here, right in Australia. It's a really good day for advanced manufacturing in Australia. Thank you, Dr Greene.
DR BEN GREENE, GROUP CEO, EOS: Thank you, Minister, Prime Minister, Dr Kotvojs, Senator Seselja and from the Department of Defence Tony Fraser, welcome. Very, very warm welcome to EOS. Firstly, let me commend the Government on the force structure and strategic documents that were released publicly yesterday. Very, very welcome steps forward for this country and it will help start a very interesting debate as we shape the future of this country's national security. I also would like to thank the Prime Minister and the Minister for the Government's unflinching support over years for defence industry and the jobs that the defence industry generates within the community and the multipliers that high-tech defence industry like us generate throughout this wonderful country. We're very proud of that and I think you should be proud of the role that successive elements of your government have had in sustaining that.
Now, EOS started, I started EOS about 35 years ago as a space company and as happenstance would have it, I was approached in 1992, which is a long time ago, by the US Army to spin off some of our really advanced space technologies within working within the US from our Queanbeyan plant and that subsequently led to a $700 million development programme which we executed for the US Army to develop the first generation weapon stations. What we're looking at here, as you look around you, is the second generation, which were uniquely developed by EOS, largely at our own expense. So rather than have a product which generated $20 billion worth of revenue worldwide in its own lifetime and many companies still trying to sell that product, we have the next generation product here developed in collaboration with the US Government, but not entirely funded by it. As a consequence, EOS this time owns the technology and we have yet to lose a sale anywhere in the world to a competitor. We're clocking about $400 million a year in sales for this product and wherever we sell this product anywhere in the world, we produce more than half of it here. When you take into account there are countries that mandate 50 percent local production, that's a real achievement and we fight tooth and nail in those negotiations around the world to keep those jobs here.
Why do we do that? One of the reasons is that Australia needs a first-class defence capability. We can't afford a defence industry with our own revenue. Notwithstanding the fantastic numbers that were announced yesterday, $270 billion over that span will not support a critical infrastructure of defence. We need exports. In my company, well over 90 per cent or approximately 95 percent of everything we do is exported. They’re exported to tier one markets, as you'd expect. We can't export to most countries. There's only 15 countries in the world we are allowed to export to and we don't begrudge that at all. They're the only ones we want to export. But those exports validate the product before the Commonwealth and the Department of Defence even have to come near to thinking about buying it. So we have a product that's in production at tremendously advantageous prices for the Department of Defence here to access as and when they want to. Because another critical thing is we are not dependent on the Department of Defence or the Government and therefore, normally - and I say normally because I want to come back to this point - we are an entirely sustainable industry in our own right. Look around you now. You will see a $130 million worth of product here that can't leave this plant. COVID-19 has shut down our delivery chains. We have another $50 million with the product stranded between here and customers. So what we have now is an industry which has a temporary, we have decades of performance behind us and we think decades of performance ahead of us. We have a temporary hiatus in our ability to ship and the Government has very, very, I think, intelligently, other would say kindly and others would say far-sighted, brought forward known documented requirements for which contracts were already in place for us to produce in the next 12 months, items which we would have produced at a later period for the Department of Defence and the Commonwealth. And that single act is going to save thousands of jobs, thousands of jobs, and the reason for that is that the multiplier effect on what we do here is very strong in the community. Our jobs are very highly skilled and generally highly paid. I want to thank the Prime Minister and the Government he represents and the Minister for what was a very welcome and much-needed element of support for the industry and for our company. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Dr Greene. Well, a thing I love about when you come to places like this is people are passionate about making things and that's why they can make things and that's why they always punch through any challenges or impediments that come their way. And COVID-19 has obviously been a big challenge, not just for this business here, but right around the country and right across the Eden-Monaro electorate and that's why it's so important that we have the stability. And I'd say all of the three things you just referred to, to describe the Government's approach here. But it is that farsightedness. It is the practical nature of how our Government works and that's why I need someone exactly like Fiona. That's why I need Fiona Kotvojs on the ground here as part of these many communities to ensure that our programmes continue to hit the mark. Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are there any local manufacturing quotas included in this defence plan?
PRIME MINISTER: Like with all of our defence industry contracts, there are clear plans to ensure that we maximise local content. You've just heard just how much local content is maximised through this operation here.
JOURNALIST: PM, with your speech yesterday, you made repeated references to the 1930s and the 1940s. There’s a couple of elements to that. One is that Australia was very ill-equipped for the start of World War II. But are you concerned also that maybe Beijing will see a comparison that you might be suggesting between China and fascist Germany or China and Imperialist Japan?
PRIME MINISTER: That would be a misreading of my remarks. What I talked about was the conflation of economic uncertainty and global instability. Now, there are different reasons for global instability back at that time and today's time. But when you get the combination of these two forces at any time in our history, regardless of their causes, then that should give us reason to make the announcements we made yesterday and to understand the changing times. There are similarities, but there are other parts of the analogy which are different. But the impact is similar, and that is to recognise that Australia, over the last few years, like the rest of the world, like the rest of the region, is facing a very different environment than we were even quite recently. And that is why we have made the changes that we have made.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on Eden-Monaro, John Barilaro this morning was dancing around, not denying reports that he and his supporters have suggested voters preference Labor rather than the Liberal candidate. How helpful is that just days out from the by-election?
PRIME MINISTER: You must have seen a completely different interview to me because I heard both John Barilaro and the Nationals candidate for Eden-Monaro say that under their ‘how to vote’ card, they say vote 1 National, vote 2 Liberal. That's exactly what the Deputy Premier said and that's exactly what the Nationals candidate said. So I can only refer you to their absolute statement of support for their ‘how to vote’ instructions and but what I would suggest is that you vote 1 Liberal for Fiona Kotvojs and that is the nature of this contest. We have a very strong Coalition and I know that whether you're a Liberal voter or or you’re a National voter, what you don't want to see is you don't want to see the instability and the chaos that is taking over, or rather, I should say, has never really left the Labor Party. And a vote for Labor is a vote for uncertainty. It's a vote for chaos. It's a vote for the disunity that we're seeing right across the Labor ranks. The chaos we're seeing with all sorts of, I mean, there's a corruption enquiry into Labor currently. That's not my words. That is the words of the Labor Member for Holt. And so to reward that this weekend, I'm sure even Labor voters are very disappointed with what they're seeing from their own party. They need to sort themselves out. Our Government is very focused on the job of jobs and particularly here in Eden-Monaro. And that's why I'm urging people to vote Liberal for Fiona Kotvojs, the Liberal candidate for Eden-Monaro.
JOURNALIST: Do you think he has been helpful though? Because yesterday he said your assertions that aren't any cuts to the ABC is disingenuous. So he's contradicting what the Government is arguing.
PRIME MINISTER: The Deputy Premier is known for his wide-ranging comments. What I know is that ABC funds are greater next year, the year after, under the three-year funding program, and I'm sure that's a position that many media organisations and communications organisations would love to be in. And in addition to that, there was over $40 million in additional support we gave to the ABC to support their regional activities in recognition of the important work that the ABC does in regional areas. The Government has always understood that and we provided additional funds for that.
JOURNALIST: PM, the report out yesterday by the New South Wales Government says Australia’s economy is too dependent on economically damaging taxes like company tax, personal income tax, property stamp duty, not utilising more efficient taxes like GST land taxes. Do you believe Australia's tax system overall could be made more growth friendly? And what leadership role is the Federal Government prepared to play in that? Or is it just a matter for the states to go about this themselves?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Government is cutting taxes. I mean, yesterday, if you're a business with a turnover of less than $50 million, your tax rate fell from 27-and-a-half percent to 26-percent. The instant asset write off that you get access to is $150,000 for immediate write off of equipment that you invest in. That program started off at $20,000 when we first introduced it and I've increased that to $150,000 and that will go till the end of this year as an important part of the measures that we put in place to see the economy grow out of the COVID-19 recession. We have legislated tax cuts, which means right now, if you have an income up to $90,000, then you can get a rebate on your tax of up to just over $1,000 and that will extend with rebates continuing up to an income of about $124,000. That came in and is repeated from last year. So I'd urge you to get your tax return in. That's in a few days time, just over a week, five million Australians will receive a $750 payment if they’re a welfare beneficiary, just like they did back in April, which will be a much-needed boost into our economies, including here in Eden-Monaro. There are many beneficiaries here in Eden-Monaro. In just over 10 days time, they will all be getting a $750 payment, just like they did back in April and that'll be important for the local economies right across the Eden-Monaro. So we are taking action. We have legislated to abolish - to abolish - entirely the 37-cent tax rate and to reduce the 32.5-cent tax rate down to 30. That's what we've done to lead when it comes to income tax reform in this country and company tax reform and to increase the incentives. Now, I note the report that has been commissioned by the Treasurer's board, which is all the Treasurers of the states and territories. I note that they've received that report. I note the New South Wales view on that. I note that South Australia has the complete opposite view. So I think it's important before the States start advancing any proposals that they have. We have provided a forum for that to happen under the reforms that I announced for the National Cabinet, the National Federation Reform Council. We tasked the Council of Federal Financial Relations, which is all those state and territory Treasurers, to work through those issues. And so we've set up the process. But in the first instance, I think there needs to be a greater consensus amongst the states that clearly doesn't exist at present.
JOURNALIST: On Hong Kong Prime Minister are you disturbed in what you're seeing and would you consider offering safe haven for Hong Kongers who do find themselves in great trouble there, similar to what Boris Johnson is doing?
PRIME MINISTER: The answer to both questions is yes and yes. In the first instance, we do find these events very concerning and we have been very clear about our statements to that in concert with many other nations. This is not a position Australia has commented on in isolation. We have done so with many other like-minded countries about these events. The basic law and the safeguards that were put in place with the handover, we would expect to be upheld. I think that's a very reasonable position and a very consistent position for the Government. We are considering very actively the proposals that I asked to be brought forward several weeks ago and the final touches would be put on those and they'll soon be considered by Cabinet to provide similar opportunities and we think that's important and very consistent with who we are as a people and very consistent practically with the views that we have expressed.
JOURNALIST: Would that be permanent settlement?
PRIME MINISTER: When we have made a final decision on those arrangements then I'll make the announcements, but if you asking are we prepared to step up and provide support? The answer is yes.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER: Sorry, I couldn't quite hear.
JOURNALIST: What have you heard from China since you announced the defence strategy?
PRIME MINISTER: I haven't heard anything directly. I've been a bit taken up with many meetings, but I've been pleased to receive a lot of support and encouragement for the positions we've taken from our partners in the region and our allies more broadly. Because what we're about is we’re about peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. And to achieve that, we want to see everybody working closely together. As the Defence Minister will say today, we work with everybody we can in the region to promote peace, stability and prosperity. If people are on that page, then we're with them and that's what yesterday was all about.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the Victorian outbreak, 77 new cases announced today. There were reports that hotel quarantine breaches included security contractors sleeping with guests and breachings of social distancing. How concerned are you by how this has been handled in Victoria?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm obviously concerned about the outbreak and I'm pleased that the Premier has taken the action that he has taken, both in putting place the lockdown for the outbreak in those suburbs in western Melbourne. That was the appropriate response and they have our full support in implementing it and whatever additional resources they seek, whether that's from the Defence Force or the Commonwealth Public Service, we are currently and have been putting in place now for several days, hundreds and hundreds of Commonwealth public servants to support the programs that have been put in place by the Victorian Premier. The testing regimes are being supported in other states. Other health officers from other states are assisting with the tracing capabilities. So we're very focused on the fixing, on the containing, on the practical challenges of this. Obviously, what has happened with the quarantine, I think the Premier has been pretty upfront about that and pretty honest about where the weaknesses have been and he shared those weaknesses with his colleagues so similar things don't occur in other jurisdictions. There will be international flights now going to other parts of the country that would otherwise go to Melbourne and so that means we wouldn't want to see, you know, those same experiences happen, whether it's here in the ACT or in Brisbane or Adelaide or other places. So I think it's important to learn the lessons and I think Premier Andrews has been, I think, quite upfront about that. So he has my support to continue to put these measures in place and get on top of this outbreak and we've got to focus on the problem. That's what we're doing. That's what people expect us to do, as leaders, to work together to focus on fixing the problem, to give greater assurance around the country. Those numbers, as I'm sure as the Premier would concur, we've seen some levelling, although they remain at elevated levels, and that is of concern. And that means as the lockdown now is in place, we would hope to see those numbers fall again. But we take nothing for granted since yesterday.
JOURNALIST: Back on defence, doesn’t yesterday’s purchases risk driving further arms purchases in the region and therefore further destabilising it?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: PM, tens of billions of dollars is being withdrawn from super early, and yet we now know from the AFP that it might have been a honeypot for fraudsters with lots of bank accounts seized and frozen. What measures are you taking to make sure that some of those billions haven't gone to fraud?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the very reason you know about this is because of the enforcement actions that have been undertaken by the AFP with the support of the Government. So what that is a demonstration of is that the AFP is doing their job to protect people in exactly the way that you suggest. The scale, though, I've got to say, of integrity challenges that we've had with the many measures we have in place are quite small compared to the volume of the payments that we're seeing. I mean, to date there's been about $50 billion - now, that doesn't include the super drawdowns - $50 billion that have gone out through various schemes, particularly in JobKeeper. And there's about $8 billion of that, which is in higher JobSeeker payments and that's just till now and there's many more months left to run on that. And then, of course, as I flagged very clearly, there are further phases beyond that. When it comes to super drawdowns, that has been quite effective and the banks have told us this very clearly, in a lot of cases, it's being used by people to shore up their mortgages and that is a sensible, that is a sensible act. It's up to people to decide what to do with their own money and where they're making those decisions to better protect their mortgages and put themselves in a more resilient position that greatly assists them, not just for now, but for the long term as well. And I think Australians have been making their choices about this very carefully and very responsibly. Of course, there'll be some instances where that hasn't occurred, but I'm pleased to say that's in the minority of cases.
JOURNALIST: PM, on fiscal policy, beyond the emergency measures that are currently in place, some economists are suggesting there's going to have to be some serious fiscal heavy lifting beyond the end of this year well into next year. Grattan says $70 billion and $90 billion, another former Treasury economist says $30 billion to $50 billion. Is the Federal Government prepared to do some serious fiscal lifting beyond September? Because these are huge numbers people are talking about still.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I've noticed with economists in recent months is they want us to spend nothing and they want us to spend everything. And so the truth is going to be somewhere in the middle. And that's the path that we have responsibly taken. In terms of fiscal heavy lifting, I would say that $50 billion in just two and a half months represents a pretty big lift and we've demonstrated our willingness to provide the fiscal support that is necessary to support people's incomes, to support people's jobs, to support people's livelihoods. Whether it's the cash flow injection we put into small and medium-sized businesses, whether it's the direct payments we've made to welfare beneficiaries, whether it's the JobKeeper programme, which has been a stand out model around the world for one of the most, if not the most, successful programmes to support people during these initial phases of the corona recession, and indeed the expanded safety net, an effective doubling of the payment with an $8 billion extra in in payments made just till now. That's what I'd call fiscal heavy lifting. So my answer is that our record demonstrates that we're prepared to do what's necessary, but we're also prepared to do what's responsible. What we want to see happen is the economy continue to lift and for businesses to free themselves of restraints, whether that be the restrictions that have been put on their businesses by state governments, or it's indeed getting themselves away from the income supports that have been in place and so they can go on and sustainably support the jobs and their businesses. I mean, the future of the Australian economy is not to remain in ICU. The future of the Australian economy is to become strong and independent and sovereign and able to grow jobs and have its own momentum. In the meantime, the government will continue to do what is necessary to support us to get to that stage. But we've got to be very careful about two particular things. We can't let our supports hold businesses back. We can't let that happen. That will cost jobs and livelihoods and create dependency, which will not mean that Australian businesses will be world-beating in the future and job generators in the future, as EOS has been right here. The other thing is that we've been incredibly careful not to lock in government spending into the decades into the future. That's how you swamp the Australian taxpayer unfairly. It is not fair to enter into long-range programmes of that type of fiscal stimulus. We saw the problems of that last time under Labor. We have been targeted. We have been careful. We have used existing systems. These measures have been temporary and well-timed and they will continue to be because that's the responsible thing to do and they are the issues that the Government is working through carefully. Again, this afternoon, the Treasurer and I and the Finance Minister and others will be meeting over these issues. The Cabinet met at length again yesterday, poring over these issues again. We're getting further data coming through. What the world will look like three months from now, we hope certainly in the domestic economy will be even better. But at this stage, it's very hard to say because the global economic environment will remain very subdued. But right here, right now, it's about jobs and jobs here in Eden-Monaro. It's about the jobs we're creating through Snowy 2.0. It's about the jobs we’re going to create in the timber industry, the construction industry, the tourism in the hospitality industry, primary producers, orchardists. We have all of their backs as a Government. And I need someone here on the ground in Fiona Kotvojs, the Liberal candidate for Eden-Monaro, who will fight for those jobs and will storm into my office and say the primary producers need this now, boss, or the timber millers need this or the defence contractors and the jobs that are supporting on that, this local content needs to be delivered. And she'll know because she'll be all over it. And that's what Eden-Monaro needs. They need Fiona Kotvojs’ and her experience, her commitment, her passion, and to be part of a Government over the next two years before we go to the next general election to make sure we can continue to rebuild and recover. That is the best, the best decision for Eden-Monaro, and I want to thank Dr Kotvojs for putting herself forward. I'm so proud to have her as part of my Liberal team. And on Saturday, I hope she can form part of my Government, because I think that will be what's best for Eden-Monaro. And wish the electors of Eden-Monaro all the best with their decision. But your best choice, bar none, is Fiona Kotvojs. Thank you very much. Thank you.
Leaders' Virtual Summit with the Prime Minister of the Republic of India
31 May 2020
I am pleased to announce that I will be joining the Honourable Shri Mr Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, on 4 June 2020 for the first Australia-India Leaders’ Virtual Summit.
As like-minded democracies and natural strategic partners, Australia and India are in full agreement that our strong bilateral relationship is key to a more open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
I look forward to discussing our countries’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Modi and I will also discuss new opportunities in defence, trade, maritime safety and security, science and technology, and education.
The Virtual Summit will deepen our strong existing ties. With the shared determination of both nations, I have no doubt that our partnership will continue to go from strength to strength.
Update Following National Cabinet Meeting
29 May 2020
The National Cabinet met today to further discuss Australia’s current COVID-19 response, easing restrictions in the coming months, helping Australians prepare to go back to work in a COVID-Safe environment and getting the economy moving again.
The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, provided an update on the measures underway, the latest data and medical advice in relation to COVID-19.
There have been over 7,100 confirmed cases in Australia and sadly 103 people have died. There are now less than 500 active cases in Australia, and over the past week, daily infection rates have remained low. Testing remains high, with more than 1.37 million tests undertaken in Australia.
We need to continue to have the right controls in place to test more people, trace those who test positive and respond to local outbreaks when they occur. These are precedent conditions to enable Australia to relax baseline restrictions and enable Australians to live and work in a COVID-19 safe economy.
National Cabinet again encouraged Australians to download the COVIDSafe app to ensure that we can protect Australians and continue to ease baseline restrictions.
More than 6.1 million Australians have already downloaded the COVIDSafe app. This is an enormous achievement but more is needed.
National Cabinet will meet again on Friday 12 June 2020.
Review of Restrictions
On 8 May 2020, National Cabinet approved the 3-Step Framework for a COVIDSafe Australia and agreed to a minimum of three weeks between implementation of each step of the framework. Movement into subsequent steps will be informed by monitoring for any evidence of increases in transmission or outbreaks, increased pressure on the health system, testing or personal protective equipment demand, demands on the public health response to cases and community adherence and acceptance of these measures.
The number of new cases has remained low, and we have responded effectively to localised outbreaks. We've made economic and social gains – with businesses starting to open back up, people getting back to work, and friends and families getting back together.
The AHPPC has advised that there has been continued progress on meeting the majority of precedent conditions under the Pandemic Health Intelligence Plan to enable restrictions to be removed under the 3 Step COVID-Safe Australia. The precedent conditions include access to PPE, testing rates, use of the COVIDSafe App.
While it is still too early to determine the success of our measures - but the initial signs are very positive.
All states and territories have reduced transmission, enabling Step 1 conditions to be established. Some jurisdictions have been able to move further than Step 1 due to their local conditions. Successfully removing restrictions under Step 1 is estimated to return 250,000 jobs and increase economic activity by $3.1 billion.
Given the success of the health system in reducing transmission, states and territories now have plans in place to move to Step 2 conditions under a COVIDSafe Australia 3 Step Framework in June 2020. This will allow most businesses to reopen with physical distancing, hygiene and COVID Safe work plans. It is estimated that Step 2 will return an additional $3 billion in economic activity and 275,000 jobs to the workforce.
National Cabinet noted further updated AHPPC advice - including updated modelling, the Australian National Disease Surveillance Plan for COVID-19 and advice on use of masks.
National Health Reform Agreement
National Cabinet has finalised the 2020-2025 National Health Reform Agreement.
Under the Agreement the Commonwealth will invest an estimated $131.4 billion in demand driven public hospital funding to improve health outcomes for all Australians and ensure the sustainability of our health system now and into the future.
The new Agreement also includes a commitment by all Australian governments to a shared long-term vision for health reform, at a time when shared investment and coordination in health has never been more important.
Principles for Public Transport operations
National Cabinet agreed that public transport services are the responsibility of the states and territories, and that it was important to continue to work together to ensure services can continue to run as safely as possible for both the workforce and passengers.
To support this effort, National Cabinet endorsed principles approved by the AHPPC which will help manage the health and safety of workers and passengers on public transport networks.
The principles outline the responsibility passengers must take when traveling on public transport including not travelling when feeling unwell, maintaining physical distance from drivers and other passengers, and avoiding handling cash.
Under the principles, public transport users are not required to wear masks but may do so on a voluntary basis.
The principles should be considered alongside Work Health and Safety requirements, public health advice and other advice jurisdictions provide in relation to mass gatherings, including on public transport.
National Cabinet agreed that the principles will be reviewed as governments progress through the three-step plan to take into account any emerging challenges or innovative solutions, or as interactions with international travel start to be considered.
The Principles for COVID-19 Public Transport Operations (PDF) are located on The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications website.
National Cabinet
National Cabinet has agreed to the formation of the National Federation Reform Council and the cessation of the COAG model.
National Cabinet has worked effectively to respond to COVID-19. The new National Federation Reform Council agreed to by Premiers, Chief Ministers and the Prime Minister, will change the way the Commonwealth and states and territories effectively and productively work together to address new areas of reform.
The National Cabinet will be driven by an initial single agenda - to create jobs. A job making agenda.
By any measure, National Cabinet has proven to be a much more effective body for taking decisions in the national interest than the COAG structure.
At the centre of the National Federation Reform Council will be National Cabinet.
National Cabinet will continue to meet regularly and will be briefed directly by experts such as the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.
Initial reform areas will be agreed by National Cabinet.
During the COVID-19 period, National Cabinet will continue to meet every two weeks. In the future, these meetings will take place once a month.
The Council on Federal Financial Relations (CFFR), which is essentially a meeting of all Treasurers, will report to National Cabinet. CFFR will take responsibility for all funding agreements including National Partnership Agreements.
Important taskforces will continue in areas that are critical to our National Agenda. The taskforce on women’s safety and domestic violence will continue their critical work, as will the Indigenous affairs taskforce with a particular focus on Closing the Gap.
Once a year, National Cabinet, CFFR and the Australian Local Government Association will meet in person as the National Federation Reform Council with a focus on priority national federation issues such as Closing the Gap and Women’s Safety.
This new model will streamline processes and avoid endless meetings that do not result in action. This is a congestion busting process that will get things done with a single focus on creating jobs.
This is an exciting new agenda for our federation and is about rebuilding confidence to get Australians back into work.
Further details of the National Federation Reform Council and consolidation and reset of the Ministerial Forums and Ministerial Regulatory Councils will be reviewed by National Cabinet.
Commonwealth and States Sign $131 Billion Five Year Hospitals Agreement
29 May 2020
Prime Minister, Minister for Health
Public hospitals across the country will have record funding for the next five years after all states and territories signed onto the Morrison Government’s new health reform agreement.
This record funding agreement will deliver more doctors, more nurses and more services across public hospitals in every state and territory.
This commitment ensures the Australian health system remains stable and nationally coordinated, particularly throughout this unprecedented time.
Overall, the Commonwealth will invest an estimated $131.4 billion in demand driven public hospital funding to improve health outcomes for all Australians and ensure the sustainability of our health system now and into the future.
The new 2020‑25 National Health Reform Agreement provides an estimated $131.4 billion in additional funding to public hospitals over five years from 2020–21. This is in addition to the over $8 billion health investment by the Commonwealth during the COVID-19 response.
As part of the new Agreement, the Morrison Government has provided a funding guarantee to all states and territories to ensure no jurisdiction is left worse off as a result of the COVID‑19 pandemic, and guarantees the Commonwealth’s funding contribution for public hospitals over the next five years.
This guarantee is critical to ensuring state and territory governments can continue to deliver safe and effective public hospital services for all Australians, especially when all Australian governments are working to respond to the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Under this Agreement, a small number of very sick children across Australia will receive lifesaving, high cost therapies such as immunotherapy, to reduce and rid cancer from their body, free of charge.
Commonwealth and states have agreed to jointly fund this cancer treatment. Without this support patients could pay around $500,000 per treatment for cancer immunotherapy.
States are also funded to deliver more flexible care, including hospital care in the home, to give patients care where and when they need it.
This will include rehabilitation after a stroke in the home. This provides better long term outcomes for patients. It will help many Australians with approximately 50,000 strokes occurring per year.
This agreement also builds on the collaboration between the Commonwealth and the states in responding to COVID-19.
New funding arrangements under the Agreement mean people with some of the rarest conditions will have better access to new innovative life-saving high-cost therapies in public hospitals around the country.
Importantly, the Agreement strengthens all governments’ commitment to ensuring equitable access to public hospitals for all Australians by removing incentives that can lead to the preferential treatment of private patients.
The new Agreement also includes a commitment by all Australian governments to a shared long-term vision for health reform, at a time when shared investment and coordination in health has never been more important.
The reforms aim to make it easier to provide flexible, high-quality care that meets the needs and preferences of Australians, and reduces pressure on hospitals.
Through this Agreement, we will ensure Australia’s health system continues to be one of the best in the world, delivering the best possible health outcomes for Australians.
State and territory funding breakdown
The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in New South Wales is estimated to grow substantially to an estimated $40.1 billion over the next five years, delivering an additional $9.3 billion in funding.
The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in Victoria is estimated to grow substantially to an estimated $32.4 billion over the next five years, delivering an additional $7.3 billion in funding.
The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in Queensland is estimated to grow substantially to an estimated $30.1 billion under the new agreement, delivering an additional $8.4 billion in funding.
The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in Western Australia is estimated to grow substantially to an estimated $14.1 billion over the next five years, delivering an additional $3.4 billion in funding.
The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in South Australia is estimated to grow substantially to an estimated $7.8 billion, delivering an additional $1.3 billion in funding.
The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in Tasmania is estimated to grow substantially to an estimated $2.4 billion under the new agreement, delivering an additional $400 million in funding.
The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in the Northern Territory is estimated to grow substantially to an estimated $2.0 billion over five years to 2024-25, delivering an additional $707 million in funding.
The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in the Australian Capital Territory is estimated to grow substantially to $2.5 billion in funding, delivering an additional $598 million in funding.
Interview with Alan Jones, 2GB
29 May 2020
ALAN JONES: Well, I'm not too sure who's asking the questions here this morning, but the Prime Minister of Australia is on the line. Prime Minister, good morning.
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Alan, the Jones boy.
JONES: Who is going to ask the questions?
PRIME MINISTER: How are you? Have you had a good morning?
JONES: Oh, well, it's a bit overwhelming, to be honest with you. It's a bit overwhelming, but I never imagined it was like this. But people are very kind, as you know, and I think they're very fair.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they're very appreciative, mate, of the 35 years. I mean, people who are listening to you over the last few years or longer than that. It's an extraordinary career by any estimation. And beyond that, there's a broader contribution to public life on so many issues, which your programme this morning is rehearsing all of those. But can I recall one on behalf of the grateful members of the Southern Districts Rugby Club. Back in 2007, I was running for Parliament and that year the then New South Wales Rugby Union was trying to boot Southern Districts out of the premiership, together with Penrith and who are sadly… sorry, not Penrith, Illawarra and Penrith. And you stood up with us and I mean, you came out to the club and you've been to the club many times since then. And Southern Districts has gone on from strength to strength since then and so I'm sure all of them would want me to pass on to you, mate, our thanks for that. But there are so many stories like that everyone can tell. Some were at a big national global scale, but some of them are just saving a great footy club. So, mate, thanks very much, and Jenny and I want to wish you all the best for your future.
JONES: Thank you so much. Can I just ask you two political questions? I didn't say they would be tough. I just and I know you'll sympathise with this, but I'm sure you're aware of Teddy Sheean who, according to historical records, was extraordinarily brave in December 1942 under torpedo attack of HMAS Armidale by Japanese bombers. He was an 18 year old from Tasmania. He saw his mates in the lifeboats under fire from the Japanese planes. He turned back to his gun post, 18 year old Teddy, and he continued to fire at the Japanese as he and the Armadale sank. There was a 2019 review by the Defence Honours and Awards Appeal Tribunal recommending that Teddy be awarded a VC. The Minister for Defence Personnel Darren Chester agreed. That apparently he's been overruled by the Defence Minister, Linda Reynolds. I'm just wondering, would you implement the recommendation of the Defence Honours and Awards Appeal Tribunal and award a VC posthumously to the then 18 year old Teddy Sheehan?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Alan, there's no doubt that the bravery and the story of Teddy Sheean is truly remarkable, like so many stories that were remarkable of that time. And you point rightly to the valour- there was a Valour Inquiry that was held back in 2016 [sic], the ‘19 Inquiry followed that it didn't identify additional evidence as I'm advised. The VC is the most important of all awards. Actually, not that long ago it was the New Zealand Government that made such a recommendation to the Queen and it was rejected. Les Carlyon, who I know you are a great fan of, said doing this sort of thing for a reconsideration of a VC says it creates two classes of VCs. And Keith Payne VC, who I know you greatly respect, and other VC holders have always taken a very strong view about these issues and they don't want to see a two class system of VCs. But Teddy Sheean, there is a Collins Class submarine named after Teddy and this is an issue that is a very difficult one. So the Chief of the Defence Force and Chief of the Defence Forces past also have supported the Minister's decision and so have I. That doesn't mean to say that it says anything negative about Teddy's bravery. He's an extraordinary Australian, an extraordinary Tasmanian. But at this point, one can only conclude the same way, I think, that the Chief of the Defence Force and others have. So that's reluctant. But it's where the situation sits.
JONES: I want to say one thing to our listeners now. Look, people may not believe this, but the Prime Minister has no idea I'm going to ask that question. The Prime Minister has never been the Defence Minister. He's never been the Defence Personnel Minister. He'd been the Treasurer, the Prime Minister and this is the key to all the young people out there. How does he manage? Because he's across the detail and you can't succeed anywhere if you're not across the detail. This Prime Minister won an election because he was across the detail. And that question I asked him here, I had no idea that he could even provide an answer. Some people would say, oh, Alan, I'll take that on board and I'll come back to you. But you just heard the answer. Comprehensive, understands it all. It's to your great credit. Can I just say thank you for your comments this morning. We will meet up on another medium.
PRIME MINISTER: For sure.
JONES: Good luck in the very difficult times ahead. And my love to Jenny and the children.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, thank you, Alan. I appreciate that. Enjoy the rest of the morning and enjoy a bit of time off, too. And I'm glad you're taking the medical experts advice. I'll be doing that a little later today at the National Cabinet. A lot to do there again today. But, you know, you've been one of those who've been championing the current cause of opening our economy up again, getting going again.
JONES: And opening the borders.
PRIME MINISTER: A lot of... absolutely. And a lot of Australians, a lot of hope every morning, not just recently, but for 35 years. So thank you very much.
JONES: All the best. Thank you, Prime Minister Morrison.
Interview with Sabra Lane, ABC AM
27 May 2020
SABRA LANE: Prime Minister, good morning and welcome to AM.
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Sabra.
LANE: Reform means a change to improve something. Can you guarantee that no worker will be worse off after this process?
PRIME MINISTER: We're getting workers and employers together, their representatives, we're getting them together in a room to work out how they can make their enterprises and make workers in a stronger position. I mean, it's being done directly between those who make decisions in workplaces, workers and employers alike. And that's what we've been initiated. So it's a consensus based process.
LANE: Can you guarantee, though, that no worker will be worse off?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, this is a process that will just flow through, Sabra. We're getting people together to agree to work together. So we're looking at people agreeing to what goes forward. Those who come from both perspectives. And so, you know, this is a process that wants to see workers better off. It’s a process that wants to see employers better off, businesses better off. But most importantly, this is about more jobs and what I want to see come out of this is more jobs.
LANE: And giving a guarantee, it's as simple as yes or no.
PRIME MINISTER: Sabra, the problem with that position, and this has been the problem with this industrial relations debate for all time, is it quickly descends into these sorts of issues. And we need to get past all that. We need to get past the point where it's turned into black and white discussions. This needs to be a genuine process where people come together and give it a real go to see how we can make businesses work better for employees and employers. And we're providing that opportunity. We're bringing people together for that purpose to create jobs. And that's what we need right now, Sabra. We can't have those old debates anymore and it’s the same for where the coverage of these issues comes from. That only gets in the way of people getting jobs.
LANE: Under the 80s Accord though, the Prime Minister, the government offered workers family payments, child care, the introduction of Medicare in exchange for restricted wage demands. What can the government bring to the table this time?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the people coming to the table, as I said, are employees and employers. The government is bringing people together.
LANE: And the government is empty handed?
PRIME MINISTER: No. What I'm saying is that this isn't some reheat of a process done by a former Labour government. It's not an Accord. It's a new process. It's about bringing people together to see what they can agree on in areas like how we deal with casualisation and full time work, how we can ensure that people get paid properly, how we can ensure on new sites that people will invest money in creating jobs because they can get some certainty over what the workplace arrangements will be. This is about employers and employees working together.
LANE: That casual workforce point that you make is a relevant one. It's remained fixed at about 25 per cent for 20 years but the gig economy workers aren't counted as casuals and their numbers have grown drastically. They don't get benefits like sick pay and holiday leave and many will be suspicious that this is an attempt to push more workers out into this form of work with no safety nets. What can you say to them?
PRIME MINISTER: I don't know why they would say that. There are many things happening in our economy, Sabra, but I think on the issue of casualisation, we've already seen it come through to a number of awards now where the opportunity should be there for employers, where they're effectively operating as full time, sorry, employees operating as full time employees, that they would have the opportunity convert to full time work. Now, that's a reasonable position. That's something that's already commenced happening and it's something that needs to be done in a fair and a reasonable way. And that's one of the key issues that I'm sure is going to be discussed about how that can be best achieved.
LANE: Casual and part time workers are often women, and many have shouldered a bigger burden during the pandemic being stood aside and carry more of the burden of homeschooling work. What's in this for them?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I made this point yesterday. I mean, where we were most successful going into the pandemic in our economy was with job creation for women in the workforce. Workforce participation hit its highest level ever and the gender pay gap actually fell to record lows. And so when you create jobs in these businesses again, on the other side and out of this pandemic, I believe it will be women who will be one of the key beneficiaries, because that is what was achieved last time. Where you can get better arrangements, where the businesses are successful and they can create more jobs, what we are seeing in our workforce it is often and usually women who are getting the bigger share of those new jobs.
LANE: You were elected in 2007 when the Coalition was thrown out of office, partly then because of the WorkChoices IR laws. What lessons did you learn from that time?
PRIME MINISTER: It's very important that, you know, we've got to put down the weapons and everyone's got to do that. You know, employers, employees, political parties and frankly, commentators in the media as well. We’ve got to get a better environment in which people can have the sensible discussions. We can't have the gotchas and we can't have the absolutism in all of this. We've got to give people the room to work through this. We haven't made any progress in this area for 20 years. The initial intentions of things like enterprise bargaining…
LANE: Sure, but what did you personally learn…
PRIME MINISTER: This is what I'm telling you I've learned, Sabra. These are the things we've learned. The combative approach where everyone stays in their grooves and does the same thing they've always done around these issues. And it goes for everybody in this debate, not just the politicians, not just the employers and employees, but the media, too. We've got to give this a go and that means we've got to do things differently.
LANE: The Fair Work Commission recently ruled long term casuals are eligible for annual leave. Will the government legislate to get around that?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, this has been a quite a significant case, and there are two aspects to it. There's the issue of people who have been working in companies and who have effectively been working as permanent employees and that's being recognised. And then there's the issue that where these individuals have been being paid higher amounts as casuals in recognition of being casuals. And so this has created an issue where we could have very serious liabilities that are created, particularly for small and medium sized employers. And right now, that could cost a lot of jobs and it could put a lot of small businesses out of business. And I can tell you, if there's no business, there's no jobs and everybody loses. So we're looking at the implications of that right now and we'll work through this constructively and try and get some certainty into this area as soon as we possibly can, because certainty equals jobs.
LANE: The Queensland Premier says her borders won't reopen until New South Wales and Victoria have had no local cases of Covid-19 for 28 days. And that, she says that's the advice of the state's medical, Chief Medical Officer. Are you satisfied with that?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the National Cabinet has never agreed or never had a position that state borders should be closed. So whether it's in Tasmania or South Australia, WA or Queensland or anywhere else, the Premiers who've made unilateral decisions or their governments have within their states and territories, they have to justify that to their own citizens and the impacts that has. Now, we don't have any medical expert advice that has come through the national process which recommended that and so that's why premiers here are making those calls based on whatever advice that they've taken and they would need to be transparent about that.
LANE: All right, Prime Minister, we're out of time. Thanks for joining the program.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks a lot, Sabra.
Interview with Sunrise
27 May 2020
DAVID KOCH: The Prime Minister Scott Morrison joins me now. Prime Minister good morning to you.
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning David.
KOCH: Bob Hawke was the last to really bring significant industrial relations reform. How critical is it that we take this opportunity?
PRIME MINISTER: Well these are, these are very difficult times. We haven't seen something like this out of wartime. And so that requires us to do things differently. And one thing we have not been doing well I think for some time is getting people together around these issues. People have got to put down their weapons here and focus on creating jobs. I mean for too long, this industrial relations process has been a very combative field and we have had employers on one side in one groove, and employees on the other and they haven't joined across. If we are going to create jobs, if we are going to come out of this crisis stronger, if we’re going to stop people from losing jobs, then we have got to get this sorted and the only way we’re going to get that happening is we get people in a room and get them to put behind them the way that we have dealt with these issues in the past and try some new thinking.
KOCH: Okay, Bob Hawke, of course, came from a union background and that was a big advantage in the Accord, you are a conservative. When you met Sally McManus during the week, the boss of the ACTU, was she sceptical or enthusiastic?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I think we are both realistic, and we are approaching it in good faith. And employer organisations are doing exactly the same thing and I welcome all of their support on all sides of this debate to actually get behind this. Because it is about creating jobs. We may have differences on many areas of policy but I can tell you one thing I think we all do believe in, and that is we need to get people back to work, we need to create these jobs again. And just like with the National Cabinet, when people have a very clear purpose and job making is the purpose here, then I think we can focus the discussion, that’s the rule over which we put everything. Is it going to create a job or not? Or is it just carrying on and kicking down the road the same old tired industrial relations arguments that have been there for decades? So it’s got to be a circuit breaker.
KOCH: It is the time to strike isn’t it with these hard decisions. The National Cabinet has proved a great blueprint. So, but bringing bosses and unions together, they will be in a working party recommending things to you will they, and then you make the decision?
PRIME MINISTER: That is right. And as I said yesterday, they may make progress, they may not. I hope they do, and I think everyone is going into this hoping to make progress. And hopefully that can resolve some of these thorny issues that have been around for a long time. Where people haven’t been able to give ground, but when you have got an economy like where ours is right now because of the pandemic, now is the time to put what doesn’t matter aside and focus on the things that do matter, and that is making jobs.
KOCH: Are you seeing this position right now, almost a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make structural change across the board? Because while the Accord is a first step, your wish list is extraordinary. You want reform in trade, the economy, federation, open banking, the digital economy and the tax system? You’re going for the lot?
PRIME MINISTER: We have got to. Well, we have to. Because our economy hasn't seen this since the great depression. If we're going to come out of this stronger, which I believe we can, then these are the things that many have been in the too hard basket for a long time. And so we have to take this opportunity where people can focus actually on the bigger picture, on the national interest and not just on their own specific interest and be able to put those things aside, and agree to some things to really get the country moving again, because we need to do it. If we don’t do it then we won’t see those jobs come. Another thing I spoke about yesterday which I know is important to Australians all over the country is getting the skills training they need. You know the people getting the training need to get the training and the skills that people want to employ and that the businesses need. I know parents who have got young people going through this process get very worried and stressed about whether the training their kids are getting is going to equip them for a job. And people going through later life, where they’re having to change jobs, and many will be doing that now because of these hardships, their training has to be right. And the way we fund it and the way we prioritise it and the things we are training people in, we need to do that better and that’s another big part of the changes I announced yesterday.
KOCH: But the Opposition says that you’ve got rid of 140,000 apprentices over your time?
PRIME MINISTER: That is just not true. The Labor Party, look you know what, I am not really that interested in what the politics of this is. And the Labor party will whine and they’ll make their jibes. That is the stuff we have got to change. We have got to actually now just focus on what people need and that is getting the jobs. No points scoring anymore, none of that, it has got to be about the jobs and that is why, this is not a political process. This is people coming together from different perspectives who actually have one thing in mind, and that is to make the business work so people can get paid and people can get jobs. And if there is no business, there is no job, everybody loses. And right now we are seeing too many businesses close, we need to keep them open so they can create those jobs. And that means changing the way we do things in the workforce.
KOCH: Okay, so the so-called Accord is the first cab off the rank. What is the next one? How far down is tax reform? Governments of all persuasions have talked about tax reform. We have had so many enquiries it is not funny, and we have not done much?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, David the first thing I would say is that the income tax changes we have already made will mean that we will abolish an entire tax bracket and 94% of Australians will pay no more than a marginal rate of tax of $0.30 cents in the dollar, that’s what we’ve already legislated so I wouldn’t call that nothing. But the broader point, and the same thing we have been doing for small business taxation and instant asset write-off, all of this is important. But the tax system has to generate and support investment and jobs. There’s lots of people with a lot of ideas on tax, but again the focus here has to be about jobs. There is a Budget in October, there is time to work through a range of issues and we are putting everything back on the table here and looking at it from previous reviews because you have got to look at it with fresh eyes in this new context we’re in and this new economy which is under incredible pressure, and so we will be looking at those issues. I mean, energy is another one. The Energy Minister only last week outlined the technology roadmap. The National Cabinet is meeting on Friday again this week and we have already started talking about some of the Federation reforms that are potentially possible and we’re working together on those. You mentioned open banking, that is something we have already moved on and it needs to accelerate. How small businesses, in particular, as you know, can access finance and capital and credit for their businesses so they can employ people, another critical part of the economy. So yes it is a broad agenda, we have got to take the opportunity of this time because we have to, because otherwise, people are going to find this hardship go on for longer than it needs to, and we have got to stop people losing jobs and we have got to get people back into them.
KOCH: Yep, Prime Minister I know you have got to go, appreciate your time. A big agenda, hopefully you can pull it off. We need it. Thank you for joining us.
PRIME MINISTER: Well thank you very much, David. Appreciate that.