Speeches
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
5 June 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, everyone.
Australia has become a prosperous country over a very long period of time because we are an outward looking, open, trading economy. This has been one of the key planks of our success as a country and that will always be the case. At the National Press Club a little while ago I set that out, that coming out of the COVID crisis, going through the COVID crisis, Australia will always be an outward-looking, open, trading economy because that's where our prosperity is and that's where the jobs are. Yesterday I had the opportunity to have a leaders summit with Prime Minister Modi and we committed again to working together on these principles. Our future is not just here within our borders but well beyond it as well, as has always been the case. That is why Australians enjoy the prosperity they do today and we need to protect that. But investment in Australia must be on our terms, on our rules and in our interests. That has always been the strong position of our Government. And today the Treasurer is announcing a series of further reforms, important reforms, that ensures that foreign investment will always be done on our terms, on our rules and in our national interest. It is not the first time that our Government has acted in these respects.
Now, under our foreign investment rules, significant authority is placed in the Treasurer to make the ultimate decisions when it comes to foreign investment in Australia. That was a responsibility I carried when I was Treasurer previously. And at that time we introduced changes to our foreign investment rules that established new registers for agricultural land ownership, FIRB screening of direct business in agribusiness, lowering of thresholds and importantly one of the first things I did back then was the appointment of David Irvine as chair of the Foreign Investment Review Board. Because our world has been changing for some time and so has been the nature of foreign investment. Many years ago, Treasurers merely had to deal with what were effectively commercial transactions, ensuring we were protecting against anti-competitive behaviour and competition was strong in Australia and they were predominantly the issues that foreign investment questions were determined over. But in more recent times, there have been other elements of foreign investment that we need to be very careful about and we need to have strong rules to protect Australia against. Investments in critical infrastructure and sensitive businesses and data centres and things of that nature. We need to ensure that the appropriate protections are in place. And so, with the appointment of David Irvine some years ago, that was sending a very clear signal that the interests that needed to be assessed for Australia were not just those that related to commercial issues but broader strategic issues and national security issues. We have been following that path ever since.
So today, the Treasurer has fashioned, I think, a series of very important reforms, strongly endorsed, of course, as they are required to by our Cabinet, the Federal Cabinet, and those rules deal with one of the key challenges that I believe the Treasurer always has in these circumstances and that is to ensure that when the conditions change, when business activities change, when markets change, when technology changes, then our foreign investment system needs to have the flexibility and the authorities to protect Australia's interests in those circumstances. And the rules that have been fashioned by the Treasurer, I think, very much go to that core issue. But at the same time, it's important that we understand the very serious role that foreign investment plays in Australia and that the streamlining of those processes, for the vast majority of applications that present absolutely no risk to Australia at all, can continue to flow in a very efficient way.
Australia has the most Liberal set of rules in our part of the world. People can invest in Australia in the way that Australians cannot invest in our part of the world and that is a function of our outward-looking nature of our economy and under our understanding of how we can drive prosperity in this country and that is to our credit. But so it's important that as we continue to attract the investment on our rules, on our terms and in our interests, that that can be done in a way that is streamlined and it is efficient and the Treasurer has fashioned reforms to that end as well. And also there must be compliance with those rules and so where you have rules they have to be backed up and that's why there is additional resources, more than $50 million today, which is going to resource our agencies to ensure we can enforce and ensure compliance with those foreign investment rules.
I commend the Treasurer for what he's brought forward through this process, which has been worked on now for some period of time. These rules have come not just through the National - through our Federal Cabinet, I should say, but also through the National Security Committee and the Expenditure Review Committee so we are ensuring that we are getting the right balance between our security interests and our economic interests and with that I will pass on to the Treasurer who can announce the specifics of the reforms.
THE HON. JOSH FRYDENBERG MP, TREASURER: Thank you, Prime Minister. Foreign investment has and will continue to be absolutely critical to Australia's economic prosperity. One in 10 Australian jobs are created by foreign investment. Foreign investment brings skills and expertise to our country and foreign investment has benefited every sector of the Australian economy, from mining to agribusiness, financial services to tourism. Of the nearly $4 trillion of foreign investment in our country, more than 20 per cent comes from the United States. More than 10 per cent from each of the United Kingdom and Japan and a little over 5 per cent from China. Our foreign investment regulatory framework has always sought to strike a balance between, on the one hand, welcoming and inviting foreign investment to this country but on the other ensuring that those foreign investment proposals that succeed are in our national interest. But technology has been evolving and our geopolitical climate has become more complex. In fact, the world over, governments are seeing foreign investment being used for strategic objectives, not purely commercial ones, and many other nations, including many other like minded nations, including the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand and many others, have made reforms to their foreign investment framework.
As the Prime Minister said, today's reforms build on reforms that he and previous Treasurers have made. Today's reforms to our foreign investment framework are the most significant since the establishment of the act in 1975 and these reforms are supported by the head of the Foreign Investment Review Board, David Irvine, a former security agency head but also a very distinguished diplomat. And as the Prime Minister said, these reforms have been worked on for some time and the product of considerable consultation within Government and beyond.
The reforms fall into three key areas. The first is that we are creating a new national security test. Foreign investors, not just foreign government investors, should be subject, and will be subject, to the Foreign Investment Review Board review when they are investing in what is termed a ‘sensitive national security business’. Now, the exact businesses to be covered by that term will be the subject of consultation but it is expected to include businesses in the telecommunications sector, businesses that are covered by the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act, including energy and sensitive utilities businesses. Businesses within the defence supply chain and businesses that collect, store and own data that is critical to Australia's national security and defence. The Treasurer will also have a new power where he can call - he or she can call in an investment if it creates a national security risk and if that business is not covered by that definition I talked about earlier. The Treasurer will also have a last-resort power to vary or to impose conditions or as a last resort to force a divestment in a very limited number of exceptional cases. For example, where there is a material misstatement by the applicant at the time of their application for foreign investment approval or where the activities of the acquired business change substantially and create national security risks.
The second significant reform is around strengthening our compliance and integrity framework, strengthening our penalties and our enforcement regime. Over 80 per cent of foreign investment by value last year had conditions attached. The Foreign Investment Review Board has currently more than 1,000 conditional approvals on their books. We need to have the requisite penalties to ensure compliance and we also need to have the resources in place to monitor and ensure compliance.
The third set of reforms, bearing in mind that we are competing internationally for capital, is that we are streamlining the approval process for passive investments by foreign governments where they are partnering with private capital. There are trillions of dollars being invested by such funds where foreign governments, through their entities, are partnering with private capital and where those investments are in non-sensitive sectors, we want to streamline and speed up that process. The government will be releasing, next month, exposure draft legislation and the intention is to have that legislation passed before the end of the year and put in place from the 1 January next year. As you know, during the COVID crisis, we established a zero threshold, zero dollar threshold, for foreign investment. That was to protect the national interest. But that was always to be temporary. So the idea is to stream, to seamlessly move to this new regime from the 1 January next year.
Finally, these reforms today, to the National security test, to streamline passive foreign government investments in nonsensitive sectors and a boost to our integrity systems by increased resources and penalties for around compliance, will ensure that Australia foreign investment framework continues to advance the national interest.
Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, we’ll go to questions. Welcome back Jono, there is one new rule around the Press Gallery, not just social distancing, but everyone’s got to keep off the grass, okay? People have got to keep off the grass. We're safe here in the courtyard. To our friend out there in Googong, we wish him all the best. Who would like to kick off?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister,
PRIME MINISTER: Yes?
JOURNALIST: ...and Treasurer, Why is now the right time to be doing this when there is so much other stuff going on and also the temporary measures you put in place already, as you said, have a $0 threshold? And if you are pouring $54 million into this new regime, then why can't childcare remain free for another three months for parents who need to work?
PRIME MINISTER: A lot of questions in there Lanai. First of all, this is a reform process that has been ongoing for some time, there is further consultation that needs to be undertaken around the draft legislation and that will be important to get this right, because we want to continue to be positive towards foreign investment, but, as I said, on our terms, on our rules, and in our interests. And we will work through that process of the balance of the six months, which will see that legislation, as the Treasurer says, come into effect on the 1 January of next year. Now gives us the time to move to the next stage and work over the next six months to ensure that we can have that regime in place as we enter into the New Year. This second point I would make is about the enforcement resources. This has been a much-needed area for compliance. I mean, I was aware of this when I was also Treasurer. If you have rules, you have got to have the compliance resources that sit behind those and so this stands in its own merits when it comes to the ongoing investment of resources into compliance around foreign investment, which I have no doubt Australians would strongly support.
Now, on the issues around childcare, that is a matter that is being considered, the current arrangements remain in place for now. I think we will be in a position in the not too distant future to be making further announcements about that and that will also be made on its merits and an assessment of where the situation is at this time. I do know that the childcare facilities and parents themselves are keen to move back towards a more normal arrangement, which would enable greater capacity, with more people going back to work there are rising levels of demand, which was the issue sometime ago, and the guarantees were put in place through both JobKeeper and the direct support provided to childcare facilities, I think has been very important. But it was never a permanent measure, it was a measure designed for the times and, like all of our measures, we constantly keep looking at them and applying them to the circumstances as we know them. But Josh, did you want to add anything to that?
TREASURER: Well Lanai, these are not either or propositions. Childcare and protecting our national security. Governments do both. And these are the most significant reforms in nearly 50 years and we’re hopeful of getting bipartisan support for them. Later today, myself and David Irvine will brief the state treasurers. I've already had a conversation with my Labor counterpart. These reforms are in the national interest. These reforms are designed to give Australians control over the investment that comes into this country and we continue to provide, as the Prime Minister said, the necessary support for all other social services.
PRIME MINISTER: Mark?
JOURNALIST: A question on the review of those allowances, will JobKeeper be reduced for those people who are still earning more under that allowance than they would ordinarily under their usual rate?
PRIME MINISTER: I will just repeat what the Finance Minister said this morning and that is, when we first established JobKeeper, I would stress we established it for six months, and that is the timeframe of which it is being delivered, and that was twice the length that countries with similar programs were putting in place around the world, whether in New Zealand or Canada or the United Kingdom or other places, we knew that this would hit hard and it would hit long. And so we took the early step to put in place a program twice as long as those in other comparable jurisdictions, we set it up with a review to be undertaken in those first three months and that is what is happening and I don't plan to prejudice that review. We will take that advice as we prepare the statement which the Treasurer will hand down in July and that will take into account that review. But the six months provision of JobKeeper has been set out in legislation and people can count on that.
Jono?
JOURNALIST: You can guarantee that? That will be there until the end of September?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
JOURNALIST: Before announcing it today, did you speak to any of Australia’s major investing countries to notify them of these intended changes, and if you did, which countries did you speak to and what was their response? And Treasurer, if I may, while I have you, to what extent or to any extent are these changes designed to address requirements from the US for Australia to maintain accepted foreign state investor status to try to stop any backdoor investment in the US via Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: Josh do you want to go first?
TREASURER: Yes, thank you Prime Minister. These measures have been decided and designed by the Australian Government. Not by anyone else. We have taken these steps today to enhance and to protect the national interest. With respect to consultation with other countries, we have, through diplomatic channels, informed some of our key partners about these changes, explained the context for them, as you would expect us to do.
JOURNALIST: Which, which partners?
TREASURER: I'm not going to go into which countries, but, of course, we have vital trading relationships, we have vital investment partnerships and we thought, given the significance of these reforms, it was only prudent to have that, to provide that heads up to them.
PRIME MINISTER: And that's our normal practice. That's what we do in relation to all these measures. That is expected and it is appropriate.
Yes?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, should people avoid Black Lives Matter protests over the weekend given the advice, well the pleas of State medical officers, and if they do attend those protests, should they face the same social distancing fines that anyone else would?
PRIME MINISTER: Well look, thank you for the question. I have spoken to Premier Andrews and Premier Berejiklian this morning. The police authorities in both states have made decisions, operational decisions on public order grounds. And I understand the decisions that they have taken, it's not for me to comment on operational decisions of police forces. And they’re the decisions that they have made. But let me be clear, as I believe Premiers have also, that while those public order decisions have been made, that's not an invitation or a license for this in those broader, I think, social responsibility terms. Our message is very clear, that the health risks of gathering in such large numbers and the risks of people coming into close proximity are real and Australians have worked incredibly hard in recent months and have undergone great sacrifices to protect the health of the most vulnerable and that has included our Indigenous communities. One of our greatest fears at the start of this COVID crisis, for Premiers, myself, our Cabinet at a federal level, has been our concern for the potential impact on Indigenous communities of COVID-19. And not just remote communities, but metropolitan communities as well. And so it is important for people to have their right to protest.
I said at the outset of this crisis that we had to deal with this crisis consistent with our values, and who we were as Australians and those liberties, and that is true, but with those liberties, great responsibility, I think, for individuals. And so for all of those Australians who couldn't attend the funeral of a family member, or couldn't see a loved one in a nursing home, or a veteran who couldn't remember their fallen colleagues by attending a war memorial service on Anzac Day, I think all Australians owe all those other Australians agreed duty of responsibility and I say to them don't go. Not because you shouldn’t express your view, find another way to express your view. We all found a way on Anzac Day to thank those who gave us our liberty, and not gather in large numbers. And we stood on the end of our driveways, or we held up a light on that dawn in our windows or on our balconies and we found a way to celebrate those who gave us our liberty. Let's not misuse that liberty. Let's respect it. Let's respect other Australians. And let's say to those who had the absolute agony of not being able to say goodbye to a loved one, let's thank them by showing responsibility this weekend. The health advice is very clear, that it's not a good idea to go. And I have asked the AHPPC today to consider this matter and the Chief Medical Officer will be standing up later today and advising you of the AHPPC’s, the medical expert panel's, advice to Australians about gathering in these numbers, so this isn't about issues regarding people's ability to express themselves and engage in protest activity, we all respect that. But let's respect those other Australians who have gone through such hardship. Let's respect them. Let's find a better way and another way to express these sentiments, rather than putting your own health at risk, the health of others at risk, the great gains that we have been able to make as a country in recent months. And let's not forget the terrible economic consequences of that as well. Let's not put that at risk. Let's exercise our liberties responsibly this weekend. I encourage people not to attend for those reasons and those reasons only.
JOURNALIST: On this topic, can I just ask, is it a national shame in Australia that there have been at least 432 Indigenous deaths in custody since the royal commission in 1991 and do you need to do anything more to, given that only two-thirds of the recommendations from that royal commission have been implemented?
PRIME MINISTER: Well of course it is, and that is why the closing the gap initiatives that all states and territories, and the Commonwealth Government, are so focused on delivering and that's why we've gone through the reforms of that process as we have engaged with Indigenous peak groups. I mean in Australia we understand the problems we have, in this area. And I get only cooperation from all levels of government in trying to address these issues. No-one has a mortgage on concern about this issue. I share these concerns, all Australians share these concerns. And so I don't diminish them for a second. But what I do say is that Australia is not other places. So let's deal with this as Australians and not appropriate what's happening in other countries to our country at this time.
Phil?
JOURNALIST: Back on the Budget, can I, and this is against the backdrop of some numbers the PBO’s put out this morning on forecasts on debt and so forth. The $150 billion in various assistance measures. A lot of it is demand driven,
PRIME MINISTER: The what, sorry Phil?
JOURNALIST: The $150 billion in various assistance. A lot of it is demand driven, and given the economy is in better shape now than we thought it was going to be a couple of months ago, is it your belief that not all that money will have to be spent on all those programs, including things like JobKeeper, and is it reasonable to remove businesses from JobKeeper if their turnover has recovered before the six months?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, okay let me make a couple- I really answered the last part of that question when I answered Mark’s question. It is the same question. But in terms of what PBO has released today, and the Treasurer I am sure would like to add to this, I think what the PBO analysis today, which is an estimate based on Reserve Bank forecasts which don't go over the forward estimates, so, but it is a serious estimate and I think what it highlights is this, $150 billion as you say, in estimated expenditure on direct economic fiscal supports into our economy, that's true, but that's not the only hit. The coronavirus has hit not just the expenditure side of the Budget, but it's got a massive hit on the revenue side. And that is very, very significant and that will be very evident when the Treasurer hands down the statement in July. And so I would stress, that is why more than ever, we have to be careful about the expenditure we are engaged in. It has to be well measured, it has to be well targeted, it has to be time-limited. It can't provide long lasting, heavy burdens on the fiscal side down the track, baked-in expenditure. We've avoided all of that. Which was the lesson of the GFC, don't bake-in long-term expenditure, because your revenues get hit as well and the revenues will be hit and that's why we need to be very careful. But the best way to raise revenue is to get people back into jobs and your economy moving forward. And that's what we're focused on and that's what our JobMaker plan is about. It is about getting people back into jobs because if you are in a job you are not, you are not receiving assistance, you are actually paying taxes to provide the resources and guarantee the essentials that Australians rely on.
Josh?
TREASURER: Well thanks Prime Minister, well as a country because of our progress on the health front, we have avoided that worst-case economic scenario. In fact in March, when we announced the three tranches, at these podiums. We thought the economic situation would be a lot worse than it's turned out to be, although it has been a very, very severe impact on the economy. The restrictions are being lifted earlier than first thought and that's a good thing and as the Prime Minister said, in accordance with National Cabinet, those three stages of restrictions being eased, we are going to see 850,000 people back in a job and more than $9 billion contributed to the economy every month. The numbers will be updated based on these demand driven programs with the economic statement that the Finance Minister and I will make on the 23rd of July.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the changes to the foreign investments, was there any particular investment or decision that’s triggered these large-scale changes? And you and your Arts Minister have both said that JobKeeper is a support to the arts sector, what happens in September when those payments end as you’ve said and, but theatres still can't have you know 3,000, 5,000 people in them, what happens to the sector then?
PRIME MINISTER: Sure, sorry just remind me of the first part of the question?
JOURNALIST: Was there any specific investment…
PRIME MINISTER: No, is the short answer to that question. On the other matter, we are, as people are aware, working on a set of measures and supports in to the entertainment sector. Though I do stress, as many of you have reported today, that the JobKeeper and JobSeeker programs combined are supporting large numbers of people within that sector and I don't see JobSeeker as second-best, I don't. I don't sort of join in the demonising of unemployment assistance. That's not something I will have any truck with. So I think JobSeeker and JobKeeper are important, they work together to provide support. Now, what happens post-September is something that is being considered as part of the review the Treasurer has put in place for those programs and I'm not going to preempt that. We are in June and we are talking about something post-September and one of the things, I think, I hope we have all learned is that this is a fast-moving situation and there are many uncertainties and you can't get too far ahead of yourself on some of these decisions because circumstances change. And so we have those measures in place, they were put in place for six months. That has bought us considerable time, far more time than other countries have been able to purchase through the way they have designed their measures and that has given, I think, Australians a lot of confidence, a space to work within during this period of uncertainty. And in the same way, we worked to put those things in place, we are working to look at what our options are beyond that point in time and what is necessary. But it is still very premature to be making those calls.
Josh, did you want to add to that?
TREASURER: I was going to say, as I understand it, and I'm informed that a substantial number of organisations within the arts community are benefiting from the JobKeeper program. Queensland Ballet, the Melbourne Theatre Company, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Opera Australia as I am informed, are all benefiting from the JobKeeper program. As the Prime Minister said, the JobKeeper program and the JobSeeker programmes are complementary and we've also already announced $27 million of measures for the arts community, including $10 million for support act, money for Indigenous arts organisations and money for regional arts organisations.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister on today’s announcement, I’ve got one for each of you if you don’t mind, Prime Minister are you concerned that this will create further tension with China? And Treasurer, as a last resort power, will you resume ownership of the Port of Darwin?
PRIME MINISTER: I might address both, actually, as I was the Treasurer at the time. First of all no, I don't believe why it should. I mean, countries make decisions on their own interests for their own rules and we respect the rules and interests of other countries and so I see no reason why that should be the case. Australia will always design its foreign investment rules on that basis as other countries do theirs. So I don't think there is anything extraordinary about that and so that is what I would offer on that. I think there is a lot of misunderstanding about the Darwin Port case. That issue was dealt with back in March of 2016. The Darwin Port was not sold with the approval or authority of the Commonwealth Government. It was not. At that time, sales of assets by Territory governments, state governments, did not require and did not call in the authority of the Foreign Investment Review Board or the Treasurer. As a result of that, I engaged with all the states and territories and had the rules changed and that came into effect in March of 2016. And that then required such investments or sales, I should say, by those entities to both private and state-owned entities to come before the Foreign Investment Review Board. So that is what happened with Darwin Port. It was not sold with the authority of the Federal Government. It was sold solely on the basis of the decision of the Northern Territory Government and the wisdom of that decision or otherwise can only be explained by the Northern Territory Government at that time, which was obviously different to the government we have today. So that's how that issue played out. The, I think the weaknesses in the system that that sale identified were addressed and it was addressed by our Government, it was addressed by me as Treasurer. What we’ve announced today only provides further supports to deal with those issues but obviously the Commonwealth Government is sovereign on other matters and if there are any other issues that presented in relation to any asset that compromised Australia’s national interests, there are broader actions the Government can take which are common to all governments around the world.
Yep?
JOURNALIST: Can I just ask you on China, we've seen the global coalition of 19 MPs from 8 different countries calling on their governments to take a tougher stance against China. Andrew Hastie and Kimberly Kitching are part of that. Is that going to be helpful for your Government, given the situation we are facing with the China relationship?
PRIME MINISTER: It's a free country, a free Parliament, and we have got members of Parliament from both sides of politics expressing their views. That's what Australia is all about, that’s who we are, that’s what we do. I think that's something we celebrate. We have a comprehensive strategic partnership with the People's Republic of China and it has many facets to it and we will continue to pursue that relationship through the many channels that are set up under that partnership.
We've got time for one more because it's a bit chilly out here.
JOURNALIST: Just on the trans-Tasman issue. Is it an embarrassment or a failure for Australia if you can get to Queenstown before you can get to Queensland?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, as you know, I'm very keen to see Australia's economy continue to reopen and the timetable for interstate travel set up by the three step process was for that to be able to be possible in July. And that's important also for school holidays. And for people in New South Wales and Victoria, and I’ve got to say on a day like today, the ACT, I'm sure they'd like to see a bit of Queensland sunshine in July with their kids, a bit of West Australian sunshine too, I suspect Lanai. But as a result of that timetable, I would hope that states would make decisions consistent with that National Cabinet timetable. You also know that I'm very much in favour of a safe travel zone between New Zealand and Australia and one of the reasons whether it's for that or whether it's with any of the other states is, yes, the tourism industry I think very much depends on that, in getting people back into work, no doubt about that. But the aviation industry also critically depends on that. And the Treasurer and I, and the Deputy Prime Minister have been working with the administrators on Virgin. Their jobs depend on planes being able to fly again so if I can get more planes flying between Australia and New Zealand, if I can get more planes flying between Sydney and Brisbane and Cairns, if I can get more planes flying between Melbourne and Perth and Adelaide and Darwin, then jobs in the aviation sector have got a much brighter future. And so I would continue to encourage decisions that are consistent with creating jobs and making jobs and I think the decision to open up interstate travel is obviously consistent with that. The timetable for that was set out under the 3-step process to occur in July and I would hope that that would be met.
OK, thanks very much, everyone, ta.
Virtual Summit with the Prime Minister of India
4 June 2020
Prime Minister Modi [Remarks delivered via translator]: On behalf of myself and all of India, I would like to wish all the people and families my deepest condolences to the people who have undergone damage because of COVID-19. This a global pandemic has had an impact on all the regiments in the world and this digital form of our summit is one of the examples of the kind of impact COVID-19 has had over the world.
Excellency, while this gives me immense pleasure to meet you via this digital platform, however I am a little disappointed too, because I could not get the opportunity to extend a hearty welcome to you in India. We were eagerly looking forward to your visit to India, first in January, and then last month. However, unfortunately, both the times your visit had to be postponed. We have to say that this virtual meeting could not possibly replace your visit to India as a friend, my request to you is that once the situation improves, you will plan a visit to India along with your family and allow us to host you.
Excellency, India-Australia relations are not only comprehensive, but also very deep. And this comes from our shared values, shared interest, shared [inaudible], and shared objectives. In the last few years that has been good momentum in our cooperation and coordination. It is very fortunate that the reigns of our relations is held on one side by an empowered and visionary leader like you. I believe that this is the perfect time and perfect opportunity to further strengthen India-Australia relations.
We have unlimited possibilities, both as friends and heads of our friendship. These possibilities bring with them challenges too. How can we actually translate the potential behind these challenges so that the links between our citizens, our businesses, our economists, researchers etcetera becomes even more stronger? How do we make our relations a factor of stability for our region and for the world? How can we work together for the global purpose. All of these aspects need to be discussed.
Excellency, in the current world scenario, expectations of countries from each other and the expectations of our citizens from us is increasing. Given that we share democratic values, it is the duty of our two nations to meet these expectations. And that is why it is our sacred responsibility to uphold and protect values for global good like democracy, rule of law, freedom, mutual respect, regard for international institutions and transparency.
This is indeed our sacred responsibility in the sense it is our legacy for the future. Today, when these values are being challenged in different ways, we can empower, through these values, by strengthening our mutual relations.
Excellency, India is committed to further intensifying comprehensive relations with Australia. This is important not only for our two nations, but is also needed for the Indo-Pacific region as well as for the world. I am pleased that the various framework of institutional dialogues between us are providing substance to our relations. Both countries have regular high level exchanges also. Furthermore, trade and investment is also growing. That said, I cannot say that I'm satisfied with the speed and scope of our relations with a leader like you, is at the helm of a friendly country, the benchmark for the speed in all of our relations should be ambitious. I am very happy that today we are elevating our relations to the comprehensive strategic partnership, in this kind of a pandemic our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership the role becomes even more important. The world has to quickly come out of the social and economic adverse impact and for that, a coordinated and collaborative approach, is required. Our government has decided to use this crisis as an opportunity. In India, a process of comprehensive reforms in almost all areas has already begun. Very soon, the results of these reforms will be visible and [inaudible].
I am grateful for the care extended to the Indian diaspora in Australia, especially the Indian students, that is our students, during this very difficult time. Excellency, I would like to mention a special thanks to you for that. Excellency, once again, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to speak with you at this virtual summit. And I now invite you for your remarks, I am extremely eager to listen to your remarks, so I invite you for the same.
Prime Minister Morrison: Well, thank you, Your Excellency. Namaste. It is tremendous to be able to join with you again, as we have done on quite a number of occasions. But for the first time to do this in this format. And it doesn't surprise me that this is how we will continue to meet these circumstances when you are the one who started the hologram within your campaign many years ago. And so it may be the next time we can have a hologram of Your Excellency here in Australia. But likewise, we could have brought a President Jokowi as well, because he similarly used that technology. And with a country as vast of yours, you have always been a pioneer in the area of technology for India and today is another good example of that.
Your Excellency, can I thank you for your leadership, not just within India, but more broadly throughout the G20, the Indo-Pacific and the stabilising and constructive and very positive role that you have played in these very difficult times. Together with our friends such as Prime Minister Abe, this has been so important in our region and to provide that steadying and stabilising and wise influence during what is an incredibly difficult time for all of our countries and we wrestle with those challenges each and every day.
Can I also convey our deepest condolences to all of those impacted by tropical cyclone Amphan. This is, together with all of the other difficult issues that are being faced, our condolences are with you for that terrible event and, of course, the industrial accident at Vizag. These are issues that are unrelated, obviously, to the Covid-19 challenges, but they still come and they still test us and once again, you've proved more than the measure of those tests.
Our relationship is exactly as you said. It is a very, very comfortable relationship, it is a very natural relationship, so much in common, so much shared, if not in language always certainly in the things that matter and the values that we hold and we both seek to champion those values together in our region and independently as very proud sovereign nations and very vibrant liberal democracies as well and I think we hold that flag up very proudly, each of us. When those flags come together in the way they have now and have for some time, we are only full of ambition, as you said, for what can be achieved in our relationship and between us, I have no doubt and with our excellent Foreign Ministers and Trade Ministers and others, Defence Ministers and others, we could achieve a lot in the years to come.
In the Indo-Pacific, we are committed to an open, inclusive, prosperous Indo-Pacific and India's role in that region, our region, will be critical in the years ahead. The cultural links that we enjoy between our countries are well known. And what, though, I am even more excited about, Your Excellency, is that it's time for our relationship to go broader and to go deeper and the things we are speaking of today, I greatly regret we could not do them in person, on not just one, but two occasions. And I thank you very much for the invitation to join, for Jenny and I, to join you in the future. I know she's very much looking forward to it and so we thank you. She'll be pleased when I tell her tonight when I get on the phone that Nerandra has invited us again and she’ll be pleased about that. So we look forward to doing that when we can all travel. But I suspect there'll be perhaps some other opportunities we will meet, I understand perhaps at the G7 with that going ahead later in the year and other events as we draw to the close of the year.
Today, science and technology, a new special grant round between our two countries for a program that is really joining our scientists together. This is exciting. A joint declaration on a shared vision for maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. We share an ocean and we share responsibilities for that ocean as well. Its health, its wellbeing, its security and the relationship we're forming around those issues and our maritime domain, I think, is the platform for so many other things between our countries. The mutual logistic support arrangement and a defence science and technology implementing arrangement. These are the substantial issues that good friends developed together that provide the opportunity for the many other commercial opportunities that come our way. In a time like this, we want to deal very much with friends and trusted partners and this is a partnership which has stood the test time and again and is during the course of this current crisis.
We share a vision for open, free, rules-based multilateral systems in our region, whether that's in the health area or it's in trade or in other places. We engage in those as confident but sovereign nations advancing, of course, our own interests and mindful of our own domestic challenges and I think you've navigated that incredibly well and we thank you for the way you continue and go in those fora in such an open and honest and transparent way.
The trade and investment flows between our country are not where you and I would both like them to be, but they are growing and they can grow a lot faster. But I think the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that we are forming today, going to a whole new level of relationship, will continue to build the trust because we want commercial and trading relationships that are built on trust. We already see a great movement of peoples in normal times between our countries and I thank you for your comments about the hospitality that is extended to Indian students here in Australia and we want to continue to see that happen. And we want to see Australian students study in India as well as we support and would like to support through the programmes that we run here from Australia.
I also want to commend India on its leadership in these multilateral forums, particularly on taking over Chair of the World Health Organisation's executive board. This is a very important time to be chairing that executive board. I have no doubt that the way that that will be led under India's leadership will be critical to how we deal with the many difficult problems that we are encountering globally, particularly in the health area.
And so as we announce agreements also in cyber and science and infrastructure and trade and education, this is a grand portfolio of specific and very practical arrangements that give form and substance to the comprehensive strategic partnership. You and I have both - you for much longer - have been dealing in these international issues for a long time and there are many relationships and partnerships but we know they don't come to anything if we don't put into the practical building blocks and agreements that sit under the relationship that actually contribute to the prosperity and the progress of the relationship between our two countries.
So today is a very good opportunity to extend that. It will be extended also in the agreement that we have to commit to foreign and defence ministers meeting on a regular two time, two plus two format. I think that's a great step forward. The relationship also we have with partners in the region, particularly Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, the United States, others is very important and we are both enthusiastically pursuing those bilateral relationships. But increasingly in multilateral fora, both informally and formally, that is providing, I think, a basis of stability of our region, which we can all share in and we can drive prosperity from.
So I look forward to this first Australia and India Leader's Virtual Summit Today. I wish I could be there for what has become the famous Modi hug and be able to share my samosas, which I thank you for. We had a bit of fun with that on the weekend. So next time, it will have to be the Gujarati khichdi which I know is a keen favourite of yours and you've mentioned to me before. So I'll try that out in the kitchen next time, before next time we meet in person.
Thank you.
Press Conference - Luddenham, NSW
1 June 2020
MELISSA MCINTOSH, MEMBER FOR LINDSAY: Welcome, everyone. It's a beautiful day to be here in Western Sydney and as the Federal Member for Lindsay, who has three stations in their electorate, I'm really excited about the jobs that are coming to Western Sydney with the new rail link. And importantly, at Orchard Hills, we'll have a new town centre which will create new jobs for small businesses in our community and a revitalisation of St Marys. And at Luddenham, we'll have a new innovation and health and education precinct. And as we emerge from this coronavirus pandemic, it’ll be a real investment into jobs for local people who are currently, there’s 300,000 locals commuting out of our area every day, I did that commute for over 10 years. So I'm really excited to have the Prime Minister here today, the Premier of New South Wales and state and federal colleagues, to announce this very exciting phase in the transformation of Western Sydney. Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, thank you, Melissa and to Stuart Ayres as well, of course, as our local MPs out here in Western Sydney, and to Premier Berejiklian, who's been such a tremendous partner in the work of the National Cabinet.
And it's great to be here in the open state of New South Wales Gladys, I'm sure you'd agree and Ministers would agree. And as we go about this task of reopening our economy, but no more so here than in New South Wales, the effort to ensure we got on top of COVID-19. New South Wales faced the biggest challenges in dealing with COVID-19. Their response has been tremendous, and they've been a great partner to work with through these many, many months. And I want to thank you, Gladys, for your leadership, not just, as we manage the pandemic, but your leadership in opening New South Wales up and getting our economy moving again. It's incredibly, incredibly important. And today is another key step in this process.
When I talk about the federation working together, we’re governments working together, this is what we're talking about, $14 billion dollars the Commonwealth Government is investing here in western Sydney, $5.3 billion dollars to build this airport. We’re spending some $3.3 billion dollars together with the State Government, coming on top of that to see the many roads here that have been developed in and around this airport. And then there is the additional investment that we're putting in, and that's an investment into the rail projects. And today we're announcing from the commonwealth perspective, we're putting in another $1.75 billion dollars into this programme, which will take our total investment in the rail projects to $5.25 billion dollars.
These are job making investments. When I talk about a JobMaker program, it's about projects like this. It's about the partnerships we're bringing together not just with the New South Wales state government here in Western Sydney, but right across the country bringing forward programmes of investment. Last year we worked to bring forward $4.2 billion dollars in infrastructure works. Just a week and a half ago, we announced another $1.2 billion dollars in bring forward works for local government. And here we're putting in another $1.75 billion dollars. This means we are getting more projects happening now because that's the job making agenda that Australia needs, that New South Wales needs and that Western Sydney needs. And we couldn't hope for a better partner in our job making programme than the New South Wales government, they get projects, they get projects done. And they get the job, some 14,000 jobs are part of this rail initiative that will connect Sydney's second airport, the Western Sydney Nancy Bird Walton Airport, which we've been out here on many occasions as different stages of the projects have proceeded and you can see the earth moving equipment in the back. You can see that it's all happening.
This is how Australia makes its way back out of the COVID-9 crisis. Infrastructure projects like this one making sure they keep up to the mark. This project, I'm advised and we understand and it's a key part of today's announcement is we'll be able to commence this year, which is great news for jobs. The other important part of this partnership is that we share the load on this investment. The ultimate cost of this project of the rail project is 50/50 between the Commonwealth and the State Government here in New South Wales. But the shares in the early phase of the project will be principally carried by the Federal Government and later in the project then it will be picked up by the state. So overall, you've got a 50/50 partnership, but we want to make sure this is happening now. And that's why the Commonwealth has made the decision we have to put in the extra investment and make sure we're pushing that investment and in the early phases, that project.
So with that, it's great to have my National Cabinet partner here in Gladys Berejiklian. And and we thank you very much for the for the partnership on this very important project. Thank you, Gladys.
THE HON. GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN MP, PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES: Wonderful, thank you PM. Firstly, can I thank the Prime Minister for his national leadership of what has been a very difficult time for our state and our nation. And today is a wonderful example of cooperation between the Federal and State government in relation to our jobs strategy. Yesterday, I was pleased to join with my state colleagues in announcing our $100 billion dollar infrastructure pipeline and what the support of the Prime Minister and the federal colleagues means is that here in Western Sydney to support the airport we will be able to build a metro as soon as we can and make sure that it's open when passengers start flying in and out of this wonderful airport.
Again, a wonderful example of how the way through this economic disaster is not an underestimate in terms of what our economy is going through, it is through jobs creation, and this project alone the new metro linking St Marys Station to the airport will create 14,000 jobs here in New South Wales. And that's music to our ears because we know in April we lost 221,000 jobs in New South Wales. And we also know that there's so many other of our fellow citizens on JobKeeper. And we know we have a job ahead of us in getting people back to work, getting people in sustainable jobs and having those direct and indirect jobs created by this project is fantastic, especially given through the partnership with the Federal Government, through the support of the Prime Minister and his colleagues, that we're able to start construction this year, which means an acceleration of those jobs that are being created.
And of course, from a passenger perspective, New South Wales has demonstrated our ability to build metros. We have built, obviously the North-West Metro has been a huge success. The second Harbour rail crossing will be open by 2023, going to Sydenham and then out to Bankstown, and I want to also thank the federal and state ministers that are here from New South Wales, Ministers’ Constance and Ayre's who have both been strong advocates for both this airport and the precinct, but also for for public transport. And as we know, the New South Wales Government, in supporting the Federal Government's efforts in building the airport, is also creating an Aerotroplis, an airport city. So we know that this rail line won't only service the airport, but service so many people that will call this place home or will come to this place for work. And that is a wonderful thing to look forward to in New South Wales.
Of course, we continue to say in New South Wales, our priority remains health and jobs. And again, our ability to accelerate our infrastructure pipeline is music to our ears. Again, I want to thank the Prime Minister and his colleagues for their support on this project. It's not often that federal governments step up and provide half the funding for a public transport project. A lot of people talk about it, but very few people actually put money down on the table. And that's why I'm so grateful to the Prime Minister. I can't remember such a huge contribution from a federal government in public transport in New South Wales, especially in Metro. This is the first joint project we're building as far as Metro is concerned. It's a wonderful milestone, not just for jobs, but also in the way in which we can work together for the future. I'm deeply grateful and rest assured that we will maintain our end of the bargain, which is to get the construction started, to get those jobs coming, and to make sure the project is built on time. And again, I want to thank all of our federal and state colleagues for pushing so hard. I know the Prime Minister and I have been on our toes listening to the colleagues and making sure that we deliver this as soon as we can.
THE HON. ALAN TUDGE MP, MINISTER FOR POPULATION, CITIES AND URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE: Prime Minister and Premier and colleagues, the Federal Government has investments in massive projects right across the country, be it in the M1 in Brisbane, the airport rail in Melbourne, the north south corridor in Adelaide, or Metronet in Perth. But nothing compares to the scale, the ambition and the transformation as to what we collectively are doing here in Western Sydney. We've got $5.3 billion dollars invested in this site alone to build what will be the size of Adelaide Airport when it opens in 2026. We've got the new 23 kilometres worth of rail, which we are announcing today. And of course we've got another $3.5 billion dollars worth of road investments around this area as well.
And what does all that mean? It means jobs, jobs and more jobs. Collectively, that's now 29,000 jobs, which we have announced right now for the next few years until 2026. And 14,000 of that 29 will be from this new rail line connecting St Marys to this airport site and onto the Aerotropolis. So this is an incredible job making programme. And of course, by 2026, when this airport is operational, we estimate there'll be a further 28,000 direct and indirect jobs in and around the airport as a result of this airport being open. Brand new international airport connected by rail, connected by freeways connected into the university sector, indigenous participation, local jobs. So this project of the rail line with the airport and the other roads is not just about jobs for today, but absolutely transforming Western Sydney for the future so that people can live here, they can study here, they can work here, and they can play here without necessarily having to always go into the CBD or elsewhere in Sydney.
It's great to be here in partnership with the New South Wales Government. I particularly thank Andrew Constance, Stuart Ayres for the cooperation which they've afforded myself and other federal ministers, as well as we have worked through this process. This is gonna be a magnificent project when it's all completed. It means that you'll be able to, if you land here in western Sydney Airport, jump on the train and get to St Marys in 15 minutes or to the CBD in an hour. And of course, it'll be the major transport spine for Western Sydney going forward.
So it's great to be here alongside the Prime Minister and the Premier. But particularly I'd like to thank Stuart Ayres and Andrew Constance for their cooperation in making this project a reality.
THE HON. ANDREW CONSTANCE MP, MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT AND ROADS: Look, first of all, can I just particularly thank the Prime Minister and the Premier, you know, to have this strength of leadership behind a public transport project is unprecedented and there's no doubt if you look at this as a holistic project in terms of the Park Land city, it's not every day you get to see a rail line and an airport being built concurrently and that delivering the opportunities for so many. One of the most powerful times that the Premier and I've had with the Sydney Metro Project on the North West was to meet young people who were working on the job for the first time and being part of the Metro project where we've already generated 30,000 jobs and now another 14,000 at a time when everybody is uncertain about what the future holds, yet strong leadership from our national and state government means that people can have some confidence and isn't it nice to be able to build something where we're not retrofitting part of the city? This is, this is truly greenfield. It gives every opportunity for new investment, for the jobs that Alan just spoke of. So to that end, this is a great day in terms of kicking along.
Just some specifics in relation to the project. Construction will start this year. We'll get on with geotech preliminary construction work and then we'll move into major construction next year. It's 23 kilometres of rail line, 6 stations. The main interchange point will be at St Marys, where it will connect to the T1 Western line. The great thing about it is it will also lead to opportunities at Luddenham, at Orchard Hills in terms of further investment from those who are looking to invest and it goes through to the Aerotropolis, which is going to be really something incredibly special for our country if you consider the international interest and the job creation, both in terms of everything from the sciences through to the education and opportunities that are present, particularly people of Western Sydney.
What we do know with Western Sydney is that it's going to double in population between now and 2056. That means we need this rail line. It won't be a case of people waiting years and years and years till a rail line comes to them. And that's something which, again, will drive the opportunities, both residential and employment. And if you consider that Western Sydney has about 300,000 people leave it every day to go to a place of employment. This incredible hub is something which can turn that around, turn it around quick and improve the quality of life for everybody.
Thanks.
THE HON. STUART AYRES MP, MINISTER FOR INVESTMENT, TOURISM AND WESTERN SYDNEY: This new north south rail line is a steel spine that will anchor the future economic and social prosperity for every single citizen in outer Western Sydney. For the first time, we're putting in the infrastructure before the houses. Making sure that our community can be connected to the jobs that they need close to where they live. This is about creating more jobs closer to people's homes, people's areas of recreation and making sure they've got the opportunities to have the knowledge jobs close to their homes. This has been an amazing Team Australia opportunity. There's not another place anywhere in the world that has $20 billion dollars worth of infrastructure being invested in it across both the Federal Government and a provincial or state government, an airport, a rail line, a new Aerotropolis. It's the focal point for investment from overseas, and it's the focal point for investment here in Western Sydney by locals as well. We set out with the task of creating 200,000 jobs for people in Western Sydney to recalibrate our city, to reshape the outer west of Sydney so people didn't have to travel from west to east to work. We're achieving that today. We're putting those markers in the ground so people can say to their families, there'll be job opportunities, international connectivity and world class transport infrastructure right here in their backyard. This is a 10 year vision coming to fruition.
I want to thank everyone that's been involved in it, the Commonwealth Government, the State Government, the team that reports to me through the Aerotropolis Authority, all of the work that's been done around making this an attractive location for international investors. These are markers in the ground that will simply reshape our future. This is the first time we're building a rail line, that John Bradfield didn't put on a map in Sydney nearly 100 years ago. This is us taking our future into our own hands and making sure that Western Sydney is not only driving the future social and economic prosperity of their own region, but also New South Wales and the nation.
JOURNALIST: I’m wondering how practical a timeline of 2026 is, especially considering there's a lot of, you know, holes have been exposed in our supply chains during this COVID crisis?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Sure, look there's no doubt that's definitely a challenge for us, but we are hoping that there won't be too much of a gap between when the airport opens and the rail-line opens and we've given a cost of around $11 billion dollars in outturn dollars. But obviously, when you start doing the geotech work, as Minister Constance said, you can come across some other design issues. So we appreciate the challenges that are before us. Our intention is to have it completed in 2026/2027 financial year. But obviously we'll keep the community updated if there's any change in that, because you're absolutely right, the supply chains have been just disrupted around the world, including within our own nation. But we are confident, obviously, with construction starting this year, that the jobs will start. We know the initial phase doesn't rely on those things we’d normally rely on so were able to kick start the initial phase. And we're hoping that construction will still be around 26-27.
JOURNALIST: If it costs more than you expect, this $11 billion dollars, who’s on the hook then for the extra costs, New South Wales or the Feds?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: I anticipate that we’ll share, we’ll talk about that, I anticipate we will share that.
JOURNALIST: Does Australia have enough skilled workers to be building two metro lines concurrently?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Absolutely. Absolutely, what we've demonstrated already with the Northwest Metro, the second Harbour rail crossing is that we have partners here in Australia and also global partners who are based here in New South Wales. So the skills we have are here, the people we have are here and please remember, we have hundreds of thousands of people across the state currently who don't have jobs. And it's an opportunity for us where appropriate, to reskill. For example, when Minister Constance mentioned what joy it was for us to see people on the North West rail line getting jobs for the first time, we met middle aged people who had done electrical engineering courses or had done courses at TAFE who were working on construction sites or in major projects for the first time. So let's also not underestimate the capacity for this project to be a big jobs driver. And we also know that across Western Sydney, as Minister Ayres would know, we have also put a specific focus through our TAFE system, whether it's through Mount Druitt or other TAFEs, where we have specialised construction courses, where the private sector has really driven to make sure that we have enough skills for people to drive the equipment. And we know, unfortunately, that one of the big areas where people have lost jobs, the demographic is young people, is youth. And if we can reskill or support some of those young people to get apprenticeships and to consider construction, that's a huge win for New South Wales.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: I'm sorry, I didn't hear the question? There’s people working, yeah.
JOURNALIST: Realistically, how many jobs by the end of the year do you think you can have for Australians out of work at the moment? Just on this project by the end of this year?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Generally? Or just on this project?
JOURNALIST: Just on this project.
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Yeah, well, obviously, that will, we'll try and gear up as quickly as we can. And the 14,000 jobs is over, obviously over the life of the project. But what happens is when our private sector partners have confidence the government is delivering something, they also hire people as well. People also think about what qualifications they want to achieve. So, for example, when we issued 100,000, well 100,000 people took up free TAFE courses, a lot of those were in medical administration and jobs where they knew there was a higher demand. So when governments get together and announce projects like this, it encourages young people to consider those career options. So obviously our intent is to get as many people into jobs as quickly as possible, which is why across New South Wales, we're looking at the larger projects, the medium sized ones, but also the very smaller ones at community level. And we'll try and get those online as soon as we can.
JOURNALIST: Will there be some kind of quota or target to ensure that the jobs are going to western Sydney locals?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Well, it goes, it's a matter of course, that if you live within a region, you're more likely to put your hand up and want to work in the region. But we also know from experience that a lot of the tertiary institutions, whether they're universities or TAFEs in Western Sydney, have geared up for this pipeline. And that's why the Government's also invested in specialised skills training in those TAFEs to really gear up and encourage younger people to consider these options, whether it's in engineering, whether it's in construction work, whether it's driving some of these very complex vehicles as well, which will be needed for the metro. And, of course, it'll be encouraging once the major construction starts. But to be able to say construction starts this year is just a huge win.
JOURNALIST: Is part of the asterisk on the price because you haven’t decided whether it’s going to be underground tunnelling for the Aerotropolis and why hasn’t that decision been made?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Yeah, a couple of reasons. Firstly, we always say ‘around’ until we've done the geotech work which Minister Constance alluded to. So with our experience with the North-West Metro, and the second Harbour rail crossing. You don't know the final final cost until you've gone through that process of issuing all the contracts. So we know it'll be around that time. And I and I will say the New South Wales Government is considering our options around the Aerotropolis as to whether we go under or not. And so that could have an impact as well. But at this stage. That's what the parameters of the project are.
JOURNALIST: What would be your preference? To go under?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Well, look I don’t want to-
JOURNALIST: Because obviously a world class city with a rail line cutting through...
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Look, I don't want to speculate. We're looking at all the options. Our focus is jobs. Our focus is getting the Metro up and running as soon as possible. And we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
JOURNALIST: Can you provide insight into where exactly the stations will be and if any homes may have to be acquired in the process?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Certainly, would anyone else like to answer that?
MINISTER CONSTANCE: Look, first of all, we went through a process with everybody who we need to acquire the property of at a personal level. And that's what we've done with all the big projects. The beauty with this project is there's not that many properties that we actually have to deal with. So over the next couple of weeks, we will go to those that we need to acquire the property off. Of course, we have a very clear idea where those properties are and we will obviously engage there appropriately at the right time. But the main thing at the moment, though, is to have those 6 stations, Orchard Hills and Luddenham are being confirmed, of course, the Aerotropolis makes sense, two at the airport and one at St Marys. It's going to be a rail line that's like no other in that sense. It'll be a single deck metro train, driverless. We've seen the technology and the advancements it has brought the North West, but it won't be anywhere near the property acquisitions that we've seen.
JOURNALIST: Do you have a figure for how many acquisitions there will be?
MINISTER CONSTANCE: Not at this stage. But to the Premier's point I mean, we've got to make some decisions in relation to tunnelling as well.
JOURNALIST: Premier, can I ask for an update on your plan to fast track the return of international students into New South Wales to provide some stimulus for struggling universities at this time and perhaps the Prime Minister as well on the Federal Government’s approach?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Yes, certainly we're working on that plan. The plan is not yet finalised, but we're certainly starting the conversation and seeing what that might look like and what is pleasing and I know Health would have updated their information, is what is pleasing is whilst restrictions ease, the risk of a virus is great. We have seen a very low to zero community to community transmission, but we have to be aware that the cases we have had in New South Wales have come from people in quarantine in our hotels, and we have to be very mindful of that. But obviously, we're working through those issues and speaking to universities. And I particularly worry about our regional universities who will need to lay off jobs if we don't provide them with support and so both the Deputy Premier and myself are in particular concerned about the future viability of those universities, not necessarily in the next 6 months, but potentially beyond that point. And so we're working through these issues and the Prime Minister's also been very open minded to our strategy in that regard.
JOURNALIST: Has the fact that most of New South Wales recent cases have come from returned travellers in quarantine hotels perhaps put a bit of a pause on that process to fast track international students?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Yeah, well, I think from all the cases that we've we've fortunately not had any community transmission in the last 5 days in New South Wales. That's not to suggest that's the benchmark, because it’s not and it won't be, as we ease restrictions today and I've been very open about this we should expect there to be more cases. We should expect there to be what we call outbreaks in certain communities and we will get on top of that. We have to be mindful of that. But there's no doubt that even when you have people in quarantine, we're managing it extremely well. In fact, we're managing it on behalf of our other state colleagues, a number of those people who've acquired the disease or have the disease in quarantine are from other states. And we've been managing it extremely well. But it is a huge logistical exercise and we have to weigh that up. But I'm confident we'll find a pathway through in relation to how we can start helping our universities, especially in the regions, deal with that matter.
JOURNALIST: Premier, Gyms and cinemas, are we any closer?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: We are closer. So in relation to, in relation to the former, we'll have something to say about that this week.
JOURNALIST: Given what you announced yesterday with ANZ stadium and Peter V’Landys now welcoming that, if we maybe have three or four boutique stadiums built in Sydney, given the Prime Minister is a big supporter of suburban football, and the Sharks in particular, what are the chances of that happening?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Look, can I be very upfront and frank, everybody would appreciate that we're in the middle of a pandemic. Our first priority is jobs. And we will be looking towards those projects that generate the most jobs and provide employment for the hundreds of thousands of people in New South Wales who are without a job. And we worry, of course, as the Prime Minister does, the PM's always spoken about JobKeeper and how that can't go on forever. And as a state, we're gearing up for that. We know that New South Wales has had a disproportionate, disproportionate impact because of our reliance on hospitality and the services sector and education that has impacted New South Wales more than others, especially for young people. And that's what we'll be looking for, job opportunities or reskilling and retraining, which allows us to get people back into work and also people of all ages. It's very difficult when you're my age and older to have to think about a career change if you've lost your job, how are you going to get back into getting a job? And so these are issues which are top of mind for us. So we will, of course, engage with all of our stakeholders, listen to all of our stakeholders, but we'll always take decisions that are in the best interests of our citizens.
JOURNALIST: Would it be possible for the Prime Minister to do like with Metro, a 50/50 deal for suburban grounds, particularly for southern Sydney?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think the Premier, I think, has set out the priorities pretty well. There are lots of wishlists around, lots of things. But what matters right now is how we invest to create as many jobs as possible. I mean, we have a job making coalition here right across the country. And so whether it's on projects like this one where we're sharing a partnership or indeed the energy partnership we have with the New South Wales Government, which is trying to get the price of energy down for small businesses so they can create jobs, whether it's the partnership we can have on skills training going forward, whether it's the partnership we have on our health system. I mean, on Friday, we were able to conclude the biggest health agreement between the states and the Commonwealth ever sealed, $31 billion dollars of extra investment in our hospitals around the country and obviously, the biggest part of that investment is here in New South Wales. And I thank the Premier, again, for her support of that agreement. What Australians are seeing here is governments working together to make jobs. And that's what our job is at the moment. And when, the more jobs you make, that means the economy can support Australians at a time when Australians are feeling the pinch more than ever before. So, you know, we're always open to having discussions about things. But the measure that the Premier and I put across everything and this is true right across all the states and territories, is how many jobs is it going to create. We're in the job making business.
JOURNALIST: Can I ask you about robodebt, don’t you think that Australians deserve an apology over that and do you think that potentially it’s overdue given how many lives could have been ruined and how many Australians committed suicide over this?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're putting this right. And let's be clear about what the change is here. The income averaging principle is one that has been followed by Labor and Coalition governments for a very long period of time. And over the course of dealing with this issue, that that principle was not something that could be relied upon. That doesn't mean those debts don't exist. It just means that they cannot be raised solely on the basis of using income averaging. And I think all Australians would agree that it's important that if there are overpayments of welfare or other things like that, then the Government has to be diligent about taxpayers funds and make sure that we recover moneys where it's right to do so. But you've got to do it in the lawful way. And we will continue to ensure that we do that with our programmes going forward. This has been a difficult project for many. But what I can say is the Government's putting it right.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, if you’re the family member of someone who has potentially committed suicide because of robodebt, [inaudible] don’t care about the politics of it, don’t you think they deserve an apology?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're still working through some legal procedures here right now. And so I think the time for those sorts of statements are at another time not right now, we're in the middle of making this right. But I want to stress again that the principle that sits at the heart of this issue is not the technology. What sits at the heart of this issue is the principle of income averaging, and income averaging has been practised by Labor and Coalition governments for a long period of time. And that's the principle,
JOURNALIST: Someone who’d lost a family member?
PRIME MINISTER: Australians are going through all sorts of hardship at present. And that's why our Government is reaching out to them in every possible way we can. Our Government has provided the sort of mental health support which has been critical not just during a pandemic, but over many stresses. And so these are difficult issues to manage. And I think the Government has great regrets about any pain or injury that has been caused here. But as I said, those are issues that we're still working through and we're making it right. And I think that's that's the important step.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you dropped two bombshells on two Friday afternoons in a row, first the JobKeeper bungle, and then the robodebt last Friday afternoon, what have you got in store this Friday afternoon?
PRIME MINISTER: Well we will continue to create jobs every week and that's why we're here. And that's what our government is doing. We're in the job making business and we're going to keep making jobs because Australia needs to come out of this COVID crisis, strongly. And that's what we're doing where there are issues to address, we deal with them, we fix the problems and we keep going forward. That's how you deal with difficult issues. And that's what, exactly what we've done.
JOURNALIST: Does Stuart Robert still have your full confidence, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course.
JOURNALIST: What’s the process the Government used for that income averaging under the scheme, was it illegal in the end?
PRIME MINISTER: It was. As I said, a practice followed by Labor and Coalition governments for a long period of time.
JOURNALIST: But it turned out to be illegal?
PRIME MINISTER: This is the advice we have.
JOURNALIST: Can I just ask about foreign students?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes you can, about foreign students.
JOURNALIST: Should they get exemptions, how quickly should they be able to come back into the country, and did you think that could have exemptions from the 14 day mandatory quarantine to help boost regional universities in New South Wales?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I would say that, I mean, issues of the quarantine will obviously be matters for the state government as they manage the health issues involved with any of those sorts of things. And we'll work closely with the State Government as to how they want to move forward on this. Right now, our focus federally is ensuring that we open our universities for domestic students. We need to remember that our universities have been built in this country to address the higher education needs of Australian students and to build up the skills and capacities and research that Australia needs amongst our own people. And that is the primary purpose of universities, now the international business they've engaged in over many years has become important, to them there's no doubt about that. But what we want right now, and that's why we have underwritten the domestic student business of the universities, is to ensure that they can get their doors open for their Australian students, and for international students there are many risks to manage there, but I think what has been demonstrated by the states, whether here in New South Wales or elsewhere, that they have been able to run, I think, very effective quarantine arrangements for returning Australian citizens and residents. And that experience can now be put to work to see how it can support other parts of the economy. And obviously, international students is one of those. But let's let's walk before we run on this. We cannot be complacent about a further wave, I'm sure the Premier would agree. And while New South Wales in particular is opening up, ensuring social distancing continues to be practised, ensuring that you continue to download the COVIDSafe app, these are incredibly important protections that keep everybody healthy and keep everybody safe and means that we can continue to take the steps to open up our economy that is so desperately needed. So as we move out and about, and it's great to be out and about, on this beautiful Western Sydney day, we must be mindful that the Coronavirus is still out there, it hasn't gone anywhere. Our protections are much stronger and you can keep them stronger by following all the health advice that we have received and is being conveyed to you on a daily basis.
JOURNALIST: House renovations, Prime Minister, house renovations, what are we looking at there. Do they need to be environmentally friendly, what are we, are we talking about means tested, what’s the...
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what you've seen from the government when the coronavirus first hit, is we ensured we laid down the strongest possible safety net and platform to ensure Australians could be supported during the economic crisis, JobKeeper, JobSeeker, the cash flow allowance, some $150 billion dollars of safety net for Australians, broad based. Now, as time goes on, there are sectors who will endure more of the pain for longer. And what we've seen, there'll be gaps that occur in our economy, and house building, residential construction will be one of those gaps that we have to address. And so the Treasurer and I, working with our colleagues and where states have taken up that invitation to work with us on these issues. And there are many programmes here in New South Wales. We'll have more to say about this once the details are finalised. But it is about creating jobs and supporting jobs in our residential construction sector. The tradies and all the others, the apprentices and others who work in that home building sector are a sector we know are going to feel a lot of pain unless we can keep a continuity in the business of house construction whether here in New South Wales or anywhere else.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister are you [inaudible] early super [inaudible]?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's their money, it's their money. I don't go around telling people how to spend their own money.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible] compliance policy in hindsight [inaudible]?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can you confirm that the New South Wales Government has failed in their handling of the Ruby Princess?
PRIME MINISTER: No, we’ve worked together on this and we’ll continue to work together. I mean, when you look at the success that New South Wales has been able to achieve on dealing with the biggest risks of the coronavirus, now we both agree that, you know, not everything's going to go perfectly to plan on every occasion. But I tell you what, I'd rather be in Australia than anywhere else in the country, anywhere else in the world, I should say, when it comes to how this issue has been managed across Australia, it has been a great team effort. And it's important that when challenges have come up, that we've worked together on them and and we've kept going forward.
But it seems as though the trucks are winning the battle of the noise here and I’ll have to conclude it there. Thanks very much.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
29 May 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon, everyone.
National Cabinet has met again today for the first time in a fortnight and if I could have the first slide, please, we're on track, and we're making progress, far sooner than we could have ever imagined several months ago when National Cabinet was first formed back in mid-March.
The three-step plan that I outlined several weeks ago is now very much in implementation as you can see from the chart, which we reviewed today, that step one is done in all states and territories. Moving to step two in most in a few weeks' time in June. But steps two and three implemented and on the way to, in states like Western Australia and the Northern Territory. I want to thank, again, all the Premiers and Chief Ministers, sure, from time to time there are points of difference and there are frustrations and there are things that I have no doubt that Australians would like to be moving faster than they are. But we outlined a plan and we're implementing that plan.
The Premiers are getting on with that plan and we still have an enormous amount of work to do in the months that are ahead. And that is to both manage, as always, and suppress, the virus, and to ensure that we can reopen our economy. And our economy is reopening. We continue to receive the information and the data that is showing an improvement and an economy that, while it has been severely impacted when compared to economies overseas, which have been subject to far more onerous restrictions than Australia, not just on the health front but on the economic front, is fairing much better.
So, when we assessed where the plan was at today, we also took advice from the AHPPC, the medical expert panel and from Professor Murphy, and the full health impacts of the first step of that plan, it is still too early to make a judgement about what the health results of that are, and it will be a week or two yet before all the results can be in as we’ve seen Australians move back out of their homes, go back into work places, slowly being and going back into playgrounds and into schools and all of these things they have been looking forward to doing for so long. But the impact of that on the health results, it will still take several weeks before we have a full assessment of what that follow-through impact has been, and that will help guide further the Premiers and Chief Ministers in the further decisions that they will take in the months ahead. And so we look forward to them doing that.
On their behalf, I want to make two points today: And the first of those is what are the expectations? Are our expectations of zero cases? No. That has never been our expectation, nor our goal. Eradication? Elimination? These are not the goals that we have. If it's achieved as a by-product then well and good. But the fact that a case or a group of cases may present is not something that should restrict moving ahead and getting progress on implementing the three-step plan and bringing Australia's economy back to a COVID-safe environment in which jobs can be restored and livelihoods can be restored.
The second point I'd make is this: And that is the risk remains great and always has been. Australia's success can lead some to think that perhaps the risk was never there in the first place. But that is not true. We only need to look at countries as sophisticated as ours, as developed as ours, with health systems as strong as ours, who have death rates 100 times what has occurred in Australia. So, we would be foolish to think that we were immune or that we are immune. And as a result, the three-step plan, keeping the balance between the health management of the crisis and the economic management of the crisis in balance, continues to be the balance that the National Cabinet seeks to achieve and I believe is achieving.
What we've also agreed today, and I'm pleased to announce, that we're not just working together on the immediate impacts of COVID-19. But we have been working together on developing a new five-year hospital agreement between the states and territories. All states and territories have now signed on to that agreement as of today. Guaranteeing the essentials that Australians rely on. Hospital services, there can be no greater essential than that. And today, an agreement that will see an investment by the Commonwealth of an estimated $131.4 billion dollars be made in a demand-driven public-hospital funding model to improve health outcomes for all Australians, to ensure the sustainability of our health system now and into the future. The new 2020-2025 national health reform agreement provides for an estimated additional $34.4 billion in funding to public hospitals over the five years from July 1 this year. This is in addition to the over $8 billion in health investment made by the Commonwealth during the COVID-19 response.
There is also as part of our agreement, 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. Now, this agreement, importantly, includes funding to provide life-saving immuno therapies to Australians suffering with conditions, in particular cancer, the CAR T-cell therapies. These can cost half a million dollars per treatment. They will now be provided under these agreements to Australians who need them without that level of cost. That's what you can do when you can guarantee the essentials that Australians rely on, and the economy is what enables us to provide that support. And that's why it's so essential that we continue to work together to strengthen our economy to support such critical agreements like the one we've been able to come to today.
The other thing we agreed today is a major change in terms of how COAG will work in the future. And, if I can move to that chart, COAG is no more. It will be replaced by a completely new system and that new system is focused on the success that has been yielded by the operation of the National Cabinet. What we'll be doing is keeping the National Cabinet operating and particularly during the COVID period, we'll continue to meet on a fortnightly basis. In a normal year it will meet on a monthly basis. Wouldn’t meet in person. One of the things we've learned over meeting so regularly is we can work effectively together as we get together using the telepresence facilities which means Premiers, particularly for those in the more remote states have been able to access that engagement on a far more regular basis and it has worked incredibly well. And so we will continue to meet on a monthly basis in an ordinary year and we’ll continue to meet on a fortnightly basis as we work through the COVID period.
Now, how it will be different to the way COAG worked, is the National Cabinet will be driven by a singular agenda, and that is to create jobs. It will have a job-making agenda. And the National Cabinet will drive the reform process between state and federal cooperation to drive jobs. It will drive a series of Ministerial Cabinet subcommittees, if you like, that will be working in each of the key areas, and this is an initial list of areas and that will be further consulted on with the states. So in rural and regional Australia, on skills as I was talking to the National Press Club just this week; on energy; on housing; transport and infrastructure; population and migration; and recognising the important role of health, in terms of having a healthy workforce and a healthy community to support a strong economy.
The National Cabinet will continue to work with a laser-like mission focus on creating jobs as we come out of the COVID crisis and we work into the years into the future. The National Cabinet will work together with what is known as the Council on Federal Financial Relations, that is basically the meeting of Treasurers. They actually met today. Those treasurers will take responsibility for all of the funding agreements between the states and the Commonwealth. They will no longer be the province and domain of individual Ministerial portfolios, the Treasurers will bring ultimately those agreements together, consulting with the portfolio Ministers but being responsible for all of those agreements.
And National Cabinet agreed today that one of the first jobs that the Council of Federal Financial Relations will need to do, is look at all of those agreements and how they can be consolidated and rationalised. Obviously, there are the large foundational agreements like the ones I’ve announced today, they will obviously continue in the form that they’ve been set out. Education is another which is already in place. But there are multiple other agreements that will be available to the council to be able to be looked at and consolidated and reviewed by the Treasurers to ensure we can get a more effective federation.
Important task forces will continue, that previously worked to COAG in important national agenda issues. Women's safety and the work that the states and territories have done with the Commonwealth to combat domestic violence. This is an important national issue and an important national agenda. It will remain part of the national agenda, as will Indigenous affairs, in particular, the work that is being done on closing the gap and the closing the gap priorities being worked together with the Indigenous peak groups as part of the closing the gap process.
Once a year, the National Cabinet will meet together with the Treasurers as well as the Australian Local Government Association in a new council which is focused on national federation reform. This agreement, this set of processes, the funding agreements, ensuring that we continue to get expert advisory support, both directly to the National Cabinet and each of those Ministerial areas, which won't be pursuing a shopping list of agenda items, they'll be pursuing the tasks that National Cabinet has set them to create jobs in our economy.
Now, over on this side is a long list of Ministerial reforms and regulatory councils that currently exist and interact with COAG. Those forums will be consolidated and reset. Ministers will consider the value of each of those and I suspect we'll see many of them no longer be required. It's important that Ministers at state and federal level talk to each other but they don't have to do it in such a bureaucratic form with a whole bunch of paperwork attached to it. They need to talk to each other, share ideas, but the congestion busting process we’re engaged on here is simplifying that. They come together to solve problems, deal with issues and move on. They should talk to each other because they find value in it, not because of the requirements of some sort of bureaucratic process.
There are a series of formal regulatory councils which are created under statutes, particularly things like the Disability Reform Council, the Energy Ministers, they have particular roles under various legislation and there are a number of others but we will be looking to consolidate and reset those as well.
So we want to streamline all of those endless meetings that go on so we can bring it back to one focus: Creating jobs out of the back of this crisis, and ensuring the federation is focused on that job just like we have been focused as a National Cabinet on managing the country through our federation through this national crisis of COVID-19.
So, that is an exciting new agenda for our federation. Federation reform issues and responsibilities between states and territories and the Commonwealth will be considered at the National Cabinet because we think that gives Australians confidence. And this really is a job of rebuilding confidence, right across the country. And that includes confidence in our governance and making sure that all governments are working closely together and in particular that we're doing so to get Australians back into work.
The final details of which ministerial groups are set in this area, and as I said, the consolidation that takes place in the other areas, that will come in time. But we've agreed on the new structure and we think that will ensure for Australians that they’ll get better government, more focused government, at both a state and at a federal level.
And with that, I'll pass you on to Professor Murphy. Thank you.
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Thanks, Prime Minister.
So we have been seeing generally less than 20 new cases a day in Australia of COVID-19 and that is what we expect to start seeing. We may see more cases, as the Prime Minister said, as we relax restrictions but our aim is to make sure that outbreaks are small and controlled. An interesting statistic is there are only two people left on ventilators at the moment in Australia, a long way short of the 7,000 potential that we catered for in the worst-case scenario. We are doing about 30,000 tests a day with a very low positivity rate of 0.05 per cent at the moment. We would still like to do some more tests. We would like every person with an acute respiratory problem, cough, cold of any sort to get tested. That is the best way to track the virus.
So today I presented to National Cabinet the national surveillance plan, which is a document that shows how we're going to track surveillance of this virus over the coming months and that will be published on the Department of Health website and give you full information on all the things we're monitoring. I also presented the first report back on the Pandemic Health Intelligence Plan. You'll recall that that was the plan that we used to convince National Cabinet that we were in a fit state to start easing restrictions and that was the basis before people moved to step one of the three-step plan. That first report really is only on two weeks' worth of data because most of the restrictions were only relaxed two weeks ago. So as the Prime Minister said, it is too early to draw definitive conclusions but we are on track. All the measures we thought should be stable and in good shape remain in good shape at the moment. But in two weeks, it's not possible to be absolutely sure and we do need to watch the data over the next one to two weeks to make sure that we're not getting more than the expected small outbreaks that we do expect to see as we relax restrictions. We've got to be sure that we're not going to get a number of outbreaks or outbreaks that are hard to control. We don't expect to get them, we expect to be able to control those outbreaks but at this stage, we do need to be cautious about saying that the relaxation of restrictions hasn't had a deleterious public health effect. We don't think so but we must watch and be very careful.
You'll remember that those parameters to do with epidemiology and modelling of the virus, the public health capacity, our capacity to test and contact trace and follow up people and of course our health system capacity. Our health system is now getting back to business as usual. Elective surgery is heading right back up to normal in a number of jurisdictions and people are starting to go back to the doctor and the clinic and that is all great. So we are on track but it is too early to be absolutely certain. If I can make one plea to everybody as we get back to normal life, just remember the simple principles. Keep practising the physical distancing. Please go and get tested if you are in any way unwell and stay home and keep practising all those hygiene and distancing measures we talked about.
We did have a final discussion today also on public transport, how to make it as safe as possible by trying to reduce density, staggering travel times, lots of enhanced hygiene and we do recognise, the AHPPC has recognised that in a crowded public transport situation some people may choose to wear masks when they are really up close to other people and we acknowledge that is not an unreasonable thing to do, not that we are recommending it in the general community in Australia at the moment because of the low case numbers. But if people do choose to wear masks, they need to be careful that they are not a complete protection and they need to be worn very carefully. We will be publishing some advice on that as well.
So, on track, no reason to deviate from our planned recovery path. But we've got to still all be very careful. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Phil?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just on the new National Cabinet structure, do you envisage that once this crisis has passed the Premiers will fly to Canberra for face-to-face meetings like they used to with COAG? How can you assure us over time it doesn't grow into a bureaucracy like COAG which critics said is a place where good ideas went to die?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, I used to say that too, and it was true. One of the reasons why the National Cabinet has worked is it has actually operated as a Cabinet. And that means it operates within Cabinet rules and it operates under the Federal Cabinet's rules and that relates to the security of documents, process, procedure and all of those - if I could have that chart back, please, that's it - all of these committees also will operate on that basis as well. When these groups get together, there's a lot of theatre, a lot of people in the room. And that can really, I think, restrict the genuine reform discussions that you have to have. Having these groups operate like a fair-dinkum Cabinet, I think, has been really important. We're all members of Cabinet so we all understand what those rules are and I don't think that has been the MO for how COAG has operated and I think that's a really big change. We do want to meet, well, National Cabinet will meet twice a year in person. The National Federation Reform Council meeting, with the treasurers, that will happen once a year, I think it’s important for that to happen. But what we have noticed is the pace of meetings, the regularity of meetings, is really important and having a very clear mission is really important. There are so many national issues, as you can imagine, across the country and there is a place to deal with those and we're providing a place to deal with those but what we're saying as leaders of government, federal and state, is we must focus on jobs and that's what will drive our monthly agenda. And in the months ahead, that's on a fortnightly basis and more regularly as required. So it's a much more flexible way of working, Phil. It gets rid of so much of the formalities and staging that is around these events and it enables treasurers, as well, I have got to say, and prime ministers and premiers to have these sorts of discussions. Without sort of lifting the veil, I mean, on the night before every treasurers and leaders' meeting I have been to, there is usually a get-together and that is the best conversation you ever have because you're genuinely talking about the issues you need to and that's how National Cabinet has operated. We've been able to find that candour and collegiality in that new format. We will put it all the way through these others and we're not going to have the myriad of these agendas which are going on all the time, bubbling up and distracting often the core focus that the leaders need to create jobs.
Michelle?
JOURNALIST: Wouldn't you expect, though, Prime Minister, that in a more normal situation where you don't have the total focus on a crisis, that you'll get more political fragmentation? You'll have state elections, parties fighting each other and so on. How do you intend to try and smooth that out? And secondly, as you're talking about federalism reform, do you believe in principle that the states should have more revenue-raising powers?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, on the first issue, Michelle, it's just something we have all got to work hard on. Politics still exists and the environment, the media environment we operate in, which is very interested in conflict, that also exists and that's just how it is. And we're all experienced and professional politicians and leaders and we understand that. So it is very much up to each of us to value what we've been able to establish, I think, in the National Cabinet and seek to preserve it. The other way, though, importantly, Michelle, is how we deal with the financial issues of national partnership agreements and as you can see here, that will really be the responsibility of the Treasurers. Previously, all those funding agreements have all been belted out in portfolio ministerial councils, endlessly, round and round and round and then ultimately in a half unresolved sort of state they can trickle through for a stoush between the leaders. That's not a good way to work. Now, the value is that many of the Premiers and Chief Ministers and myself have been Treasurers before as well before. So we understand Treasurers are in a unique position to work across all government areas and they can reconcile a lot of these things and they also have a key responsibility in ensuring constraints and responsible management of public finances and it brings those two issues together. And the Treasurers are well placed, I think, to resolve many of those issues and so it won't distract the leader’s agenda which has to be very focused. That's the third point. And that is where we can focus on an agenda and a clear purpose to create jobs, and I would expect at some point we might be able to nominate, certainly the Federal Government has a jobs target, and that can be the clear purpose of why we're meeting together every month. That's why we have the broader issue of the Federation Reform Council to once a year deal with those broader, important issues like domestic violence and our progress on closing the gap. So it's about managing the agenda, it's about managing ourselves and I think it is about valuing what we have been able to create in these recent months. We have met more times in the last two months than Premiers and Chief Ministers and the Prime Minister have met in 10 years. And so, you know, amazingly, something good has come from that. More than something good, much good has come from that. And we recognise it and we want to preserve it.
I'm just going to take them today.
JOURNALIST: How long will you extend free child care beyond June 30?
PRIME MINISTER: There will be a decision made on that soon. It’s under consideration by the Government.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you have said there is no Commonwealth advice for state borders to remain in place. Did you bring that up today in National Cabinet and put a timeframe on that table that you would like states to perhaps hurry up the reopening of those borders?
PRIME MINISTER: We had a very candid discussion about that today, as you would expect we would. That's one of the good things about National Cabinet. And once again, of course, it's the fact that National Cabinet never made a decision to put in place state borders and that is the case. Now, I want to stress that during this period of time, freight and business travel has continued unimpeded. And all the data I've seen, particularly with the movement of freight and goods et cetera, that has continued and the barriers at the borders have not presented any issue when it comes to those quite critical supplies. And that hasn't happened by accident and regardless of the borders being in place, the states have worked very hard on that. But the second point I would make is, that means the borders principally relate to leisure travel between states and territories. Now, under the three-step plan, it wasn't until step three that it was envisaged that there would be interstate travel. Now, whether you have a border or you don't have a border formally put in place, step three of the plan, which was expected to be in place in July, is when that was expected to be the case. Now, I note that all states and territories are working towards that, whether they have borders or not. But the truth is, and I'm sure, and this was discussed today, that it's preferable to be able to be in a situation where you don't have borders as soon as possible because, obviously, that means that the tourism industries in particular and particularly with school holidays coming up might be able to benefit from that travel. So, I think we've got to keep the issue in perspective. We don't agree on everything. Not everyone always does. It would be a bit weird if they did in a democracy. And we have to bear in mind that in the vast majority of cases, the states and territories have worked very well with the Commonwealth on these issues and I still remain absolutely optimistic that common sense will ultimately prevail on the timetable that National Cabinet has set out.
JOURNALIST: Can I ask you about the situation in Hong Kong and the national security laws aimed at pro-democracy protesters? Would Australia consider applying sanctions against Chinese officials? What's your message to Hong Kongers who are perhaps now considering coming to Australia given that they feel they have lost living in a democracy?
PRIME MINISTER: We've issued several statements on this matter and we've done those in concert with like-minded countries on this issue, as recently as today. And that sets out the Government's very clear and consistent position regarding the basic law and what we consider to be the departure from those principles which have been widely seen as the one-country, two-system process. So we have been fairly clear about that. Obviously, the situation for Australia is principally driven by the fact that we have a large number of Australian residents, and those with connections with Australia, who live in Hong Kong and obviously are keen to provide them with the normal support we would provide to an Australian resident in any situation like this. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is working very hard to ensure that they can provide that support during these times. Now, on the broader issues you raise regarding sanctions, that's not an issue currently that is currently before the Government. That's not something that’s under consideration. We have expressed our view and we’ve expressed it, I think, in a very diplomatic and I think very courteous way and I can say it is exactly what we have communicated directly through our diplomatic arrangements is what we have said publicly and I think it’s an observation which is very fair and very reasonable and the issues that we’ve highlighted outlay our concerns.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, given how quickly we're progressing towards the end of stage 3, was there any conversation about the stages beyond that? And if I may, Professor Murphy, what indicators would you be looking for in terms of app downloads, testing figures et cetera to move to beyond stage 3, easing of restrictions?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'll start off. We're at 6.1 million downloads now and that's great and we obviously want to still see more and they continue to grow every day and I think it’s important that as people continue to move more out and about in the community that they realise that downloading the COVIDSafe app keeps them safe, their families safe, their communities safe and that's the principal reason why we would encourage you to do that. We have only just put step one in place and we are yet to know the full health impacts of that. So being able to speculate about what's beyond step three at this point is very, very difficult. Now, that's not through a lack of willingness to want to do that. I can understand particularly in the entertainment sector why they would be keen to know when you can get 200 people back in a theatre or for the major sporting codes to have crowds back. But at that stage that is not known and we will step through each of the stages that we've set out and make the assessments and take the advice from our medical experts and on that note I'll pass to mine.
PROFESSOR MURPHY: Thanks, PM. So the things we are looking for to progress beyond stage three will obviously be stable epidemiology, according to the Pandemic Health Intelligence Plan. The same sorts of things we are talking about, only small outbreaks, readily controllably. Very important that we have active testing. We've got to keep our testing rate up because it is the only way we’re going to find the outbreaks. I say again and again and again, every Australian who has a cough, cold or sniffle, please get a test. We've got good testing, we’ve got good stable epidemiology with small outbreaks only and if the Australian public are managing to maintain all these new behaviours of physical distancing, hand hygiene, and all of those things and have shown that they can do things in a safe way in the progressively increased gathering sizes, that will give us the confidence to look at a staged further progression in the future. So as the Prime Minister said, it is early days yet but we will certainly be doing that work. But it is very much keeping much of what we're doing at the moment and really important that the Australian public can embrace these new ways of behaving and interacting and not go silly when we start relaxing.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the New Zealand travel bubble, would you be supportive of one state, for example, New South Wales, opening up first if other states are refusing to open their state borders? And Professor Murphy, if I may, is there any justification from Queensland saying there is too much community transmission in New South Wales, for example, we must keep them closed?
PRIME MINISTER: The short answer to your first question is yes. And the states are well aware of the Commonwealth’s position on that. If we're in a position to introduce a travel-safe zone between Australia and New Zealand at an early stage and we're all aware of the epidemiology in New Zealand, it’s on the same basis as here in Australia. And there are health officials who have met on that in the past week and Brendan and I discussed that, Prime Minister Ardern and I, and we discuss it regularly and we are progressing well and I don’t intend for the jobs that I know will be created particularly in our aviation sector to be held up on the basis of decisions that Premiers may yet still wish to make. I made it clear today that the jobs in Qantas and in Virgin and our many other airlines, but particularly those two airlines and we all know the challenges with Virgin at present, that trans-Tasman channel being made open again is going to mean jobs for people who work in the aviation sector, it’s going to mean jobs for caterers, it’s going to mean jobs for baggage handlers and pilots and flight attendants and refuelers and everyone else who’s involved in an industry that has taken the biggest beating of them all. And there will be, and Prime Minister Ardern and I agree strongly on this, that the additional benefits, net positive, that will come for both of our countries opening up to each other again is a strong one and we have both put ourselves in a position to do this. I can't see it happening amongst too many other countries at this stage, I think that is still some time off but we are looking forward to that day being sooner rather than later and so I would hope that if you’re in Sydney and Melbourne at the moment you can get to all the states and territories and to Auckland at the same time but let’s see what happens.
Brendan?
PROFESSOR MURPHY: Just on the state border issue, AHPPC hasn't made any recommendations about it but we understand states have taken positions based on the differential case numbers in adjacent states and I understand that Queensland is regularly reviewing their position, as are all the other states with borders and as the case numbers fall significantly in New South Wales as they had in Victoria, I am hopeful they will may see fit to reconsider that position.
JOURNALIST: We saw on the eve of Reconciliation Week Rio Tinto blow up one of the oldest Aboriginal heritage sites in the country over in the Pilbara, do you think that should have been allowed to happen?
PRIME MINISTER: I haven't got a brief on that particular project, or the circumstances surrounding it. So it wouldn't be wise for me to go venturing opinions on things that I have not received detailed briefings on the detail.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, will you listen to the advice of the Reserve Bank Governor about the risk of turning off JobKeeper and other employment assistance too soon?
PRIME MINISTER: We've had lots of advice on these matters and I think it's important to contextualise all of this. The Government has many measures of support. JobKeeper, JobSeeker, cash flow assistance targeted to industry sector support. And we are planning to ensure that the economy and jobs get the support they need to get us through this crisis and to get us out the other side. JobKeeper and JobSeeker, and how they're currently framed, have got their legislative timeframe heading out to the end of September. But it is important to ensure that we come out of this crisis strongly and we continue to create jobs in our economy. And so we've always been flexible about how we manage this. But what is important to know is that as time goes on, more of the economy gets stronger. And more of your economy is less in need of those specific supports than it was at first. But some sectors of your economy will need them for longer. Now, whether that's in the measures you're talking about or in other measures, well, that's an option for the Government to consider. But I think there's been quite an error being made to think that JobKeeper is the only economic support that the Government is providing. That's not true. There are many, many, many forms of support that the Government is providing and we will target the best measures to do the job that we need it to do and that is to support people, staying in jobs, and getting back into jobs. That's what's the most important thing and that’s what we're focused on and our programs will support that. We have been doing, and will continue to do, the fiscal heavy lifting that the Reserve Bank Governor first said when we were back in Parramatta in March at what was the last COAG meeting. And it's important that we do that and states do it with us and I think $150 billion in six months is some pretty heavy fiscal lifting. The Reserve Bank may have run out of ammo when it comes, largely, to what they can do on cash rates, but the Commonwealth Government, in particular, has certainly stepped into the breach and we've done so significantly and we anticipate that we'll need to do that for some time. But that doesn't mean that that requires you to do it in every single measure that we currently have out there. We've got a lot of flexibility.
JOURNALIST: Why should cabinet secrecy apply to ordinary policy discussions between the federal and state governments? Won't the public need greater transparency about why decisions are being made on, you know, basic things like transport and skills that, after all, aren't part of a national emergency any more?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, in the same reason that in state Cabinets and federal Cabinets they work together under Cabinet rules to come to conclusions and have debates, which produces good decisions that supports essential services and this is just the same process. I mean, it's not a spectator sport. It's a serious policy deliberation which needs to be done between governments and by Cabinet members within Cabinets and it's applying the same disciplines and the same opportunities. What matters is the outcome. What matters is the services. What matters is the hospital beds and the schools and the funding and support and the targeting and the performance measurement and the accountability and that's what all of this is designed to do and that's what this system will do.
JOURNALIST: But Australians have occasionally been mystified by, like, for example, why did the National Cabinet come up with a solution for commercial tenancies and not residential tenancies?
PRIME MINISTER: I explained that decision at the time, you must have missed my explanation.
JOURNALIST: Just in relation to the Reserve Bank again, the language does seem a little different. You talked about getting the economy off medication, the Reserve Bank Governor said it would be, quote, “a mistake” to turn it off the stimulus too early. So are you at odds in any way with what the RBA is saying on that and in relation to the IR stuff that you have been discussing this week, you have been asked a couple of times about the better off overall test, the BOOT test, do you think it has served its purpose in the current environment and do you think you might have to get rid of the BOOT test?
PRIME MINISTER: I think you’re falsely creating a difference between the Government and the Reserve Bank. No we are actually ad idem on these issues. And what we have done, I think, has demonstrated that and our infrastructure programs in particular, which I know Dr Lowe has shown a great deal of interest in, not just recently but for some time, and that program of bringing forward investments, more than a billion dollars just last week announced to pump up programs at local government level with those sort of infrastructure programs, quite small ones, actually, which very strongly job creating in regions right across the country. And so no, I don't think there's any real difference between what the Reserve Bank and the Government is saying and more importantly, what the Government is doing. I think it's very consistent and the numbers and the investments and the supports we're putting in place I think back that up. So we'll continue to go down that path. Now, what I'm interested in, in terms of the announcement I made earlier this week, is employers and employees getting together to ensure that people are in jobs. And I know one thing: If you're not in a job, you're not better off. If you lose your job, you're not better off. And my concern is if we keep going down the path that we're going down and have a discussion that is constrained in a whole range of ways based on things that used to be the norms before, then people are going to lose their jobs and they won't be better off. So I'm interested in making sure Australians coming out of a COVID crisis where millions have less hours, and over a million don't even have a job, and I want to make them better off and that's why the industrial relations changes that I hope to come out of this consultative and good-faith process will deliver changes that will keep people in jobs, that will get people back in jobs. Because when you're in a job, you're better off and that's the better off I'm interested in.
Yep, John?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you talk about on the fiscal side it is not necessarily about continuing existing programs to deliver fiscal support if the economy needs it later in the year. Could you envisage that maybe shovel-ready infrastructure programs could form part of the next leg if fiscal support is required?
PRIME MINISTER: It already does. This is the thing I'm puzzled about when this is written about. Last year, we brought forward around $4 billion worth of infrastructure projects. Last week, we announced more than a billion dollars in extra projects working with local government. We are already doing this. It is not part of the next step, it is part of the now step and it will continue to be. It is an important part of the economic plan that we have been pursuing both through the crisis and indeed before it. That’s what you can expect to continue to happen. As you saw on the chart before, infrastructure and transport will be one of those key areas where we will be seeking to create and drive jobs as part of the National Cabinet’s JobMaker agenda going forward. So absolutely, John. It is, it was, and it will continue to be. It is a very important part of what we do. And we just want to do it better and coordinate it even better. And the Victorian Premier often says, when I talk to him about this, the challenge is not the bringing forward of expenditure. We've already done that. The challenge is actually getting the projects going on the ground. And in the deregulation area, this will be critical. Not just when it comes to things like the EPPC Act, of which there is a significant review underway right now and I think we'll be able to make major progress in speeding up approvals of projects to some of these big projects underway, that will be very important. But also the planning and development works that are happening with projects that are already on the books and making sure they can start a lot sooner. So we are looking together, as states and at a federal level, to find those projects that can happen as soon as possible. But there is actually a capacity of the sector to deliver those projects and there are issues around availability of materials and a range of other things and those prices, when the supply and demand get out of sync, actually force the prices of projects up. So it is very much part of the plan and we're looking forward to seeing more of those hit the decks.
One more.
JOURNALIST: With so many media companies closing, does this boost the case for a federal ICAC? And on a similar note, are you comfortable with government facing less scrutiny with so many media companies closing?
PRIME MINISTER: Well anyone who loses a job, that's a bad day. And that’s why as a Government we're focused on creating jobs and trying to prevent further job losses, whether it is the media sector and the announcements that were made by News yesterday, I spoke with Michael Miller last night, and it is a hard day for those journalists and those who work in that sector, particularly out in rural and regional areas. But whether it is a journalist’s job or whether it’s a tradie’s job or a health worker’s job or anyone else's job, we want to make sure we can get our economy back performing more strongly than it is now as soon as we can so we can create those jobs again. Now, in relation to the other matter you raised, I answered that question to Michelle earlier this week at the National Press Club and that is where that sits.
Thank you all very much.
Address, National Press Club
26 May 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Well thank you very much Sabra.
I begin by acknowledging the Ngunnawal people, their elders past, present, and those who are emerging.
Can I also acknowledge any servicemen and women and veterans who may be joining us today either here or through the broadcast and can I simply say to you, thank you for your service.
A year ago I said: “How good is Australia” and “how good are Australians.”
And over the past year, Australians have proved this time and again.
We are an amazing country.
A view shared by all of my Government, I’m sure all of the parliament, my colleagues here with me today, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Treasurer, the Leader of the Government in the Senate, my many colleagues, we believe this passionately.
Australians have stood up, Australians are proving once again that we are capable of doing extraordinary things, but in a very Australian way.
I am thankful for the many sacrifices Australians have made to get us to this point.
But I am also grateful at a personal level for the time taken by those to share their experiences directly with me during this crisis.
Almost 100,000 Australians have written to me in the past couple of months.
So many have suffered and they continue to hurt, right here and right now - lost jobs, reduced hours, seeing their family businesses shut, having to close those doors, or retirement incomes shrink. Loved ones kept apart.
It has been a time of great uncertainty as Australians have had to come to terms with the sudden and profound changes happening to their lives.
Greg is a chef with six kids in Sydney, he wrote to me about his business suffering from the restrictions, saying that everything he has worked for is at risk.
Sue from Jimbooma, told me that other than a first home owners grant, she had never received a cent from the government. JobKeeper has saved her business, she said, and she just wanted to say thank you.
Anthony, not the one you’re thinking of, but quite genuinely Anthony from Western Australia, he sent me his wedding photo. His wife of 50 years had just passed away. He said his wife “was the most caring person you could ever meet” and he was absolutely heartbroken that he couldn’t give her the send-off she deserved. Of all the things, of all the decisions we have taken, that was undoubtedly the hardest.
And I received an email from three children in Western Australia that completely floored me, heir father is terminally ill. They told me they understood their Dad’s funeral would have to be small. They wanted me to know they were ok with that - because it will help keep the hospitals available for other patients with cancers and diseases.
That’s incredible, our people are amazing.
And there was Rebhecca, a young woman, who is also terminally ill and sent me a handwritten letter, just wanting to let me know she was praying for me every day.
And then there’s Thai, from Traralgon and he wrote this “we just need someone to fire the starter’s gun on the economy. Someone to say, ‘on your marks, get set, go’.
I’ve got good news.
Today I want to talk about that recovery.
Because that is what millions of Australians are now relying on.
And there is reason to hope.
Australia is weathering this storm better than many and better than most. Indeed, together with a handful of nations we have led the world in this response.
Our response has followed a clear plan to save lives and save livelihoods, with strong and coordinated leadership across all governments, brought together through the innovation of the National Cabinet.
Firstly in that plan, fight the virus and save lives.
On the health front this has meant closing our borders early, imposing strict isolation and quarantine for returning Australians, introducing tough social distancing rules and reluctantly having to close business.
We built up our medical stockpiles of masks and medicines, we tripled the critical care capacity in our hospitals getting the respirators our hospitals need, and our testing regime led the world.
We built a health detective workforce to track and trace every case, now supported by the more than 6 million Australians who have downloaded the COVIDSafe App.
This decisive response has helped Australia to suppress the virus and avoid the scale of devastation, infection, and death seen in many other countries around the world.
We should not downplay this, this achievement and pretend like the risk never existed, or that our preparations or our precautions were unwarranted. Let me assure you, Australia, the risk was great and uncertain and it still is.
Countries like ours, developed sophisticated economies with strong health systems, have experienced death rates more than 100 times what we have experienced here in Australia.
The fact our worst case scenarios have not not been realised is cause for great relief, not apathy.
Second, we have bought ourselves precious time in our plan – not just to build up health system response capacity, but to put in place the economic lifelines needed to cushion the cruel economic blow of the virus.
JobKeeper, JobSeeker and our business cash flow measures, the stimulus payments to other beneficiaries and pensioners, have provided the vital economic bridge for so many businesses and workers.
There are more than 5 million Australians directly benefiting from these payments.
At a now anticipated direct cost of more than $150 billion in just six months, all borrowed, all of it, against future tax revenue. These supports can only be temporary.
It was William Green, the leader of the American Federation of Labour who said during the Great Depression in 1934: “we cannot indefinitely support one sixth of our population on money borrowed against future taxes”.
That was a Labour leader in the Great Depression.
With tangible success on the health front and economic lifelines now in place, we have now embarked on the next stage of our plan and that is to reopen our economy.
The National Cabinet’s three-step plan for a COVID safe Australia is now being implemented and great progress is being made. It is anticipated that all three steps will be completed across the country in time in July.
According to Treasury, this three-step plan will see some 850,000 jobs ultimately restored once the full impacts are realised in the months that follow.
Success in this current phase will certainly not be easy. It cannot be assumed as we go through this process. It will not be business as usual. Opening up will be harder than closing down.
We will all have to have to retrain, to live and work in a way that creates a sustainable COVIDSafe economy and society as you are indeed doing here today.
SafeWork Australia is providing the tools to help businesses and employees alike to make these changes.
All of us are in uncharted territory. There will be inconsistencies, there will be frustrations. There will be trial, there will be error.
During this time we can also sadly expect unemployment and underemployment to rise before it falls. Debt and deficits to rise sharply, as costs rise and revenues fall.
This will test our confidence and our resolve.
That is why the reopening of our economy must be followed by a concerted effort to create momentum and to rebuild confidence.
This will provide the platform to reset our economy for growth over the next three to five years, as Australia and the world emerges from this crisis.
The overwhelming priority of this reset will be to win the battle for jobs.
The Budget later this year, which the Treasurer will bring down, will play an important part in this reset.
The backdrop for that Budget will be one of the starkest our country has seen.
The most challenging domestic and global economic environment we have faced outside of wartime.
But we should remember that this event, these difficult times were not caused by economic failure, but a global health pandemic. The problem was not the economy.
And we should be encouraged that we have restored jobs and rebalanced our Budget before.
Prior to the COVID crisis, more than 1.5 million jobs had been created right across the country, as we had promised, and the Budget had been restored to balance from chronic deficits.
Our biggest gains were made by females in our workforce, who have been particularly impacted I should stress by this crisis. Female workforce participation rose to record levels and the gender pay gap fell to record lows.
So Australia, we have done this before and we can do it again, together.
Our confidence is building, with consumer confidence climbing back 80 per cent in the past eight weeks off the dramatic fall.
We must start though by working together, and this is where we start, by restoring the jobs that have been lost.
We need a JobMaker plan for a new generation of economic success, that can guarantee the essentials that Australians rely on.
As we reset for growth, our JobMaker plan will be guided by principles that we as Liberals and Nationals have always believed in, to secure Australia’s future and put people first in our economy.
Firstly, we will remain in Australia an outward-looking, open and sovereign trading economy.
We will not retreat into the downward spiral of protectionism. To the contrary, we will continue to be part of global supply chains that can deliver the prosperity we rely on to create jobs, support incomes and build businesses.
Our economic sovereignty will be achieved by ensuring our industries are highly competitive, resilient and able to succeed in a global market. Not by protectionism.
While a trading nation, we will never trade away our values or our future for short-term gain.
With trade, alliance and other partners we will work to establish and maintain the balance needed for peace and stability in our region that upon which everyone’s prosperity depends.
Secondly, is the principle of caring for country, a principle that indigenous Australians have practiced for tens of thousands of years.
It means responsible management and stewardship of what has been left to us, to sustainably manage that inheritance for current and future generations.
We must not borrow from generations in the future, from what we cannot return.
This is as true for our environmental, cultural and natural resources as it is for our economic and financial ones.
Governments therefore must live within their means, so we don’t impose impossible debt burdens on future generations that violates that important caring for country principle.
Thirdly, we must seek to leverage and build on our strengths.
An educated and highly-skilled workforce that supports not just a thriving and innovative services sector, but a modern, competitive and advanced manufacturing sector.
Resources and agricultural sectors that can both fuel and feed large global populations, including our own, and support vibrant rural and regional communities. I know the Deputy Prime Minister would agree thoroughly. A financial system that has proved to be one of the most stable and resilient in the world. World leading scientists, medical specialists, researchers and technologists. An emerging space sector. And so much more.
Fourthly, we must always ensure that there is the opportunity in Australia for those who have a go, to get a go.
This is our Australian way.
Access to essential services, incentive for effort, respect for the principles of mutual obligation. Ensuring equal opportunities for those in rural and regional communities to be the same as those in our cities and our suburbs.
All translated into policies that seek not to punish those who have success, but devise ways for others to achieve it.
And then there’s the fifth principle, what I like to call the Sir Peter Blake principle, I spoke to Jacinda Ardern this morning, doing what makes the boat go faster.
Now, my colleagues are very familiar with this principle. Many years ago I worked in New Zealand, where I looked after the Government’s then engagement with Team New Zealand 2000 America’s Cup Defence.
Team New Zealand, led by the late Sir Peter Blake, was competing in one of the richest sporting events in the world. The biggest sponsors, enormous global media investments, broadcast rights, high tech sport like you’ve never seen. You would think no expense spared by any team in that great quest.
But early on I learned the key to Team New Zealand’s success.
At one of our early meetings we met at their headquarters in Auckland, there was a fella called Alan Sefton who was their head of their corporate operations, and we sat on, around on rickety old chairs nd there was this scuffed up table, the office looked like it had been saved from demolition.
I noted the surroundings, and Alan responded by saying that in Team New Zealand you only ask one question - “What makes the boat go faster?”.
Those chairs wasn’t going to make any difference, nor their accommodations.
And their united and focussed effort brought a whole country together, not just the team. And they won and so can we.
This health and economic crisis has reminded us of just how much we depend on a strong and growing economy for our jobs, for our incomes, for our health and education services, our safety, our security, our social safety net of which we’re so proud.
To strengthen and grow our economy, the boats we need to go faster are the hundreds of thousands of small, and medium and large businesses that make up our economy and create the value upon which everything else depends.
Value created by establishing successful products and services, the ability to be able to sell them at a competitive and profitable price and into growing and sustainable markets. It’s economics 101.
That’s what happens in a sustainable and successful job making market economy.
Now, it is true that in the short term, demand stimulus by government can boost your economy. And that the Treasurer and I together with the Cabinet have supported this as an emergency response. But it must only be temporary.
At some point you’ve got to get your economy out of ICU.
You’ve got to get it off the medication before it becomes too accustomed to it.
We must enable our businesses to earn Australia’s way out of this crisis.
And that means focussing on the things that can make their businesses go faster.
The skilled labour businesses need to draw on, the affordable and reliable energy they need, the research and technology they can draw on and utilise, the investment capital and finance that they can access, the markets they can connect to, the economic infrastructure that supports and connects them, the amount of government regulation they must comply with, and the amount and the efficiency of the taxes they must pay, in particular whether such taxes encourage them to invest and to employ.
Now that is the change agenda of our JobMaking plan, to enable Australia to emerge from this crisis and set up Australia for economic success over the next three to five years.
Skills, industrial relations, energy and resources, higher education, research and science, open banking, the digital economy, trade, manufacturing, infrastructure and regional development, deregulation and federation reform, a tax system to support jobs and investment.
Now the challenges are enormous and you’ll be pleased to know I’m not going to go through all of those this afternoon. But wherever possible, I can assure you of this, I will seek to bring people together to define and achieve the change we need to in all of these areas.
And today I just want to focus on just two areas - skills and industrial relations.
I will address the many other components of our JobMaker plan in the weeks and months ahead, as we proceed to the Budget in October. A process that is one of patiently putting each brick in the wall.
This will occur simultaneously with managing the ongoing pandemic, let’s not lose sight of that, and addressing the right here, right now, needs of Australians who continue to be severely impacted.
So on skills, we need Australians better trained for the jobs businesses are looking to create because that’s important.
Off the back of the Joyce Review and my conversations with Premiers and Chief Ministers, and of course the Minister for Skills Michaelia Cash is here today, we can bring these matters to the fore in coming months in the name of creating jobs.
At a federal level, we are focusing on three key issues.
Firstly, the complexity of a system that is clunky and unresponsive to skills demands. Ask any business, they will tell you that.
The lack of clear information about what those skills needs are, now and into the future to guide training and funding, ask any student and their parents about what they think about the system and whether they are getting value out of it and they’ll tell you.
A funding system marred by inconsistencies and incoherence, with little accountability back to any results. Currently, the average timeframe to develop or update training products is 18 months, with a third taking over two years to update.
For prospective students, the large number of choices that they face for qualifications can be bewildering and overwhelming. Compounded by a lack of visibility over the quality of training providers and the employment outcomes for those courses.
There are over 1,400 qualifications on offer and almost 17,000 units of competency.
There is also substantial variation in fees for students depending on which state they are in.
For example, in 2019, a student undertaking Certificate III in Blinds, Awning and Security Screens received a subsidy of $3,726 in Queensland, $9,630 in New South Wales and no subsidy in Victoria unless the qualification is taken as an apprenticeship. Now, I’m not making any comment on each of the individual measures but there is a wide variety.
Subsidies for a Diploma of Nursing in 2017 varied between $19,963 in Western Australia and $8,218 in Queensland. And all of this is before the question surrounding the quality of that training is addressed.
No surprise then that state-subsidised students in Queensland incur VSL debts that are on average more than double that of NSW subsidised students.
It is no wonder that when faced with this complexity, many potential students default to the university system, even if their career could be best enhanced through vocational education. I want those trade and skills jobs to be aspired to, not looked down upon or seen as a second best option, it is a first best option.
To address this challenge, we have embarked on a series of Skills Organisation Pilots they are designed to give industry the opportunity to shape the training system to be more responsive to their skills needs and take responsibility for qualification development.
Industries defining the quals.
Three pilots have been established - in human services, digital technologies and mining - and they have already begun to show the benefits of this system. We need to move forward on many, many more.
The human services pilot was actually used to lead development of a national skill set to help boost the aged care and disability support workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery phase and this work was delivered much faster than under the old arrangements that were progressed under the previous VET schemes.
The National Skills Commission has been established under Adam Boyton’s leadership, and will now provide detailed labour market analysis, including an annual report each year setting out the skill needs of Australia, replacing those existing lists for apprenticeships and skilled migration.
This will be supplemented by the publication of closer to real time data on the labour market drawing on emerging data sets, such as single-touch payroll, to flag emerging skills shortages and other labour market trends and pressures.
The Commissioner’s analysis is what will also help, this is important, students with their career and training choices via the National Careers Institute (NCI), by giving them the most accurate and comprehensive data on where skills gaps and jobs are. Equipping employers, equipping employees, equipping students and their families.
Information from the National Skills Commission will be publicly available and should inform government and private investment in the system, including VET subsidies and a new national skills funding agreement.
All comes back to money. The current National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development between the states and the Commonwealth is fundamentally flawed and it has to change.
By law, the Commonwealth must hand over to the states and territories $1.5 billion every year in untied funding every year – with no end date and no questions asked.
The Commonwealth has no line of sight on how states use this funding.
The agreement has also been ineffective in maintaining state investment in these schemes.
VET funding across all jurisdictions with the exception of Tasmania – has fallen by 25 per cent on average over the past decade in real terms, on a working age per capita basis.
So it’s time to make some changes.
Better linking funding to actual forward looking skills needs, based on what businesses need.
Simplifying the system, reducing distortions and achieving greater consistency between jurisdictions, and between VET and universities.
Increasing funding and transparency and performance monitoring. Taxpayers, students and employers should know where the money is going.
And better coordinate the subsidies, loans and other sources of funding, we’ve got to make the valuable support that is provided is going where it needs to go.
Now, our national hospital agreement actually provides a good model for the changes that I would like to advance. Incorporating national efficient pricing and activity based funding models would be a real step forward.
And this is a system I’ve made very clear to Premiers and Chief Ministers that my Government would be prepared to invest more in, but throwing more money into a bad system doesn not get you results.
Now, on industrial relations. I’ve been genuinely heartened by the constructive approach of employers, employees, business groups and unions working together with the ACTU through this crisis to find practical solutions to keeping Australians in jobs.
We now need to turn that into cooperation to create even more jobs, especially during this all important recovery phase.
Our current system is not fit-for-purpose, especially given the scale of the jobs challenge that we now face as a nation.
Our industrial relations system has settled into a complacency of unions seeking marginal benefits and employers closing down risks, often by simply not employing anyone.
The system has lost sight of its purpose - to get the workplace settings right, so the enterprise, the business can succeed, so everybody can fairly benefit from their efforts and their contributions.
It is a system that has to date retreated to tribalism, conflict and ideological posturing.
No side of that debate has been immune from those maladies. This will need to change or more Australians will unnecessarily lose their jobs and more Australians will be kept out of jobs.
The first step is to get everyone back in the room. To bring people together. That’s our job. And in particular, that’s my job.
No one side has all the answers, employees or employers. Unions or employer organisations.
It is not beyond Australians to put aside differences to find cooperative solutions to specific problems, especially at a time like this.
The extent of the damage wrought by Covid-19 on the Australian economy, and the enormity of the challenge we now face to get Australians back into jobs, means the policy priorities for recovery will be different to those in place before this crisis.
We now have a shared opportunity to fix systemic problems and to realise gains as a matter of urgency to get more people back into work.
Now, beginning immediately, the Minister for Industrial Relations, the Attorney-General, Christian Porter will lead a new, time-bound, dedicated process bringing employers, industry groups, employee representatives and government to the table to chart a practical reform agenda, a job making agenda, for Australia’s industrial relations system.
The Minister will chair five working groups for discussion, negotiation and, hopefully, agreement to produce that JobMaker package in the following areas.
Award simplification, what most small and medium sized businesses deal with with their employees every single day.
Enterprise agreement making. We’ve got to get back to the basics.
Casuals and fixed term employees, made even more prescient by recent changes through the Fair Work Commission.
Compliance and enforcement. People should be paid properly and unions need to obviously do the right thing, as must employers.
Greenfields agreements for new enterprises, where the new investment will go and the certainty is needed more so than ever.
Membership of each group will include employer and union representatives, as well as individuals chosen based on their demonstrated experience and expertise and that will include especially small businesses, rural and regional backgrounds, multicultural communities, women and families.
This process, as I said, will be time-bound and is expected to run through to September. We must make the most of this time we have and we must move quickly. It will become apparent very quickly if progress is to be made.
The working groups will either reach something approaching a consensus on issues or they won’t. But we’ve got to give it a go. Participation in the groups is being invited without prejudice to their positions.
Ultimately it will be though the Government that will take forward a job making agenda from this process.
The purpose is simple and honest, to explore, and hopefully find, a pathway to sensible, long-lasting reform with just one goal - make jobs.
To maximise the opportunity for a genuine course of negotiation, and compromise and cooperation that is vital to create jobs and chart an economic path back to what is mutually beneficial prosperity; in good faith we’ve decided that the government will not pursue a further vote in the Senate on its Ensuring Integrity Bill.
Not pursuing a further vote though, I hasten to caution, on this Bill, does not reflect any change or lack of commitment to the principle that lawful behaviour of registered organisations should be strictly required on all work sites in Australia.
The government maintains its complete lack of tolerance for the kinds of behaviour we have particularly seen from the CFMMEU on Australian construction sites in recent years. It’s not only illegal, it’s costing jobs.
Given how critical the construction sector will be to the task of rebuilding the Australian economy, the government remains committed to ensuring the law breaking stops. We are committed to ensuring that this happens in the simplest, fairest and most effective statutory form possible, which we will consider going forward.
But our first, the here and now priority, what we have to do right now, is to take this opportunity to work together through a genuine good faith process to get some real outcomes, to make the jobs that Australia needs.
Now in conclusion, businesses and workers are innovating their way through this crisis.
Doctors are now prescribing online like never before, many workers I suspect will continue to work from home where it works for them and their employer, cafes and pubs are plotting out safe distances for their customers to dine, distilleries are making hand sanitiser.
Now, many of these innovations will stay, some will change, and others will come along.
But our JobMaker agenda will harness and support that innovation and the partnerships that are now being created.
We will get Australians back to work. We will restore our nation’s finances. We will continue to guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on.
Because we have done it before and we will do it again, and we will do it together.
Together we are facing down this crisis as Australians and we are doing so as a successful, vibrant and liberal democracy. Open and transparent, just and fair, noble and compassionate, never willing to sacrifice the most vulnerable.
This is our greatest strength. How good is Australia!
Thank you very much.
Address, Anzac Day Commemorative Service
25 April 2020
Australians all, lest we forget, for those who were so young, who have made us so free.
Today is our most sacred day.
At our Australian War Memorial — on Ngunnawal land, in our nation’s capital — our most sacred place.
On these walls, we touch and see the names of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, who gave their lives for this country and people they loved.
Through these 102,000 men and women, and the millions more who have worn our nation’s uniform, we come to understand what love of family, community and country truly means.
The service and sacrifice we remember today has always been expressed in hardship.
On the beaches of Gallipoli, the deserts of Egypt, the mud of the Somme, the jungles of New Guinea, the death marches from Sandakan, Australians have faced the very worst.
And they have done so for us.
To defend our land, to protect our people, and to create a freer and more just world.
Today, at this dawn, in this place, or wherever you are today, let us listen, let us open our hearts again to their stories, and draw upon their inspiration.
We hear sounds of landing boats quietly rowing ashore.
We hear the deafening hum of the engines of the Lancaster bomber, as our airmen made their way across the English channel in the night sky, not knowing if they would ever return.
We hear the blast of the big guns and the anti-aircraft fire from the decks of the Hobart and the Australia, as our sailors bravely fought off the attacks of the Japanese torpedo bombers in the Coral Sea.
We hear the chilling helicopters in Vietnam, the crunch of snow underfoot on patrol in Korea and the detonation up ahead of another IED, while rolling along in a Bushmaster in Afghanistan, far beyond the wire.
We hear nurses and medics, coast-watchers and stretcher-bearers, chaplains and peace-keepers.
And we hear those of our own family.
I can hear the sound of the races being called on the radio as my Pop, Sandy, sat in the afternoon sun on his balcony, and I remember the quiet pain of war he endured and worked so hard to hide from a young boy who he hoped would never know war.
A pain that would haunt him and wake him in the night.
From every conflict and every time, we hear them all.
They are as much a part of Australia today as when the first Anzacs put on their uniform.
We have never forgotten them, and we never will.
This year, our Anzac Day traditions have been interrupted.
But not for the first time.
On Anzac Day 1919, the first after the Great War, there were no city marches or parades for the returning veterans, because Australians were battling the Spanish flu pandemic.
Though our streets were empty, the returning veterans were not forgotten.
On the shores of Gallipoli where Australians had landed four years before, a small group of Anzacs who had been arranging and tending the graves of their mates gathered.
There was no pomp at that little service.
There were no dignitaries, no bands, just the sound of lapping water on a lonely shore.
One said of that little service: it was ‘the real thing’.
And so our remembrances today, small, quiet and homely, will be.
And our heroes — they still walk among us.
Heroes like Carolyn Griffiths, who joined the Reserves after the 2002 Bali bombings.
At the time, Carolyn was a single mum with three children aged 16 to 20.
Carolyn said: “I wanted to defend Australia”.
She did, as an ICU nurse in Afghanistan and Iraq, responding to the worst traumas of war.
Today, Squadron Leader Griffiths continues to serve as a Reservist and as an ICU nurse at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane where she works with one of her two daughters. The other daughter is a nurse at the Royal.
Squadron Leader Griffiths won’t be marching today, but she will stand in her driveway like so many of you.
Corporal Matt Williams will also stand out the front of his home this morning.
Willy, as he’s known, grew up in Warrnambool and joined the Army at 18.
He left for induction only two days after finishing high school and spent his 21st birthday on patrol in Kabul.
He returned to Australia to discover he had brain cancer.
And on Anzac Day in 2018, Willy put on his uniform and medals, and slipped into his top pocket his first round of chemotherapy tablets.
And then he marched, despite feeling weak and nauseous.
I spoke to Willy a few days ago. He told me if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
His service had enabled him “to live for something bigger than himself. Not me, but we”he said.
It’s good advice, Willy.
Willy is in isolation because his immune system depends on all of us keeping our distance.
He has served us, and now we must do the right thing by him — and so many more.
Because we’re all in this together.
But we always have been.
We always will be.
Here in Canberra, on this day 75 years ago and in the midst of war, our then Prime Minister John Curtin called for every citizen to give in equal measure of devotion what our service men and women give every day.
He reminded Australia that the original Anzacs handed on a torch – clenched and carried high – and that it is passed on to every generation of Australians.
This Anzac Day it has been passed to us.
Together, with faith in each other, and guided by the lives and example of those that have gone before, we grasp that torch and raise it high again, lighting up the Anzac dawn.
Lest we forget.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
15 May 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon. I’m joined by Professor Brendan Murphy and the Minister for Health, Greg Hunt and Christine Morgan who heads up the National Mental Health Commission.
It has been two months now, since National Cabinet first met. Indeed, leaders reminded me this morning that leaders have met more often in the past 2 months than around about the last 10 years over the course of dealing with this pandemic. And a lot has been accomplished in that time. And I want to thank the Premiers and Chief Ministers for the way they have come together with the federal government to respond to one of the biggest challenges that our country has seen and certainly in the post-war era. It has been a very difficult time. Australians are hurting right here and right now, as we were reminded so terribly yesterday, with almost 600,000 people having lost jobs. And it has been a National Cabinet that has been very aware of these impacts. And they have made difficult decisions together to protect the health of Australians, but also to protect the livelihoods of Australians as well. During that time, the National Cabinet has fought the virus together and together with Australians we have been flattening that curve very successfully. We have put the supports in place, both the health supports and the economic supports to help Australians through this very difficult time. And indeed, this time last week, we made the decisions to put the framework together, which is now being followed, those three steps, which is reopening Australia and taking those first steps to see Australians get back into those jobs. Now, the task is to really build that confidence and to get that momentum going as we move to the next challenge, which is to reset the Australian economy for growth and to support Australians and their livelihoods well into the future.
Australia's federation has stood up in the last two months in particular, and the Premiers and Chief Ministers have played a great role in taking those steps together. And we've learnt many lessons about how we can work together better in the future. And we will have more to say about that in the weeks and months ahead. Today, the National Cabinet was briefed by Dr Kennedy, the head of Treasury, Dr Lowe, the head of the Reserve Bank, and Wayne Byres, the head of APRA. It was an opportunity, an important one, to be briefed fully on yesterday's unemployment figures and how it was impacting across the country. It was also an opportunity for Premiers and Chief Ministers and I to reaffirm our commitment to see how we can work together and how we will work together to get those Australians back into jobs. That is the curve we are now working on together.
We noted during that briefing that stability had returned to financial markets. While they are fragile, they remain very functional. We noted that our banking system has stood up well, but we must be conscious that the shock absorbers that are in our system, whether it be in the banking system or indeed in federal supports and other supports, they have limits. They are not endless. They have capacities. And it's essential that as we move forward, that we continue to enable the credit to flow through our banking system to support those businesses who are taking decisions to reopen, to rehire and to move ahead. Some $220 billion dollars in loan deferrals have already been put in place in our banking system, about two thirds of that in mortgages and one third for small and medium sized enterprises. The banks have also not been enforcing, broadly speaking, covenants, and they've been holding off on re-evaluations and not pursuing recovery actions other than for pre-existing cases. Insolvencies are currently running below average. That's obviously supported by what I've just said in terms of the actions that banks have been taking, but also importantly, one of the significant protections that we put in place as a federal government early on was the protections against actions by creditors and others against enterprises in relation to pursuing them and forcing them into liquidation.
In addition, the super system, we're advised, is responding very well. The superannuation system with some $11.7 billion in claims it was noted that this was consistent with the Treasury estimate and this was not presenting liquidity issues. The head of APRA has advised us and the industry estimates of what the claims would be have not been realised. Some $90.1 billion in Australian government securities has been raised since March 20 of this year, $56.6 billion on bonds and $33 billion in T-notes. The latest $19 billion this week at 1 per cent, and again oversubscribed. Markets are seeing that Australia is a country that can be relied upon and that is a good bet in what is a very uncertain time. Our ability to raise this finance in such a difficult time is essential to ensure that we can continue to provide those necessary economic supports and lifeline to the Australian economy. To support the jobs, the households, the payments that are getting people from one day to the next at this difficult time.
It was also noted this morning, and this is hopefully a note of encouragement to our tourism sector, as the borders fall internally and Australians can hopefully soon return to domestic holidays and to move around the country more widely, and particularly with school holidays coming up again in July. We are reminded that the net tourism imports to Australia is just over $20 billion a year. That means that after you take account of international tourists coming here and Australians going overseas, that there is a net import factor of just over $20 billion. Now, that's up for grabs for Australian domestic tourism operators. Australians who might otherwise go elsewhere. That is a very large market and that will be targeted. And I had that discussion with the Minister for Tourism this week and to work with Tourism Australia and the other state and territory agencies that are responsible for tourism to focus on seeing that realised as our domestic tourism industry gets back on its feet, which will be an important employer, particularly in regional areas.
But right now, the focus and the advice is rightly from our economic advisers on opening up our economy safely. And I am so pleased that one week down from announcing that three step process that states and territories are overwhelmingly moving through step one and in particular today the Northern Territory Chief Minister was able to pull the first brew. I did ask him why it was such a late opening in Northern Territory on a day, but I'm sure that will be something celebrated up there in Darwin today. And while there are not, there's not too much to celebrate more broadly as a country with the difficult circumstances we face and particularly with yesterday's unemployment numbers, it is, I think, a welcome sign that we are on the road back. And as businesses and cafes and others are opened up this weekend, those businesses knowing that at just 10 patrons at a time that won't necessarily be a profitable patronage for them to really sustain that, they're backing themselves, they're backing their staff, they're backing their communities and they're backing their country. And I want to commend them for that brave step that they're taking this weekend. Good on you for reopening. And I'm sure your patrons will come in and support you strongly, as well.
On the other side, of course, our economy will look very different, we were advised today, and so it's very important the National Cabinet has reaffirmed its commitment to work together, not just through the pandemic, but to through the economic impacts of that pandemic and put in place the necessary changes we need to make to make Australia's economy stronger again.
Today, also, the National Cabinet agreed some important measures. And Professor Murphy will go through those for you. The reopening of elective surgery. The boom is going up on elective surgery all around the country. That will be done, of course, at the pace that states set. But that will be welcomed, particularly to the private health industry in particular and the jobs that are supported throughout that sector. We also today adopted the National Mental Health and Wellbeing Pandemic Response Plan put together by Christine Morgan, working closely together with the states and territories. And today we are committing $48.1 million dollars in additional support for the implementation of that plan. And it was particularly encouraging to see that with the advent of telehealth, we are now seeing the number of presentations and consultations occurring for mental health now back to levels that were being experienced, pre-pandemic, half of those being done through the telehealth mechanism. So that is welcome. It's an important reminder to all Australians, of course keep COVID safe, but don't neglect your other health conditions.
Human biosecurity emergency powers have also been extended under the Biosecurity Act, that was noted today and that has been extended from June 17 to September 17. And a process has also been agreed for managing the access to affected remote communities under those powers in partnership with the states and territories and indigenous community leaders in those communities. Yesterday, together with the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, I met with leaders of indigenous communities led, of course, by the coalition of Peaks through Pat Turner. And we were able to speak directly to leaders of indigenous communities around the country. And they have done an extraordinary job keeping their indigenous communities safe through this crisis. There are two areas that National Cabinet was most concerned about at the start of this crisis more than any, one was of course, our elderly. And the fact that only 1 per cent or thereabouts of the aged care facilities in this country have been affected by COVID is a tremendous credit to the aged care sector. But the other has been the low level of infection that has occurred in indigenous communities around Australia and to our indigenous leaders in each and every one of those hundreds of communities. Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for keeping your communities, our people together safe.
Brendan?
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Thanks, PM. I'll be brief because I don't want to detract from the very exciting announcements about mental health. Mental health response is such an important part of our overall health response to this crisis and I'm truly delighted as the Chief Medical Officer to be able to support the mental health plan.
My general epidemiology update with 7,017 cases at the moment, around about 20 new cases a day over recent days. Still a small number of community acquired cases in some jurisdictions. Just a reminder, this virus is still there at very low levels in the community. And I reiterate the Prime Minister's message as people start to go back to some normal activities and open up, please, please be careful. Please practise all of those new ways of interacting that we've talked about on so many occasions.
National Cabinet was briefed by me today on a range of other measures. We had a discussion on the very rare condition in children, which you’ve all heard about from overseas, the paediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome. And I was able to brief them on the fact that this is extremely rare and probably unlikely to be seen in Australia given our very, very low number of infections in children, it's still not clear what the association with the virus is for this condition, but it is extremely rare. We also had a discussion about quarantine periods for returning travellers. I want to make it very clear that there is no, no amount of PCR testing or swab testing that can obviate the need for quarantine. If you are a return traveller from a risk area and a quarantine requirement is in place, having a test done, a swab and a PCR done, just means whether you are positive on that day doesn't mean that you're not incubating the virus and it doesn't mean you can get out of quarantine earlier. So there's been a bit of misinformation around about that, but you can't test your way out of quarantine unfortunately.
We also, as the Prime Minister said, had a discussion on elective surgery. Currently, there are only 50 COVID-related patients in hospitals around Australia. That is a wonderful statistic and only 12 people on ventilators still. Our hospital capacity is around 50 to 60 per cent. We are starting to see some increase with elective surgery relaxations announced a few weeks ago, but there is now pretty good room for further expansion and clearly in those states that are having essentially no cases, they want to go fairly quickly back to full elective activity. Those states that still have some transmission are probably going to take it a bit more gently, but everybody is now heading towards full elective surgery, which is a really important thing, as the PM said and as I've said and Minister Hunt has said on many occasions, a really important thing is that Australians do not neglect their general health issues. If you need to go and see your specialist, you need to go and see your GP, please do so. And if you need to get help with mental health conditions, please, please do so.
So I'll stop there, PM and hand over to Minister Hunt.
THE HON. GREG HUNT MP, MINISTER FOR HEALTH: Thanks very much to the PM, to Brendan, to Christine. The stress of concerns about health, the loneliness of isolation, anxiety about a job, a small business set of finances, the mortgage, all of these pressures which come with the pandemic have created specific mental health challenges. Everyone here will have seen or felt it amongst their own families or friends or circles the pressures that are in place right across Australia. So one of the most important things we can do is to provide mental health support. More broadly, on average, we've been providing $5.2 billion of mental health support over the course of this year as expected, including a $730 million package for youth mental health, which was in fact a feature of last year's Budget. This year, already a $76 million bushfire mental health package, $64 million for suicide prevention, and a further $74 million in the first stage of pandemic mental health support.
One of the things, though, which we really wanted to do was to work with the states and territories on a single, unified national pandemic mental Health and wellbeing response plan. And today the Prime Minister, supported by Christine Morgan, took that plan through National Cabinet with unanimous support. And it was a plan which grew from consultation with the states and territories. I particularly want to thank New South Wales and Victoria for their leadership in conjunction with Christine Morgan and Michael Gardner and others that have helped bring this to the national stage. It's an investment of $48.1 million from the Commonwealth. Victoria's already announced, I believe, $19.5 million and other states will make their contributions. Most importantly, though, it covers three areas. First is about support for research and data into what's happening in real time. We've already had some information from Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. That is heartening and more heartening than we'd expected there. For the first four months there has been no known increase in suicide rates in those three states. We watch very carefully, however, because these things can build up, they can brew, people can dwell and so we want to get ahead of the curve. So that $7.3 million investment in data is exceptionally important. Secondly, there's $29.5 million for investment in outreach to vulnerable communities, in particular the elderly, people from non-English speaking backgrounds, indigenous Australians and those who have pre-existing mental health conditions. And then finally, there's $11.3 million which is going to communication and outreach, $10.4 million of that will be part of a national campaign to say to Australians, it's okay not to be okay. Unprecedented times, anybody can feel the stress of mental health and to say not only is it okay not to be okay, but there are pathways to help to let everybody know that there is help.
All of this is part of a much broader pandemic health response, where now I can update you that there's over $8 billion of Commonwealth investment which has been allocated to the full health and mental health needs of the nation. The first $2.4 billion, which we announced in this very spot with the Prime Minister, over $1.1 billion for primary health care, including telehealth, where we've now had 9.8 million consultations and over $500 million paid out. The private hospitals guarantee of $1.3 billion, $850 million for aged care and $2.5 billion for PPE. All of these things have come together as part of our national capacity in response. But today, in particular, is about the National Mental Health and Wellbeing Pandemic Response Plan. And Christine, I want to thank you for your leadership in helping to bring this to you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Christine.
CHRISTINE MORGAN, CEO NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH COMMISSION: Thank you, Prime Minister. Thank you, Minister Hunt. And thank you, Professor Murphy, for your support. While saying thank you, I really do reach out and I reflect the comments of both the Prime Minister and Minister Hunt that this has been a collective effort. The co-leadership that has been shown by Victoria and New South Wales as we’ve worked with every one of the eight jurisdictions around Australia plus the Commonwealth has, I think, in and of itself been quite a heartening and encouraging thing. It is a recognition that, as I’ve said so frequently, mental health is an integral part of each and every one of us and that process has been in and of itself very affirming. I also want to extend my thanks to those whom we consulted with. We, as a Commission, put out with the support of the jurisdictions and tried to engage with people to say if we're responding particularly to the needs of mental health and wellbeing and mental illness and all of those associated issues around the pandemic, what do we need to do? And we heard back some very key things but they resonate actually with the approach that is being taken by this government with respect to mental health from the get go and that is firstly that there is diversity. That we come into the pandemic, we go through the pandemic and will emerge from the pandemic with various ranges of mental illness and mental health issues and mental wellbeing and we need to address that diversity. We also heard very, very strongly about the fact that there are particular vulnerable groups and we need to meet the needs of those vulnerable groups. And we heard about the fact that you can't deal with mental health, you can't, in fact, deal with mental illness without looking at the context in which we all live and the social consequences.
So this plan reflects that. It understands that. It records that. It says that we do need to look at things such as risky behaviour that so many of us engaging in to try and cope with a pandemic. We need to address those health issues, those health issues associated with substance use and substance abuse, gambling. We must and we will deal with the issues around violence, domestic, family, sexual violence. We spoke not so long ago when we did the mental health package announcement at the end of March about the risks for so many in our community, so many women, so many children, so many others around the reality of violence in the home, violence where they don't feel safe. We have included that in this plan. It belongs with us. And we are committed, absolutely committed, to being there for anybody who needs help and we call it out, reach out. We are there for you. As Minister Hunt referenced, we are always, always on the lookout for those who are at risk of suicide. It is heartening, it is heartening to look at those figures and to say it hasn't got worse. That doesn't mean it couldn't get worse. It doesn't mean that. It means that we are okay at the moment and therefore, we need to not only keep doing what we're doing, but make sure we accelerate it and embed it. And what are we doing and what are we trying to do is stay connected. Because if you are connected with people, you have hope and hope is what we all need.
So what did we look at and do with the plan? Through the lens of that diversity and those groups of vulnerability, we said okay, there are some things that we have actually learned to do quite well over the last six to seven weeks. We have become a bit more agile in our service delivery, more innovative. We've moved to digital. We've moved to telehealth. As the Prime Minister has said, not only are we back to the same levels of engagement with mental health services, we had 957,000 mental health services delivered over the last four weeks. In fact, that is up on last year. We are actually seeing people engage with mental health services. Great. We need more, too. So that is in and of itself an improvement. And as I said before, we understand the social context in which we exist and we're also seeing another really encouraging thing, and that is moving into delivering mental health care in community. But there are gaps and the gaps are what we seek to address with this plan. The first gap, as Minister Hunt has said, is data. We absolutely must come together as a country and see what we can actually do to improve that data collection so that we know not only what is happening, but we can better understand what to expect and we can better move to services where they are needed. That is critical. The second is we have had people disconnect from services. You've heard me say that before and we have had people really challenged with accessing services. So the plan says we must reach into community. That means we need to be where people can access services. We need to be where people live. We need to be where people learn. We need to that be where people work and what they do in their community. So the plan and the jurisdictions have all signed up to say we want to reach into community and that is what the government has committed to in the initiative to announcing today. And thirdly, most importantly, is when you come into a service, whatever way you come into the service, you can access what you actually need. So we are looking here to really say we will be there for people to address their mental health needs. Whether that is if you are challenged by mental illness or you are challenged by mental unwellness or issues we will be there, we will come to you in community, we will significantly improve the data so that we can be much more informed and we will take on the responsibility of ensuring that when you enter our system, the system allows you and we actually help you get to the services you need.
So I'll conclude with saying again, this has been the work of so many and reflects the fact that our mental health needs are integral to all of us. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Christine.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what’s your response to President Trump announcing that he's, quote, “changing all the policies and everything for the F-35 project will be made in America.”
PRIME MINISTER: We'll see what occurs there as it rolls out. But we have our contracts and arrangements in place for all of those matters. So we'll continue to pursue them in the normal way.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] America first slogan, is that something that Australian should perhaps adopt and prioritise Australian jobs?
PRIME MINISTER: Australia will always prioritise Australian jobs and always have and one of the ways we've always done that is we've always had an outward look when it comes to our economic opportunities. Australia is one of the most successful trading nations on earth, and our economic prosperity lies not just here, but continuing to be an open trading nation. This is how we've always succeeded in the past, and Australia will continue to look to its prosperity both here at home and overseas, to ensure that we can prioritise Australian jobs.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just on the economic briefings today, was there any updates on either forecasts or analysis from Treasury or the RBA on the jobs market or the economy in terms of figures? And also you mentioned the banks have limited capacity to be the shock absorbers. Is that sort of a hint that if the states are too slow to open up, that that could put undue pressure on the banks and help them... are not able to help their customers as much as I'd like to or could?
PRIME MINISTER: On the first point, no, there are no further updates other than to confirm that the estimates that have been provided by Treasury to date, whether it was where we were seeing unemployment heading or indeed the parameter estimates that sat around a number of the programs, they have proved to be quite accurate. And as we said yesterday, I mean, while the headline figure on unemployment was obviously lower than what some might have expected, when you get under the numbers you see something very different. And that is much more tracking along the lines of what Treasury has said. In relation to the second question, John, just remind me again?
JOURNALIST: Just on APRA and the banks.
PRIME MINISTER: Yep, this is something that APRA has advised us. I mean, it's just a simple statement, I think, of the obvious. And that is, while our banks and indeed the federal government has stepped up significantly in the packages of support that have been provided to, the deferral and indeed the waiving in some cases of commitments and also holding back on issues such as recovery operations and things of that nature, that is very welcome. But, you know, our system is finite. Essentially, when it comes to these things and that's why it is so important that we restart our economy and that's why I applaud those many small and medium sized enterprises who are doing just that today. And I know they've been looking forward to doing it. So we we have to be very mindful as we go through this crisis that the clock is ticking when it comes to how far and how much can be done, and that's why it's so urgent that we move safely to reopen our economy and get people back in jobs and and being supported by businesses that are in a stronger economy. And there isn't the same reliance on things like income support or indeed banks having to operate in those sort of unusual arrangements.
JOURNALIST: On income support, would you, would the government consider adjusting the rate of JobKeeper rather than changing the eligibility rules?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the eligibility rules we've been very clear about from the beginning. And they're important. We've got 6.1 million Australians and more who will be benefiting from the JobKeeper program. And right now, we have some, just about 1.6 million Australians who are being supported by JobSeeker. And I keep stressing how these two income support programs work together and the parameters of JobKeeper were set for a reason. And those parameters and guidelines and, will be maintained for the integrity of that program and for those who are unable to access the support from that program, then the JobSeeker program has also been expanded. Now, we're only 7 weeks now into a 6 month program, and it is very premature, I think, to be making judgments about what possible changes might be made. What we have done with JobKeeper so far is we've dealt with anomalies or issues that have arisen. Let's not forget, as I reminded you the other day, that this is a $130 billion program which has been able to connect with over 6 million Australians, and that has occurred in just over a month. That is an extraordinary pace of change for a program the likes of this country has, the likes of which the country has never seen before. And so, of course, there'll be some some things to sort out. But so far, the things that have required sorting out have been relatively modest and those changes have been able to be made. There's a review that will be undertaken. It is being undertaken by Treasury as we move into the 30th of June. I'm sure they will identify other issues which should be addressed at that time.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister on mental health, we know that young people and people living outside of the major cities are at risk of suicide, higher risk. And in fact, there have been warnings that they will be the most impacted in the coming years. Was there any conversation in National Cabinet about that? And also, if I may. Was there a push from the states and territories to relax the 10 Medicare subsidised rules under the existing mental health care plans?
PRIME MINISTER: No, but I’ll allow Christine to, because Christine joined us today for today's conversation. But I would stress, particularly with the impact of the unemployment statistics we saw yesterday, we're very conscious that that burden of unemployment is disproportionately affecting both women and younger people. And that is why it's so important we move quickly. I mean, one of the points Christine made today in response to issues that were raised is that the more we're able to reopen the economy, that's also good for the mental health of young people to provide that hope and that opportunity and to provide some certainty in what is otherwise a very difficult situation.
Christine?
CHRISTINE MORGAN: Thank you, Prime Minister, and really good question, because we do need to be very careful. So within within the constraints of saying that, I think any conversation about our suicide risk for any Australian needs to be very carefully managed as we go through because we want to actually concentrate on what can we do to ensure it doesn't happen. So was it, was it an issue? Absolutely it's an issue. It's an issue every conversation that I and others have when it comes to looking at the mental health and wellbeing of Australians as we go through Covid-19. So it is of great concern, as I say, the issue is very much about saying how do we stay ahead? How do we try and ensure that those connections are there? How can we try and ensure that we reach people? Now, ReachOut has just, we've looked at their figures because they are a place where young people go and particularly for rural, regional, remote areas where they need to access services which they can't do face to face. And a young person is looking for something. It's been over a 50 per cent increase in young people accessing reach out services and looking at what's there. So we know that young people are concerned. We know that this is impacting on them and we know the risks. We do know the risks. But our challenge is to make sure that we have open access for them to look for help, that, as the Minister has said, the fact we will have a comms campaign which will really seek to normalise help-seeking behaviour, that's something we've really got to get to and then we’ll make sure that we connect with them. All of those will be critical.
JOURNALIST: Thank you, just following on from Jen's question regarding the President of America threatening to pull the manufacturing work out of Australia. Is that any different to what China is doing in regards to the agricultural sector? And secondly, Premier Mark McGowan has said he'd be happy to pick up the phone and call some of his good relations in China to help smooth over the relationship between Australia and China. Have you taken him up on that? And are you planning to?
PRIME MINISTER: Look on the first issue, we have our contracts and our arrangements in place as suppliers into the programs, and we will continue to pursue those contracts as they've been set out. And so I would caution against getting too far ahead of oneself when it comes to reading in, into the statements that have been made. When it comes to our relationship with China, it is built on mutual benefit and we have a comprehensive strategic partnership which we’ve formed. And within that partnership, there are issues that need to be addressed from time to time. And the issues around beef and barley are those matters. And they've been, particularly on the barley issue, been running for some time. And we always welcome the involvement of all those who are directly involved in these sectors. And and and I have no doubt that Premier McGowan would would pursue that as he sees appropriate. And I've always been aware of those arrangements and Premiers can always take those steps. But as far as the Commonwealth government is doing, we're doing that through the channels that we have available. But I'd stress again that what the Australian government is doing is completely unremarkable. We are standing our ground on our values and the things that we know are always important. I'm not aware if there are things that Australia has decisions that we've taken in our national interest, then they are regularly raised in the discussions that I have with Chinese leaders, particularly Premier Li Keqiang who I've had several meetings with and even when I've engaged with with President Xi, and we'll continue to do that in good faith. And we'll do that, though, always standing by the values and the positions that we've consistently held. One of the most important things about our approach to the relationship, is we're always consistent, we’re always consistent. We draw very clear lines about things that are very important to us, as does the Chinese government. And we respect their lines as we expect our lines to be respected, whether it's on our foreign investment rules or our rules around technology, our rules regarding human rights and things of that nature. I don't think any Australian would want us to compromise on those important things. And those things are not to be traded ever. Now, our government is very clear about these things and we will always continue to be clear. And these are not things to be traded.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible] 7.6 million people in Australia right now being effectively paid by the government through the JobSeeker and the JobKeeper program, this morning your Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton, says that if the government can help more people through the JobKeeper program, it will. Given you've said that you don't want extend the parameters for the eligibility, are you now considering extending it beyond September? And can I ask you just on China in relation to what you mentioned before. Do you endorse George Christensen writing a letter to the ambassador of China, asking him to appear before a parliamentary committee?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, I don't involve myself in the activities of parliamentary committees. They are sovereign in their own right and they conduct their own activities. It would be very inappropriate for me to do so. And I wouldn't, nor would I pass commentary on it. In relation to the other matter, though, that you've raised, and you just might want to remind me again?
JOURNALIST: Minister Dutton?
PRIME MINISTER: What what Peter's talking about is exactly the response I gave before. This is a demand driven program. Now, we estimated some 6 million Australians would be supported by this program. It is now actually over 6.1, in fact, figures I have before me this morning, are 6,134,874. That's just a couple of days ago. So we've already exceeded what those estimates are and it's a demand driven program, and within the rules that are set out for the program, we will be supporting as many people as we possibly can and indeed, as the record shows, we are. And the timetable of the program has been well set out, we’re only seven weeks into that timeframe. And so it would be very speculative to be considering anything other than the timeframe that has been set out.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, much of the hope for the world in relation to beating this virus relies on the creation and widespread administration of a vaccine. Given the level of misinformation currently circulating on the Internet and social media around Australia, anti-vaxxer material as well as conspiracy theories, what can the government do to counteract this? And how concerning is this for you and the health officials?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, first of all, I think Australians are very sensible and I think they tend to discount those sorts of conspiracy theories when they see them. I know that the Chief Medical Officer has assisted in discouraging people from some of the most extreme of those, but they're I think, pretty self apparent. Of course, we seek to deal with disinformation and these sorts of things. But the simple question is, sorry, the simple answer is this is to get the official information then there is an Australian government COVIDSafe app which enables you to get all of that information. There is also a WhatsApp and Facebook messaging services which actually enable you to get the right information. The health.gov.au website also does the same thing and all of the information communications that we are putting out, which I'm sure everyone would agree have been quite extensive through all the various platforms that are there. They all refer to those official forms of advice and that is very important. And people should get their information from those official forms of advice and they should talk to their doctor. And that's why we provided for telehealth, which enables them to do that. But I don't know if Greg or Brendan. Do you want to add to that?
MINISTER HUNT: I’ll just add very briefly, the latest figures that I have is that our national vaccination rates, I think for the first quarter remained at almost 95 per cent. And so they're at or about record levels. So Australians are overwhelmingly doing the right thing with vaccination. And if this pandemic teaches us anything, it's, where vaccinations are available we should be using vaccinations. And we've had extensive campaigns and we'll continue to have campaigns because the message is very simple. Vaccinations save lives and protect lives.
JOURNALIST: Can I ask Ms Morgan, a question just about the suicide data. We had a burst of publicity a few days ago about some modelling on projected suicide rates as a result of the pandemic. I wonder if you could comment in light of your real time data on that modelling, how worthwhile that is. And secondly, I think that in Japan, they've actually seen suicides go down. What do you make of that?
CHRISTINE MORGAN: Thank you for that question. I found that really interesting when I saw that last night, that in Japan, the figure actually says that in April, compared to the same period last year, suicide rates are down 20 per cent. Now, what's really interesting there and it goes to your question of the value of modelling. Easy answer is all modelling is really important. And I'd take my hat off and I respect and I encourage and endorse the work of quite a few of our researchers around Australia in our institutions. They are doing fantastic work in addition to the work of Professor McGorry and Professor Hickie, we have the work of Professor Christensen, the work of Professor Maree Teeson and many others who are looking at, what do we know and how can we try and work towards this. I think one of the most important things we need to show as we look at this and this is where some of this investment will go, is we need to bring the expertise not only into the modelling itself. That's an expertise. It's actually into the underlying assumptions. It's actually into what are those things, and that's where we need our mental health experts coming together and saying, what are the risk factors for sure? We need to know those. We need to know how to reduce the risk factors. But we also need to look at the protective factors. And a question, a live question is, is there a protective component in what we are finding, which has been so challenging for so many that maybe there's a silver lining. We have stopped. We have connected. We've been at home. We are in communication with people. We don't know the answer, but that's really important. So the fundamental principle of data and modelling. Absolutely. We need to get that. We need to get strong. We need the best brains in Australia working on it collectively. We need the best brains in Australia looking at what are all of the assumptions we must look at. We need to look at, if I can say, we need to look at data on the impact of Covid-19. We need to look at the impact of our own wellbeing and population rates of wellbeing and distress. We need to look at what is happening on social and economic factors. We need to look at what is happening with risky behaviours and we need to look at data on the prevalence of mental disorders, that combined, combined would give us the modelling we need.
JOURNALIST: Just in relation to childcare, your free childcare pledge to parents obviously expires on June 28. You know the surveys in, the reviews in. Will you be extending that? And what's your thoughts on the call of Early Childhood Australia to offer parents two days of childcare free a week permanently?
PRIME MINISTER: Well the Education Minister is currently considering the program beyond its current expiry, and it was put in place as a temporary measure. And as you'll recall, it was effectively suspending the normal payment arrangements and subsidy arrangements that had been in place and moved to a different model for a period of time to give a certainty of income to those facilities to enable them to operate, which combined with the JobKeeper payment, enable them to do just that. But that is not a sustainable model for how the child care sector should work, and nor was it intended to be. And so at this point, no final decision has been made on those issues. But the intention was always to return to the payment arrangements and subsidy arrangements that had been put in place prior to those things coming into effect.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER: Sorry?
JOURNALIST: Do you believe or not there is a link between China increasing imports of US barley at the same time that they go and threaten restrictions on our exports of barley to China?
PRIME MINISTER: No. Thank you.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
14 May 2020
PRIME MINISTER: This is a tough day for Australia, a very tough day. Almost 600,000 jobs have been lost, every one of them devastating for those Australians, for their families, for their communities. A very tough day. Terribly shocking, although not unanticipated. We knew there would be hard news as the pandemic wreaks an impact on Australia as it is on countries all around the world. And so it has been the case. And in the months ahead, we can brace ourselves and must brace ourselves for further hard news for Australians to take. But it's important on a day like today that we remember to support each other again, but also to seek to take heart. And to encourage each other in hope. Almost 600,000 Australians losing work can disappoint that hope. It can break hearts. But it is important as a country that we stand firm and we stand together, the plan that the government has been pursuing from the outset of this outbreak has been to fight this war on two fronts, to fight the virus and to fight the economic devastation that the virus brings. It has always been a battle on each of these that has been critically important.
On the virus, of course, we've made great progress. We're winning, but we have not won. When it comes to our economy we anticipated that this would be the impact. And so we did not wait to put in place the economic support and lifelines that would be needed, this was done many, many weeks ago and at record levels with both the expansion of JobSeeker to support those who could not stay with their employers. And for the first time for so many of them, they would seek unemployment support or indeed the JobKeeper program, which is doing exactly that. Keeping people in their jobs. A program of a scale this country has never seen before and I hope never has to see again, to respond to such a weighty economic blow as we've seen occurring in these recent months.
So those supports were there. They were put in place in anticipation of this day because we knew it would come, and more will follow. And these supports will remain vital in the months ahead as Australia works its way through. But a key component of the plan is not just to have the supports and fight the virus, but to reopen our economy. And that is happening. A national initiative. States and territories working together to reopen our economies, to get Australians back into the jobs, to get the hours back, to get the incomes back, and to get the Australian economy into a COVID safe environment, where the economy can support them and take them forward. And that confidence will build as we are already seeing occurring. The surveys, whether it's from Westpac or from ANZ or others, which shows that rebound occurring as Australians see the plan and can see the road ahead.
I've told you before, when I left university and soon after, we went into the last recession, I remember it. I remember friends, I remember family who lost jobs, who couldn't get jobs. It was hard. This is harder. We haven't seen this before. And for many young people who have never experienced that, this is beyond anything they could imagine. But out of that recession, Australia came back and has gone on to record the longest run in economic growth in recorded economic history, according to some. It shows the resilience of Australians to bounce back, to recover, to work, to support each other, their communities, their ingenuity, their hard work. That's the way out, it's always been the way out for us. And that's what Australians can take hope in today, that despite right now right here, Australians hurting today they can look forward knowing on the basis of our national character and our ingenuity and our resolution that we will see those better days and we will come through this together as we always promised that we would together. So I've asked the Treasurer to join me today. He can speak more specifically to the numbers. But I want to commend all of those who have been involved with the JobKeeper and the JobSeeker programs, because that is what holds the nation up at this point in time, as it should in times of emergency. And there will come a time where that won't be necessary. But for now, right now, as we work to rebuild our economy, that is where our focus must be. Those supports and the difficult task of reopening, to get Australians back on their feet. Josh.
THE HON. JOSH FRYDENBERG MP, TREASURER: Thank you, Prime Minister. This is a very tough day. And these unemployment numbers and to hear, as the Prime Minister said, some 600,000 fewer Australians in a job is heartbreaking. These are families, these are friends, these are neighbours, these are workmates. Now, Australians know that we have confronted this global pandemic, this economic shock, the size of which the country has never, ever seen before, from a position of economic strength. When growth was rising, unemployment was falling. The Budget was in balance for the first time in 11 years. And according to the Reserve Bank Governor, the fundamentals of the Australian economy were very strong.
But today's unemployment numbers reveal the real and painful economic impact of the coronavirus. The participation rate has fallen to 63.5 percent. As the Prime Minister said, 594,000 fewer Australians are in a job. 325,000 of those were women. The youth unemployment rate has fallen, has risen to 13.8 per cent, up from 11.5 per cent. But this reiterates why our financial commitments to respond to the coronavirus was so important and are so important. The cash flow boosted over $30 billion dollars, helping to keep businesses in business. The JobSeeker payment, the $550 coronavirus supplement, effectively doubling what was known as Newstart, the 50 per cent wage subsidy for apprentices across the country and, of course, the $130 billion JobKeeper program. And I can inform you that today the number of employees covered by those businesses that have formally enrolled in the JobKeeper program now exceeds six million. So we have 1.6 million Australians who are on JobSeeker and Youth Allowance and now we have six million Australian employees that are covered by the more than 860,000 businesses that are formally enrolled in the JobKeeper program. And as the Prime Minister said, the lifting of these restrictions, albeit gradually and based on the health advice, will help get people back to work. Some 850,000 people will be back in work as a result of stage 1, 2 and 3 restrictions being lifted. And also, as a result, the economy will be better off by 9.4 billion dollars a month.
So as the Prime Minister has said, there is still a long way to go and the economic numbers will get worse before they get better. Today, our thoughts are with those Australians who are doing it tough, but they know that their Government has their back.
PRIME MINISTER: Phil?
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's a demand-driven program and so it is extended to all of those to whom the parameters provide for. And we had estimated that we would have a need of this order and that has proved to be true and they were hard numbers when we saw them the first time, Phil, and we knew that that was likely what would be required. And when you're running a program that is asking of taxpayers more than $20 billion a month, that's a big load but Australians are carrying it, and they're carrying it for their fellow Australians. And so we will continue to run the program as we’ve set it out to provide that support on a demand-driven basis. So it is built to take up the load that it is designed to carry.
JOURNALIST: You’ve said that there'll be a review of the JobKeeper program in June. What will that review encompass? Will it look at the possibility of longer taper for sectors that are harder hit, such as hospitality, when restaurants won't necessarily be able to make a profit like they used to under the remaining restrictions on gatherings?
PRIME MINISTER: Sure. The review was built into the process when we started the JobKeeper program, when the Treasurer and I announced it here and the Treasurer, I'm sure will comment as well. This was a program that, while brought together at a very quick pace, was not one that was done in undue haste. It was done carefully. There was important design work that was done that accorded with the principles that are set out in early March to ensure that these were temporary measures, that they relied and drew on existing payment mechanisms and in this case through the Australian Taxation Office and that were scalable and this is all the case. But when you move a program as quickly as this, then you anticipate that there will be some anomalies and issues that need to be addressed along the way and we've been doing that and the Treasurer has been doing that and the review will take into account those issues as we move forward. The timeframe for this was set out at the time it went through the Parliament and the review will provide an opportunity to see how the program is going and the experience on the ground and to make any amendments that are necessary. The Treasurer, I think.
THE HON. JOSH FRYDENBERG MP, TREASURER: Thanks, Prime Minister. Yes, the review will be conducted at the end of June and obviously the money is going out the door as fast as possible and you heard from the Secretary of Treasury at the COVID Committee that this is record-breaking pace for money going out the door.
JOURNALIST: On the job numbers today, 36 per cent of the total 593,000... 594,000 come from the 15 to 24 age bracket. What's your plan to ensure the youth of Australia won't be the biggest casualty of this crisis on the other side of it, and how many more jobs could be lost if we don't sort out the current tensions that we have with China?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, let me make a couple of points. Our plan is to reopen the Australian economy and bringing the National Cabinet together to ensure that we are working together - states, territories and the Commonwealth level to ensure we're all heading in the same direction, which is exactly what's occurring at different paces, dependent on the caseloads and circumstances in each territory and each state. But all are moving to reopen the economy and I would urge people to not underestimate the scale of that task. It's one thing to close things down. It's entirely another to open them up again and to do so in a COVID safe way and that's why we can't get too far ahead of ourselves here. The task we have now is to reopen these businesses to get employees back into their jobs and to do so in a COVID safe way so that it's sustainable for many years, potentially, if that is what is required. And so the task and the message I have for those young people is that's why I have been so forward-leaning. Whether it has been the reopening of schools which has been, on Treasury's advice, one of the most key areas to unlock and reopen our economy and based on the health advice, which has always been so consistent. That has been a necessary step. And I know, sure, I may have been pretty insistent about this, but the reason I was is I know how important it is to open up those jobs again and get those young people back into work. Now, once we go through that process of reopening the economy, it is also then to ensure that the skills and the training and the businesses they work for and that will be looking to employ them and rehire them or increase their hours or restore their positions can do so in a competitive way. We don't want an Australian economy that's propped up by subsidies. We want an Australian economy that’s propped up by strong businesses with strong markets and with great products and services that are competitive in a global marketplace. Australia is one of the great trading nations of the world, and that's why we've always pursued trade in all countries wherever we see those opportunities. You stand still long enough next to one of our trade ministers in recent years, they would have sought to do a deal with you and that's what we've done and we'll work those trading relationships. But what we will never do is trade away our values.
JOURNALIST: Just on youth unemployment, there was little movement in the youth unemployment rate even prior to the pandemic over the years the Coalition's been in government, in fact, despite the multi-million dollar jobs path program. Is it time to review some of those youth unemployment measures, given that they haven't really worked, especially now that we're nudging 14 per cent?
PRIME MINISTER: I don't agree with the premise of your question. I mean, the premise of the facts of your question are just simply not right. So we had seen quite strong falls from the peaks of youth unemployment under the policies we have put in place, including the ones you referred to. So I'm sorry, I can't share your analysis. So if I don't share it, I can hardly comment on it.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] you just see people on JobSeeker start seeking work as the economy reopens?
PRIME MINISTER: Sorry, I just didn't hear the start of that.
JOURNALIST: How important is it for you that people on JobSeeker start actually seeking work as the economy reopens and restrictions are lifted?
PRIME MINISTER: This is a very important question and the Treasurer might want to comment on this as well. The Minister for Employment will be having a bit more to say about this today. And it is very important that as the economy starts opening up again and as we start getting out from under this doona that we're under, that people do go back and start seeking those opportunities. Now, in how that relates to our employment programs, we will take that at a fair and even pace and I'll let the Minister for Employment speak more to that. But it is important. It is also important that when you have what are effectively unemployment benefits through JobSeeker at the levels that they are, that when you do that, that can provide in normal circumstances a disincentive with payments at that level for people to go and seek work. And that's why these arrangements with the COVID supplement are temporary arrangements. The reason the COVID supplement was put in place was because we knew that those who would otherwise be on JobSeeker who might in better times be able to go and find employment, that during this period that would be very difficult. So we understood that. But as the economy reopens and as opportunities open up again, then, of course we would want to see people taking up those opportunities when they present. And so we will do that, I think, in a fair way and recognising that still, still there are few opportunities that are out there at present. But we're looking forward to seeing those opportunities reopen.
Rosie?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what do you say to Andrew Leigh's comment yesterday that Australia was acting as the deputy sheriff to the US by leading calls for an investigation, an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, if the Labor Party want to share the criticisms of Australia by our critics, then I think that is really something for them to reflect on.
JOURNALIST: Do you believe Australia has been?
PRIME MINISTER: No. We have always been independent. We have always pursued our national interest. And we always will. We will always be Australians in how we engage with the rest of the world. And we will always stand our ground when it comes to the things that we believe in and the values that we uphold. We will always reach out to the rest of the world and seek to deal with them fairly and honestly and openly. And that's exactly what we're doing right now. And Australia, in the way we engage on our terms, in our interests, with our values, is something that we as a government are very proud of. And I thank those who have been so supportive of that position, including the AWU.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, still on China, George Christensen, Nationals MP, has suggested that the Port of Darwin lease should be put on the bargaining table in this trade tensions with China. How helpful is that contribution and what does it say about the state of the relationship that the Trade Minister and Agriculture Minister can't get a phone call back from their Chinese counterparts?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, this is obviously a difficult time as we deal with one particular set of trade issues that relate to anti-dumping, as well as the what is effectively the administration around beef exports to China and our agencies, our officers, our Ministers. We will just work through all the normal channels. And we've always been available to make it very clear that Australia will always do the right thing when it comes to respecting other country’s laws. The great thing about sovereignty is we always respect the sovereignty of other nations and we simply expect the same in return. And I think that's a pretty fair deal.
Jen?
JOURNALIST: These numbers don't really paint the full picture, do they? How many people of the 6 million that are on JobKeeper have been laid off but are effectively unemployed?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'll let the Treasurer speak more to this, when you get underneath the numbers I think what you'll see is that the estimates the Treasury have put together earlier are reflected in these numbers. While the headline rate is at just over 6 [per cent]. When you have almost 600,000 people exit employment that is a devastating set of numbers. And when you look at hours worked and all of those issues as well, what you do see is an even deeper impact. And I think that's reflected in what the Treasury was saying. What I would add to that, though, is that the reason that people have been able to stay connected to their employers has been because of the JobKeeper program and clearly the JobKeeper program has been incredibly effective. I mean, 6 million Australians have been supported at their worst moment and hundreds of thousands of businesses. Now, I, granted, there will be issues that are raised at the margin on a program of this scale. But let's not lose sight of the forest for the trees here. I mean, this is a program of historic proportions that is helping 6 million Australians right here right now.
Josh?
THE HON. JOSH FRYDENBERG MP, TREASURER: Well, the median market expectation for unemployment today was at 8.2 per cent. So it's come at a significantly reduced number to that. But that reflects the success of the JobKeeper program, that reflects the fact that we are maintaining the connection between employees and employers, even though some of these businesses have had to close their doors because of the restrictions. And the Prime Minister and I and the government have been constantly talking about building the bridge to recovery and to get these people back into a job as fast as possible, we need to start easing those restrictions based on the health advice, because that is what is going to get hundreds of thousands of our fellow Australians back into work.
PRIME MINISTER: John?
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] the use of Queensland taxpayers’ money to make a bid or indeed purchases an equity stake in Virgin Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm not going to buy into that. What we have done and the Treasurer, I'm sure will want to comment on, is the process we've engaged in, and that is ensuring that Virgin will keep flying and will fly into the future. And we resisted what were, I think, very pre-emptive and I think rather dangerous calls for the Commonwealth to engage in this area on behalf of taxpayers at that early phase. And I think as a result of that good judgement to allow this process to do its job, which is what is occurring, there are many bids that are coming through the process, Treasurer, and we welcome that. We want a competitive aviation market here in Australia. We want to see these two airlines flying and competing and giving a great deal to the flying public and to ensure that the freight keeps moving around this country. And we believe that will be the outcome. And we look forward to the best of the best arrangements being accepted ultimately by the administrators. And for those Virgin employees, I think that's what they're seeking and they are looking forward to. And I'm sure that that will be the outcome for them. And so we’re going to let the process run. We're not going to put a commentary on this bid or that bid. And what we want is a commercial airline that can stand on its own two feet and employ the thousands of Australians that it does and be successful.
Josh?
THE HON. JOSH FRYDENBERG MP, TREASURER: Well, thanks, Prime Minister. Well, as we've said before, Virgin is not Ansett. This is not a liquidation. This is voluntary administration. And indeed, the voluntary administrator has said that they are shortly going to narrow down the list of interested parties and then to welcome them into the next stage of this process. The federal government's not in the business of owning an airline, we're interested in a market solution.
JOURNALIST: Firstly to the Treasurer, is 10 per cent still your expected peak for unemployment? And Prime Minister, what is your response to Kim Carr saying that calls from within your government for more oversight of Chinese military science collaboration with Australian scientists are reminiscent of campaigns directed against science by far right politicians in Europe in the 1930s?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I'll let Josh speak first.
THE HON. JOSH FRYDENBERG MP, TREASURER: Well, Treasury forecasts are still for unemployment to reach around 10 per cent, but importantly, Treasury have also said, but for the JobKeeper program it would be 15 per cent. And that's really important to understand.
PRIME MINISTER: Those were very disappointing remarks. He has a bit of form on this too, I note, which is also disappointing, but that's a metaphor for Mr Albanese to address. And for the Labor Party to address, I suppose. But look, Australia is a nation of free speech, and that means that people say things from time to time and even under privilege of this place, which people can find deeply offensive. And I'm, I have no doubt that people have found that deeply offensive, and that is for, something for Senator Carr to reflect on. But our values are important to us as a country, and that's why we stand up for them each and every day. And we're about transparency. We are about fairness. We're about market-based economies. We're about a globalised world which respects the individual sovereign states that makes it up and enables for the free engagement between those nation-states. And that's what we're about. And that's why I think Australia is held in high regard that it is and people can always expect Australia, especially under our government, to act always in that way.
Thanks very much, everyone.
Statement On Indulgence - Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris, and Constable Joshua Prestney
12 May 2020
Mr Speaker, On Indulgence. When we all heard of the deaths of Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris, and Constable Joshua Prestney in Melbourne last month, it sent a shudder, I’m sure, through all of us. We all felt it.
Not only Victorians, but every Australian, because we know those who wear that police uniform, wherever they do it anywhere in the country, they stand between us and the harm that can befall any of us. The families of those police officers who serve understand this only too well.
A loss during a time when we are all feeling vulnerable at this point is also felt more sharply. Four police officers doing their duty - keeping the peace; enforcing the law; upholding the community’s trust; keeping us safe.
In normal times, after such a terrible event, such an awful loss, a city would stop. A state would pause. And today, representing a nation, we do that on behalf of all Australians. Instead, these times demand that we don’t assemble. They require us to grieve apart, as so many Australians have had to do in recent months. One of the hardest things, I have no doubt, during this time of the COVID-19 restrictions.
But Australians and Victorians did and still honoured Lynette, Kevin, Glen and Joshua. Blue ribbons were placed on front doors. Flowers were laid at police stations. 142,000 people left tributes on a memorial page. Melbourne’s landmarks shone blue, while fire stations across Victoria sounded their sirens - four blasts for four fallen and brave officers.
And on their last journeys home, people stood on the sides of roads, officers at attention on overpasses, and cars pulled over, because a hero was passing. And today for a few moments, here in our nation’s Parliament, we pause as well.
To remember Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor. She served for 31 years with Victoria Police. A mother to Nathan and Alexander, who while grieving her loss, must be so proud of her service. Lynette and her husband Stuart were building a home down the coast, looking out to Bass Strait. That’s where they were going to retire. Five days before the tragedy, Lynette pulled over an unregistered driver. The driver had forgotten to pay because she was moving house during this difficult time. She was flustered and distressed. The driver said Lynette was kind, professional and empathetic. After a breath test was administered, Lynette gently said, “Can you go home and pay it”.
We remember also Senior Constable Kevin King, who had been with Victoria Police for just six years. A father to William, James and Henry. He and his wife Sharron had been together for 35 years. Kevin was, in his family’s words, a “big softie who would do anything for absolutely anyone”. And I can think of no better vocation and occupation that he chose than to be a police officer to fulfil that promise. He loved the Richmond Tigers, as some in this place do also, and he loved his guitar. He loved to strum in the sun. He turned 50 in February. Sharron and the boys gave him a long-awaited guitar amplifier, even though they feared the family room would be turned into a music studio.
Constable Glen Humphris moved to Victoria to begin his policing career only in 2019. He was doing his probationary training at the time of this terrible incident. Glen was originally from the Central Coast in New South Wales and he had later moved to Newcastle. He loved the outdoors. Triathlons, running, cycling, camping. He met his partner Todd Robinson four years ago. Their first date was on a 30 kilometre bike ride. He moved to Melbourne to support Todd who was taking up a role with Defence. A service family - Victorian Police and our Australian Defence Forces. Protecting Australia and protecting Australians. Todd accompanied Glen’s casket on the long journey back to the Hunter. Travelling along the Hume under escort, the cavalcade stopped at the Murray for a repatriation ceremony where the care of Glen was passed over from Victorian Police to the New South Wales Police Force. A reminder that there is only one Police family in Australia.
And we remember Constable Joshua Prestney, who was 28. He also loved music, and had studied a Bachelor of Creative Industries in Melbourne. He liked playing the guitar but after seeing how much his brother, First Constable Alex Prestney, loved being a policeman, Josh changed direction. He joined Victoria Police last May and was handed his badge by his brother when he graduated in December. How proud his brother must have been. Those same hands would clutch a flag-draped coffin six months later. The day of the crash was only Josh’s second in the highway patrol. So much ahead of him. To his family and his partner Stacey, he was “creative, insightful” he was a “loving and genuine soul”. His parents said of Josh and Stacey, “They were perfect for one another and had made plans for their future together.” And of their own grief, Josh’s parents simply said, “We are broken”.
So today, we are broken with you.
Mr Speaker, when my father passed away earlier this year, the Member for Fowler Chris Hayes, also the son of a police officer, graciously sent me a copy of the Police Ode and I’ve taken great comfort from it and I hope it will create the same sense for those who have lost their loved ones.
It reads thus:
As the sun surely sets: dawn will see it arise,
For service, above self, demands its own prize.
You have fought the good fight: life’s race has been run, and peace, your reward, for eternity begun.
And we that are left, shall never forget, rest in peace friend and colleague, for the sun has now set.
We will remember. We will remember. Hasten the dawn, it says.
May our brave and dedicated officers Rest in Peace.
We owe them more than we can speak of.
And may their families draw comfort from their country’s love.
Remarks, Coalition Joint Party Room - Australian Parliament House, ACT
12 May 2020
Welcome back, colleagues, in this rather unusual setting but it's good for us to get together in a COVID safe way. We're back at work - we've never not been at work over these many months - we have been hard at work, but here we are, back today and in Canberra for the sittings today. Getting people back into their workplace and back into jobs, getting our economy moving again. That's our task.
In the last four months, we've been fighting this virus and we've been doing it with some success, particularly when you look at it internationally. And over the course of this period, we have been following a very clear plan. It is our response to the COVID crisis that has enveloped the world. Step one of that way has always been to fight the virus. And we are winning, but we have not yet won. That virus is still out there, that virus still has a great potential to do enormous harm to the livelihoods of Australians and the lives of Australians. We need to continue to fight that battle and I want to commend Greg Hunt on the tremendous job that he has done in leading that health response.
Step two of that plan has to extend an economic lifeline to Australians throughout the course of this crisis. JobKeeper, JobSeeker, the cash flow lifeline to small businesses. The additional payments that are going to pensioners and to others on welfare benefits and will happen again in July. Making sure that we understand during this emergency time we have emergency responses. That is entirely appropriate. And our Government did not shrink from that, our Government responded to that in an effective and well-planned and well-considered way, consistent with the principles that we set out in early March. That we don’t commit Australians across the generations to high levels of spending into the future, that we do it with the time that is necessary to give the support that is necessary to help Australians through this crisis. And that's what we've done. And to you, Josh, and the entire economic team and Mathias and others, it has been a very effective program, brought together in record time.
The JobSeeker program has seen more than a million people, sadly, have to seek that support through the JobSeeker payments and the work that Stuart Robert has done through Services Australia and the amazing work with the public service who have been part of that team. More than 5,000 additional people we had to bring and brought them into Services Australia to process the claims of more than a million Australians so they can get the help they need and that's been an extraordinary piece of work to extend that economic lifeline, where it is needed, to ensure that Australians can move forward with confidence.
You know, from the day that JobSeeker and JobKeeper, I should say, together were announced, confidence surveys show that we've already covered some 70 per cent of the ground by having a plan, by having the commitment, by having the follow through. And most importantly, for delivering on the ground. That is so important. We can have policies, we can have all of these things. But it's the delivery on the ground that has been demonstrated, whether it's in processing more than a million claims, five and a half million people coming onto JobKeeper, thousands, tens of thousands of small businesses that have been given that cash flow lifeline that enables them to get and see the road ahead for themselves.
So I have great faith, as we all do, in the optimism of Australians and in their resourcefulness and in their tenacity and their determination. And they can work within that framework and they can work within that plan and that's why the third step of the plan which I announced last Friday was that road back. Those three steps, working together with the states and territories in a way that we have never seen in our Federation through the National Cabinet. I thank the premiers and chief ministers for the work that they have done, working together as part of a genuine national effort, and we have led that effort as a Government. We've mapped out the road back to a COVID safe economy.
So Australians can go back to the workplaces, so children can be back in school. Both of my daughters are back in school today, in the classroom, in New South Wales. That road back is giving Australians hope. It’s giving them confidence. They can see down the road and they can see how we can get to that next stage.
But we cannot be complacent. States and territories are each pacing out this road back and that's appropriate, because the circumstances of our great country and its broad reaches are very different. From Warren up in North Queensland to our friends in Tasmania, right across in the West where they're well ahead down this plan. It's a big country and it means the responses will be different across the country. But they're all heading in the same direction and that's what the national effort has done.
But as we reopen, which is that third stage, we now must work to build confidence and to build momentum. We cannot be complacent. While we very much look to the future as Australians are, as a Government we must remain absolutely focused on the right here, right now, needs of Australians. Australians are hurting now. Their businesses are still not open now. They’re still not back to their full time employment arrangements that they long to be back into. Not all of the kids are back in school. There's still a long way to go, and so we can't be distracted. By things that are further down the road because Australians need our help now, and we need to focus on their needs now, right here, right now, and that's what we'll be doing in this parliament this very week.
But that fourth phase is about building that momentum. It's about building that confidence, confidence figures are out today, as I said, a 70 per cent rebound. Despite the difficult circumstances, the country is still moving. But we can't be complacent. As Australians go back out and re-engage in their workplaces and their communities as kids go back to playgrounds, and surfers get back on the waves and golfers get back on the course. And thankfully, the NRL returns to the field, and the AFL too I'm sure, and the netball.
But we cannot be complacent that the virus is beaten as I’m sure Greg will tell us, the virus is still out there. It is still there to wreak havoc, to cause terrible illness, particularly to our most vulnerable Australians and deny Australians’ their livelihoods.
And so that's why the COVIDSafe app is so important, because that is part of the protection that Australians have as we venture back out. We can open back up, not because the virus is defeated, we can open up, because of the tremendous work is being done in our health system to build up the ICU’s, to get the ventilators in place, to build up our testing regime, to get the COVIDSafe app so we can industrialize the tracing of cases and isolate those who will contract the virus as the economy opens up again. And then we can respond to individual outbreaks, whether they're in a nursing home, and I congratulate you, Melissa, for the great work you've done out there in the community of Penrith with the Newmarch, it’s been a terrible, terrible, a terrible incident. And Richard, to you and all that time in the department, have done a great job in responding to these outbreaks. And they will happen, but we will respond.
And that is where our focus will be in the many months ahead, weeks and months of getting the momentum back into our country. And that's where we must support all Australians in our electorates across the country, encouraging them, spurring them on. We've got the frameworks right, we've got the policy settings right. And we know they will get it right, if we continue encouraging them and showing the way forward. And of course, we will need to reset our economic policies and other policy frameworks to ensure that Australia grows itself out of this crisis.
The answer is not spending more or spending forever. The answer is that Australian businesses small, micro, medium, large will rebuild, will re-employ, will restart and engage in this COVID safe economy and do what they’ve always done. Theirs are the shoulders that Australians will stand on, those businesses that will provide the employment and provide the opportunities.
Governments can support that. But at the end of the day, it’s that economy. You know, governments, we have no money of our own. The only money we have is what is provided to us by the Australian people and the hard work of Australian people and the success of Australian businesses. And that is our road map to recovery. That is our road ahead. By spurring those businesses on to ensure that they can provide the livelihoods that Australians desire on the other side of this crisis.
So jobs, guaranteeing the essential services that Australians rely on, keeping Australians safe, looking after this amazing country that we have the responsibility to look after. That can only be done as we know, by ensuring that we rebuild our economy on the other side of this crisis and that between now and that point, we stand with Australians, giving them the support they need to ensure that they can put themselves in that position on the other side.
Now, from this point, during the course of this week, we'll obviously deal with the legislation that's coming before the parliament. And there are many Australians, I think, we need to thank, but one group in particular I want to thank, as I have spoken with leaders around the world and we've compared notes on how we're dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, and Australia stacks up pretty well. One of the groups in our community here in Australia that was so important early on was the Chinese-Australian community. They have been instrumental. That first wave that would have come, the responsibility, discipline, the support for each other, demonstrated by the Chinese-Australian community when the border restrictions were put in place, one of the first places in the world to do that, and the cooperation, the willing, enthusiastic, patriotic cooperation we had with the Chinese-Australians here was magnificent. And we owe them a great debt as a nation. And I want to thank them for that. Because they set the mark for the rest of us to follow, which we all now have. And that means that Australia is in a better position than almost any other country in the world to deal with this crisis. So a big shout out to all of our community, those amazing Australians that join us here each year in Australia who dealt the first blow of this virus as it came in Australia.
So with that, I’m going to hand over to the DPM, and it's great to have you all back here, the many times by telepresence and remotely over past months. It is good to have us back here in a COVID safe environment as so many other workplaces and schools and other organisations all around the country are doing this every day. This is the road back, we're on it. Thank you all very much.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
11 May 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, everyone, on this brisk Canberra morning. Right here, right now is where our Government's focus is. Australians dealing with some of the hardest times in their lives. Across the country that is, of course, the case when in relation to COVID-19. But for many, many months now and much longer than that for our rural communities, they've been dealing with these hardships. The drought that has gone on for years, the floods some 18 months ago up in North Queensland, of course, the bushfires that devastated communities in the country earlier this summer during that black summer. While in recent times, of course, over the last several months, what you have heard predominantly from the Government, particularly from here, has been necessarily our response to COVID-19, fighting the virus, putting the economic lifeline in place. And last week, setting out that roadmap of the three steps that take us back to a COVID safe economy.
All through this time, though, the work of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and its sister organisation in the drought and the flood recovery agencies have been doing some sensational work and working on the ground to deliver the supports that we said would be there. Earlier this year, we announced the establishment of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency. We committed $2 billion to the work of that agency to be delivered on the ground. $500 million was expected to be spent over the course of the first six months of that agency. I can tell you that that bill now is likely to exceed a billion dollars by the time we get the bills in from all the states and territories by the 30th of June this year. And on top of that, there's a further around half a billion dollars in support payments that have been paid through disaster assistance and the like. So around one and a half billion dollars of Commonwealth support going directly to support local businesses, local householders, people in desperate need of financial assistance, mental health support. The list goes on and it should because the impact of those bushfires was absolutely devastating and a day has not passed in our Government where those issues have not been getting the attention that they deserve as a high priority. And I want to particularly commend Minister Littleproud and AJ, as he's known, for the great work that they've been doing in just keeping the focus on these important areas of focus for the Government in delivering this support.
Local councils, small business, primary producers, wildlife recovery, some $50 million already delivered in that area, specifically, the mental health support, childcare, financial counselling, cleanup costs, support for the tourism industry. And as we've gone about this process on the ground, the National Bushfire Recovery Agency has been working closely with state and local governments, been working closely with local communities. And we've been listening and we've been adapting the programs to meet the needs that were there. One of the key issues that needed to change was how we were delivering grant support to small businesses. And so we put in place in early March a new program to support small businesses, which was the small business support grants of $10,000. 17,471 small, medium-sized businesses have now received those $10,000 grants. Some $174 million has gone out the door to support them and that's been a real game-changer is the feedback that we've received. And we're pleased that having adapted that program, the other program continued for the higher amounts and there's over $30 million that has also been provided through that program. So overall, some $200 million in assistance has gone out to those small businesses.
On the issue of cleanups, which I know was of great interest to those who are particularly in the affected areas, this is a program that has been run by the states but has been joint funded by the Commonwealth. South Australia, I'm advised, is almost all the way through. New South Wales will have completed their cleanup works, we anticipate, by the end of June and for Victoria that will be some time in August. Overall, about a third of the cleanup job has been done. There's a lot of time in preparing for the cleanup, and so that is what was taking some considerable time earlier on in the cleanup phase. But states are in a better position to go through those issues, working through safe clearances of properties, asbestos issues, those types of things. But once it's got up and running, it started to move very quickly and the Commissioner can take you through more of that information. Of that $2 billion, some $1.3 billion or thereabouts, just over that $1.35 billion, had already been committed. And the balance now of $650 million has been committed into a series of programs, which I'll ask Minister Littleproud to take you through. But the nature of that investment really does go to the recovery phase. Communities, individuals, businesses will respond and seek assistance on their own timetable. You certainly get a wave of need for that support initially after the disaster, but it doesn't stop there and what we've seen, particularly with the disaster relief payments, they have continued after an earlier peak and they've been maintained at a fairly constant level as when people get into the next phase of how they're adjusting will reach out and seek that support. And one of the great things that Commissioner Colvin has done is to ensure that he's connecting people with this support. One of the reasons I'm pleased by the fact that we will have more than doubled what we anticipated spending by the 30th of June is you can design programs and you can provide support, but it's in its delivery that really matters. And to be able to double our expectations of what we're able to get out the door and to support communities, I think is a real testament to the great work that the Commissioner Colvin and the Minister have done, connecting people up with that support.
The initial shock and trauma of going through a crisis such as this can leave you just standing there, devastated, unable to reach out and connect the supports that are available. And so that's been the work of the recovery agency, working with state and territory organisations and charitable organisations, to take that support and connect it to people on the ground. And so they've done a tremendous job in doing that. So I'm going to ask Minister Littleproud to take you through the $650 million in assistance and supports. It focuses very much on the recovery, local recovery plans, investing in what's happening on the ground in areas, whether it's in the snowy areas or the parts of New South Wales or Victoria, Kangaroo Island. The mental health support that is needed and ongoing, the work that is needed to support the forestry industry. There's another $150 million going into our wildlife recovery plan. The first $50 million is pretty much all out the door and we always said that was a down payment. So some 10 per cent of what we're spending as a Government to support the recovery from the bushfires is about restoring and supporting wildlife throughout those areas that were so terribly burned and scarred throughout the course of the bushfires. And then there's also the support for telecommunications. So this has been a comprehensive initiative by the NBRA, and I thank them for their work and I'll ask Minister Littleproud to take you through those announcements.
Thanks, David.
THE HON. DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, DROUGHT AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Thanks, Prime Minister. And despite the COVID crisis, I can assure you that A.J. and his team have not taken the foot off the accelerator. We've continued to engage with the community and made sure that they understand they are not forgotten. They are part of this whole plan of getting them back up on their feet as we move from immediate relief in getting them some dignity and respect, now to a longer term recovery. And we've always said we wanted this to be locally led, not Canberra-led, and we want to build back better. And the best people to make that determination are those that have been impacted themselves.
So the centrepiece of what we're announcing today is nearly $450 million around local economic recovery plans. We're empowering those communities to tell us, to tell us how they need to rebuild, what will get them back up on their feet, what will build their communities, their lives better, and we'll empower them to make that determination. And that will be different in each community. We don’t want a cookie cutter approach. We want to empower those people to make those determinations, allow them to get to that point of telling their government exactly what recovery looks like and what resilience into the future looks like. So we'll continue now to work with state governments to make sure that those local economic recovery plans are rolled out in a calm, methodical way that listens to the community and understands the community's needs. That's the most important thing that we can do. And I think there'll be great learnings for future disasters in how we roll this out. This is the first time the government's undertaken, and that's an important aspect.
Another significant contribution out of this fund is nearly $150 million towards rehabilitating habitat. Our first $50 million was about looking after the species that were endangered and threatened by this fire. We're now rebuilding their habitat, nearly $150 million to go into building that environment for them to recover, along with the communities that support them. So that's an important aspect of this plan in understanding that, in fact, the environment plays a significant role in our tourism sector in a lot of these parts of the world. And it's important we make that investment because the flow on benefits economically are just as great as those that we are making environmentally.
I’ve also understood the significant impact that the forestry industry is under, has copped through this. So there's $15 million to partner with our state colleagues in helping pay for some of the freight costs and salvaging some of the timber that's out there, to keep that industry up and going and to protect the jobs that are there. There'll be more work that's required, particularly in the forestry industry. It's not a commodity where you can plant a crop and you get to sow it in, and get to harvest it in 12 months. It takes time. We've got to work continually through with that industry to make sure that that recovery is looked at strategically and will work with the states on that.
Another significant piece is over $27 million in telecommunications. And one of the real gaps that we found during this crisis was at points our telecommunication systems didn't support the need during a crisis. And so we're working with telcos around more mobile phone towers, but also satellite dishes and putting in new batteries to build back that infrastructure better, understanding what we need to do to protect the lives of Australians in future disasters. And that's an important aspect that we've learnt from this and we will continue to work with the telcos.
But one of the most important aspects to this plan, and while not the greatest amount, is the $13 odd million dollars that we're putting into mental health. There is a fragility out there and there is Australians that are healing at different stages. And we've seen the convergence of drought and fire, COVID-19. And there is a lot bearing down on these people. And we need to understand they are all at different stages of that healing process. And so we are empowering the local primary health networks to tailor mental health programs for their communities, not that are tailored out of Canberra or out of Melbourne or Sydney, but out of the local communities, because each will have specific needs. So it's important we listen and understand and they and they understand those people that the Australian government will stand shoulder to shoulder with them. And there is no stigma in asking for help because that help will be there. It'll be there for you right now and into the future, because if we can repair your lives, then we will repair our nation quicker from this. You are a significant contribution, significant contributor to our economy and we look after you. So this is as comprehensive as we can make it, but it's always been on the premise of making sure it's a locally led recovery, not a Canberra led recovery. And we will be building back better.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. I’ll ask Mr Colvin to speak to the work of the NBRA.
ANDREW COLVIN APM OAM, NATIONAL BUSHFIRE RECOVERY COORDINATOR: Good morning, everybody. Thank you. Prime Minister. Thank you, Minister. This is a really good day for bushfire affected communities across Australia. I think it signals to them what we've been saying for some time now that while obviously we have challenges of COVID-19, the bushfire communities have not been forgotten. In the four months since the National Bushfire Recovery Agency was established, we've been travelling the length and breadth of bushfire affected and bushfire scarred communities from central Queensland, Rockhampton, Yeppoon in the north, all down the coast of New South Wales in Victoria and of course, Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island. We've heard a lot of stories. We've heard a lot of the grief and the trauma. We've also heard incredible stories of heroism and hope and the fact that the communities want to work with each other, want to work with us, want to work with their state and local governments to make sure that the recovery is the best recovery that it can be, across the breadth of those bushfire impacted communities there is now around 100 triggered local government, local government areas for disaster recovery. That's at a scale that we haven't seen before. And we've been working very hard with all of those communities. And as you've heard this morning already, the thing that has stood out the most to me in all of our engagements is there are no two communities that are the same, in fact, even within local government areas. There's no two small groups of people whose recovery pathway will be the same. Disasters of this nature impact individuals in very different ways. And the recovery from that is very individualistic. So I'm really pleased today that the recovery that has been announced by the government is locally led, and I'm pleased that the government have agreed that we need to make this driven from the bottom up, because that's the story that we keep hearing. I'm really excited by some of the proposals that have been announced today, particularly those ones around mental health and wellbeing. It's a constant message we keep hearing from the government. The funding today on top of the money that's already been announced will go direct to the local community, the local government areas who have been saying to us time and time again that they need to do this at a local level. We're really pleased to see that environment continues to be a big issue. And the Minister has spoken about telecommunications as one of the first issues raised with me in my officers as we travel around is the need for our communications networks to be resilient and robust at the time of emergency. And, of course, economic recovery. We know that everyone's economy is different, but we also know from our analysis that these bushfires have hit in a disproportionately large way our forestry sector, our tourism sector, our agriculture sector. Now, we're working very hard with our state and territory partners to make sure that the recovery can be led in those sectors. And we know that of the damage that's been done, the economic damage across the bushfire impacted zones, around about 80 per cent of it is zeroed in on the top 30 LGA’s of that 100, so we know that we've got a deal of work ahead of us and we know where we need to focus our energy. But every local government area will get an opportunity to work with us and get an opportunity to receive funding out of these measures. So I'm really excited by the announcement today. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. Now, I don't plan to go round to everybody, there’s quite a crowd here today. So I'm just, Phil?
JOURNALIST: Can I ask on China?
PRIME MINISTER: If we can just do bushfires first, I’m happy to go to the other matters. You can ask one on bushfires.
JOURNALIST: You’ve spent a billion dollars already, twice, twice as much anticipated. Does that indicate you might have to spend more than the 2 billion through this process? And then can I ask a China one as well?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, just let me deal with bushfires first. I'm pleased that we've been able to get so much support out so quickly, whether it's been particularly those small business programs of over $200 million, and to be able to learn the lessons early and to be able to change the program and deliver. And I want to thank those on the ground who gave us a lot of good feedback on how to get that program right, whether we need to commit more. Well, we'll happily receive submissions from the minister. I said that we will spend what it takes to get these communities back on their feet. $2 billion at this point is proving to be very comprehensive. And as I said, there's another $500 million already by the 30th of June, which has gone out in those disaster recovery payments. And we expect that to continue as well. So we will spend, well more than $2 billion. And I suspect we'll sooner spend it earlier than we had anticipated. And that's just a sign that we've been more successful in connecting people up to the programs. But, you know, we are very open to that Phil. But on the other matter?
JOURNALIST: The draft decision by the Chinese to impose the tariffs on barley, do you see that as retribution for, you know, for us pushing for the review into the outbreak of the virus?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I don't. This is a program that's been going on for 18 months. This review, it's been a subject that I've raised at the various meetings that I've had with the Chinese leadership, including Premier Li Keqiang last year. It's been an ongoing issue between our two countries and we have seen the level of trade of barley into China fall from 1.7 billion down to 600 million. So I think it's, it would be, I think we have to be careful not to draw lines between these two things. We would expect and hope that this issue will be determined on its merits. It's an anti-dumping issue from the Chinese perspective. They certainly haven't raised it as connected to any other issues. And I'd be extremely disappointed if it was. But there's no reason for me to think, based on the way that they're approaching it, that I could draw that conclusion. It's important that we just deal with this on its merits, as we have been for some time now. We believe that trade is incredibly important and beneficial for both countries. Anti-Dumping regimes we respect, we have anti-dumping regimes here. We have had anti-dumping inquiries in relation to Chinese products into Australia. And not all of those decisions have been well received, but they've been made on the merits. And I would hope and expect that China would do the same thing.
JOURNALIST: Just on the, the opposition has been talking again about JobKeeper-
PRIME MINISTER: Why don’t we just do a few on bushfires, if there are questions on bushfires have to do that. I'm happy to come back to all the other issues that are out there, Lanai?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there have been reports this morning that the original lot of money in relation to the bushfires was not getting out and getting into bank accounts quick enough. Will you commit to that occurring? And just on another issue in relation to JobKeeper. There have been calls this morning for that to be extended post the current time?
PRIME MINISTER: Let’s just deal with the bushfires. Andrew, did you want to speak to the issue of the timing, I mean, what we've said today is that we thought we'd get $500 million out and we've got more than a billion out. So I think that addresses that and significantly on the basis of the changes that were made to programs. But when it came to the disaster recovery payments, those are the payments made to individuals, those immediate cash support. I mean, that was going out with those who were connected to the real time payment system within half an hour. So some of that support was going out in record time. Others, particularly on small business, there were issues with that. That's why we changed the program.
ANDREW COLVIN APM OAM, NATIONAL BUSHFIRE RECOVERY COORDINATOR: Thank you and thank you for the question. Look, we're working very hard to make sure there is no blockage and there are no blockages to how this money rolls out. And we are finding that the money is getting into individuals and businesses pockets very quickly. Over 18,000 businesses now have had money. And in some instances there has been less than a 24 hour turnaround from the point of application. In fact, of that 18,000, or 17,400 businesses that have received the $10000 grant, there's only been about 17,000 applications. So it's a small amount that haven't received it. And I'm sure they will receive it very shortly. So money is flowing. Over 260,000 individuals have received the DRA and the DRP. We know that there's just over 1,500, I think 1,700 farmers have received the primary producer grants, so money is flowing out. Of course, what we do is every time we hear about an individual or a business that for whatever reason is struggling to get themselves through the process, we take those cases up individually and that's why we've adjusted the programs as well. The Prime Minister has talked about adjusting the small business program. We've adjusted all of the programs to make sure that the policy intent is being reached. So we're happy to take on individual cases and look at it. But I think money is flowing quite well.
JOURNALIST: And just on JobKeeper?
PRIME MINISTER: I'll come back to that.
JOURNALIST: Some of the people in these communities have been living surrounded by rubble and debris for months now. Who do you blame for that?
PRIME MINISTER: This has been a very difficult program, I think, for the state's rollout. And Andrew, again, might want to comment on this. I referred to it earlier. They are about a third of the way through now and we're funding half of the project. But the project is actually run by the states and territories, the Commonwealth doesn't run those projects. And I'm pleased to learn also in the briefs that I've received that more than half, well over half that workforce that is actually doing the cleanup work is actually local contractors and suppliers as well. And I welcome that as well, because part of the rebuilding process is also aiding in the economic recovery process on the ground as well. And I really welcome that. The early phases in dealing with some of the OH&S issues, asbestos issues, they had to be worked through and they have been worked through. And now a third of the way through the program, in South Australia's almost done. New South Wales will be done by the end of June and Victoria by August. But Andrew?
ANDREW COLVIN APM OAM, NATIONAL BUSHFIRE RECOVERY COORDINATOR: Yeah PM, I think the states are doing a remarkable job of trying to cleanup as many sites as I can quickly. Yes, it took a little bit of time at the start. But I think we also need to recognise that, I've visited many of these sites, many of these locations. It's not always a nice flat suburban area that they're trying to cleanup. A lot of these are rural properties or a lot of them are on very inaccessible land. And we know asbestos and other contaminants are an issue. I think things are moving very quickly now. And anyone who is living on, on a who is displaced or who is still living in it in a tent, I’ve heard situations like that. The states are working very hard to make sure that they're not. And I know that every person who has been displaced from their home has been given the offer of temporary accommodation.
JOURNALIST: PM, a whole of government response to a question on notice released this morning stated that only $538 million has been released from the $2billion Bushfire Recovery Fund. So what is the rest of that money making up to the $1 billion? And within that question on notice, it wasn't just demand driven service programs that hadn't got the money out of the door. Things like rural financial counsellors had zero money released so far. And that's not entirely demand-driven. Where's that billion coming from?
PRIME MINISTER: I can tell you it's in rural financial counselling, it's in childcare subsidies, it's in mental health for school communities, it's in wildlife and habitat recovery. It's an international search support. It's in tourism, but a large part of what is still to come relates to the payments to the states for the site cleanups. Those items will be billed separately and they are hundreds of millions of dollars. And so what you're seeing already and what's actually been paid out and is expected to be paid out shortly is across all the areas that I referred to before. As I said, we will have got out the door twice what we anticipated doing back in January. And that is due to the great work of the Bushfire Recovery Agency connecting with local communities. And one of the most significant elements of that has been getting that $170 million to small businesses in $10,000 grants, which has been a real game changer for them.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible] You insisted to us that if you shut down, it had to be for six months. That was the only way that you could squash the virus. How did you get that wrong? And can you confirm that the Treasury review into JobKeeper will assess whether to truncate or alter the program before September. Given restrictions are being lifted?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Andrew, I, I don't share your certainty about the future that you seem to profess about how the coronavirus operates. We still have a long way to go on this. And I think it's quite dangerous, I think, to assert that this is all over as your question suggests. And so I wouldn't agree with your assessment. We’ve still got a long way to go. We are just now starting to reopen our economy. We are not fully certain about what the implications of all of that will be. And that's why we have to remain on our guard. And that's why the states are moving at their own pace to implement the road map that I set out last week. And we will come under test again with the protections that we have put in place. So I would not be so overconfident as you, when it comes to where things are at. I think Australians have to remain on their guard. And I think the chief medical officer was stressing this point yesterday. The reason that we're opening things up again is not because the virus has beaten. The virus is still out there. It hasn't gone anywhere. It is still out there. There may be only 700 or so active cases in Australia now, but Australia is still very much at risk. The reason we're reopening is we've put protections in place and it will take us some time to reopen our economy and get it back to a point where it can start supporting Australians again. And so I wouldn't share your assessment of the scene several months ago, we have put in place and bought 6 months worth of time. We are only six weeks into that six months. And we've put the commitment in to support Australians over that period of time. And as we need to adjust based on advice and the strength of the economy and how many people we’re getting back into jobs. Well, these are the things we'll be watching carefully. But I don't think Australians can be in any doubt that when they needed us most, we were there. And we're there for them right here, right now. And we'll be there for them in the future.
David?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, would you consider scaling back JobKeeper or ending it before the end of September?
PRIME MINISTER: All of this is very premature. We are six weeks into a six month program. And the impact of the virus, how it will impact on Australia in the months ahead with a reopening economy is very much a work in progress. That's why we've put this six month lifeline in place. And what we need to ensure that we do is that whatever supports we have, that they are targeted. I set this out in early March. In early March, I said we had to have programs that were targeted. We had to have programs that used existing distribution mechanisms within the government. We've been doing all of these things and all of our programs will continue to be delivered in accordance with those principles. But let there be no doubt Australians know that our government has been there to back them through one of the toughest times in their lives, not just on COVID-19, bushfires, on drought, on floods. We've been there to support them and we will continue to be there to support them.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister the Audit Office has revealed that on the 26 of March 2019, your office asked Bridget McKenzie to seek your authority on projects to receive sports grants, and she wrote, seeking that on the 10th of April. So why, did you mislead the House of Representatives when you said that no authorisation was provided by you? And why did your office do that if you had no role in authorising?
PRIME MINISTER: No. It’s good to see that the Canberra press gallery is back to politics as usual with Parliament coming back. Yeah. Thank you. I've answered your question, I said no.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] He asked about potentially ending the JobKeeper scheme early. Would you also be open to as Deloitte has called for, a staging at the ending of it. That would be longer than the 6 month time limit you have, if unemployment is still very, very high levels, you know, by the end of the year?
PRIME MINISTER: I think it’s very… we have got to be careful not to be speculative about this. What the legislation has done is to put in place a program for six months that supports people through an economic lifeline, an income support lifeline, to the tune of some $130 billion. And that doesn't include JobSeeker, which is many tens of billions on top of that and this is what we're delivering to support Australians during this time. Now, how that program can be adjusted to better support over that period or if there are sectors that come under greater strain over a longer period of time, these are all things that the government is fully aware of. But we are not going to get ahead of ourselves here, and I would encourage others not to get ahead of themselves here. We are six weeks into a six month program in one of the most uncertain economic and health environments any of us have ever seen. And so if you've got a crystal ball, you might want to share it with me. I don't have one. So we're going to make decisions based on the advice that we have and our reading of the economy. But right now, Australians need that support, whether it's in a bushfire affected community, a drought affected community, or those who are still unable to reopen their businesses because there's insufficient demand for them to do so. My focus is on what they need today, right here, right now.
Chris?
JOURNALIST: You did begin, as you say, 18 months ago. It began after Australia banned Huawei from the 5G network and we brought in foreign interference laws. In that 18 months, has China sought any information from the Australian Government at all on the level of subsidies that we might be giving? Have they sent out any investigations teams? And if they haven't done any of those things, how can this be being decided on the merits of trade?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, at this stage, they are coming to a conclusion, I understand, sometime next week, I think Chris. And so the Trade Minister will continue to facilitate any assistance they need on any of those things. But on the broader question, I think he dealt with that yesterday.
JOURNALIST: Is there a single inspector here?
PRIME MINISTER: The Trade Minister dealt with that yesterday.
THE HON. DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, DROUGHT AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: [Inaudible] we're working as cooperatively and on the 19th of May we’ll see that report. I don't think we should speculate or jump ahead. We're working to provide whatever information is required to ensure that our case is adequately prosecuted with the Chinese officials.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what's your reaction to the scenes of protests on the streets in Melbourne and Sydney over the weekend of people wanting things to open up sooner and that level of civil disobedience?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I understand people's frustration and I'm pleased to see that the Victorian Premier has made some decisions today or prior to today in terms of where they are going on the roadmap back. And I welcome that as I do the announcements made in Western Australia and New South Wales and other places. The states, as we said last Friday, are setting out their timetable. An important part of what we decided last week is that people did need to see that road ahead because we understand the frustrations of not knowing, well, what happens next and what happens after that. We're able to get ourselves to a position last Friday, a week ahead of where we thought we would, where we were in a position to do just that. So it is our hope that that will provide some hope to Australians that will help deal with, I think, the anxieties and frustrations that they are feeling. It's a free country, people will make their protest and make their voices heard. But equally, that needs to be done in an appropriate way and it needs to respect the law enforcement authorities who are just simply trying to do their job. So we understand it's a difficult time and those issues will be dealt with in the normal way.
Brett?
JOURNALIST: In terms of JobKeeper and JobSeeker, the bottom line is it is too early to make a call, but you're open to loosening or winding back some payments and potentially extending others at some point in the future if there are 850,000 people back to work before the end of July, for example, some of those restrictions or payments might be wound back?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I've said I think is very clear is that we're six weeks into a six month program and at this stage, the uncertainties about the global economy, let alone our own economy, are still very much there. And it would be very premature, I think, to get into speculations. What people know is there six months of an economic lifeline to the value of $130 billion and that says to Australians that we will be there for you and we will be there for you to get Australians back into work. The thing that matters is getting Australians back into work. The thing that matters is getting Australian businesses back open, because when that happens, there will be no need for those levels of income support. Success for our economy is when we're able to get ourselves out of the situation which requires such enormous taxpayer support. And it's not just today's taxpayers, it's tomorrow's taxpayers as well and our Government will also always be extremely prudent in not putting burdens on future generations, let alone the current generation, in dealing with the challenges that we have today. So that income support was forthcoming. It was forthcoming quickly and delivered in, you know, with record speed when it comes to programs of this scale and this size. It was carefully considered. It wasn't rushed into. It was worked through. It was well-designed and it's been doing the job and it will keep doing that job for as long as it's needed and the test, ultimately, is ensuring that we get people back into jobs. If people are in jobs, they don't need income support and that's my task. That's the state's task. That's all of our task, to support businesses. I said on Friday, opening up was step three. Step four was building that confidence and building that momentum. Step five was that reset which went to the broader policy issues that would see our economy grow into the future so we can pay back the debt and we can continue to guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on. So that's what we're focused on, right here, right now. Thanks very much.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
8 May 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Always being thankful is a common lesson our mothers advise us, and I have always found that particularly good advice from my mum, especially if you're going through difficult times. It turns your focus on others, who are not so advantaged as yourself. We've been doing a lot of that lately, I'm sure. So many Australians are hurting right now. Lives turned upside down, painful separation from their loved ones. Livelihoods that they have spent a lifetime building stripped away. Uncertainty about their futures and their family's future. The last few months have given us a reminder of the things that are really important. Our health, our wellbeing, a strong health system and all those who keep it strong. A growing economy. Our jobs and our incomes that rely on it. We cannot take this for granted. Every job matters, whatever job you do. Every job is essential.
Our children's education. Caring for our elderly, respecting their dignity. The selfless and humble service of so many Australians who just get on with it every day make this great country work. We have seen these heroes in action. Above all though, the importance of each other. That every Australian matters. Every life, every job, every future. And we have learnt some important lessons that we can meet the tests, as we have, and the challenges that we have so far confronted. That when we have to, we can and we do pull together. That we can focus on something bigger than just ourselves. Be encouraged, Australia, that we are successfully making our way through this difficult battle on two fronts. And we're certainly doing it better than many and most around the world today.
Firstly, we've been fighting the virus and we are winning. Secondly, we have put in place and are delivering the economic lifeline through JobKeeper and JobSeeker and many other programs to get us through the worst of this, to buy Australians time as we fight the virus and we chart our way back. Thirdly, and particularly today, we move ahead with reopening our economy and our society, with a clear plan, and a clear framework, that shows Australians the road ahead. The next step beyond this will be to build the confidence and momentum that will see our economy get back up and running and get Australians back up on their feet and moving ahead with confidence. And then we can reset our economy for growth in the years ahead in this new environment. So we can deliver the jobs, guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on, keep Australians safe, and take care of this amazing country that we have the great responsibility of looking after. This is the plan we are working through to get through this together, as we promised.
So today our focus is on the road back. Today, we have put Australia in a position to go forward. We have strengthened our health system and put the protections in place. On the front-line, our testing and our tracing capabilities, containing outbreaks, all backed up by a health system with more ICU beds and ventilators, more personal protective equipment, doctors, nurses, first responders, ready to go. JobSeeker and JobKeeper in place. So with that work being done, today National Cabinet agreed on a three step plan and a national framework to achieve a COVID safe economy and society and it is our goal to move through all of these steps to achieve that COVID safe economy in July of this year. In this plan, we walk before we run. We know we need to be careful to preserve our gains, but we also know that if we wish to reclaim the ground we have lost, we cannot be too timid. There will be risks, there will be challenges, there will be outbreaks, there will be more cases, there will be setbacks. Not everything will go to plan. There will be inconsistencies. States will and must move at their own pace, and will cut and paste out of this plan to suit their local circumstances. There will undoubtedly be some human error. No-one is perfect. Everyone is doing their best. To think or expect otherwise, I think, would be very unrealistic. This is a complex and very uncertain environment. But we cannot allow our fear of going backwards from stopping us from going forwards.
The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Murphy, will go into the plan in more detail. But this is the plan for a COVID safe Australia. Three steps, moved at at the pace of states and territories that will get us back where we need to be as quickly as we can. A plan that, according to Treasury, can see some 850,000 jobs restored in the months ahead.
Step one will enable greater connection with friends and family, allowing gatherings up to 10 people, and five guests in your own home. Working from home, if it works for you, and your employer. That's a difference in emphasis, as I'm sure you’ve picked up. It will see children back in classrooms and in playgrounds in their communities. Golfers back on the green. Lap swimmers back in the pool. Boot camps back in the parks. Retail and small cafes and restaurants reopening. Intrastate recreational travel starting again. It will see easing of restrictions for funerals with up to 30 attendees, outdoors, and 10 at weddings.
Step two will allow larger size gatherings up to 20 people, including for venues such as cinemas and galleries, more retail openings on sector-based COVID safe plans, organised community sport, and beauty parlours, and you'll be pleased to know, barre classes open once again.
Step three, allowing gatherings up to 100 people. This will become clearer as we move through the first two steps. So there will be more work to do on step three. But most workers, by then, will be back in the workplace. Interstate travel will likely resume. Pubs and clubs, with some restrictions, will be open and also possibly gaming venues. As I said, step three, but also step two, will get greater definition as we move through the success of step one.
As I said, it's our aspiration as agreed among premiers and chief ministers and myself that in July, we will have moved through these three steps across the country. The pace, though, will totally be up to the states and territories. They'll be responsible for setting their own timetable and communicating that to their citizens and residents in their own states and territories. Premiers and chief ministers have asked me to stress there should be no expectation of step one starting on day one, unless they are indeed already there. Moving on these steps will take some preparation. It is also important to note that movement from one step to the next will depend on three criteria that we have always outlined, and indeed, has enabled us to move today, a week earlier than we had planned. Those criteria again - that the medical evidence suggests that further easing would not present an undue risk, that widespread testing is adequately identifying community transmission, and thirdly, public health actions are able to trace cases and trap local outbreaks. Testing, tracing, trapping, as they were saying in the Northern Territory recently. Downloading the COVIDSafe app, which is now over 5.3 million, is the best way to help us do this job, to keep you and your family safe. And I would say that especially now, because for some time now, Australians have been kept at home and they know who they've been seeing each and every day now for some time. But that's going to change in the weeks ahead. You'll be seeing more people, you’ll be connecting with more people. So the COVIDSafe app will be even more important to protect you and your family and your safety and for those in your community, those you work with, those you come in contact with. So I would encourage you to continue to download the COVIDSafe app. For industry and businesses, it's all about getting your COVID safe plans in place for your workplaces and your premises, and Safe Work Australia has been doing some excellent work there and I referred to that earlier this week with Nev Power and the Minister for Industrial Relations, Christian Porter.
So, that's the plan for taking us forward. We'll be reviewing progress of our plan every three weeks and making any changes as we need to. I again want to thank all the premiers and chief ministers for the spirit in which they have engaged in this process over the last several months. I also want to thank our expert medical and economic advisors, and of course Professor Murphy, who is here with us today, as always, and to you Brendan and your team, thank you for the excellent work that you’ve all done. I also want to thank my own team from our own Government, the Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack, the Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, and the Minister for Health, of course, Greg Hunt, and all of my colleagues for getting us to where we are today. But we've still got a long way to go. We've got a plan to get there, done the work to get there, Australians have done the work to get where we are and I want to thank them most of all, for enabling us to get to this point.
A year ago, I made a promise to all Australians. That we would work each and every day to keep our economy strong, to keep Australians safe, and to keep Australians together. We're keeping that promise to Australians. That's the fight we've been in. That's the fight we remain in. It's the fight we're winning. And it's the fight we'll continue to win together.
Brendan?
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Thank you, PM. I might just go through the power point. So we'll go to the first slide. This is again, you're familiar with this slide, it's showing where we are with our flat curve. You will see some little spike in numbers in the last few days. Most of that, 50 per cent of the cases in the last week have related to two outbreaks, the Cedar Meats outbreak in Victoria and the Newmarch aged care outbreak in New South Wales. This is what we expect to see and what we will continue to see and that's not such a concern if we're getting on top and managing these outbreaks as we have in those two cases. So, despite, other than those two cases, we've got very low case numbers. But the virus is still there, it's still in our community. That's why, despite our very good position, we've got to be very cautious and wary with our next steps. Some very good news on testing. Testing has really ramped up across the whole country, we've done more than 730,000 tests. We are just shy of 6,900 cases at the moment. Six out of eight states have had multiple days of zero cases. But they all know that that doesn't mean the virus isn't still in their community and all of us have to be very careful as we move forward. Next slide.
This just demonstrates some of the measures we've taken over the period of this outbreak. You can see the progressive impact of the border measures and the various social distancing measures that we put in place and how they have brought the curve and case numbers down and now it's time to look at those measures. We're not looking at the border measures. As we have said on many occasions, two-thirds of the cases in Australia have been from returning travellers. We're not going to relax any of our border measures soon and we're going to continue to quarantine all returning travellers because this virus is certainly in a much worse position in many other countries from which our citizens are returning. I'll go to the next slide, thanks.
This is, as the Prime Minister outlined, our three step process. Step one is cautious. It's gentle. It's not doing too much at once because we're in uncharted territory. There are not many countries in the world like Australia that is in a position to start gently relaxing measures with such low case numbers and we don't want to lose the control we've got. We want to make sure that outbreaks that occur are managed and controlled. We also want to make sure that before we do anything, every Australian follows these measures, everyone continues to practise that physical distancing all the time. Everyone maintains good hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, everybody stays home when they're unwell, no matter how mild your cold or your cough, stay home when you're unwell, and please get a COVID test. That's the best way we'll find these hidden cases of the virus in our community, is if every single person who has any respiratory symptoms gets a COVID test and stays home. No more heroics of coming to work with a cough and a cold and a sore throat. That's off the agenda for every Australian for the foreseeable future. Please. The COVID safe plans for the workplaces are really important, as the Prime Minister said. Clearly also there's the health response. The Prime Minister has already alluded to that. Testing, tracking and responding to outbreaks. So in step one, it's essentially getting people in groups of 10 together, outdoors, particularly, staying working at home if it's going alright for you and your employer. Allowing 10 people in a one person per four square metre distance in small cafes and restaurants. We know that that will mean many cafes and restaurants won't be able to open, but many doing takeaway may want to put up enough distant tables to start just gently serving 10 people at a time. Some libraries and community centres, again, with only small numbers of people.
In step two, we're looking at larger gatherings of around 20, potentially in some states, they may look in some venues at really good COVID safe plans to go more than that. Opening a range of other things such as gyms, indoor fitness, beauty therapy, cinemas, galleries, and the like. Some interstate travel, we think, might reoccur in that stage. Step three is much more relaxed. This, as the Prime Minister said, there is still a lot of work to be done in step three, there's still quite a bit of work to be done in step two. We have more certainty around the definition of step one, and each of the states and territories will be separately defining how and when they will implement that. But in step three, we are talking about opening up most of the economy, but again, in a COVID safe way, with strict distancing, strict hygiene, all of those measures that we have to live with while the virus is with us in the community. Next slide.
This just provides a little bit more detail and really gives a bit of a narrative around each of the steps. So, very cautious early reopening in stage one, step two, many more businesses and activities and venues opening again. But still, with significant numbers, control, and step three, a much more broader opening but again, in that principle of good distancing and good hygiene. And in step three, we're hopeful that there will be more travel around the country and we might start to get some domestic tourism again. But step one, well defined, step two, a bit more work to be done, and step three, still a lot of discussion to be had before we can well define that properly. The next slide.
So what are we asking the community to do? Keep those personal responsibilities. I know I have said it already today, but please, keep that distancing. We could lose the battle that we have won so well so far. You only have to look at the nightly news and see what is happening in really good countries with good health systems like Australia, where they let this virus get out of control, unfortunately. We have managed, we've been lucky to control this virus and we want to keep that control. So while we relax some of these measures cautiously, every Australian has to do their bit. Every Australian has to do the things that I've said already about distancing and good health and staying at home when well. We'll continue to do all the things as a public health response, and we'll make sure that if we find outbreaks as we surely will, we'll get on top of them and control them. If we all do the right thing together, we can get through the next few months and gradually get a COVID safe normal life again.
Thanks, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Brendan. I might start over this side. There's quite a few more of you, you're a bit bunched up, I'm noticing.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, have any states and territories indicated when they're likely to start step one? And also, just on the NRL, would you support a no jab, no play policy?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, first of all, on the issue of premiers, they'll be announcing their own timetables for when they're making those statements. I think you can expect to see some of them later today, making some initial comments and I'd expect to see them making further comments over the days ahead, over the weekend, and early next week. So that's when you can expect them to outline those timetables. I note, as I am sure Brendan would also, that when you look at those three steps, I mean there are some states like Western Australia where step one is pretty much tick the box. They're very much well advanced on that. South Australia, Northern Territory, quite similarly. But those on the east coast, a very different situation. So they’ve all got different starting points. But the important point is the whole country has the same end point, and that is to get to a COVID safe economy. As I noted the other day, as the then Minister for Social Services who started no jab, no play, I obviously had a lot of sympathy for that as it opposed to, at that time, vaccination of children in child care centres. Now, ultimately the states and territories have to determine what the health requirements are as they apply to the NRL. If they were to be insisting on that, then I would think that's entirely reasonable.
Tim?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you say Treasury has advised you 850,000 jobs restored in the months ahead. When does it say those jobs will be restored, how many will be left unrestored by your calculations on the current employment rate, and is this the snapback that you envisaged when you put JobKeeper in place?
PRIME MINISTER: A lot has happened since then, Tim, as you would know. I think we've got a lot more information than we had back then. What was important back then was we knew that Australians would need an economic lifeline and that's why, firstly, JobSeeker and the effective doubling of JobSeeker, and JobKeeper were then put in place, to provide that lifeline. Since then, we've seen a lot of changes in the global economy and how other countries are dealing with this. Those 850,000 jobs I'm advised by Treasury, that includes those who may be on JobKeeper now or on JobSeeker. It’s people who have been stood down, going back into their full employment. And those, that work is being done based on the steps that you can see here today. So it's very much a function of how and when all of those steps are completed.
JOURNALIST: And by July?
PRIME MINISTER: That's the aspiration, Tim. But as we have learnt during the course of this COVID crisis, there's a lot of uncertainties. So that's what we understand to be the value of doing this. We've got one million people and more who are now on JobSeeker and that's been a Herculean task by those at Services Australia and Centrelink to get all of those claims processed in that period of time. And I want to see everyone get back to work, Tim, and that's why the plan that I set out, not just in relation to the opening up of our economy, and the reset we need to do on the policy level, that is what is going to drive the jobs and make them sustainable in the future. That’s what’s going to guarantee the essentials on hospital and education funding and disability care and aged care, that all requires a strong economy. That's why those subsequent policy measures, building on a lot of the reforms we put into place before we came into the COVID crisis, that is what is going to drive the jobs growth into the future. But as I set out at the beginning, Australia has had a record run on economic growth. And I always said, both as a Treasurer and as a Prime Minister, that we can never take that for granted. Any number of things can disrupt that and we've seen that happen. And so, we can never be complacent about the things we need to do to grow our economy and generate jobs. David?
JOURNALIST: So, I'm not actually sure if you said that in the press conference, but it's been reported that you want to have businesses, 80 per cent of businesses, fully operational by that July cut off. Is that the case?
PRIME MINISTER: I don't know what you're referring to. I haven't given such a statement.
JOURNALIST: Ok. What percentage, or do you know what percentage at the moment, of businesses are closed or running at half capacity, or anything like that? Just so we know kind of what we're going from.
PRIME MINISTER: I don't have an estimate of that in front of me. What we've seen is the reductions in employment. That's known. What we have seen is the reduction in the incomes people are taking home and we've been able to get, through Treasury, some early runs on some of that data and the Treasury can speak more to that. But whichever way you look at this, the economic impact has been very harsh. Today, the Reserve Bank has set out their various scenarios. They've got an average scenario there, I'm pleased that that average scenario is a little better than the one they were talking about not that long ago. I suppose that goes to Tim's point, things change. Look, I'm hopeful we can put this plan in place and that's why what follows this plan is building the confidence. We’ve got to get Australians to get their confidence back and they have every reason to get their confidence back. Because there are very few countries in the world that can stand here today and outline a plan like this because of where we have got ourselves to. There are a few, and I have been having discussions with some of them, very recently. But we're a small group at the moment. I hope that group gets a lot larger. Sam, did you have one before we move around? You have deferred it to the press gallery president.
JOURNALIST: Thank you. PM, two questions, if I may. The first on Cedar Meats which is the big break out concern here. Do you have any concerns about the way that's being managed and does it actually make the case for a slower easing in Victoria, and the second question is about those state border controls. Business complains about those. They restrict business. Do you think those state border controls have to be eased in the first step here, urgently?
PRIME MINISTER: Firstly, on Cedar Meats. We're going to have outbreaks. They're going to occur. Where people have the COVIDSafe app, it helps our health officials actually deal with those outbreaks. That would have sped things up had all of that been fully operational and they would have all been in place. I can tell you that will have occurred by the end of today. The code is being released later today, I'm advised, on the COVIDSafe app. I commend Premier Andrews for the way that he has sought to address this issue. These outbreaks are difficult. But you've got to move quickly and use the tools you've got available to you. Outbreaks are not a reason to slow things down. Outbreaks are going to happen. All premiers and chief ministers understand that. And so it's how you respond to them and I think in this case, I mean, not all information is perfect. When you go into them, how long they have been going on, not always clear. That's why I think some of these automated tools are very helpful to the premiers and health ministers in those jurisdictions. Each one of these is going to be tough but it's not a reason to slow things down. It's a reason to ensure you got the COVIDSafe app downloaded, you’ve got workplace practices, COVID safe premise practices, workplace practices, which is what is sitting at the foundation of the plan we've set out today.
Brendan, did you want to add anything on that?
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: This virus, as we know, is incredibly infectious. We've seen from one wedding 35 people infected. So it's not surprising that when you get an outbreak in a workplace such as this, it will spread significantly. The important thing is not the size of the outbreak, the important thing is the response. And the response is testing everybody, every contact, locking the place down, closing it down, quarantining and isolating, all of those things have been done and I'm very confident that outbreak is under control.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] scalable, you're now opening the economy a lot faster than people thought. Is all of that stimulus locked in, JobKeeper - the end date is in the legislation, but is there any stimulus that you might need to wind back?
PRIME MINISTER: There's another payment to be made in July, which is a repeat of the $750 payment that was made just a few weeks ago. That's factored in as the next phase of stimulus which is going through to beneficiaries. The JobKeeper and the JobSeeker program, as you note, have a legislative life which was set out over a six month timeframe. I say it was scalable and what our objective is, is to grow the economy and get people back into jobs, and we’re making sure that people are being supported by the economy, and not the taxpayer, as quickly as possible. There's a review built into JobKeeper to be done before the end of June. Treasury will be doing that, they’ve been doing a lot of work on that just over the last week or so. So, look, we'll take that one step at a time. But I need to stress again that that was a temporary lifeline put in place to help Australians through the worst of this crisis. It comes at a very significant cost, not just to current but to future generations as well. And it will be there to get us, to meet that objective, but it's not envisaged - never was - to be a longer term arrangement.
Yep, Michelle.
JOURNALIST: The economy obviously won't be completely opened up until you're able to open the borders. Is it a fair assumption, leaving aside New Zealand, that the borders will not be open before next year? And when you do, are you attracted to a staged process? For example, I notice Nev Power said the other day it would maybe be a good idea to have charter flights for overseas students? Are you attracted to that sort of approach?
PRIME MINISTER: A couple of things. And I’ll pick up David's question, of which I didn't answer the second part of that. On the interstate travel and the border issues that are there, they have never been part of the national baselines. That has never been a recommendation. And they have been decisions that have been taken unilaterally by those states. I'm not making judgements about them one way or the other and they'll decide those. I did see data, though, that the Treasurer shared with me - I think he shared with you the other day - which showed that the freight travel, which is being done by road and other forms, was actually holding up, despite those border restrictions and that was welcome. Of course, the recreational transport and those sorts of things has come down significantly, and that includes air freight. But the road freight and the land-based freight transport, you know, goods are getting through, goods are moving around the country and I understand there's a whole bunch of kegs on their way to Darwin as we speak, running up the highway. Much eagerly anticipated, I'm sure, there for next week sometime. So, that is occurring. In relation to the borders, international borders, we've spoken about New Zealand, as you've already noted. Issues of international students, you'll note that it does come into the third step of the plan and that is a possibility and how you would work that through, well, they'd have to be carefully tested. So, we are open to that, and we would be working with institutions to see how that could be achieved. But it has to be done according to those strict quarantine restrictions and how that's done, and how those costs are met. So, there's a lot of steps to work through. But, I mean, we're open to everything, pretty much, to get the Australian economy back and firing again as much as possible. We've just got to step through it carefully.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the numbers of people under each step - so, 10 and 20 and 100 - does that include parents and children? Or could you have 10 adults and 10 children in one gathering under step one? And given that the states can make their own decisions about precisely what particular things open up when they want, how was the list decided today? So, how was it decided that playgrounds would definitely be in step one on the list that you've shown us all today and the various other measures?
PRIME MINISTER: I think I will let Brendan take over.
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: So, there was a process where all the states and territories fed in what they thought was safe to do at each stage. So, it's 10 people. I mean, whilst we acknowledge that children don't transmit as often, we've got to keep it simple. We want to keep only five people visiting in your household, or 10 people in a gathering outside. So, 10 people training in a football field, it's 10 people getting together in a park. Again, hopefully with distancing. So, we got together and we looked at what was like a consensus position. Not every state agrees with every step, but we look at the relative risk of each thing. So, there's an absolute risk about gathering size. So, that's a protection, so that if things do break out, if we've only got gatherings of 10, that means much less potential for transmission. So, some states, though, don't want to open cafes and restaurants initially, because they feel that their situation, they would prefer to take some time. Everyone, playgrounds, for example - the evidence is really accumulating internationally that most transmission is occurring indoors. We now know that every citizen is following good hygiene practices. As long as you only have 10 people at a playground, and as long as the parents bring along sanitiser and wipes - people are changing their behaviour, so the feeling was that the risk for playgrounds is now lower. The risk for small gatherings is lower. There is necessarily an arbitrariness about this, and in step one there are things that could have been included that weren't, on the basis that we want to keep it gentle and careful. Step one is tentative, baby steps into normalisation. If everything goes well, we don't have big outbreaks, step two could be more confident.
PRIME MINISTER: Right up the back?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister the federal health department decided to take no punitive action against a Sydney Council that told its staff downloading the Covidsafe app was compulsory on their work phones. Why should Australians trust the government to enforce those privacy protections, when a sunbather on the beach got an on the spot fine and an employer who breached the Biosecurity Act got basically no consequences?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I’ll have a chat to the Health Minister about that. But look, the vast majority of the enforcement arrangements on all of these measures are actually followed through by state and territory authorities. And if anything, there's been criticism of how thorough they've been. And so in relation to specific matter you've raised, I'd have to, I'd have to be briefed on that in terms of what the specific circumstances were and the actions that were or weren't taken by the department and I can follow it up with them.
Ellen, did you want? Or you’re good?
JOURNALIST: Yes please, in terms of the task of rebuilding confidence, given the scale of unemployment that's come as a result of this, how do you rebuild that confidence? And would you look at bringing forward government spending on infrastructure, and major projects?
PRIME MINISTER: Well we already have. That's something we're already doing. That's part of the plan now. And whether it's in Victoria or New South Wales, Western Australia or anywhere else, we've already got a very large infrastructure program - we went through the process of bringing many of those projects forward at the last quarter of 2019. And as I've reported previously, we're making pretty good progress on that. And now that we've been able to get through these issues in reopening the economy, which I think is one of the key issues for confidence. I mean, the reason you've got three steps here - we could have released just one step today, given that steps 2 and 3 still have more definition to go into them. But it's important that the gym's know they’re next off, cab off the rank. It's important that people know that pubs and clubs are in Step 3. They need to know that because they need to prepare for it and they need to know where we're going to go next and where the states and territories are going to follow. And that's why the states and territories timetables are also so, so important. That's what builds confidence. Having COVID safe working premises plans, builds confidence, because I understand Australians having been at home for several months; may be a bit cautious as they venture out again. And so they need to be confident when they're going into a restaurant or a cafe or doing things like that or going to a playground or whatever it happens to be that the plans are in place, that people are taking that action, that lifts public confidence in health, which means they're more active economically. And this is what has the flow on. Now I don't think anyone could suggest that the Commonwealth hasn't turned up when it comes to providing the economic supports at this time. I mean, it's unprecedented. And that is on top of the almost $9 billion of extra support we've put into the health system and of course, the $100 billion that has been rolling out for infrastructure around the country. So you're right, Ellen. It's got to be a part of that economic plan. Always has been. And we're already acting on it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you mentioned earlier that there will be outbreaks, you say that there will be clusters. Is it a case that the states, the territories and Australians will need to hold their nerve once they go down this path and not snap back to tighten restrictions?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
JOURNALIST: And can I ask you on stage 1, for the stage 1 restrictions, do students need to be back in the classroom at schools?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's what step 1 is. And for the vast majority of states and territories, that's exactly where they're heading. And that advice has been consistent from when this COVID crisis first began. There's been no change. So I'm looking forward to seeing children back in classrooms learning, that's the best place for them to get an education. But on the other point, yes, I think it is important that we all hold our nerve. That's why I was saying before, you, these are cautious first steps, but important first steps. You know, we can, you can stay under the doona forever. And you'll, you know, you'll you'll never face any danger. But we've got to get out from under the doona at some time. And if not now, then when?
Yeah, no I’m coming round.
JOURNALIST: Can I ask a bit more how that 3 week review process will work? And also, just picking up on Michelle's question. Can you give a rough timeframe for when you think we might see general international travel allowed again?
PRIME MINISTER: I can't see that happening anytime soon. There is nothing on our radar which would see us opening up international travel, in the foreseeable future. There are already some very, very minor exceptions where the Border Force can provide an exemption for outbound travel, but that's in areas like facilitating development aid in third countries and things like that. It's a very limited set of circumstances. I've already mentioned in my answer to Michelle. How we could potentially consider how things for international students might work. But these are exceptions, not the rule. It is something that other countries are discussing, but it, by and large, almost without exception, I'm not aware of any countries that are looking at that option at this point. And, Greece is, I know, is considering that coming into their summer. They mentioned that at the meeting we had last night. But it sounds, you know, that they're still working through that issue. And I wish them well with it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister You've talked about businesses needing certainty. But can you give the 5 million people on JobKeeper and all those on JobSeeker with the corona supplement the certainty that they'll get that for at least for the six months?
PRIME MINISTER: I give them the certainty that I want them to be back in their jobs where they don't need it, that's what we want. I mean, people don't want to be on JobKeeper and JobSeeker. They want to be in a job that's paying them. And that's why we're, that's what this plan is about, not to keep people on income support from the taxpayer, but to have a wage that's provided by business that's successful and earning again and going forward and creating a strong economy. That's what the lifeline is for, to get people to that point. That's what we're aiming towards.
Sorry we’ll go to Brett, I'm going to come around. We're just moving right around. OK.
JOURNALIST: Professor Murphy, I'm sure your best PowerPoint presentation yet. Australians are appreciating this clarity around where things are headed. One question to you, where do pubs and clubs sit on these steps. We can't see them on there? And then Prime Minister just continuing the road analogy. You talk about not letting the fear of going backward stop us from going forwards. Do you envisage a point where we might need to make a U-turn on some of these steps? Or is it a case that we just keep powering through regardless of what happens if there are outbreaks or things escalate beyond what you might envisage happening?
PROFESSOR MURPHY: So I'll start with, so seated restaurants in pubs and clubs like in other venues can, if the states and territories choose to implement in stage one, they could start with 10 people. They may well not for a pub and club that will be a pretty small restaurant. Similarly, in step two, they can still do seated dining. The general view is that with the exception of the Northern Territory, which is moving forward more quickly, that it will be level 3 before bars and nightclub type venues without seat dining would be open and gaming type venues. But as the Prime Minister has said, there's still a lot more work to be done in that space.
PRIME MINISTER: Step 3.
PROFESSOR MURPHY: Yeah.
JOURNALIST: And just on u-turns, going backwards. Is it a case that you know that the journey might stop momentarily? We won't revert back steps?
PRIME MINISTER: That's certainly the intention. I mean, it's, I said the other day, it's like the emu and the kangaroo. They go forward, not backwards. And that's what that's how this has to work. Premiers and Chief Ministers are very keen to ensure that you continue to move forward. And, but look, it's- it's a level of confidence is building on this. And that's what I think these, this first step also enables us to carefully look at how that step is going. The question was about how often we're reviewing. Well, that's every three weeks. And basically we'll go around the grounds of the Premiers and the Chief Ministers and ask them how it's going. There'll be some empirical evidence about how that's tracking. We'll have the health data, but we'll also have the economic data. And that will help guide, I mean, they're not formal reviews. They're just, I'd describe it more as stocktakes as to where the framework is at and and looking where all the states are and how we're going towards our ultimate aspiration of being there in July.
Okay, Kath?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister though you must have, you say outbreaks aren't a reason to slow things down and all the momentum is forward, and the Premiers are on board with that, but it's just a point of common sense that at a certain point of outbreak, I mean, God forbid, but let's say we get some really substantial outbreaks following the restrictions, you're not actually saying are you that we will just continue to power forward?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm saying we’ll continue to act on health advice, Katharine. That's what we'll always do that’s, and all of these steps, the the key requirement as you move from one to the next is it's subject to the health advice. We've always acted on the basis of the expert advice. And if the expert health advice that, God forbid, we're in a situation like you outline, then we'd have to take the health advice in those circumstances. But this is why we're so keen to stress and I don’t know if we go back to that second last slide about what Australians can do, that scenario you talk about is so much less likely. If the COVIDSafe app is downloaded, if people are following the distancing practices and the hand hygiene, and if workplaces and premises have effective COVID safe plans for those operations, that's what protects you. It's not about whether there are cases, as Brendan has said. It's about the response. And if the response is effective, well, then we don't find ourselves in the situation you're talking about. But in those circumstances, the health advice, you can be assured, would play heavily in the decisions of Premiers.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible] thresholds, is there actually a threshold because there are thresholds for going forward?
PRIME MINISTER: No, based on the case. It's case specific. It's case specific at the time.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister on community sport last week, you raised expectations that we could see a return to the soccer pitch for kids. It's not on that step, what step does community sport fall into-
PRIME MINISTER: Two.
JOURNALIST: ...and how soon do you think we could see kids back playing sport?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's up to the states and territories. They'll have to outline their plans. But what you can see, I think now under step one, should the states move on that in their jurisdictions, that training would be able to occur for those types of sports, that can be happening under step one and in many places that would already be happening. Step two involves community sport. That's right, isn’t it Brendan?
PROFESSOR MURPHY: Yes, so step 2 has sport in groups of 20. And again, more work will be done that may well be possible for some competition to occur then. Then but full level C of the AIS framework will be in step 3. Step 2 is still being worked through. But in step one, people can train in groups of 10 according to the AIS level B, and we want that to happen.
PRIME MINISTER: And it involves, it doesn't have to be organised sport. But step 1 with 10 people in a park having a kick of a ball around, or a soccer on a Sunday afternoon. That's what step 1 envisages.
PROFESSOR MURPHY: Correct.
PRIME MINISTER: Yep, yeah Phil?
JOURNALIST: PM the economic forecasts the Treasury’s put on step 1, 2, 3 the job creation. Does that supersede the estimates put out an hour ago, a couple of hours ago by the RBA? They're still forecasting unemployment at 9 per cent at Christmas, 8.5 per cent next June. So do they, are these figures subsequent to what the RBA is saying? And if that's the case, could this take the edge off the economic forecast the RBA has just released? Could they not be as bad as?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they were done, they weren't done as part of the same exercise, I mean the RBA and Treasury are different organisations, as you know. So they've been prepared independently of what RBA has been doing. There's a lot of dialogue that goes on between the RBA and Treasury. But the RBA set out 3 scenarios there. They've got a median case scenario. But all I know is, is that the more we open up, the more people go back into jobs and the better off everyone will be and the numbers will then tell the story, whatever those numbers happen to be. At the moment, I don't like what those numbers are at all. As all the Premiers, you know, affirmed again today, success is not being able to stand up every day and say there's 3 cases or 12 cases or 18 cases, not when you got a million people out of work. That's not success. And so we want to, they’re the estimates Treasury have done and we, this plan takes us a long way back, but not all the way back.
JOURNALIST: PM, your early access to super scheme has been frozen because of alleged identity fraud. Were there enough protections built in? How can Australians have confidence their details won't be stolen? And Professor Murphy, do you believe NRL players should be allowed to play without receiving a flu shot? And how significant is that health risk?
PRIME MINISTER: Well do you want to do that one first Brendan?
PROFESSOR MURPHY: So I think that's really a matter for the relevant state health authorities, I think. Now, I personally have a view that everyone should get a flu shot. And it's important where, but I think that's a matter for the relevant state.
PRIME MINISTER: Look, over $10 billion has been claimed and has been moved through that system and that program. We've had this incident and it's been moved on quickly, as you'd expect. When people undertake fraud, there was a response to fraud. I mean, fraud is possible in any program anywhere. Over my government experience, I've been in immigration, I've been in social services and I've been in Treasury. And I can tell you fraudsters try and have a crack at every single one of those systems every single day. So the fact that people have tried to have a crack at this doesn't surprise me. The Home Affairs Minister already, I understand, made some comments on this. I mean, it's a serious fraud issue, and that's why the precaution was taken to to pause that for at least 24 hours while that's being addressed. The fact that there has been such a swift response I think demonstrates that there are protections in place and action is taken and they should find them, they should lock them up.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, this week the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, seems to have stepped back from his previous assertion that there was enormous evidence for the Wuhan labs theory. Do you welcome the shift in emphasis from your US allies? And to what extent has this focus on the theory made it harder for you to gain international support for your inquiry?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, first of all, in terms of Secretary Pompeo, I want to extend my best wishes to him and his family. He has just lost his father and I know from recent experience how difficult that must be. He's an extraordinary fellow, and I'm sure his father would been incredibly proud of him. So all my best to you, Mike. I've already made comment on these matters. I think what is important is we find out and the world doesn't yet know. I raised this at the meeting with international colleagues last night. The Health Minister continues to do that through his forums. It's not directed at anyone. We just want to know what happened so it doesn't happen again. It's a pretty honest question with an honest intent and an honest motive and I'm seeing more and more support for that position. And we're supporting a European motion that's going to the World Health Assembly and there's an independent oversight committee of the Health Emergencies Program within the World Health Organisation. And on top of that, there's a health regulations review process that's going on that I think can accommodate the recommendations made by the Europeans as a good first step to getting down this path. But you can't let the trail go cold and I think Australia and the United States and the United Kingdom and countries all around the world would like to know what happened because we don't want to see it happen again.
We'll go here and then we will finish up with you.
JOURNALIST: PM, what's the role of business in the return of confidence? When should they restore pay cuts to staff and start paying their rent again?
PRIME MINISTER: As businesses are able to reopen and get on their feet, then I'm looking forward, as I'm sure they are, to getting staff back on the floor, lifting their wages again from their stand down arrangements and to be able to take that enterprise forward again. One of the things I'm very hopeful of is that because of the supports we put in place, the arrangements that the states and territories supported under the commercial tenancies code, was it basically allowed businesses to go through this incredibly difficult time with the loss of trade and not have the businesses collapse. Now, there will be some, sadly, who will have collapsed, but there are so many more that I think as a result of the supports and protections we put in place and the good mindedness and the fair mindedness of whether it's landlords, tenants, banks. I mean, as the Treasurer, I think indicated between $120 and $160 billion of loans have had their payments deferred as a result of the banks. I want to thank Matt Comyn and all the team he leads, the Australian Bankers Association, of course, CommBank. You know, they've engaged. I mean, I've given them a bit of a hard time from here and now, including from this podium not that long ago, but they responded well to it and I thank them for doing that. So I think all of this people have worked together, which means, yeah, people can get back up to their hours. People can get back up to what they were doing before. That's the whole point. That's what we're trying to do here. But it's not easy. It's one thing for things to be shut down. That can be done relatively quickly. It's terribly painful. But building it back up again and getting the confidence of businesses to go and do that is important. That's why we've set out this plan so they know where we're heading. They know where we're going. They know when we want to get there. They can plan around that. The Norwegian Prime Minister last night was making a similar point in how they're doing something quite similar to us, knowing who's next and what's going to happen next, even if they won't know the precise timing of it. They can prepare for it. And I’ve got to say, the COVID safe workplace and premises plans, training your staff in those things, they're important. They're important because when people come into a shop, they'll want to know that it's COVID safe and that you've got that sorted and I have no doubt businesses will be turning their minds to that.
JOURNALIST: One for you and one for Professor Murphy. Professor Murphy, after all this is over, are we going to see a change in that attitude of powering through your cold at work and employees requiring a sick certificate as well? And for you, Prime Minister, the JobKeeper payments have been undersubscribed, so why not spend some of that money on the arts, casual workers and migrant workers as well?
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: So I think we will see a permanent change in that sort of cavalier attitude of going to work when you've got a cold or flu and I think that will be, even when COVID is gone and we don't know whether it will be fully gone from society. That would help with flu seasons and help with general health in the community. So I think that one of the two permanent changes I can see forever is good quality hand hygiene and that stay at home if you're unwell mentality. And I think we've all been guilty of that at various times. I know I have. And we're all going to have to change that mentality.
PRIME MINISTER: JobKeeper is a demand driven program. It doesn't have a target level of subscriptions at all. Never has. Estimates were made at a time when things were very uncertain about where things are heading. The fact that fewer may ultimately seek or need that support is a good thing. And as a result, the program will continue to run on the parameters we set out for it and will provide support to those that it's designed to assist. The JobSeeker program works in parallel with it. It's not JobKeeper or nothing. It's JobKeeper and JobSeeker. The two work together and this is very important. The economic lifeline we've put together is there to spread right across the economy. And so the premise of the question is false. It's a demand driven program and it will be delivered as it was designed. We've made some adjustments to it along the way that have largely dealt with administrative issues and clarification issues and where that is needed, then we'll continue to do that. But at the end of the day, that lifeline of JobKeeper and JobSeeker has bought us the time to do exactly this plan. Very few countries in the world are in a position to stand here today and outline the plan that we are now embarking on because they're in no position to do so.
Australians have given myself, the Chief Medical Officer, the premiers, chief ministers, you have given us the opportunity, Australia, to go forward with this plan, and now we will implement this plan together. And when that plan has been implemented, people will be back in work. People will be back together and Australia will be stronger. Thank you very much.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
5 May 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon. I'm joined by the Attorney-General and the Minister for Industrial Relations and Nev Power who is the Chair of the Covid Commission. Earlier today the National Cabinet met. There are no matters to report from a health point of view in relation to today's National Cabinet, we are working towards those decisions on Friday as I've indicated to you, and the Chief Medical Officer will hold his usual daily press conference as part of that normal program this afternoon.
Today we are focusing on another topic, and that is very much about getting Australia back to work and I will ask the Attorney-General and the Chairman of the Commission to work through some important work they have been doing with Safe Work Australia. Hundreds of thousands of Australians have been protected, in terms of their health, in recent weeks and months. Thousands of Australian lives have been saved, when you look at the experience of how coronavirus has affected so many countries around the world. But we now need to get a million Australians back to work. That is the curve we need to address. We have had, particularly when you look at it at an international level, quite an amount of success as a National Cabinet, Federal Government working together closely with state and territory governments to ensure we have been able to manage and contain the outbreak of the virus here in Australia. And those decisions that we have taken have been incredibly important, and no doubt had we not taken them, that not only would the health impact have been disastrous, but the economic cost would have been even greater then what we are now currently experiencing, and as the Treasurer has gone into some detail today explaining. But it is also true that it has come at a cost. That cost will continue so long as we have Australians in a position where they are unable to open their businesses and able to go back to the offices, children unable to go back to school, and the many restrictions in place. That is why the National Cabinet has been working very effectively again today as we move towards the decisions we need to take on Friday, that will impact on these restrictions in weeks and months that are ahead.
But to get Australia back to work, we have to get Australians back to work in a COVID safe economy. The National Cabinet is working very hard to define what that national COVID safe economy looks like, so we can move towards that. But as long as these restrictions are in place, they are costing our economy some $4 billion each week, and today at National Cabinet we had the opportunity to go into the Treasury work that has been supporting those figures that the Treasurer was talking about today, and I can assure you that the National Cabinet and certainly the Commonwealth Government is under no illusion about the ongoing costs of these measures, and it certainly puts enormous pressure, as it should, on the timetable as we seek to move Australia back to a COVID safe economy because of those significant costs. And as we plan our way back and getting those million Australians back to work, those costs are expressed in so many different ways. By the end of the day, more than a million Australians will have had their claims processed for JobSeeker. Around 5 million are estimated to be on JobKeeper. One million, or more than one million I should say, are accessing their own super, of almost $10 billion. 384,000 businesses are accessing around $7 billion in cash flow assistance, and that is just to date.
I just want to spend a couple of minutes taking you through the same figures that I was able to share today with the National Cabinet when it comes to the impact on the economy, if I could just have the slides up. What you can see here is the estimate over the first half of this year, obviously the first half of this year is not completed, but this is the estimate by Treasury on how the impacts on the economy are being played out. On the left hand side is the impact of the fall in GDP, which is just over 11 per cent over that period, and on the right hand side is how that is expressed in jobs. So the play out on jobs as opposed to GDP is different. If you look at what is done in the areas that have had great restrictions, you can see that some three percentage points of that 11 per cent fall, but when you look at the jobs, 708,000 jobs estimated to be lost and impacted by these restrictions, specifically on those industry sectors. You have a broader impact on domestic demand, on flow ons from these changes of around 4 percentage points, and that equates to some 516,000 jobs. And when it comes to schools, the school shutdown, 3 percentage points, estimated of that growth, and that flows through to around 304,000 jobs. Next slide.
When you break it out, the same impact in terms of the percentage decline in gross domestic product and you look at jobs, you can see that for, particularly the hospitality sector, accommodation and food services, just under 2 per cent fall, but in terms of jobs, 441,000 jobs. That is the sector most affected by all of this, when you look at the retail services, you’re at just 1 per cent, that’s retail and wholesale trade, 146,000 jobs, 120,000 or just under that on construction jobs, arts and recreation services, around 180,000. The broader remaining industries, you can see around four per cent fall on GDP, and that translates proportionately to fewer lost jobs and you can see why, in terms of the other sectors that have been more acutely affected. When you look at areas, though, like accommodation and food services, while restaurants and cafes and groups like that, businesses like that,are closed, it isn't just the effect, though, ultimately, these are first round effects. It is the effect on food supply, and so we have in the agricultural sector at the moment some welcome news in seeing, in some places, the drought starting to break and rain getting to areas it hasn’t been. But when restaurants and cafes are closed, they are not buying from those producers like they were before, and so, there is a compounding of the effect and so keeping those types of places closed, and there have, obviously, been very good reasons for having them closed but the longer that goes on, it is not just the waiter and the chef that is affected. It is the food producer, it is the supply chain that actually goes into those sectors, and we need to take that into account. Thanks, next slide.
When you break it down by states, and what is is a simple extension of what the overall fall in economic activities across the states and territories, based on their usual share of gross domestic product, and of employment. And so the actual impacts will be different when they can be more closely modelled. What you can see from that, as you would expect, obviously New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland are going to have the biggest fall is based on an ordinary proportion of what happens with economic activity across Australia. And on that basis, a 3.7 per cent fall in New South Wales and on the job side, that is just under 500,000 jobs. But it is also true because these restrictions have impacted more on the services side of the economy, that those economies particularly, in Victoria and others if their restrictions are stronger, then it means that the job losses would be greater. So this is what that $4 billion each week starts to translate into when you look at it on a state-by-state basis. Thanks.
So you can understand that with numbers like that, the National Cabinet are not in any way unaware of the serious implications of the decisions we have had to take now over many months, and that is why we are not seeking to delay any time at all in terms of trying to get things moving again, but we must be able to move them forward safely. Ultimately, they will be decisions that will be taken by the states and territories, and I look forward to outlining a framework later this week once we have our next meeting. So to get Australians back to work, what is absolutely essential is they could go back into a COVID safe workplace, and this is something the Minister for Industrial Relations, the Attorney-General, and the COVID Commission together with the unions and others have been working on for some time. Already, businesses are acting on this. It is not just about being able to go back to a workplace that is safe but it is also about being able to do that confidently and it’s also about being able to go into a workplace where where there are outbreaks, and let's not forget when we move and start to ease some of these restrictions, of course you will see numbers increase in some areas, you will see outbreaks occur in other places, that is to be expected. What matters is how you deal with it, and how you respond to it, and it is important that businesses, employees and employers have the tools to deal with the COVID environment and ensure they are all working together to support a COVID safe workplace.
So I am very pleased with the work that Christian and Nev have done, ably supported, of course, by Greg Combet, who is the Commissioner who works as part of Nev’s team who has been very involved in this, and I want to thank you, Greg, for the great jobe you’ve done, not just on this issue but on many of the issues we’ve been engaging across the workforce and that has made a very big difference. So with that, I might pass you over to Christian to talk through the new tools and work that is being done, and Nev also to speak to those matters. Thank you very much.
THE HON. CHRISTIAN PORTER MP, ATTORNEY-GENERAL AND MINISTER FOR INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS: Thanks, PM, and maybe if I start with some of the complications around the health and safety landscape in Australia. There are obviously a range of strict legal requirements that are placed on all employers under work health and safety legislation across Australia, and they are meant to be able to allow businesses to manage a whole range of risks, and now we had this new risk that will be with us for some time in the form of COVID-19. Now obviously, there are measures that businesses have and will continue to need to put around COVID-19, social distancing, which will be measures determined through National Cabinet but which emanate through state legislation, either emergency legislation or health legislation, personal protective equipment, hygiene, cleaning, and these are, on occasions, not going to be uncomplicated matters as businesses across Australia reanimate and get back into business. So the monitoring enforcement of health and safety regulation occurs in each of the state and territory jurisdictions. All states other than Western Australia and Victoria are part of a model code but even those that are part of the model code, there will be slight differences in the way that it is monitored and enforced.
So to try and cope with some of the complexities of the system, there have been four things, obviously, that have happened. The first was that National Cabinet adopted a set of national COVID-19 safe workplace principles and that is a very important first step in ensuring there is consistency in approach as the reanimates. Obviously, the COVIDSafe app is a very important part of the health and safety work to reanimate the Australian economy. Nev shortly will be talking about the COVID-19 planning toolkit which will allow businesses on a broader level to prepare and plan. I just wanted to quickly focus on the Safe Work Australia website. So that website can be found at www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au and as we went into the constraining phase in April with COVID-19, there were almost a million visits to the Safe Work Australia website which was massively an increase on the number of visits that you usually get to the Safe Work Australia website. And what was clear is as the constraints were necessarily placed as a health response of the Australian economy, businesses had a great hunger for information in what was a very dynamic and fluid environment so they could be doing the right thing, discharging their obligations according to federal and state law, and understanding how those laws would be enforced and regulated. So in response to that need for information, we have effectively rebuilt the appropriate parts of the Safe Work Australia website. So what we have done is create 1,300 different webpages which will apply to 23 different industry sectors, so anyone, an employer or employee, can go on the Safe Work Australia website using the content filter and tailored drop-down menus, they can navigate fairly simply to get precise answers to the questions that will apply to their particular business, whether they are a manufacturer, or an abattoir, or a cafe, whether they want to know about how cleaning should work, what are the standards that are appropriate, what products should be used,. So down to a very granular level of detail Safe Work Australia, acknowledging the role of state and territory health systems and acknowledging the role of state and territory enforcements, is able now to provide a relatively consistent, detailed, head start to every business in Australia so they can thoroughly understand the best way in which they can cope with working and carrying on their business in a COVID safe environment in the weeks and months that followed.
So that is something that will be a very important tool for all businesses, large and small, in Australia, as they reanimate and that will engage in information such as the existing duties under workplace health and safety laws in all the states and territories, how to conduct risk assessments, what physical distancing will mean for a particular point in time for a particular jurisdiction, for a particular business, so that you can go on with your business, describe its effective and fundamental dimensions, and you will get an effective and fundamental response as to how you might respond to social distancing as that applies in any given point in time, hygiene, cleaning, personal protective equipment. So it is the largest repository of information that we have available to ensure there is a consistent headstart approach to understanding how you can safely reanimate any particular business. So obviously I would encourage people to get onto the website as they go about reopening their businesses so they can get a very thorough headstart as to how to do that safely, and effectively, and in accordance with state and territory laws and regulations and I think with that, Nev, you will describe the Commission's role in that.
NEV POWER, CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL COVID-19 COORDINATION COMMISSION: Thanks very much, Christian, and thank you PM. Everyone, I think, Australians have done a fantastic job responding to the call to arms around the COVID-19 and we have seen that disciplined approach turn out very good results for the community. The business sector is exactly the same. We have been working with businesses, with peak bodies, with unions, with associations, to try and make sure that there has been clear, consistent communication two way, so we can understand what the issues that businesses are seeing and how we can work around those, but secondly, and perhaps just as importantly, to provide guidance and counselling for businesses about how to operate through the various phases as we come through the virus. As the Attorney-General mentioned, there has been a lot of work put into the resources necessary for businesses to have that information, and what we have been doing is meeting with hundreds of businesses and individual businesses and over 100 peak bodies and associations and unions to talk about how they can get their businesses ready to be COVID safe.
That comes around really four key issues, the first is reconfiguring and restructuring worksites to make jobs safe in those worksites. That is very much a business by business proposition under the guidelines of social distancing and personal hygiene. Secondly, how to respond in the event that there is an incident in a workplace, how people are communicating and how the tracking and tracing is done, and how those people are supported. And then, how do we return that worksite to a safe place to work as quickly as we possibly can. Very importantly, the communication process of sitting down with employees, making sure everyone understands what is required and what will happen, how their families will be supported and that communication processes right through the workplace. That has gone really well and with the Work Safe Australia website now as a resource, businesses will have a complete toolkit once we complete the COVID-19 toolkit that they will have resources there that they could draw on.
Some businesses are doing quite well and are ready and continuing to operate with reconfigured workplaces. Some businesses are in the preparation stage and some need a little more help to get there and that’s where we are working on that at the moment. But it would be fair to say the level of ingenuity and innovation that we have seen has been fantastic. Businesses are looking at this as just another business problem and saying how do we get as many people back to work as we possibly can while having those protections in place to reduce the transmission of the virus. A key part of that has been the IR task force set up with the Attorney-General 's office and being led by Greg Combet and that is about advising workplaces and businesses about how to set up the workplace but it's also about fixing problems when they occur so we can intervene quickly and settle any issues that might have arisen because of issues in the workplace.
So, my message to business is a very, very simple: continue to work with your employees to find ways of configuring your business so you are able to introduce the restrictions on social distancing and hygiene into your normal business activities and have plans in place and be ready as the restrictions change that you can continue to do that as more customers are coming into your business, as there is a higher level of activity and make sure that we continue to contain the virus as the economy starts to expand again. And it's really important I think also that if we do have outbreaks in the economy, in the community, that we are able to deal with those directly without needing to go back and reintroduce further restrictions. We want to make sure we are able to deal with those quickly, that's been our guidance to business, is to make sure that this is a progressive, disciplined and well organised change in those restrictions. So great response from everyone, I think we are all looking forward to having a more relaxed set of restrictions but we need to make sure that we’re continuing to do the right thing. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Nev. Now, I will start with you and move our way around the room. Before I do that, just an update on the COVIDSafe app, it will pass 5 million today, we’re actually not far away from that just as we speak of a targeted population of some 16 million, that puts us almost at a third of that. That's a welcome response, and obviously a bit more we would like to see, I would like to thank everybody including those in the media for their support of promoting that app and passing on the important messages part of that app. Let’s not forget its most important job is to keep you safe, every single Australian that downloads it, it keeps them safe. Because if you have come into contact with someone who also has the app who has been infected by the coronavirus, then you will know and people will get in touch with you so they can tell you you have been potentially compromised by the virus and then you can make decisions to make sure you protect your other family members and those in your household and those who are around about you. The first job of the COVIDSafe app is to keep you safe and that is its best reason why I would encourage people to continue to do that. Of course, the more people we get, then the better protection we all have as we go back to work or as the National Cabinet considers further restrictions, there have already been quite a number of restrictions eased and I particularly welcome the changes that were announced by the Queensland Premier in relation to schools. We are already seeing a lot of changes happening, all of those changes get better supported by how we all keep each other more safe by ensuring we download the COVIDSafe app. So please continue to do that in days and weeks ahead. Greg?
JOURNALIST: Thanks Prime Minister, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says there is enormous evidence that the coronavirus came from a research lab in Wuhan. Do you still believe the most likely source of COVID-19 is a wet market, or is there, according to your advice, growing evidence it emanated from a lab? And will you urge the Americans, the Trump administration to share their apparently compelling evidence with Australia or even globally through the United Nations forum?
PRIME MINISTER: We work closely with the United States, and I've already made comments on this matter and there's been no change to the Australian position on this. And whether, and which was to say that we can't rule out any of these arrangements, that's what I said the other day. But the most likely has been in a wildlife wet market, and that that wildlife wet market is an important definition of what we're talking about here. There are wet markets and there are wildlife wet markets. They're two different types of things, and that is the most likely outcome. But what's really important is that we have a proper review, an independent review, which looks into the sources of these things in a transparent way so we can learn the lessons to ensure that were there to be a virus of pandemic potential that would originate anywhere else in the world, we can learn the lessons from that. And that's what Australia is focussed on. And I've written to all the G20 leaders to that end.
Lanai?
JOURNALIST: Josh Frydenberg said today at the Press Club that widespread closure of schools and childcare centres would have cost the economy $34 billion. What's your message to states that are still dragging their feet on reopening schools in a widespread way? And Mr Power, you've also said just now, that there are some businesses that are ready to reopen. What proportion of businesses is that? Do you have a percentage on how many businesses are ready right now to reopen?
PRIME MINISTER: Well on schools, I can only repeat what I've been saying for months, and that is that the expert medical advice is that schools can be fully open. And the expert economic advice that we've received from the Treasury is that not opening schools fully is costing jobs and it does cost the economy. That's, they’re the facts and those facts have led the Commonwealth government to have a very consistent position on that and to welcome every day where there is a school with a classroom that is open with more and more students attending and getting their learning face to face in the classroom.
Nev, did you want to add?
NEV POWER, CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL COVID-19 COORDINATION COMMISSION: Yeah, I think you are beginning to get,
PRIME MINISTER: probably going to need to go to a mic.
NEV POWER, CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL COVID-19 COORDINATION COMMISSION: I need to go to a mic - It's a little hard to tell exactly how many are each category, but we've got a number of businesses that are working either at full capacity. For example, the mining, supermarkets, food processing industries, they've introduced COVID safe practices and COVID safe business models for their businesses and are continuing to operate right through. Other businesses have had some impact on demand so they're running at partial capacity. A lot of, in the housing construction area, for example, some have had to change their working practices to work around that. And there are businesses, particularly in hospitality and restaurants and pubs and tourism that are still impacted by the restrictions that are there. And those are the businesses that we're focussing on at the moment. There's a lot of small to medium sized businesses in there. And we're working with them now to make sure that they have all of the information they need to get their businesses back up and running, not only from a safety point of view, but also that they've got the ability to fund their businesses and get them back up to fund the working capital to restart, and that they're ready to make sure the public are safe when they come into those businesses as well. So it is now very much about as the restrictions are changed, that businesses can fill, can come back onto line or increase their capacity to do that. So it's very hard to give you the exact percentages because we're talking of hundreds and hundreds of businesses across Australia. But what I can tell you is that we're reaching out across the board to make sure that those businesses are absolutely ready to come back.
PRIME MINISTER: Katharine?
JOURNALIST: What exemption was agreed on the trans-Tasman, sorry, that's quite hard to say, travel bubble today, given just Jacinda Ardern's presence in the National Cabinet? And also, just so that I'm clear, just picking up something you said a minute ago, just about the restricted or the easing of restrictions, I think you said that ultimately these are the decisions that will be taken by the states and territories that on Friday we’ll get a framework, but ultimately states and territories decide. So does that mean that not all states and territories will start to ease restrictions from Friday?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I can't pre-empt decisions of Friday. The National Cabinet, particularly on these issues where the Commonwealth has no direct authority at all, our job here is to try and ensure as much consistency across state and territory jurisdictions as possible. And it has been one of the more effective tools that we've had when we compare ourselves to other countries that exist in federations - Australia really has operated as a federation remarkably well, but as we've seen already and as has been the case, states and territories have operated on different timetables, there have been different nuances. They've reflected the case characteristics in each of those states and territories. In some cases, they've just reflected the sheer geography of the different states and territories, and that's to be expected. And so what you can expect on Friday is that, again, will seek to have as consistent a national position as possible. But ultimately, each state and territory are the arbiters of their own position. But I have no doubt they will seek to do that in as consistent a way as possible. They are already moving on many restrictions there, I would expect that on Friday there will be some restrictions which are formally eased, which many states have already moved on. Others are yet to move on. And so I think that framework will assist states. But more importantly, it's our hope that where we get to on Friday can sort of lay out much more of the road map for Australians so they can see what's happening in the weeks and the months ahead. But the point that Nev and Christian have made today is very important, and that is to get people back to work, to get people back on trains, to get people, you know, commuting to work. All of these things you need to have these very arrangements and the tools in place for businesses to give Australians that confidence so they can be out and about. Now, you'll have to remind me of the first part of that question Katherine, sorry?
JOURNALIST: What I can't say; trans-Tasman?
PRIME MINISTER: Trans-Tasman. Well it was great to have the Prime Minister Ardern there with us today. I understand that's the first time a New Zealand Prime Minister has joined a meeting of the states and territory Premiers and the Prime Minister since John Curtin was Prime Minister. So that was some time ago. The discussion was at my invitation for Jacinda to be able to share what their experience has been in New Zealand with my state and territory colleagues. That was the primary purpose of today's discussion. I mean, I've had the benefit of having those discussions with her and many other leaders around the world, and I thought that would be of great value to my colleagues. And so they could swap notes on a whole range of different restrictions and the economic impacts and things of that nature. The Prime Minister and I have been now for several weeks been talking about a safe travel zone between Australia and New Zealand. It is still some time away, but it is important to flag it because it is part of the road back, at some point both Australia and New Zealand will start connecting with the rest of the world again, and the most obvious place for that start is between Australia and New Zealand. And we could see that happening. But it's not something that's about to happen next week or anything like that. It is something that will better sit alongside when we're seeing Australians travel from Melbourne to Cairns at at about that time, I would expect everything being equal, that we'd be able to, you know, fly from Melbourne to Auckland or to Christchurch or things like that. The two-way travel between Australia and New Zealand is about 1.4 million a year, both ways, as many, almost as many Kiwis come here as Australians go there, and particularly for states like Queensland. There is a much greater share of that tourism travel that comes out of New Zealand into Queensland. And as we're building up our economies again, and particularly for trans-Tasman travel and what that means for the airlines as well, that will be important to support jobs in those sectors. So we're working cooperatively together. New Zealand has a strong biosecurity and border arrangements, as do we. And so it's the obvious place to start.
JOURNALIST: PM, just mindful of the answer Mr Power just gave, if we just press a bit further. If this toolkit and these protocols are widely and quickly adopted by business, do you have a timeframe in mind by which the overwhelming majority of our businesses could be open again, excluding the obvious cases like international tourism and so forth. But is there any reason why we can't have nearly everyone up and running in a matter of months if this is?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I hope to have a bit more to say about that later in the week. It's certainly something the states and territories and I have been discussing in some detail. I think we do have to have some aspirations and some targets about this. But even when you're easing restrictions in some sectors, it may take you a week or two for those particular sectors that have been closed down to be able to actually reopen, to get their staff back and to reopen the premises and get their supplies in and do all those sorts of things, so it so it can take a bit of a step up on the way back. But it is our goal to ensure that we can get back to the state you're talking about, which is what we are talking about as a COVID safe economy - to try and get to that point as quickly as we can. Because at $4 billion a week, we have a very strong incentive for all Australians who are wearing that cost every week, to reduce that as much as possible as soon as we can.
Michelle?
JOURNALIST: You mentioned that as more things get going the number of cases are likely to, to increase somewhat. What has been the health advice on that rise?
PRIME MINISTER: Nothing at this point because it all is a function of what restrictions and how quickly and so there are the parameters that would go into such an equation. But let's remember that one of the key things we have done in the last six to eight weeks is to triple our ICU capability. Now, when we start opening up again, we already have started opening up again, but when we take further steps, if we take ourselves back six, eight weeks ago when we were sitting around a table just as we were the day we formed the National Cabinet, I remember Premier Berejiklian over the course of that day, she was sitting next to me and she goes at the start of the day, the cases were low. By the end of the day, there were over 100 cases in New South Wales. So things were moving very quickly at that time. What I'd add to that, is at that time there was not the same sort of sense of social distancing. There were not the things we have in place now. There was not the same stockpile of personal protective equipment. There was not the number of respirators that we now have. There were not five million people on the COVIDSafe app and so we've built these protections over the last six weeks and more. And that means that we're in a much stronger position to resist and deal with any increase in cases. And we're seeing the same thing in Germany and other places like that, they have far more cases than we do, and they're also looking at easing and they're not allowing any movement in those cases to prevent them from keeping on with that program. So it will be a balance, but we're in a much stronger position today to deal with the sort of things that we saw six weeks ago. We're in a much stronger position to do that today than we were then and that gives us the confidence to be able to move into the space we're now seeking to move into. Andrew?
JOURNALIST: PM, you've talked about the next step being pubs and restaurants and things like that. Could you tell us…
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I haven't been specific, to be fair Andrew.
JOURNALIST: I think Nev Power was, actually. But could you explain and give us an idea of what a COVID safe pub looks like? And knowing what you know, when will it be legally safe for the two Andrews, Tehan and… ah, two Dans I say, Dan Andrews and Dan Tehan, to legally have a drink together?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they can legally have a drink together right now, just not in a pub. And I'm sure all of us are looking to that into the future. At the present point, Andrew, we do not have a clear set of rules that would apply to a pub. But what we do have is a set of recommendations that have been provided to us by the AHA and the Restaurant and Caterers Association and that is exactly the thing we're looking for from industry groups right across the country. All industry groups, all businesses - as Christian said - whether you’re an abattoir or a newsagent, you should be thinking about the sorts of things that you can satisfy yourself about in terms of having a COVID safe environment as well as those who come in and out of your shop, your patrons, to ensure that that is sustainable. The last thing the business want, and this is a common feedback that Nev and I get, is what's called the sawtooth, which means you open, you shut, you open, you shut, you open, you shut. That is not good for business. There needs to be the certainty to keep moving forward all the time. And so to have that, you know, you need to have these things in place and what we're talking about today is a further encouraging business to do just that. So thanks to the AHA and the Restaurant and Caters, that advice will go off to the medical expert panel, and that'll be part of the process that we will work through to get back to a position when pubs and clubs and restaurants or cafes in the future can be open. But as I say, we're not making those decisions today. We've had some good discussions on that today, but we've still got quite a bit of work to do.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, in the time that we're sitting here waiting for the press conference to start, a friend of mine was stood down from her job in Victoria and there's clear frustration amongst some Victorians with the extent of the lockdown, the position on schools. Within your own team, we saw that frustration on Sunday. Is there anything that you can do as Prime Minister, leader of the nation, to put more pressure on some states that perhaps not everyone agrees with the extent of their lockdown?
PRIME MINISTER: We’re a federation and at the end of the day, states have sovereignty over decisions that fall specifically within their domain. And the National Cabinet, more than any other tool I've seen in my time in public life, has brought about a consistency of approach between states and territories, not a uniformity, but a greater consistency. And within those discussions, they have always been candid, they've always been honest, and they've always been in good faith. And you know, whether it's considering as I did today, demonstrating what the impact is by state to the economy. At the end of the day, every Premier, every Chief Minister has to stand in front of their state and justify the decisions that they're taking in terms of the extent of the restrictions that are in place. The trade off that they're making between people having jobs and the impact on the containment of the coronavirus. Now, my view has always been this and I've said it from this podium many times. Just having a low number of cases is not success. Particularly when you got a lot of people out of work like your friend today. That is the curve that I'm looking to address. Now, we've had great success on flattening the health curve, and that's great and we all wanted that. But it has come at a price and we now have to start balancing that up. I think there is, having spoken to all the Premiers and Chief Ministers regularly, there is no shortage of pressure on the decisions that they're making, I can assure you. But I respect the fact that they've each got to make their own call, just like I do, and they've got to explain it to the people who live in their state and they've got to justify it. And I think that's the appropriate transparency and accountability.
JOURNALIST: PM, thank you. The US Department of Homeland Security has released a report that accuses China of covering up the severity of the coronavirus outbreak to essentially buy time to hoard medical supplies. Obviously, cover up is a very particularly strong assessment. Is that a view that you share of the Chinese actions in those initial first few weeks?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I'm keen to have undertaken is a proper assessment and review of these questions. I don't want to express an opinion about it, I want to know. And I think the best way to arrive at that is what I've proposed and as I’ve said, I've written to all the G20 leaders this week proposing exactly that process. I think on the 18th of May, the World Health Assembly will be meeting and they'll be considering a proposal being put forward by the European Union. I spoke to Ursula about that last week, discussed that with Boris Johnson and many others. And I think there's good support for that motion. That's a good first step. It doesn't cover all the issues that I've been advocating, but I'll continue to advocate for those and to do it in the global interests and in Australia's national interests. So that's where we're focussing our effort. How other nations choose to pursue those issues, I'll leave to them.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you’ve repeatedly said that schools are safe and you've said today that keeping them closed is going to cost jobs. Given that Victoria still doesn't have a return to class plan, at least made public, is that something that you would consider when Daniel Andrews potentially comes to you in the future as their economy potentially suffers as a result of these prolonged restrictions, especially on schools and further to that, did the premier come to National Cabinet today with any sort of plan about returning Victoria's students to classes after May 11th?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that wasn't on the agenda today, the issue of schools and the advice from the medical expert panel, it hasn't just been me saying it. I've been saying it on the basis of the advice from the medical expert panel. It's not an opinion of mine. I'm relaying what is the expert medical advice on the issue of schools being able to be fully open and that is why the Commonwealth, under the National Principals for education, took the decisions that we did in relation to non-state schools. And those principles and the agreements that were set around the national principles, understood by all the Premiers and Chief Ministers. I made it very clear some weeks ago, that we would be taking those actions in relation to non-state schools because we fund non-state schools to the extent of 80 percent of what they receive. So we have required a plan, regardless of what state or territory that non-state school is in, to return to in-classroom teaching and on that basis, we are happy to encourage in the way that we're bringing forward funding. So the Premier in Victoria will continue to make the decisions as he sees them in relation to state schools, and that's entirely within his bailiwick. Other Premiers are making different decisions, like in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, the Northern Territory and in Western Australia. And I think they're making good calls.
JOURNALIST: Did the Deputy Prime Minister raise any concerns with you that John Barilaro would cause problems for him in Federal Parliament and are you concerned this Nationals infighting occurring now, will affect the government's chances in Eden-Monaro?
PRIME MINISTER: No and no.
JOURNALIST: PM, you talked about the benefit a safe travel zone would have on the tourism industry, including airlines. What role do you see intrastate travel having in terms of the economic recovery as restrictions are wound back over the coming weeks?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, very positive. And that's part of the road back that National Cabinet is considering. I mean, there are still hard borders with Western Australia. There was a bit of friendly banter about whether Kiwis would be welcome into Western Australia before those from the East Coast were. That's still to play out. But there is, I think, no doubt a big benefit once we're back in that situation where people hopefully by the end of term school holidays, if they're able to go and have a holiday on the Gold Coast or in South Australia and wherever it happens to be out of one's home state, well, let's hope that that's possible, because that will be great for those places in terms of the tourism impact. Already in New South Wales, which is what I get to see a bit more of here in the ACT, we're seeing those restrictions about people being able to move and travel a bit further. Same is true up in Queensland. That's good. I welcome that. I think that's great. I think Australians are welcoming that, too. That is all part of getting back to that COVID safe economy. But what is really important is people need to still hold to those principles that are around a COVID safe environment, the social distancing, keeping in contact, but not physically in contact, the hand hygiene, all of these things remain just as important. And of course, downloading the COVIDSafe app that provides that passport, I think, to protect those you're with, your family, yourself as well as those you're coming in contact with.
JOURNALIST: Yeah, thanks, Prime Minister. Three weeks ago your Communications Minister promised urgent short term support to regional broadcasters, but we haven't really heard anything since. Do you know why some of these relief measures are taking so long?
PRIME MINISTER: I'll refer you to the Comms Minister, but we’re happy come back to you on that.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you talked about the agriculture producers who don't have a market for their produce, but a more pressing issue for many more is not having capital to actually restock and grow their crops after the drought. The Federal Government has not announced any drought recovery measures since certain parts of the state had rainfall earlier in the year. Obviously, the drought fund… the future fund doesn't start flowing until July. What measures might be considered beyond what exists with the Regional Investment Corporation loan to assist those farmers with cashflow?
PRIME MINISTER: The original investment corporation loan actually provides for hundreds of thousands of dollars of loans for that exact purpose. It already provides for it. That's part of existing government policy. That's one of the reasons why it exists and so the exact thing you're asking for currently exists. It's part of existing government policy and it's an important part of government policy, that they get access to those loans. That has particularly been put in place with additional support in relation to bushfire affected areas and the primary producer grants that went into those bushfire affected areas and particularly those in south-eastern New South Wales, which remain in a drought affected state. They do have access to those loans as well and their take up has been lifting, the primary producer grant certainly has been lifting over the last few months. And we welcome that. The Drought Recovery Agency, that Shane Stone leads, has been working just as hard during the COVID period as they were from whence they were first established. And that COVID, sorry the Drought Recovery Agency has been working right across the country. And I'd encourage you to go to their website and see all the tremendous work that they're doing to connect farmers to loans and other forms of assistance and support for which there is a very large set of measures for them to draw down on.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, last week you revealed that there’d be this fall in net overseas migration, the 85 per cent cut or fall. What's your goal for Australia in the recovery phase from COVID? Do you want to get net overseas migration back to the levels that we've seen in recent years? Or do you think that there's an argument after this crisis where we should accept lower net overseas migration every year?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you know, the government's policy on permanent migration and that is it's got a cap at 160,000. That's not a target, that's a cap, and our policy hasn't changed on that front. On net overseas migration, you may be familiar with the work from Professor McDonald from some years ago that was done for the Department of Immigration. And he'd always put a range on net overseas migration that was consistent with maintaining per capita GDP growth at between about 160,000 and 210,000. So that's, there the figures that have sat around for some time. Of course, having a responsible immigration program is part of having a strong economy. What I think Australians have been quite cautious about when it comes to issues of immigration has been the infrastructure support for a growing population, and that has particularly been felt in the high growth metropolitan areas of Sydney and Melbourne, and that's why we've had the Urban Congestion Fund and the range of of new project measures that we've put in place now over some years, the $100 billion of rolling infrastructure all around the country. You've got to build the infrastructure to support the population, and you've got to have an economy growing to support that population. Now, you would know that if you drop your net overseas migration to 34,000 or thereabouts, then that's going to have a consequential impact on the construction pipeline and the housing market, which is going to cost people's jobs. And so you need to get the balance right, we believe that our policies around this have kept the balance right. I think one of the lesser understood elements of the net overseas migration outcomes and how temporary migration plays into permanent migration is the vast majority of skilled migration these days actually comes from those who are already here on a temporary skilled visa. And so if you're, if you're wanting to hack into the temporary skilled migration program, you're basically saying you want to hack into the skilled permanent migration program and and those communities all around the country, who's, that permanent migration program is incredibly important to, I think that an insensitive way and dealing with that, an unbalanced way is not only not good for the economy, but equally, I think it puts unnecessary pressures on on particular communities around Australia and shows an insensitivity to those.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, in Josh Frydenberg's speech just a second ago, he said that your government wouldn't be cutting services. He then also went on to say that the government would cut back on quote, “wasteful spending”. What would you classify as wasteful spending?
PRIME MINISTER: We've always ensured that the government has lived within its means. That's how we were able to balance the Budget for the first time in 11 years. That has been the core feature of every budget that I've been involved in, and our Government's been involved in over the time we've sat on the Treasury benches. We've also been very clear that the way to grow your revenues is to grow your economy, and the way to ensure you can support health and education and disability services, is to have a strong economy. I mean, that is that is the theme of every single Budget that I've been involved with and that will continue to be the theme. I've talked before about sovereignty. Sovereignty means that we can get Australians back into jobs. It means we can guarantee the essential services that they rely on and that we can guarantee their national security as well, both in terms of environmental security as well as the strategic security that is afforded to us by the work of our intelligence agencies, our law enforcement agencies, our defence forces and others. And that's what sovereignty is about, having an economy that can support our jobs, our services, and our national security. And that will continue to be the way we approach our Budgets in the future.
JOURNALIST: Just on schools, we're told that schools are low risk, the New South Wales Premier also says that we can expect to see more outbreaks as they start to reopen. So if you can tell us how many jobs the school closures are impacting on right now, as you have today, can you tell me how many people are going to get sick? Do you have any estimate of how many additional cases are potentially, of COVID, are involved in getting all of that school system up and running around the country?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the estimate from Treasury, based on the second round impacts of schools being reduced in the way they have over a six month period, is around 300,000 jobs. And one of the issues that was flagged early on in this debate was, in particular, the impact on the health workforce and the first responder workforce and those employment sectors. And that's why we were so cautious with the rush that was taking place some months ago to try and close the schools down, because at that stage, we were not in a position to have any knowledge about how bad the COVID crisis could become and whether we'd be seeing the scenes that were ultimately seen in New York or London or other places. Now, fortunately, because of the measures we've taken, that has been avoided and that's welcome. But the impact on jobs has happened as a result of that. That's why it's so important not just for the fact that it's safe for kids to go back to school, and that's always been the case, it's also important because it frees up the workforce to go back to work. And women are some of the most affected by that with school closures and even if they're trying to work from home while at the same time looking after kids, it's not an easy job, whether with you’re a mum or dad. Doesn't matter either. It does impact on the productivity. So kids going back to school lifts productivity, helps people get back to work and helps the economy get back on its feet. Now, we do not have other than the modelling estimates that you've seen provided by Professor Murphy about where we see the track of the virus moving into the future. But if we continue to have the strong defences that we've been building, whether it's overall on ICU capacity and PPE and things like that, but also a lot of the more tactile responses which are about the surveillance testing and the broader testing network. And I commend all of the states and territories which have all been lifting their game on testing and I know Victoria, in particular, right now is putting a lot of effort into boosting its testing effort, and that means that you can move on outbreaks far more quickly. Of course, with the COVIDSafe app, you're more able to quickly isolate those who have come in contact with someone who's contracted COVID-19. But the third area, Sam, I think it’s really important. You've seen this with a number of these schools and the one in Melbourne most recently. Where it does happen, you've got to move very quickly, lock it down, scrub it down and then reopen it as quickly. Now, that's true for a school, but as Nev and Christian were saying, that's what you have to do at a manufacturing plant, that's what you have to do in a shop. It's what you have to do in any number of other workplaces. And so having the processes to move on that really quickly is important and those types of things will have a big impact on how many more cases that you see.
Now, Professor Murphy has been pretty consistent, immaculately consistent, on the low levels of transmission and numbers of cases amongst those, you know, of children's ages. And that hasn't changed and that research has not changed also in the international experience. So our expectation is that, yes, I suspect undoubtedly you will get cases, of course, that will happen. We aren't pursuing an eradication strategy. But those cases can be managed and those cases can be contained in a strong health system and that's our focus. So rather than be focused on how many more cases there would be, what we're focused on is making sure we have the capacity to deal with the cases and that's an approach which has been mirrored by many other countries and I think Germany is a good example of that. And they provide a good guide, as we do to them, on those types of issues.
If there are no other burning questions, thank you all very much. I'll see you next time. Thank you.
Video Message - Coronavirus Global Response International Pledging Event
5 May 2020
G'day from Australia. We're very pleased to be part of this important event today, and I want to thank the European Commission for bringing us all together for this important purpose.
COVID-19 is putting us all to the test and it is a test we are all rising to. This is a great shared project by the peoples of the world with a clear purpose: to find that vaccine for COVID-19. A safe vaccine, available to all, affordable to all.
In Australia and around the world, our best and brightest medical minds and researchers are working tirelessly in the service of all peoples.
Today, Australia is pledging $352 million Australian dollars towards this global effort to fight COVID-19 and to find that vaccine.
We're providing $15 million Australian dollars to help develop COVID-19 vaccines and diagnostics to be shared equally between the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND).
As well, here in Australia, we're also providing $337 million Australian dollars to fund COVID-19 research and development work on vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and respiratory medicine.
Our world-class medical researchers and institutions, the University of Queensland, the Doherty Institute and our CSIRO are already working with CEPI to fast track a vaccine. Our pledge builds on A$170 million that we contribute every single year to global partners working on the development and deployment of vaccines, drugs and diagnostics.
We look forward to continuing our strong support also for GAVI at the pledging conference hosted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson next month. And it's great to see you looking so well, Boris.
We're also stepping up to assist our region. Our development program is pivoting to focus on COVID-19, especially in our family neighbourhood of the Pacific and Southeast Asia, where we can have the most impact.
I know we're all hurting and grieving for what has been lost, and so much has been lost. But out of our grief and sadness comes a strong determination to beat this virus by working together. And in so doing, ensuring we are better prepared for future pandemics.
Thank you so much for the ability to contribute today and be part of this important initiative. And I think the European Commission again for the opportunity.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
1 May 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm joined today by the Minister for Aged Care and Minister for Sport and for Ageing, Richard Colbeck, and of course as always, by Professor Brendan Murphy, the Chief Medical Officer.
It's been another very productive meeting of the National Cabinet today and importantly today, we discussed many issues - both from the economic front as well as on the health front. Success during the COVID-19 pandemic is not just about containing the virus and having low numbers of cases. It is true that we have had some real success on the health front. There are now only around 1,000 active cases around the country today and in many jurisdictions on the numbers, no active cases in those jurisdictions and I note Andrew Barr today has made further announcements on the basis of that.
But that’s not the only curve we need to flatten. We need to reduce unemployment, we need to get businesses open, we need to enable Australians to go back to work, to earn, to be able to support their families, their households, and support the Australian economy. These are the curves that we also need to influence. And that’s what success will be measured by together with the outcomes we are seeking on health. We need to restart our economy, we need to restart our society, we can’t keep Australia under the doona, we need to be able to move ahead.
National Cabinet was briefed again today by the Secretary of Treasury Dr Kennedy, and his advice confirms the significant impact that COVID-19 is having on our economy, and the decisions that have had to be taken to protect the health of the nation. There is now about 1.5 million, just over, Australians who are on JobSeeker. Over 900,000 claims have been processed in just over the past 6 weeks. This bears out the Treasury estimate that suggests unemployment rate will rise to 10 per cent, and potentially beyond. JobKeeper registrations are now over 650,000 businesses. Over 950,000 applications have been made to access super, totalling some $7.9 billion in claims. More than 340,000 businesses have received a cashflow boost under our cashflow programme worth over $6 billion dollars. 6.8 million Australians have received that one off payment, that $750 dollar payment and that brings to a total of $5.1 billion of those payments that have been made and of course another one will be made in July. There’s also been, we’ve heard today, a significant fall expected in net overseas migration, which is expected to fall by about a third this year, financial year, and by 85 per cent off its peak, or off it’s previous year, in the following year in ‘21, sorry 2021, sorry ‘21/’22.
Our economic and income support programmes have put a floor under our economy in these extreme times, it’s all about underpinning confidence going forward, and these programmes have been put in place well before these rather concerning numbers whether it be on unemployment or business closures or others have been presented. Despite those figures, and those figures people will be seeing in the weeks and months ahead, it’s important that Australians can take confidence that there has been a clear plan to get those supports in place early - to ensure that Australia can be cushioned from an even more significant blow that we’ve seen occur in so many other parts around the world. Not just on the health front, but on the economic front as well. And a key part of that plan going forward as we see these shocks hit our economy, is the plan to re-open and to rebuild. The road back, which we have been on now for a few weeks.
Today, the National Cabinet agreed to bring forward our consideration of the decision on relaxing restrictions to next Friday. Australians have earned an early mark. Through the work that they have done. Australians have earned an early mark through the work that they have done, and that decision will now be made on next Friday. And we'll be meeting twice over the course of the next week to ensure that we can work through the many things that have to be resolved in order to make those decisions.
Our plan has been to get the virus under control and to ensure that we can contain it, to get the preparations in place for our ICU systems and health systems, and to get the protections in place, the build up of the tracing capabilities within state health departments. The expansion of our ICU facilities. The build up and training of our workforces to ensure we can get the respirators in place and the access to the critical testing equipment and the tests as well as the personal protective equipment. Today, they considered at the reporting of the expert medical panel a series of conditions, precedent, that need to be satisfied in order to go forward with the easing restrictions and 11 out of those 15 conditions have already been met. And the Chief Medical Officer will go into further detail on those. But of those that remain outstanding, there is one that Australians can do something about, and that is downloading the COVIDSafe app. This is a critical issue for National Cabinet when it comes to making decisions next Friday about how restrictions can be eased.
There are currently over 3 and a half million downloads and registrations of the COVIDSafe app and there needs to be millions more. This is incredibly important. As I explained it the other day, it's like not putting on sunscreen, to go out into the blazing sun. The coronavirus is still out there. Our numbers may be low, but it's still out there. And if we allow Australians back out into a more open economy, a more open environment without the protection of the COVIDSafe app, which enables us to know who has been in contact, how we can isolate those groups, how we can constrain and constrict that virus from getting to other people. We need that tool so we can open up the economy. And that's why it's so important. So if you haven't downloaded the app yet, download it. If you know someone who hasn't downloaded the app yet and you have, encourage them to do so, because if you're doing that, then that is enabling the National Cabinet to be able to ease these restrictions next Friday. It's about putting the health protections in place so we can ensure that the coronavirus does not get a run on it again.
When we move to reduce those restrictions, the National Cabinet is very adamant that we want to ensure we keep moving forward. We do not want to go into a start, stop or an even worse; reverse process into the future. When we start opening up businesses again, that is going to require those businesses opening the doors, getting people back in, taking risks. And we don't want that to have to be reversed because of the virus getting a run on again. And that's why it's important that we get these protections in place. Kate Langbroek, I thought put it pretty well last night when she said we've got to be like the emblems on our Coat of Arms, the kangaroo and the emu. They only go forward and we only want to go forward when it comes to this. So it's pretty important that we get people downloading that app over the course of the next week. So it's over to you Australia, as we go through this next 7 days and we will consider that when we come together in a week from now.
Now, in terms of some other important decisions that we've made today and issues that we've considered, there was the presentation, as I flagged earlier in the week from Christine Morgan on the National Mental Health Plan, and that's coming together. And we anticipate that hopefully that'll be in a position to be reviewed next Friday. We were also able to agree national principles for sport and recreation, and they'll be released today. And that also included a consideration of the elite sports codes. And we were also able to adopt the aged care code and that was strongly welcomed by the National Cabinet. And that's why the Minister for Aged Care joins me today. As you know, National Cabinet has had a very strong view about the need to ensure that its position, that it is held consistently from the advice received by the medical expert panel to ensure that Australians can continue to have reasonable access to their family, friends and others they're supporting in aged care facilities. I want to commend Minister Colbeck for the great job he's done over the course of this past week, working with the industry to establish an industry code that has been supported by the major peak, major peak aged care organisations in Australia, as well as the consumer groups in the aged care sector, and drawing together an industry code that reflects absolutely the National Cabinet advice that it had adopted from the medical expert panel, which provides important access for families and other support people to those who are in aged care facilities. And so we welcome that and we appreciate the collaborative way in which the industry is engaged with the government to achieve that over the course of the past week.
Now, in addition to that, what we're announcing today is the Commonwealth, will be putting an additional $205 million into the aged care sector as a one off payment to facilities all around the country to support them in the costs that they are incurring to deal with the COVID-19 crisis in their sector. There are a range of additional costs and expenses that the aged care Minister has been able to identify working with the sector. And this payment is designed to give them that financial support so they can put all those measures in place, that will assist with the industry code implementation. It will keep those who are in aged care facilities safer and give their families greater peace of mind when it comes to how those issues have been managed within the aged care sector.
So with that, I might hand over to Richard to go through the industry code and the announcement we've made that brings to $850 million that the federal government has put into aged care specifically to address the issues around the COVID-19 crisis.
Thanks, Richard.
SENATOR THE HON. RICHARD COLBECK, MINISTER FOR AGED CARE AND SENIOR AUSTRALIANS: Thanks. Thanks PM and firstly, I'll go to the code and can I specifically express my gratitude to the aged care sector for the very, very speedy way in which they've managed to pull this code together, which will facilitate visitation by residents, loved ones across the aged care sector. The concept was only designed earlier in the week and they've done a brilliant job, so all of the aged care residential facility peaks ACSA, LASA, Catholic Health Australia, Baptist Care Australia, the Aged Care Guild, Uniting Care and Anglicare have all signed up to this code as of last night. To the consumer organisations who also drove its design, Council of the Ageing, National Seniors, Dementia Australia, the older person's advocacy network, and Carers Australia, can I thank them also for the work that they've done. I'm not sure I've seen an industry code designed as quickly as this one was. But for it to facilitate the things that National Cabinet expressed on two occasions now on the advice of the AHPPC is fantastic. I've had some very, very good conversations with some key players in the sector this week with respect to the development of their code and things that they are already doing to facilitate visitation of loved ones into aged care facilities. And importantly, it not only contemplates visitation for those who are at end of life, which was something that the AHPPC was concerned about, those in palliation, but also those who have had a long history of visitation, working with their loved ones, going in for meals, helping the aged care facility to, to support their relatives. So those people who have a history are also contemplated as part of the code. So, again, congratulations to the sector. Thank you so much for the work that you've done. And can I say, Prime Minister. I think the aged care sector should be congratulated for the work that it's done in managing COVID, in this country. We have had only 23 residential aged care facilities that have had an outbreak of COVID-19 of those 23, 15 have completely cleared it, 8 are still dealing with it. But there'll be more that will have cleared it in coming days. And that's a tribute to them. It's also a tribute to the work that the Australian community has done in managing transmission in the community, which has prevented it from getting in but, into the residential aged care facilities. But I think that's a great result. And in the majority of cases, it's been two, one, two or three cases within the facility. Only on a couple of occasions have we had more. And Dorothy Henderson Lodge, which was one of the first major outbreaks, is now actually COVID-19 free so great work by Dorothy Henderson Lodge. They should be congratulated for that work. It took a little while, but great work.
With respect to the announcement that the Prime Minister's mentioned for a COVID specific support payment of $205 million across the sector. The sector will understand this more than perhaps others in the broader community, but providers across the country will get a $900 per occupied bed support payment in residential codes MMN-1, Monash model one. So that's effectively metropolitan areas and those in regional Australia, in recognition of the fact that they generally have higher costs, will get a 50 per cent uplift on that, so $1,350 dollars per residential bed. This will contribute towards the genuine extra costs that they are incurring as they manage COVID-19 outbreak. They are screening staff every day as they come and go from their shifts, particularly as they come in, so that we don't get COVID-19 into the facility. That takes them time, they will be screening visitors as they come into the facilities to ensure that we don't get COVID-19 outbreaks. They've suffered additional costs in things like personal protective equipment because it's been so rare and prices have gone up. So they've had some other costs that have increased as well. And of course, just in some of their other everyday work that they've been doing, they've had additional costs. So this measure is in recognition of those additional costs in managing COVID-19 and as the Prime Minister said, that takes the total amount that the Government's put in specifically for COVID-19, up to over $850 million, which is a significant amount of money. Thanks, PM.
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll ask Brendan to come up.
I just want to correct one thing I said before on net overseas migration. Off the 2018-19 year for net overseas migration, we're expecting just over a 30 per cent fall in 2019-20, the current financial year and in 2021, an 85 per cent fall off those 2018-19 levels as well. So they are quite significant falls.
Thank you, Brendan.
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Thanks, PM. So the status of the pandemic in Australia today, we have 6,765 cases. Still consistently getting less than 20 new cases per day over recent days. 93 deaths, unfortunately, and we mustn't forget those tragic deaths. And we're testing extensively with over 570,000 tests done so far.
The Prime Minister talked about the conditions precedent that National Cabinet challenged us to make sure we met before they were prepared to consider any relaxation of current measures, and I was pleased to be able to present to the National Cabinet what we call the Pandemic Health Intelligence Plan. And I'll go into that in a little bit more in my presentation, at the end of my presentation. But in that plan was listed a table of those conditions precedent and we're doing pretty well. The conditions, I'll just outline them in an overview way. The first one was around surveillance and we have a surveillance plan and we have sufficient surveillance mechanisms, surveillance being the tracking and identification of outbreaks.
Another one that we've met is what we call community adherence to public health measures, and we'll show you on the presentation that we’re tracking that people are doing what we have said, they are reducing their mobility and their interactions as required by those original measures. Modelling was a prerequisite that was very important. And you've seen already each week that we are presenting modelling, we have data modelling. And yes, you'll see today later our modelling methodology changes to reflect the case numbers and the epidemiology. Testing capacity, expansion of testing capacity was a really important issue. You've heard the announcement from Minister Hunt earlier in this week about our secure supply line of COVID-19 PCR tests now. And we now have a framework of testing, which I'll come to later on.
Our public health workforce in the states and territories has to be mature and large enough to meet any response. In fact, every state and territory now expanded so much in the very active phase of the outbreak that they have now been able to stand down some of the expanded workforce. But they're there and ready and waiting if we need them again. Our contact tracing capacity had to be really good, and we've proven that we're tracing contacts very quickly at the moment with those small numbers of cases, and the methodology is really up to speed except for one thing, except for the app uptake and that's not green at the moment. As the Prime Minister has said, we need the app uptake to be higher before we can say that that final piece in the jigsaw puzzle of contact tracing is there.
Then there was a range of measures National Cabinet were very concerned about to make sure that we had in place, before we relaxed measures just on the off chance that we did have a big outbreak that we needed to manage in our health systems. So we needed a well-prepared health system with good surge capacity, with enough ventilators and an ICU expansion capacity. All of those are in place. Personal protective equipment was a big issue, very pleasing to say that we now are very clear that we have enough masks. That's a great thing after all the issues we've had with masks and making sure we can bring in sufficient supplies. We're still doing some work to be absolutely confident about other elements of PPE, but we've got good confidence and most supply lines are now being restored.
The other final two measures in the health system were drugs and other consumables. And again, we have done a good assessment of those and feel that they are in a good place. And we've also completed workforce training that was required to prepare the health systems. So those measures really gave us a pretty good tick from the National Cabinet today and that's the basis upon which the National Cabinet has said, bring back next week some measures for careful consideration of gentle relaxation.
So I'll now go to my now well-renowned weekly presentation and I will also talk a little bit about our testing capacity and the Pandemic Intelligence Plan. So this is a familiar graph to all of you and pretty convincingly, we have flattened the curve and you can see that our numbers of cases each day continue to be pretty flat. Next slide.
This I showed you also last week and this is the forecast of what the predictions from the previous case numbers that we would likely get and you can see again that we are having case numbers that are below the median predicted case number. So we're doing better than the modelling would have predicted from the previous data. Next slide.
Now, you know that there are only two jurisdictions left on this effective reproduction rate number. That's because although other jurisdictions have had cases, remember last week I said ACT and the Northern Territory had a badge of honour by dropping off, by not having any cases. But the case numbers in every other jurisdiction are so small that the modellers feel that they can't usefully use the effective reproduction number. Those error margins are so broad in the other jurisdictions that the modellers aren't comfortable with producing that. Only in New South Wales and Tasmania are there enough numbers to show an effective reproduction number and even then they're pretty much at the lower limit of what you would expect. And you can see that Tasmania is comfortably now below the one benchmark as they have so expertly brought the north west Tasmania outbreak under control. And we do continue to congratulate the Tasmanian Public Health Unit and all of the people of north west Tasmania for complying with what was a very burdensome but necessary public health intervention. Next slide.
This is a new measure and we have this you’ll see in the modelling paper that will be published on the Doherty website tonight. We’ll show this for every jurisdiction. We’re only showing it here for New South Wales because it becomes a very busy slide if we show too much. Basically, this is showing measures that people are adhering to distancing measures. So this is for New South Wales showing when we introduced those measures for Apple has given us data on directions for driving. You can see the directions for driving have dropped dramatically. Google has got data on time at transit stations. Again, that's dropped. But the converse is the Google data on times at residential. Google does track people. The COVIDSafe app doesn't. But this is showing how well people have adhered to our measures that we've put in place. And you can see some little spikes around Easter time. But generally, people are doing the right thing. Next slide.
So I said before that the effective reproduction rate is not really a valuable measure at the moment because case numbers are so small. So what we have now presented to the National Cabinet is this Pandemic Health Intelligence Plan. And we'll need to be looking at things that are much more granular than the effective reproduction rate. Our case numbers are so low now that we can analyse each case, each cluster and get really detailed epidemiological information on what's happening. And so we can get a feeling of whether there is a cluster that's breaking out and that we need to control. I've mentioned all of those parameters of the Pandemic Health Intelligence Plan before, but I do want to go into our testing strategy because this is really quite important. We've done a lot of work on that, as I've said on in meeting and on many occasions, we need to test more people if we are going to get on top of those small outbreaks. And we've seen a couple of them just in recent weeks, couple in Victoria, and they've got on top of them expertly and well and contained them. But we cannot afford to have an outbreak that takes off so that we get a second wave when we reduce restrictions, such as a number of other countries have seen. So our testing has to be very, very good.
The most important thing in testing is for everybody who has any respiratory symptoms, cough or a cold or a sore throat or runny nose. Please get tested. It's safe to get tested. There are testing centres, GPs can do testing, they can send you to pathology labs. It's very simple and straightforward. We want everybody who has a cough or a cold or any respiratory symptoms because most people with COVID-19 have mild symptoms, just like a cough or a cold - get tested and don't go to work, particularly if you work with vulnerable people. That's the most important thing. But we're also doing testing in a lot of other settings. Any outbreak in an age case sector. Minister Colbeck said we have done extremely well in most of those outbreaks. Sure, there have been some very troublesome ones and one that's very active at the moment, but in most cases, once you get one case, we go in and test every staff member, every resident and any potential contact, and that's enabled us to identify very quickly and exclude infection in others. Any health care sector outbreak will test all the health care workers, all the other asymptomatic patients, every contact of someone with COVID-19 is now going to be tested to make sure that we chase the contacts very actively and make sure we lock that down.
We have talked, there's been a lot of talk about what's called active surveillance, where you test, well asymptomatic people in the community. Given the current very low positivity in testing, that does not seem to be a very effective way of monitoring this virus. However, we are going to do what we call cohort tests. So we want to make sure the community and sample sections of the community just to make sure that our confidence that we don't have significant asymptomatic transmission is correct. So we will be doing some testing of some consecutive elective surgery patients just to reassure those people coming in for surgery and the hospital staff that we're not having cases in that group. We will be also testing aged care workers voluntarily if they wish to, even though they're perfectly well, just to reassure us and them that they're not carrying this virus and we'll do a sample of those. Similarly, we'll be looking at some health care workers, again, with their consent and in partnership with their industrial organisations. And we'll be doing a range of other cohorts from time to time, just going out and sampling parts of the community just to assure that we are not seeing asymptomatic transmission. We know that there are some people who do have the virus detected without symptoms. We still don't really know whether they transmit the virus effectively or not. We still think that most people who are transmitting the virus from one person to another actually have some symptoms. That's why I say again and again and again, anyone with a cough or a cold or a sore throat or a temperature or a runny nose, please get tested. That, plus downloading the app and sticking to what we've asked you to do makes the country safe for you. So I’ll stop there. Thanks, PM.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much, Brendan. Lanai, we’ll start and just go across and work our way towards the back.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can you give us any more indication about what things might be reopened once the decision is made next week? Will it be that people will be able to go back to pilates or barre classes or, you know, various other things?
PRIME MINISTER: I might have my first one, Lanai.
JOURNALIST: Great. Just on another issue that obviously has been topical this week in regards to China. You spoke about that this morning on radio. Is there anything further that you're doing in terms of ensuring that we continue to have a good relationship with China?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, on the first issue, National Cabinet will consider these things next Friday and so I'm not going to prejudice that discussion by canvassing any particular areas. People will be very familiar with the full range of restrictions that were put in place some weeks ago and they're all obviously being reviewed and they're being reviewed both in terms of the health mitigations that would need to be put in place if they were to reopen. But as well looking at the economic opportunities that are extended to those particular activities as well and that's the basis on which the assessment will be made. So I'm not going to second guess that process. There'll be a lot of work done. National Cabinet is meeting on Tuesday and is meeting on Friday. And it's largely focusing only on that issue so we can work through the many different options that we have available to us. We're also, through my Cabinet, I'm working directly with industry sectors about what mitigations can be put in place in workplaces. So it's not just about whether an activity can be reopened, it's how it can be reopened. The COVID safe economy, the COVID safe environment and society we're going to be living in will be different. Of course it will, because the virus will be out there and we need to be able to protect our economy, our health, our safety against the coronavirus in that environment. So those mitigations are very important and the AHPPC, the medical expert panel, is informing that process.
We work every day on our relationship with China. We have a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China. It is a mutually beneficial partnership. It is not a one way street and is one that is, of course, important to Australia. Otherwise, we would never have entered into it and China would never have entered into it with Australia. And so we will continue to work within that arrangement and pursue that relationship based on that agreement. Phil?
JOURNALIST: PM on the app, the government, you've you know shied away or ruled out from mandating it, but would you encourage, there are reports of some employers who are making it a requirement of people coming back to work if you are going to have everyone sitting in the same office or workplace? Would you encourage that sort of action?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it can't be a requirement, that's prevented under the legal arrangements, but we are encouraging as a public, in the public service, we are, we are encouraging it within the Commonwealth public service. The state governments will be encouraging it within the state public services to encourage the employees to download the COVIDSafe app. And there is nothing wrong with that. Patrons of takeaway cafes or restaurants or pubs operating in the takeaway mode, I'm sure will be encouraging their patrons to download the COVIDSafe app, because if you download the COVIDSafe app, then more businesses will be open, and that's it, so it's done on the basis of encouragement in the national public health interest. And, but I've got to say, in the national economic interests, the protections are there. They're in place. They've been reviewed. And you've seen all of that. And so it is our path back for people to download the COVIDSafe app.
JOURNALIST: PM, there's a lot of speculation about whether the NRL can begin its season at the end of May as it wants to. There's also speculation about whether a plane of Kiwi footy players can land this Sunday to begin preparations. Is it the case that National Cabinet has cleared any of that ground for NRL to start in that way and can I also ask a question of Professor Murphy on asymptomatic testing? I'm interested in your observations about whether, whether you'll do cohort testing of school-aged children and what your advice is today on asymptomatic transmission among school children?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, no, those authorities have not been provided and the National Cabinet has not provided that endorsement, nor is it for the National Cabinet to do that. The individual jurisdictions will ultimately provide any of the clearances that are necessary on a health basis to deal with any of the major codes. Be it the NRL, the AFL or others, we had a good discussion on that today. And we received the advice that we did from the medical expert panel. And what will be occurring is that those jurisdictions that are relevant to those codes are going to, through the medical expert panel, provide consistent health advice to those jurisdictions, which is Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, of course South Australia and others, about the decisions they would need to make regarding the proposals being put forward by those codes. But ultimately, those decisions will be made in those states, but at least they'll be doing so on the basis of a set of consistent medical advice and that should assist I think those codes and how they're progressing those issues and not having to do it on multiple occasions. In relation to the border issues with New Zealand well, that authority has not been provided and no amount of reporting it will change that decision. That will be made on the basis of the border assessments of the Australian Border Force. And they're working through that application. They've received that application. And when they're in a position to authorise it well they will, and that’s how that will follow. Brendan?
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: So, thanks, on asymptomatic testing, we may someday, I think one state is already considering testing a cohort of teachers, not because we think teachers are at higher risk, but because they may feel that that would reassure them. We have tested a lot of asymptomatic children in outbreaks in New South Wales, you’ll recall 800 of them were tested and I think 1 was positive. So we've already done some testing of children. There is increasing evidence from Europe now, studies from the UK, studies from the Netherlands that consistently show that transmission amongst children is not being seen. It's not significant. So there really isn't a strong basis to test a cohort of children at this time.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister you’ve said that you need the uptake of the app to increase dramatically in the next 7 days, are you prepared to put a figure on what you'd like to see in terms of the per cent of people? And also we've seen this movement data that the number of people staying at home versus going out, as these restrictions are eased, the burden to maintain that will fall much higher on the densely populated areas like Sydney. We've had states saying, you know, don't do a Bondi. What is your expectation of the community, if they head down to the beach and see that it's really busy? Are they supposed to go home? What is going to be put in place for cities that just aren't going to be able to social distance in the way that other regional areas could?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, first of all, no we haven't put a target number on. It just needs to be higher and it has to be as high as it possibly can be. And the higher the number it is, the greater protection there is, the higher the number of people who have downloaded COVIDsafe app, then the safer you are, being in the community, particularly if we are to move towards easing those restrictions. Now, in relation to that, in an environment where there'll be greater mobility. People need to exercise common sense. I think the principles of social distancing, physical distancing, with connection, as Christine Morgan put it, but that distancing of 1 and a half metres, this is something that I think has really started to sink in to most people. And those things would have to always be practised. So long as the coronavirus is out there, then that is your best defence against it. That together with hand hygiene and the many other elements that go into protecting individuals and downloading the COVIDSafe app is also very important for that. So I think people should exercise judgement in their own health interests. People walking into a crowded room, and Brendan may want to comment on this, will be putting themselves at risk. I mean, you wouldn't do, you wouldn't knowingly put your health at risk when you had clear knowledge that doing something like that would do that. And so people should act in their own interest and not put their health at risk by acting contrary to those social distancing principles at any time.
But Brendan, do you want to comment on that?
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: So, thanks PM, so I think as I've said on many occasions, whilst we're living with this virus, the way we interact with each other, will have to be different and remain different. So we will have to practise that room density measures we’ll have to practise that keeping at least one and a half metres apart from each other, where possible. And even when we do open up some things in the future, there will clearly be significant limits. There'll be limits on, there will continue to be limits on gathering, there will continue to be limits on people in rooms. But wherever you go, however you interact, you'll need to practise that distancing. And that is just a long-term adjustment that we all have to make. The other one I always say is that I think we're going to be washing our hands in a new way for the rest of our lives, even beyond this virus, because I think we've all learned how important hand hygiene is and we're going to keep doing it.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Jen?
JOURNALIST: In relation to the meeting, you've brought forward the National Cabinet meeting for easing restrictions on May 8. Can you elaborate on what you'll be discussing there or potentially moving on? Is that reopening pubs and clubs nationally, restaurants, is it relaxing the four square metre rule? And also for Professor Murphy, what's your reaction to the Victorian Deputy Chief Medical Officer who tweeted a comparison, well, compared COVID-19 to Captain Cook's landing?
PRIME MINISTER: Well the first one, I think I covered that off earlier. I mean, we'll be looking at all the matters that are currently subject to restrictions and we'll be reviewing that and making decisions about which are the ones we can move on and with a degree of confidence that we can do that safely. And that will bring about a welcome relief for the community and importantly, enable the economy to move to a higher gear. That's what we want to see happen. So I'm not going to flag in any particular ones at all. It's important that the National Cabinet consider that based on the best possible medical advice. I think that's certainly the approach.
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: On that other issue. She's a fine young public health physician who's been working you know, 80 hours a week for the last two months. She made a personal tweet, and that's a matter, on a personal Twitter account, it's a matter for her. I don't personally concur with her view, but I think that's a matter for her.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, John?
JOURNALIST: Thanks PM, the 85 per cent decline forecast in net, of net overseas migration from next financial year. I mean, that sounds very significant economically, as you'd appreciate. What's the sort of economic advice you're getting about the potential economic impact from that? And it does suggest that the negative hit from coronavirus is going to drag well on into next year, at least from that. Even beyond the initial sort of lifting of social distancing measures and therefore, the economy might need some sort of policy support and other measures going forward well into next year?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it is a significant drop. I mean, it's currently sitting around, in last year I think they had 240-odd thousand. And so that's a significant fall. And you'll be well aware from past Budgets the importance of those numbers and how they contribute to overall gross domestic product and its growth each year. And so that is a significant change. It is not expected to be a long term change in terms of net overseas migration. I mean, that is making assumptions about where borders will be over that, you know, up until the end of next year. Those assumptions are not unreasonable from where we sit today. But let's not forget that 6 weeks ago we didn't think we'd be here today. We didn't think we would have made this much progress on the coronavirus at this time and we have. So there are, I think, many uncertainties. But there's no doubt, John, that the coronavirus will have its immediate impact, which is what we are addressing through JobKeeper and JobSeeker and the cash flow support and the access to super and all of these arrangements to provide that underpinning, both to confidence and to people's incomes at a very, very devastating time. Beyond that emergency period, though, there will certainly be lagged impacts of COVID-19. Those will happen both within Australia as businesses seek to get back up on their feet and consumption seeks to lift to back to levels where it was and that may take some time. And it's important as we move into another phase that we not only give people the confidence about their jobs opening up and businesses opening up, but just for individuals to feel confident in their own health to be able to go and engage again in the community, which, and I’m sorry to sound like a broken record, but that's why downloading the COVIDSafe app is so important. That is the ticket to opening up our economy and getting people back into jobs and getting businesses open again and opening up those opportunities for social interaction again. So, John, yes there will be those lag effects and that's why I've flagged before that we need growth orientated policies to overcome what will be quite stiff headwinds, which will be the carryover from what we've seen from the COVID19 crisis.
JOURNALIST: Apart from the app, what specific steps are outstanding that Aussies need to tick off to earn that early mark next week? And how excited are you to get the Sharkies back out?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I can assure you I haven't asked the NRL to reset the competition points even though we had those first two losses. Look, I know everyone's looking forward to that coming back, but it's got to happen in accordance with the health rules and the other arrangements in place. There are very comprehensive proposals that have been put forward by a number of the codes and I know the states and territories will work through those I think very efficiently. And I thank the codes for the detailed work they've put into that and I know they want to get training going soon and hopefully that can be achieved.
When it comes to the other issues, I mean, the Chief Medical Officer went through them earlier. The main one is the app, downloading the COVIDSafe app is the major obstacle now between us freeing up a lot of these restrictions in a cautious way, in a careful way. It's not open slather. That's not what has ever been contemplated and I wouldn't want to raise expectations in that sense. They'll be carefully considered because we want to continue to build up. We don't want to have to go back. We don't want to have to be able to respond to an outbreak that gets well out of control and that's why these protections are important. But the areas that there are some issues around gowns, I think Brendan, and gloves, that's not seen as an unresolvable hurdle. That's an issue which will go on for some months. But we don't see that impeding us next week and there have been some others just around the testing regime and the rollout of that. But the plans are already in place for that. So the one that still remains uncertain is the degree to which we can get the COVIDSafe app throughout the community in a way that would give us confidence - that when we open up the economy, then when people go out into the economy, that if anyone is a risk, that those who have come in contact with them can be very quickly identified and we can keep it under control.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, still on sport, you say the National Cabinet agreed to these principles regarding sport and how they could go ahead. Are you able to run through what that is, particularly for community sport and when can we expect to see kids back on the soccer field and the netball field?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Sport Minister, who’s here, he also has those responsibilities, he may want to speak to this. The principles today draw heavily on the Australian Institute of Sport’s Framework for Rebooting Sport in a COVID-19 environment and they're quite detailed and they'll be circulated. Many of you will probably be familiar with those already. They do set out important principles that, for example, outdoor activities are a lower risk setting for COVID-19 transmission. A lot more of the risk is in indoor facilities, not just playing indoor, but indoor change rooms and things like that and the mitigations you'd have to have in place to deal with that. It speaks of the need for community sport to be moving, not just elite sport. Now, that may not be able to be completely synchronised and you wouldn't have one necessarily hold up the other. But it's important that people should be able to see the sport, but they should be able to play it as well in those participation exercises. But that will be done in a staged manner. The principles talk about an initial phase of small groups, less than 10 person activities in a non-contact fashion, with individual jurisdictions determining how that progresses. The inclusion of the resumption of children's outdoor sport and the resumption of outdoor recreational activities. But these are the things that will be looked at next week. Decisions have not been taken to move on any of those matters, but these principles set out, I think, the basis upon which we might be able to go forward when we consider whether we can this time next week. But Richard, do you want to offer another comment on that?
SENATOR THE HON. RICHARD COLBECK, MINISTER FOR AGED CARE AND SENIOR AUSTRALIANS: Thanks, PM. So there's, as the PM's just indicated, a set of high-level principles which have been developed by the AHPPC, taken up by National Cabinet, that will provide that overarching framework for the recommencement of sport across the country. They are, again, as the Prime Minister indicated, very heavily guided by some work that's been done by, and led by the Australian Institute of Sport, and I extend my thanks to Dr David Hughes who's led that work, but also along with the chief medical officers from a number of the national sporting organisations and the professional codes have had input into the work that the AIS has coordinated. That contemplates a staged recommencement of sport. It indicates the types of activities at various levels that might be considered as part of that process and so when you see that document, we are currently at level A. As the National Cabinet considers opening up the capacity to move around. The opportunity goes then to level B, which talks, as the PM said, of commencing training in small groups of, say, up to 10 with 10 athletes and officials working together. And then stage C, which goes back to full training and full commencement. And so that I can get my plug in for COVIDSafe as well, if you want to get out to play, download the app today.
JOURNALIST: You mentioned 650,000 businesses have applied for JobKeeper.
PRIME MINISTER: Registered.
JOURNALIST: Registered, yep. Can I please ask how many employees are receiving that payment? And if the number of employees settles at something less than six million, will you commit to expand the eligibility criteria for that program, or is it possible it could come in at less than $130 billion?
PRIME MINISTER: The Treasurer will have a bit more to say about the number of employees covered and because that process is still being evaluated through the tax office. So I'm not in a position to give you that figure today, but the Treasurer will have a bit more to say about that, I understand, next week. And at this point it is too early to make estimates about what the final reconciliation would be against the budgeted amount. And there are many calls, there are many calls on the Budget in relation to COVID-19 and we do see some movement between JobSeeker and JobKeeper. Remember the JobSeeker payments, that costing related to the additional payment and there is also the uplift in costs for the Commonwealth in relation to many other welfare payments that are happening at the moment as well, what's called the automatic stabilisers. So I can assure you the Commonwealth will be footing - that is, the Commonwealth taxpayer - will be footing a very big bill and they understand that. And that's why every single element of that we are considering very carefully and we've set the parameters for JobKeeper and for JobSeeker and we have no plans to change that, apart from the administrative changes like the ones the Treasurer announced last week.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, firstly, if there is not a dramatic uptake in the app by next Friday, will there still be further restrictions announced and also something I think many Australians want to know the answer to, when can we go to the pub?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the first step to getting back to that is downloading COVIDSafe. Now, if that isn't an incentive for Australians to download COVIDSafe on a Friday, I don't know what is. And so I'd encourage people to do just that this afternoon and to encourage them if they're talking to each other on Zoom or they are having a cold one later on today in that environment, if they're looking forward to doing it in a pub? Well, that is a prerequisite to even getting to that conversation. So we're not, we haven't been considering additional restrictions, we've been out of that mode now for some weeks, so there's no suggestion that there'd be additional restrictions. But the degree, honestly, to which we can confidently ease restrictions that are in place now, it really does depend on how much of a coverage we can get with the COVIDSafe app and how much that builds over the course of the next week. It really does.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Andrew Barr last night flagged that support for professional sporting bodies from governments may be at an end. We're talking about community sport today and the balance between getting kids on the field versus professionals. Can you take me through what the government's currently thinking about the level of sport, the level of support for professional sport compared to community sport. And to take me straight into the Border Force decision, what is holding that up? Specifically, what is the Border Force agent thinking about? Is it the employment potential for the NRL? Is it other compassionate grounds? Take us into that?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, let me deal with that one. I mean, they are exercising their authority as is extended to them under the Act. That's what I expect them to be doing. And they are just doing their job and they'll do it in the same way. And there will be no special treatment for the NRL or any other code. And they'll be treated like any other request. And I'm sure I have no doubt that there's no delay. This is just the ABF officials doing their job as they do every single day, protecting Australia's borders and ensuring they're making wise decisions.
In relation to the support for professional sport or other sports. I mean, I'd probably better, might leave that to the Minister for Sport, but we have not contemplated or are we considering any changes to those arrangements that have been in place.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, [inaudible] a month ago when you were here announcing the free childcare package, you laid it down for about three months, but that it could be extended beyond the three months, given how Australia is travelling at the moment with talk of easing restrictions and so on, do you think that we will be in a position at the end of June to revert to the old childcare arrangements, or would the free childcare possibly be extended?
PRIME MINISTER: It's too early to speculate on that.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Donald Trump said pretty clearly that the US has some evidence that the Coronavirus originated in a lab in Wuhan. How seriously do you take that comment and how seriously will you be pushing at that as an option in the review that you've flagged? And perhaps a separate question for Minister Colbeck. How concerned are you by the high infection rates and fatalities at the Newmarch house? And will the residents there who can't go to hospital still get access to ICU care and ventilators?
PRIME MINISTER: On the first one, what we have before us doesn't suggest that that is the likely source. There's nothing that we have that would indicate that was the likely source. Now you can't rule anything out in these environments. I mean, we know it started in China. We know it started in Wuhan. The most likely scenario that has been canvassed relates to wildlife wet markets, but that's a matter that would have to be thoroughly assessed. This is one of the reasons why it is important that we just have an objective, independent assessment of how this originated and learn the lessons from how that occurred. It's a, I think, an entirely sensible suggestion. It's one that has broad-based support. It's one that has been recommended by the European Union to the World Health Assembly. It's one that, a recommendation we will be supporting and speaking to. And we think that's really necessary. But in terms of what we understand, in terms of the origin of the virus, while that can't be ruled out, it's not something that we've seen any hard evidence of to suggest that is the position. But that's where it sits right now. But Richard, on the other mater?
SENATOR THE HON. RICHARD COLBECK, MINISTER FOR AGED CARE AND SENIOR AUSTRALIANS: Thanks. And look, a question that's been of concern in the community from a number of perspectives and the PM and I certainly extend our sympathies to the 13 families that have lost their loved ones so far. All of the residents within the facility are getting very high-quality care. We're operating what's called hospital in the home, and that's being facilitated by the local public health unit PHU from Nepean health. All of the residents, I'm advised, have end of life plans that they're being cared in accordance with. And so they are getting the care that they have prescribed within those, within those plans. And we're effectively running a mini hospital within the facility there is, there are doctors there on-site all the time. There are a very large cohort of nurses there as well as the normal care workers. And so there has been no limit on the resources made available to Newmarch in managing this, particularly since we took the actions that we did last week. Can I say we're all very concerned at the number of people within the facility that have contracted the virus. But as Professor Murphy indicated to me last week when we talked about it, this is what happens when you have somebody with a very high viral load in contact with people who have other co-morbidities and are very frail for a considerable period of time. And that's not this is not a finger pointing or blame exercise. It's a very, very unfortunate circumstance where somebody who is asymptomatic but obviously had a very high viral load was in contact with people for six days, residents and staff. And this is the very, very tragic outcome of that. But we are doing everything we possibly can in accordance with the end of life care directives of all of the residents at the facility. There is one resident who is in hospital with, I think, a broken ankle. So not necessarily related specifically to COVID, but they all they are all getting by benefit of the work of both the Commonwealth and the New South Wales government who lead on public health, the very, very best care.
PRIME MINISTER: You had a phone hook-up last night with Mel and?
SENATOR THE HON. RICHARD COLBECK, MINISTER FOR AGED CARE AND SENIOR AUSTRALIANS: Yeah, I did a webinar with a number of the families with Melissa McIntosh, the local member. There's been a couple of webinars that have been conducted with the residents and some of the public health professionals that are involved from particularly Nepean health and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner was on the call with me last night and discussions with the families and also on another webinar that was run by Newmarch itself, Friday of last week with some of the infectious disease health professionals that are assisting with the management of the outbreak within the facility.
PRIME MINISTER: Sam?
JOURNALIST: [inaudible] go back to the labs in Wuhan, even though you think on the balance of probability that this did not come from the lab. Did you receive any early advice that that was a possibility. And in relation to what the inquiry is going to actually look at. Do you have any concerns or does Brendan Murphy have any concerns that China was not sharing as much information as they should have early on, given that they did identify that this was a coronavirus, bat-borne virus back in very early January?
PRIME MINISTER: The reports that you are referring to, they were public. I mean, they were being reported at the time. So, of course, the government was aware of those suggestions. They were in open source at the time. And there hasn't been anything subsequent to that that would have borne out those initial reports. As far as our government's concerned, the inquiry or review, the investigation that needs to take place, really does need to understand what happened. Where did it start? What could have been done to, and so we can learn if something similar would happen in any part of the world. So the world would be able to respond quicker because clearly in cases like this, time is everything. And this is why, again, I keep coming back to it on the COVIDsafe app. Time is critical in keeping in control. And over the top of this virus, every second counts. And that's why, particularly in those early phases, the ability to know what's going on and how to respond to it and its severity and getting access to transparent information in those circumstances is very important. And so these are things that any review, I think I'm sure, would reasonably look at to assist all of the other nations that are represented through the WHO and more broadly, can get access to that knowledge as fast as they possibly can to put the responses in place that are necessary to protect their citizen’s health.
But Brendan, did you want to add anything to that?
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Not really much to add, PM. I think, you know, we were obviously had a lot of information coming out of China in those early days. You know, it's really hard to look back. You know, obviously, the Chinese authorities may, in their own review, may have decided that they might have done something different. But we had a lot of information coming out. And as I think as I've said, the turning point was in, around about the 19th and 20th of January when we were told that there was sustained human to human transmission in the early days it was thought that the virus was only coming from animals to humans. And at that stage, there probably was quite a bit of human to human transmission. And as the PM said, it's hard to know whether things could have been done differently, better. Generally, when you look back on something like this, you can always find things you can improve. But we didn't, we weren't at that time of the view that information was being withheld from us.
PRIME MINISTER: That was not things we knew. But we know what's happened since and we know the devastation that this virus has had on the rest of the world. And so that's why it's just so important to understand what happened, to make sure that we can prevent such a broad-based global catastrophe from happening again. This has proved to be a once in a 100 year event. I hope it wouldn't have a greater frequency.
Thanks very much, everyone.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
29 April 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you for gathering together here in the Blue Room this morning.
What does success look like in a COVID-19 world? It doesn't just look like having a low number of cases. That is welcome. But if we were to consider our success on COVID-19 as just having a low number of cases, that is not good enough. And that is not what our Government is seeking to achieve and I don't believe it is what the National Cabinet is seeking to achieve either. We have had great success in flattening our curve, that is obvious. But having a low number of cases, but having Australians out of work, having a low number of cases and children not receiving in-classroom education, having a low number of cases and businesses not being open, having a low number of cases and Australians not able to be going about their as normal lives as possible, that is not what success looks like.
This is the success we're seeking, to be able to have the protections in place, to enable Australians to go back to as normal a life and an economy as possible. And to be able to achieve that as soon as we possibly can and so it is important that we remain focused on the challenge ahead. We don't want to just win the battle against COVID-19 but lose a broader conflict when it comes to our economy and the functioning of our society. That is why we remain focused on the road ahead. The road back, the restoration of key elements of our economy and to ensure that the broader health needs of Australians are also being addressed.
Christine Morgan is joining me here today and will provide you with a presentation on issues relating to mental health as we go through the COVID-19 crisis. As you know, this was a matter that we raised very early in the piece and provided additional support, and I particularly commend also the State and Territory Governments for the way they have responded to the mental health challenges here. But it is important to understand that there are so many elements of Australians' health that we need to continue to attend to. Looking after our COVID-19 health is only one of many parts of our health. Our mental wellbeing, ensuring that our screenings continue to take place for the very many different diseases and other things that we need to continue to screen for, that individuals, Australians, families stay in contact with their GPs, to address their broader health issues. Elective surgery has recommenced for that very purpose as well, for the many important surgeries that need to take place for Australians who have been suffering. Because of the restrictions that had previously been in place.
So we are looking at what the bigger picture success is when it comes to COVID-19 and we are working to all of that together as a National Cabinet, our own Cabinet here at a Commonwealth level will be meeting again today as we do every week, to ensure we're focused on all elements of the recovery and the road back. And it is important to understand that on the road back, when we get to that COVID safe environment, where we can ease those restrictions, which is not too far away, and you're already seeing that happen with many of the States and Territories - as I said they would over this interim period before we get together in the week beginning the 11th of May and consider the baseline restrictions. States are already moving back from where they were ahead of those baselines and you have seen those announcements, whether it is in New South Wales or Western Australia or other places. That is welcome and I think that demonstrates to Australians that there is a dividend for them, for the way that they have been conducting themselves. Sure, there has been some rather high profile examples of those who haven't done that. I think Australians have expressed their views on that pretty candidly. But in the main, I think Australians have been doing the right thing and that is why they are seeing some easing of those restrictions.
But when we move back into this more COVID safe economy and society, it is important to know that with the easing of those restrictions, of course there will continue to be additional cases. Of course there will be outbreaks. That is what living with the virus will be like. That is why the protections that we put in place for a COVID safe Australia are so important.
Now, I can report that 2.8 million downloads and registrations that have taken place already for the app and I thank those Australians for doing just that. I would ask for millions and millions and millions more to do the same thing. This is an important protection for a COVID safe Australia. I would liken it to the fact that if you want to go outside when the sun is shining, you have got to put sunscreen on. This is the same thing. Australians want to return to community sport. If you want to return to a more liberated economy and society, it is important that we get increased numbers of downloads when it comes to the COVIDSafe app. This is the ticket to ensuring that we can have eased restrictions and Australians can go back to the lifestyle and the many things that they previously were able to do and this is important. So if you have downloaded the app, thank you very much. Convince two or three more people that haven't downloaded the app to do the same thing. We are unable to give you breakdowns of what ages of people have downloaded the app or what States they are from because all of that information is locked in the national data store. As you know, that is not information that is available to the Commonwealth Government or the state governments. That is the protection we have put in place. So we would encourage all Australians, if you want to see us return to the more eased restrictions that I know you're looking forward to and that I'm looking forward to, then it is important that you download the COVIDSafe app. That is your ticket, that is Australia's ticket to a COVIDSafe Australia where we can go about the things that we love doing once again.
I can also note that more than 800,000 JobSeeker claims have now been processed. That number will be well in advance of that by the end of today. It was just over 790,000 last night. And also earlier this week, the $550 JobSeeker supplement is now being paid and that is rolling out over the course of this week.
I can also note that the Government has been working closely with the aged care sector and aged care consumer groups, including the Council On The Ageing, towards developing an industry code of conduct for supporting visitations to aged care facilities. You'll be aware of the strong views of the National Cabinet and I have expressed in ensuring that residents of aged care facilities are not shut away and that they do have access to their loved ones and their carers and others who provide support to them. There are, of course, legitimate reasons why there would be restrictions at aged care facilities, particularly and obviously in places where there have been outbreaks. That is sensible. That is safe. That is to be expected but the norm should be, as the National Cabinet has set out in the health advice that they adopted some weeks ago now and it is the intention for that to be incorporated into an industry code of conduct and we're making good progress on that. And I would hope we would be in a position to have that finalised hopefully by the end of the week. But I thank the aged care sector for their cooperation and their engagement in pursuing that together with the Aged Care Minister, Richard Colbeck and I thank them and all the aged care workers all across the country for the work that they are doing, caring for our most vulnerable Australians and we need to ensure that we keep them safe but we keep them connected because that is good for their health as well.
Now just finally, before I hand over to Christine to talk more specifically about the mental health challenges we have and the progress we're making and the progress we need to make. I note there was a $74 million package that was put in place at the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak and those, that package of support has been rolling out across the country and has been getting very good results. 50% of mental health consultations are now being done through telehealth as a result of the telehealth changes that we have made. One million telehealth mental health consultations have taken place since mid-March and some $35 million specifically in mental health-related consultations have been conducted over that period of time, since telehealth was put in place. This is an important service that is available to Australians. It is clear, and I will ask Christine to go through this, but the isolation, the stay at home has been important but it does come with an increase in anxiety and an increase in pressure on individuals, their mental stress and that also takes a toll. That is why it is important that we get these COVIDSafe arrangements in place, so people won't be constrained, as they have been, they won't be under as much anxiety as they have been as a result of the isolation restrictions that have been necessary. It does impact on peoples' mental health and that is why the telehealth facilities are so important and for Australians who are feeling that way, for Australians who feel under stress, that is entirely normal and it is to be expected and there are a vast array of services that are available to you to support you at this time. Christine will go through those but they are well-known. There is Lifeline Australia, Kids Helpline, Beyond Blue, Suicide Call Back Service. Men's Line Australia, Headspace, all these services and many more are available online and available on phone but also particularly through your GP and the ability for you to engage in those consultations, psychologists, psychiatrists also can provide telehealth consultations. They are there to help you through this very stressful period and it only underscores again why it is so important that we get Australia back to a position where it can be COVIDSafe across the country, which means we can release the pressure, we can release some of the stress that is on families and individuals across the country from isolation and ensure they can get back to work, get back to school, get back to normal, get back to sport and if you want to see that happen, I want to see that happen, download the COVIDSafe app, please.
Thank you, Christine.
MS CHRISTINE MORGAN, NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION ADVISER: Thank you Prime Minister. As the Prime Minister has said, it was on the 29th of March that the Government announced a mental health support package, anticipating ahead I think of the curve of most countries the mental health impact that would be an inevitable consequence for many, many Australians. To recall that package, that package said, firstly, we must actually understand that the significance and the magnitude of the changes that we have been called upon to make as Australians, to respond and protect our safety, our physical safety and the safety of our country, will have an impact on us. We are being required to live differently, we are being required to live in different circumstances, quite constrained circumstances. So we established a specific support line, hosted by Beyond Blue. And I will take you through in a moment what we are seeing some statistics with respect to Beyond Blue. You may also remember we said we have to take a preventive approach, we have to identify those particular groups in Australia who may be more vulnerable and we need to try and make sure that we are putting in place supports for them. In that space, we did some support services for our older Australians, for our younger Australians who are particularly challenged with the breaks in their education, our Indigenous Australians, our emergency front line workers and we have seen, as we anticipated, that there has been an increase in services. We also, at that time, most importantly, as the Prime Minister has said, we made a shift which really was a 10-year shift done in 10 days. And I can't overestimate that, of moving our mental health services onto a telehealth platform. In recognition that people could not get to them, so what has actually been happening? So I have chosen here just three snap shots of services that are being provided in the digital online space. But they are indicative of the broader range of services we have. Beyond Blue, Beyond Blue has seen a 40% increase in contact being made to it over this time last year and what we are seeing with respect to those calls is an increase in the distress levels and an increase in the anxiety levels and in the complexity of what people are feeling. We are also hearing - and this is anecdotal but I think we’re hearing in something I will note later, that people aren't feeling as safe as they once did. So I think that is a concern. We look at our Head to Health. Now Head to Health was was one of the initiatives that we boosted back at the end of March because we said it is incredibly important that we have a single source of truth, where people can go to know the facts around this, what they need to do for their mental health and where they can go. You can see the enormous spike in visits to Head to Health. And our young people, our young people with Reach Out and I am really pleased to see and to be able to affirm what Reach Out has done in this last week in launching a specific online support package, for parents and young people as they transition back into school. We know that for our young people they are incredibly concerned, not just about their education and the drop in education and the linkages there, not just about the fact they aren't necessarily seeing and getting the supports that they did in the school environment, but our young people are concerned about the future. They understand the economic impacts of what we must go through for this and they are understandably worried. So, from the mental health perspective, it is incredibly important that we are actually there to support them, and again we see that usage. But there are a couple of interesting things that are happening, and I want to just pause there and say what we are really looking at at the moment is this current phase. And the current phase, and you will hear me say this frequently, I do not use the word social distancing, I have an anathema to it, I use the word physical distancing with social connection, because it is about being physically distant, but how incredibly important it is to stay connected, and that has manifested itself in what we have heard over the last month. People are finding it challenging living in confined spaces. The most confined would be quarantine or required isolation, but for those of us staying at home, and that is the majority, the vast, vast majority of Australians, it is a pressure cooker. We are living with our loved ones. That doesn't mean it is easy. So they are the issues we need to deal with. Another issue that has really emerged has been a sense of loneliness for many Australians. For those Australians who live on their own, who actually cannot have that tangible reality of a hug from a loved one, we cannot underestimate the mental health impact that that is having on our Australians. And, of course, there is the worry, that is being addressed, but it is a worry, about job security, housing security, employment security. Those issues.
So what we would have hoped to have seen as a response to that is actually an increase in the use of mental health services. The reality is that, overall, there has actually been a decrease. Now, why is that happening? Why we think that is happening is that, for those who would normally be using mental health services to support their mental health and well-being, or their mental health challenges, are not actually going out and doing those visits. Now, we partially addressed that with the pivot to telehealth, and it is incredibly important that we look at the increased use of it, I can show you on this graph the increased percentage use of psychologists using telehealth. It is now over the 50 per cent mark. It is working. But what we do, and I do this as a call out to all Australians, we did come into this scenario, we did come into COVID-19, with mental health challenges, many of us. We did come in with mental illness. You do still need to contact your mental health services. You can do it now on, through telehealth, you can do it through the digital services, but part of getting through this whole crisis is that we actually address our mental health and our well-being, so reach out we will continue to do that. I think that is probably the most that I would want to say on that. The other thing we are noticing, just to support that last comment, of a slight decrease, is generally our presentations to our emergency departments are down as well. So as I say, a call out to all Australians. Your mental health is really important, your mental well-being is important. As I said before, it is actually foundational. It is foundational to our creative resilience and being able to get through this in the best way we can.
But also just some circumstantial things that we are hearing, which I think it is just important to put to our notice. If I can just go - thank you. I mentioned that in particular in talking to my colleague Georgie Harman at Beyond Blue, that they are hearing stories of people not feeling safe. And I think this is a reality that all Australians need to address. I have said before that it is incredibly difficult to go behind closed doors to see what is happening in confined spaces, but we can look at the increase in calls to 1800 RESPECT, we can look at the increased calls, not there, but which we have also recorded, to Men's Help Line. We know that this is happening, we know that people may be more challenged than normal to reach out for help, so I call on all Australians, keep your eyes alert for what may be needed.
So what are we doing? In conversations this morning with the Prime Minister and with our Federal Health Minister, and reflecting on a very, very strong meeting that we had with Australian Ministers responsible for mental health just at the end of last week, we are looking at significantly ramping up our ability to coordinate service delivery, to ensure that the accessibility that we have opened up with telehealth, the accessibility that we have opened up with increased digital and online services, is able to be accessed by Australians in a way that passes across our jurisdictional and Commonwealth systems. We need to make that work better. We need to ensure that anybody who actually needs a service is reached. We are looking at how can we reach those Australians who are not currently coming to us for help? We know when we look at those we lose to suicide that 50 per cent of those we lose have not come in touch with our mental health services. We are looking to what we can do by way of outreach. So the Commonwealth is working in conjunction with the states and the territories on a plan, on a mental health response plan, which will look at what are we doing in the current scenario? What are the current specific issues, challenges and services we need when we are in this state of physical distancing, and staying at home? Then we will look at what is the appropriate response as we ease those restrictions, and we must ease those restrictions. Now, as the Prime Minister has said, that is absolutely critical to us getting back to the life we all want to have. Will we be anxious during that time? Yes, that's inevitable. We can't stop the anxiety, but we can certainly support and address it. So the second phase that at will be looking at the reality of that, and how can we from a mental health perspective ensure that we are there to meet the needs of Australians? We will look at what are the particular issues? Should there be surges or hotspots, and we will look at what is needed for the longer term recovery. And that is a plan which I understand from the Prime Minister he has invited to be put before National Cabinet. And we are doing this in a very short turnaround time. We will have something to present for consideration by the end of next week.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Christine. As head of the Mental Health Commission, on the day National Cabinet was actually formed, there were three presentations that were actually made to the group that day, the Governor of the Reserve Bank, the Head of Treasury, and Christine Morgan was also there on that day out in Parramatta, and so it’ll be important that Christine will be making a presentation to the National Cabinet this Friday, and then following that up with the plan that is already under way, working with the states and territories. The cooperation on mental health between the states and territories and the Commonwealth has been outstanding.
Happy to take questions. Why don't we start with you, Greg at the back, and then work our way around the room, if you’d like?
JOURNALIST: Thank you, Prime Minister. Just on this, data I guess is key to everything at the moment. You're talking, Christine, about trying to identify hotspots for surges. I’m just wondering if there are correlations between JobKeeper and JobSeeker, that is unemployment circumstances, whether that data might be helpful in you identifying pressure points geographically or in the community?
MS MORGAN: Thank you. If I could just perhaps clarify, when I talk about hotspots, that is not necessarily hotspots for mental health issues, it is hotspots for presentation of the illness, and what that may mean particularly if you need to go into more restrictive, lockdown type scenarios. That said, I don't think it is an easy thing to do any correlation between particular stresses, and we do certainly acknowledge the significance of the economic and employment stresses, and help seeking for mental health particularly at a time when we're opening it up to telehealth and when we are opening it up digital and online. We can certainly look at engagement rates, we can certainly look at those who are reaching out, and we can try and pick up some trend data. As I said to the Prime Minister this morning, one of the challenges, of course, with mental health data is that it is not as quantitative or as finite as what has been able to be used in terms of tracking physical reactions to COVID-19, so we are very much looking at trend lines. We are looking at keeping all of our senses open, to understand the reality of what's happening.
PRIME MINISTER: Moving across the back.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you have today again indicated that you would like to see the states begin to lift restrictions back potentially to the baseline that was agreed by National Cabinet. All the states have begun to do that on some level, other than Victoria, who is standing strong on keeping all restrictions in place until 11 May at the very earliest. Have you had a discussion with Premier Daniel Andrews about this at all, and what’s come of that? And if I may also on the schools issue, if independent schools in Victoria take up this funding proposal put forward by the government last night, that potentially would see those students come back about six weeks earlier than the public school students. What would be the issues you would see then, what would you like to see done in Victorian schools?
PRIME MINISTER: First of all, Dan and I, the Premier and I, talk quite regularly, as you would expect I do with all the Premiers. We are working together. That doesn't mean we don't from time to time have a different view about particular issues. It would be extraordinary if we didn't. But the fact is, when we do work through these issues, we do it in a very cooperative and respectful way. And that is very much the relationship I have with not only with Dan, but with all the Premiers and Chief Ministers, as we work through these issues. So yes, we talk all the time about this, and the point about the states that have gone beyond the baseline levels of restrictions is, that is entirely a matter for those states, and for them to make that judgement, based on how they see the conditions in their own state. Now, the case numbers in Victoria and New South Wales, for that matter, and you could also argue Queensland, to a slightly lesser extent, is very different to the circumstances in Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory in particular. And so it is not surprising that you would see those states with incredibly low case numbers and track records on those issues to be moving ahead of the states on the east coast. I'd been flagging that for months, that I would expect that to be the case. And indeed, the experience of those other states, in Western Australia and South Australia, I think will provide a good guide to those states, like New South Wales and Victoria, which have had a much higher incidence of the virus in their communities. So I think their experience actually helps each other. And we are all swapping notes, and our officials are all swapping notes, on how this is working, and I expect that to continue in the weeks ahead, before that key date, which the National Cabinet has flagged.
Now, in relation to schools, this is a position we have adopted nationally. It is something I flagged with the Premiers back in mid-April. It is true that the states run the state school systems, and they will make calls in their states, and the Commonwealth is the predominant funder of Independent and Catholic schools, and we will make decisions based on the evidence, that evidence both on a health basis and as well as from educationalists as you’ve seen, is classroom teaching is where we need to get to, and that is what we will be supporting Independent and Catholic schools to do. That is a national policy, and it is one that we are pursuing nationally, and it is one that we have already had very positive response to, and will continue to go down that path for those schools. And in terms of any different practices at state schools, by states, I am sure that will be not proved to be too much of a hurdle for people to get over.
JOURNALIST: In regards to the road ahead, some researchers from the Group of Eight universities have argued that pursuing elimination through continued strict lockdowns could lead to greater community confidence which would flow on to greater participation in the economy and deliver ultimately a far higher, in their words, economic outcome, a quicker economic recovery. Has that factored into your thinking from an economic point of view and from a mental health point of view?
PRIME MINISTER: To be fair, they have put two views and which sort of argued both sides of the argument, so that is not surprising in what we are dealing with, there are a lot of uncertainties in this area. But the government, our government has pursued that suppression approach. We haven't gone to the eradication approach. The eradication approach, which, whether you would characterise the New Zealand approach as that or not, I know there is some debate about that, but they obviously went into much more extreme economic measures, and basically getting the same health results as Australia, and some would argue Australia has had stronger results. The idea is pretty simple, and that is to get the virus under control, and I think by any measure, Australia compared to other nations has done extraordinarily well on that front. But then you have to put in place, as we are doing right now, the protections for a COVID safe Australia, and those protections are the key to that economic unlocking in the future. Because otherwise you simply, as I think the New South Wales Premier was suggesting this morning, and as I have warned against as well, you get into this stop-go approach going forward, and you don't want that. What you want is a confident moving forward, and continuing to make gains, and continuing to ease restrictions, and continuing to be in a position where your economic activity is lifted. Now, that doesn't mean there won't be setbacks and it doesn't mean there won't be outbreaks, and it doesn't mean there won’t be extra cases. I suspect there will. The question is more about what you can do about those outbreaks. Now, if you go back over a month ago, there was no concept of, I'll use Christine's term, physical distancing with social connection. There was no concept of that in the community. There was no app to protect. There was not widespread testing. There had not been the ramp up in our ICU capability, at that time. All of those things were not in place six weeks ago. They are now, more or less. There is still more work to do on the app. Download the app, COVIDSafe, please, please, and get about that task because that will enable us to go further down that path. So that is how we are pursuing it. Putting the protections in place for a COVID safe Australia, which means we can get an economic growth occurring again, and for Australians to move back to all the things Australians like doing again. It won't be exactly like it was before. I can't see international travel occurring anytime soon. I can't see that. The risks there are obvious. The only exception to that, as I have flagged, is potentially with New Zealand, and we have had some good discussions about that. But outside of that, that is unlikely. But I look forward to the time when Australians can travel again within Australia. I look forward to the time where they can sit down to a meal at a restaurant or a cafe or in a pub again. I look forward to the time where they can see, whether it is the AFL, the netball, or the NRL, or whatever code it is they support, and being able to watch that again. But I can't see them going along to a game for a while, those larger mass gatherings. I can see, I suppose, the opportunity for those seeking private prayer in a place of worship, I can see that happening. I can't necessarily, though, see large services occurring again. But anyway, these are the issues we have to work through.
Brett?
JOURNALIST: Just on the virus more broadly, is Australia still going to push for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 in Geneva at the world health assembly? And just on the reaction from China, it is getting very messy. Some comments today in Chinese media about this being an all-out Crusade, accusing you and your government of panda-bashing. Is this a fight you need right now?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Australia will continue to of course pursue what is a very reasonable and sensible course of action. This is a virus that has taken more than 200,000 lives across the world. It has shut down the global economy. The implications and impacts of this are extraordinary. Now, it would seem entirely reasonable and sensible that the world would want to have an independent assessment of how this all occurred, so we can learn the lessons and prevent it from happening again. I don't think this is a remarkable suggestion. I think it is a fairly obvious and common sense suggestion, that I believe there will be support for at the right time, to ensure we do that. We are a supporter and a funder of the World Health Organization. We have supported particularly the work they do on the ground here, in our region, in Southeast Asia, and in the Southwest Pacific. But it is an organisation like any that can learn lessons from how this began, and the authorities had to understand what was happening, and the transparency around those issues. Nothing extraordinary about that. So what Australia is pursuing is not targeted. It is said independently, it is said out of common sense, and I think in Australia's national interests, and in the global interest. And so I find Australia's position to be not remarkable at all, but one that is entirely responsible, and I am sure is broadly seen in that light around the world.
JOURNALIST: In terms of China's response though, they don't see these as ordinary comments. They are angry about these comments.
PRIME MINISTER: That is a matter for them. Australia will do what is in our interest, in the global interest, and we will of course continue to support moves to ensure there is a proper independent assessment of what has occurred here. I mean, that is in the global health interest, it is in the global economic interest. It is not a remarkable position. It is a fairly common sense position, and one that we don't resile from. Greg.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you have outlined your concern about your opposition about the reopening of wet markets in parts of China. What about - there are many, as we have seen today - wet markets in Indonesia, as well? Are you similarly concerned about health issues that could arise from those wet markets, and will you be asking the World Health Organization to look into that? And just secondly, you have just looked into the camera and asked Australians to download the app, please, please. Have you had that same conversation with Barnaby Joyce?
PRIME MINISTER: I haven't had the chance to talk with Barnaby, to be honest. I've been a little busy, but he has been part of backbench committee meetings and backbench and party room gatherings that we have had, and there has been the opportunity to raise those issues in the normal forum, and I have spoken to all of those forums as well. But it highlights the point, you know, this is not a mandatory exercise. We are seeking the goodwill and support and participation of Australians to deal with a national health crisis and the appeal is simply made on that basis. And as I said, downloading the app is like putting on sunscreen to go out into the sun. It gives us protection as a nation. It protects you, it protects your family, it protects your loved ones, it protects our health workers, and it protects your job, and the jobs of many others, because it enables us to move forward and to get the economy back on the track we want it to be on. The protections are in place in terms of people's privacy and other legal detections. The biosecurity act provisions are already in place, and we will have belts and braces when it comes to the legislation that comes before Parliament. On wildlife wet markets, my position has never been directed only to one country. It has been a broad position. These markets exist in many places, just as the next pandemic could come from any country, any country in the world. It could occur in any part of the globe, and it is important that we learn the lessons of how this pandemic started, so we can move on any future pandemic, wherever it starts. This is why it is an important initiative, and one that I believe has support to occur at the right time. In Europe at the moment, I was speaking to the President of the European Commission last night. We discussed this issue. The Europeans are bringing forward a motion on this matter at the World Health Assembly. I think it is a very good motion.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Newmarch House, can I ask for your response to the events of the last 36 hours there. And beyond the visitor code of conduct that you have already spoken about, does it suggest to you that we are failing in our management of aged care in this pandemic in this country, and how might your government address those failings?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Tim, first of all, my first thoughts are with the families of the 12 residents who have passed away. Australians who have passed away during the COVID crisis, while those numbers are nowhere near as high as we have seen in many other countries, they are still very real here in Australia, and particularly for the families of those who have lost loved ones. And it is one of the sad truths of the COVID-19 virus that it particularly is fatal towards those who are vulnerable because of whether they are aged, or comorbidities, or other health challenges that they may have. And that's why aged care facilities have been a key area of focus for us. And we have had a number of outbreaks in a number of facilities, that is true. But by and large, across the country, when you think of the number of people who are in aged care facilities, and the number of facilities that are affected, the performance to date, at a national level, right across all states and territories, well, I think the numbers speak for themselves. It doesn't lessen the impact of those who we have lost in the facilities that are there, not for one second, and I understand the frustration of families, particularly when it relates to communications around these issues, and in relation to communication, a webinar was held last week with the families. The service NSW Health and the federal Aged Care Quality Commission, at our request to the older person's advocacy network, held a meeting with families last night towards improving the communication between residents and their families and, of course, the government has also asked OPAN, which is that Older Persons Advocacy Network, to put a worker on-site to assist families with up to the minute information on their loved ones. So communication is key but I suspect and know that one of the frustrations for families is being able to have access to the facility, and there is limited access to that facility at Newmarch. But that is an obvious case of where there has been an outbreak, that obviously there are going to have to be restrictions on people's access in that situation, and where there are outbreaks in other facilities, as we have seen in parts of Tasmania or New South Wales or other places, being able to move as quickly as you can to separate those who have the virus and in almost all cases, to the best of my knowledge, the virus has come in through a workforce, not through visitors, and that is unfortunate. But that is why our testing regime is moving to address particularly those in a lot of these vulnerable work areas, both for their protection but particularly for the protection of residents. So the aged care task here, I think, is very difficult and very challenging. But, to date, despite some outbreaks in particular facilities, the mainstream of aged care experience he has been much better than those. And there is a combination of responsibilities across the Commonwealth, funds these facilities, we run the quality oversight in relation to these facilities, and those things. The state health department has the public health response in that facility, and they do their job, we do our job. The aged care sector itself does its job. So everyone has responsibilities here, and we are all exercising them and working together.
JOURNALIST: As we look to coming out of this crisis, a lot of the debate is turning to our high level of dependency on China. Do you think that, in future, we should become less dependent, for example, in the university sector on Chinese students, and in terms of manufacturing, should we be more self-sufficient in certain products, rather than having to have this dependence on imports from China in certain sectors?
PRIME MINISTER: I think Australia should always act in its national interest. I think Australia should always seek to be having an economy that is as self-sufficient as possible, and to be that, it has to be competitive. There are things that have restrained the competitiveness of our manufacturing and other sectors in Australia, that if we want to have these sovereign capabilities, it isn't achieved through nationalisation or large public subsidies and protectionism. It's achieved by having competitive businesses that can operate in these sectors and be successful. That is what the road back looks like. It doesn't look like, you know, an industry run from Canberra. It looks like an industry made up of very successful, innovative businesses on the ground, finding markets, sustaining themselves, employing many Australians, engaging new technology, and using the best minds that we have. That is where sovereignty comes from, and that is the type of approach that we will be pursuing. Australians will find markets, as we have been now for a long time, all around the world, and for many years now our markets have been diversifying. I mean, the predominance of our trading relationship with China is obviously resources based, and I see no reason why that would alter in the future. I mean, the thing about our relationship with China is it is a mutually beneficial one. It is a comprehensive strategic partnership, and we will continue to pursue that partnership, respecting China's sovereignty, and their independence, and its success will continue to depend on that being returned.
JOURNALIST: And the universities?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, again, the universities find themselves in a challenging situation at the moment, and they have received a lot of support from the government in this present crisis. But they will look to their future. They will make decisions about their commercial arrangements, and the markets that they will seek to focus on. It is not for the government to make those decisions for them. They will make those decisions themselves, and they will make them in the best interests in the future viability of their own operations.
JOURNALIST: Jacinda Ardern got a phone call from the Queen last night. Have you spoken to Her Majesty? And on China again, the state-backed media got a lot of rhetoric about Australia being a bully in the region and bits and pieces. Are you concerned…
PRIME MINISTER: Sorry, can you just repeat the second part?
JOURNALIST: State-backed media having comments about Australia being a bully.
PRIME MINISTER: State-backed media?
JOURNALIST: Like, Chinese state-backed media being a bully in the region and so on. Is there concern that the wheels have really fallen off this relationship, that beyond COVID it is going to have remaining tensions in the Australia-China relationship?
PRIME MINISTER: No, no I don’t think so. Look, Australia, we hold a consistent position and we have on a range of issues. There is not going to be agreement on all of those issues all the time and I think the key to Australia’s relationship is just being consistent. And we are consistent on all of the measures on where there has been some potential tension and frustration, as there has been on these. We will just be consistent. We don't lightly form the views that we do on these things, and we hold the position that we have. We seek to explain it as best we can, as respectfully as we can, and understand that the comprehensive strategic partnership is built on that mutual benefit and I think that mutual benefit continues to be there now and into the future. But both countries will manage that relationship from the perspective of its own national interest. That is not extraordinary. That is what you would expect. And I can assure you, we will manage every relationship that we have in our national interest. We will put Australia first in all of these arrangements, wherever it may be. And no, I haven't heard from the Queen. I have heard from Prince Charles, though, and I am happy to take the call. Jenny and I had the great privilege of meeting Her Majesty last year, and I'm pleased that she is in great health, and I hope she recently enjoyed her birthday, and we celebrated that ourselves.
JOURNALIST: PM, the NRL aims to be back on May 28. Will that happen?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that still hasn't been determined. The Commonwealth has made no decision about the access by the Warriors into Australia. That hasn't happened. I think it is helpful for all of these issues that have to be resolved to hopefully achieve that timetable that they be done between agencies and the NRL and indeed with the AFL and the other sporting codes who are working to these ends and we will continue to work with them in good faith. And I think the best way for those things to be resolved and progressed is in that normal way. But there is still a bit of work to do. But as I said at the outset, I like the aspiration. Great to see it back on there. But it's got to satisfy all the health requirements. And there is the code that is being developed for elite sport, professional sport, community sport, as well as in individual recreation that's being done by the medical expert panel now, I received an update on that this morning from Professor Murphy, and we hope to make more progress on that for that to be able to be available for a first look by the National Cabinet later this week. But I stress again, if we want to get back to sport, then we need to download the app. It's not a mandatory requirement, but it's common sense, and Australians want to see that happen. Then when we sit down as a National Cabinet and make these decisions about easing restrictions, it's one of the many things we're going to be looking at. I'd love to see community sport get back, the evidence we're seeing about transmission in outdoor areas is encouraging. The medical evidence on that is encouraging. But for it to, us to have confidence of a COVID safe Australia, then we need the COVIDSafe app to be in place. Kieran.
JOURNALIST: PM, a 4 year old with COVID and went to day care for two days, a day care centre near Penrith in Sydney. Obviously, health officials have been looking at that very closely to see whether any kids or teachers contracted the virus. It's a reminder, I’m asking you, how do you react to that? I guess it's a reminder that young kids are still vulnerable to it, although less vulnerable than other elements of the population. And Ms. Morgan, I want to ask you have you got any advice to people who might be having experience with mental health issues for the first time, maybe not wanting to get assistance, but things like, you know, exercise. Simple tips, you can give people?
MS MORGAN: Yes absolutely.
PRIME MINISTER: Oh look, on the first one, and Professor Murphy, I think, is better placed to comment on the epidemiology of these. It has always been the case that there are cases amongst those who are very, who are younger but proportional to the rest of the population are very small incidents and also the incidence of those who are of younger age contracting the coronavirus as compared to a normal respiratory ailment of flu or something like that is much, much, much lower. So undoubtedly there will be individual cases. That's I don't think of itself a surprise, but it really goes to any sort of more widespread incidents. But I have no doubt that those individual cases are looked at by Professor Murphy and the rest of the medical expert panel.
MS MORGAN: Thank you. And thank you for your question. So what if I understand correctly, it's for those of us Australians who are feeling a stress on our mental health and our mental well-being. We may not feel at this point in time we need the formal counselling support, but what can we do? And that's a great question, because I think that just like with our physical health, there are very practical things we can do to look after our physical health. Likewise with our mental health, I mean, and it is being challenged. So you heard me say at the beginning, physical distancing with social connectedness. I think that social connectedness is probably the most fundamental thing. And social connectedness is not communicating. It's not just doing the texting and the typing. It is actually engaging on as human an interaction level as you can with other people within the confines of your own home or wherever you may be. So it's using Facetime, it's Skyping, it's, hearing a laugh is better than being told about a laugh. So it's actually that human connection and I can't emphasize that enough whether we're dealing with people who are in crisis for suicide ideation or feeling anxious and alone. All of us need that social connection. Secondly, I think many of us are feeling as though we have lost a bit of our own autonomy, our own ability to control our environment. And that kind of feels a bit deflating, it takes away from us and also makes us anxious because we don't know how long this is going for. So I sort of go, regain control. You can set a routine within your own home. You can choose to do this in your own unique way. You can actually have more freedom to do that than perhaps we can when we're going to work and doing other things. So I think that psychologically, that's really important. It's also really good for our health that we have a routine doing things like the right amount of exercise, sleeping, not too much alcohol, those kind of things I think are really important and reaching out to others. We heard from and I said this before, we heard from our fellow Aussies during the bushfires that when the chips were down, we really needed to rely on each other. We needed to build community. So how we can proactively build community, we are in a digital world. We do have people in our society who don't know how to do that online stuff. How can we reach out and help them? Random acts of kindness, I think are great. And I think the good old Aussie spirit. I don't know if you've seen it, but the bin night, dress up for bin night. Those kind of things where we're reclaiming some of that creativity, some of that energy, some of that hope that as we come out of this, we can actually come out of it differently. But okay.
PRIME MINISTER: Watching those Andrew-Katharine mash-ups too on TikTok can help.
JOURNALIST: Sorry two completely unrelated questions. The first one, do you realistically, in terms of getting the Budget back on track on the road out, do you realistically expect to be able to take the JobSeeker payment back to its original level? You've just said in your opening remarks 800,000 people signed up or would you be prepared to taper it or revert it to a higher than original level? And just the second question, we're anticipating as early as tomorrow, the resignation of Mike Kelly. What relevance would you ascribe in terms of a test or whatever the outcome of the subsequent byelection in current circumstances?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, let me deal with the first question, JobSeeker supplement, COVID supplement, which has begun this week, and the JobKeeper arrangements were temporary measures that were put in place for the COVID period, which was set to the end of September. Our objective is to get those on JobSeeker and JobKeeper back into their jobs. That's what our objective is. That's what we're focussed on. That's what our road ahead is about, is to get those Australians off those income supports and back into employment and to do that, it means as I started this press conference by saying success looks like that. It looks like people getting back into their jobs, businesses reopening, Australians being able to move back into a COVID safe world where protections are in place and it maximises the amount of activity that they can undertake. Now, when you're in that situation, then obviously the income supports that have been put in place to get people through that period well won't be necessary on the other side, we made that clear at the outset. This was emergency response measures. This was not a change in the government's view about the broader role of the social safety net in Australia. I think we have a very strong social safety net. But in this particular point of time, and as the Treasury Secretary pointed out yesterday, when you're looking at unemployment going above 10 per cent, as I've said to you on a number of occasions, I fear worse statistics coming forward on the economy in the months ahead. And we need to prepare ourselves for that. That's why JobSeeker and JobKeeper were put in place to deal with the heavy blow that the COVID-19 pandemic is going to have on the Australian economy. But that's why we also need to move as quickly as we can, getting these protections in place to ensure that our economy can grow. Now, the Budget will be restored by our economy growing. And that's why as we move towards the Budget scheduled for October this year, then we'll be in a position to outline a range of measures that will support that growth into the future, which will support the budget. That's important because the Budget supports essential services. It's all about jobs. It's all about services going forward and ensuring that we can do that in a responsible and sustainable way with the Budget. And these emergency measures come at a great cost. And clearly that level of cost is not a sustainable level beyond what we've flagged.
In relation to Dr. Kelly. I wish him well if he indeed intends to make that announcement soon. He's served his country in uniform. He’s served his country in the Parliament. And if that indeed is the decision he makes, I wish him all the best and I thank him for his service in both of those respects. The Liberal Party will certainly contest the seat, as I'm sure the National Party will certainly contest the seat. But that doesn't change the history, which would mean that it would be a one in 100 year event for a government in those circumstances if they were to take a seat from the opposition, that would be a rather extraordinary outcome. But it's one we will put our best foot forward for, in this environment. But my expectations. Well, I think you can say are conditioned by history. And I think that would be the reasonable assessment. But that said, I mean, the government has a plan we're showing I think the leadership through this crisis that Australians are seeking from the Government and importantly, we are focussed on what success looks like for our country. And it's not just beating the virus. It's about ensuring that we can get Australia back to where we were and to make us even stronger beyond that. And that's what our government will always stand for and the policies that support that.
Now, just as we leave, I just want to give a reminder on those, Lifeline, number, Lifeline Australia, 13 11 14; kids help line is 1800 55 18 00; Beyond Blue is 1300 224 636. The Suicide Call Back Service is 1300 659 467. Men's Line Australia, doing a great job, 1300 78 99 78. So that's 1300 78 99 78. And Headspace, you can access them at www.headspace.org.au. And as always call your GP. Telehealth is available to you through your GP. And don't forget the COVID help line 1800 020 080. And don't forget, download the app. Download the app, put your sunscreen on equivalent. Download that app. And the sooner we can get Australia back to where we want it to be, we will achieve that together. Thank you all very much.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
24 April 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon.
National Cabinet today passed a motion of condolence for the four police officers who were killed in Melbourne and to pass on their sincere sympathies to their families and to their friends and their fellow serving officers. The motion also more broadly expressed the National Cabinet's sympathies and support for the broader police family, police officers serving all around the country, and, of course, their family members, for whom this is a devastating reminder of the risks that their serving police officers in their families take each and every day. And the National Cabinet has had to make many important decisions in recent weeks and we're very pleased to receive the recommendation of that motion from the Victorian Premier, and all Premiers, Chief Ministers and myself stand together with the Victorian Government as they seek to support those families and those officers, in particular their fellow serving officers, who continue to go through a time of terrible grief.
At National Cabinet today, there are a number of quite practical issues, as always, that we were dealing with. And in today's presentation, we'll be providing you on the weekly update, on the nowcasting modelling, which is being done on the effective rate of transmission of the coronavirus here in Australia based on the Australian data. Importantly, at National Cabinet today, we were able to note the good progress that has been made. We are obviously familiar with the data itself, but to the good progress that has been made on those core requirements that we are working hard, as governments, across the country to put in place that will enable our road back, by enabling us to be in a position where we can have that confidence to continue to ease restrictions that are in place right across the country. Those areas, in particular, where it's good to receive the reports are the expansion of the testing regimes that are being employed in all states and territories. You would have heard from New South Wales earlier today, and what they're achieving there, but this is occurring right around the country - Tasmania, right around the country. And this is a very important pillar of how we will be dealing with this virus going forward into the future. We already have one of the most, if not most, comprehensive testing regimes in the world, and this is a key, a key tool for us going forward.
Secondly, we're making great progress on the industrialising, automating our contact tracing capability. The app will soon be released. There are still some issues we're working through late in the piece, which is to be expected. We're not too far away now. Earlier this week, as I indicated to you, it received the in-principle support of the National Cabinet and we have been taking that through its final stages in recent days. That will also be an important tool for the country as we seek to manage how we live in a COVID-safe economy and community into the future and the rapid response to individual outbreaks. We should be aware, as a community right across the country, that when we take further steps to ease restrictions, of course, we will continue to see outbreaks. That is to be expected. What matters is being able to move on them quickly, to identify them through both of the measures that I've just mentioned, but also, as we've seen in a very difficult outbreak in north-west Tasmania, and for the resources to come quickly for the further restrictions in those areas to be applied promptly, and so we can get on top of those outbreaks as quickly as we possibly can. Dealing with those outbreaks will be one of the things we will have to live with when we're in a position of having further eased restrictions across the country.
On a couple of quite specific issues, on the wearing of masks, and Brendan Murphy, the Professor, will talk a little bit more about this. But on the wearing of masks, the medical expert panel, we accepted their advice that it is not recommended by the expert panel that they are necessary to be worn, and importantly, it's important to note that the wearing of such a mask does not protect you from an infection, but if you are displaying respiratory symptoms then it is, at best, a measure that prevents you transferring it to others. It's not about protecting you from infection, but that's why, when people are leaving airports and things of that nature, they were wearing it to prevent the transmission.
On schools, confirmation - and this is in the medical expert advice, AHPPC's document being released further today - confirmation that the four square metre rule, and the 1.5m distancing between students during classroom activities is not appropriate and not required. I can't be more clear than that. The advice cannot be more clear than that. The 1.5m in classrooms and the four square metre rule is not a requirement of the expert medical advice in classrooms.
We agreed also to develop national principles for sport and recreation. Those principles would address these issues at three levels. The first, at the elite and professional level. So, the major sporting codes, our Olympic sports, training arrangements that sit around support for those activities by elite sportspeople. Secondly, at the community competitive sport level. That is such an important part of our way of life here in Australia, and the principles that can help guide decisions by states and territories in the future. And, thirdly, at the individual passive level of sport and recreation. Activities from everything from whether it's in the Shire, if you're going surfing, or if you're walking in the local national park, or whatever it might happen to be, those set of principles that states and territories can draw on in terms of getting some consistency across the country as we move into this next phase.
Today, we also agreed National COVID-19 Safe Workplace principles which will be released. This is all about getting Australians back to work, and ensuring that when they go back to work that they and their families can feel safe in going back to work, and to ensure that there are important principles in place, there are protocols and procedures that, should a COVID case present in a workplace, then the rules that people need to follow. The Minister for Industrial Relations has been working closely with the COVID Commission, union representatives and others to ensure we can get very helpful tools in place. That's what we are doing at a federal level and that will draw on these national principles that we have agreed today as part of the National Cabinet.
On aged care, there is a meeting this evening, a webinar, which the Chief Medical Officer and the Minister for Aged Care will be participating in, and National Cabinet has continued to stress its concern about restrictions that are being put in place in aged care facilities, as I noted earlier this week, beyond the baseline requirements of what National Cabinet has agreed, based on the expert medical advice. So, we are flagging, I am flagging very clearly at a federal level, that should we not see an improvement in this area, under the voluntary arrangements that we currently have in place, that the Commonwealth would be moving to require aged care facilities that wish to have an exemption to those national principles, those national arrangements, then they would need to seek authority to do that from the Commonwealth, and we would make such a decision in consultation with the relevant state and territory jurisdiction. Now, there are quite valid reasons why you would have exemptions, particularly as we've seen in north-west Tasmania at the moment, or what we've seen in western Sydney or in other places. That is entirely sensible as to why you would have restrictions that are greater than the national baseline in those circumstances. Totally reasonable. But more broadly, having people stuck in their rooms, not being able to be visited by their loved ones and carers and other support people, that's not Ok. And so let's see how the industry goes with that. We would very much like to keep these things on a basis where aged care facilities are exercising their proper discretion. But we are not going to have these as secret places, where people can't access them. They must. As you know, I initiated the Royal Commission into aged care, and we want to make sure that these facilities are open to their loved ones to be able to go and visit and to continue to go and engage with them, unless there is a very real and serious medical reason why that would not be necessary. So, let's hope that can be worked out, consultatively and cooperatively and that is my hope and expectation.
Finally, there is the nowcasting modelling which the Chief Medical Officer will take you through. And in understanding that modelling, some important points were raised. We've moved through many phases of this virus. The first phase is what I'd call the ‘export phase’. That's when the virus was first exported, transmitted out of China into many countries around the world. And in that first phase, Australia moved very quickly to put in place the restrictions of travel into Australia, and then the excellent work done by, particularly, the Chinese Australian community here meant that Australia was substantively protected from that first export wave of the virus across the world. The second, where Australia was more significantly impacted is what I'd call the ‘repatriation phase’, the repatriation of Australian residents and citizens to Australia, as they returned from many parts of the world where that initial export of the virus into many of those parts of the world, they became exposed to that and they brought it home to Australia. And we saw many, many internationally acquired cases, and more than two-thirds at certain times of the total number of cases in Australia. And that's why we put in place the quarantine arrangements. That's why we put the restrictions in place. We responded to that as a National Cabinet. And you've seen the evidence of those measures, as we've seen the curve flatten and the number of cases additional each day reduced to the levels you're now seeing. We are now in that third phase which we have to protect against. That's the ‘community phase’, that’s where the virus actually moves from within our own community. That requires particularly different tools, building on the ones that we already have in place. And that is the testing, that is the tracing, and that is the rapid response. And in today's modelling, what you'll see is the difference, as you've moved through those different phases. The last set of modelling you saw included all of the impact of the international cases in our data, and both the Chief Medical Officer and I had flagged on earlier occasions that we can't become complacent because of the fall in the number of internationally acquired cases, which has been the predominant drop in the number of cases we've had in Australia. We now have to be wary against community transmission, and so we are dealing with that third wave of the virus.
We will also be then working towards decisions that we have to make over the next few weeks, getting the key data metrics in place as to how we'll make decisions on further easing of restrictions. We are, though, I confirm, seeing states and territories individually waiving various parts of the restrictions they have put in place above the baselines. They're making those announcements almost on a daily basis. We welcome that, whether it's in schools or in other areas, and we can expect to see that happen over the next few weeks. The National Cabinet will meet next Friday again.
And before I hand over to the Chief Medical Officer, I would note, of course, that tomorrow is ANZAC Day. Now, ANZAC Day this year is going to be like none any of us have ever experienced. A time when our normal traditions around Anzac Day will, of course, be interrupted. But in another way, it will be a very special time, because we will have the opportunity to reflect on ANZAC Day perhaps in ways that we haven't before. The Light Up The Dawn initiative tomorrow morning at 6:00am, which follows the national commemorative service at 5:30am from the War Memorial, which will be telecast from around the country, is an opportunity for all of us to gather as our nation remembers its fallen and its heroes and reflects on the great values that sustain them at other times. It was a hundred years ago when Australians returned from the First World War, and on their first Anzac Day in Australia, it was in the middle of the Spanish Flu. And so something very similar to what we will face tomorrow, as we gather together without the parades, but we do so quietly and commemoratively,, and I do think it will be a very special time. And we would ask also, because there isn't the opportunity for so many veterans to get together like they normally would, and it’s a very special time in so many ways for them to catch up with mates, which they do often, but ANZAC Day is special. Let's remember them tomorrow. Make a post. Thank them for their service. Let them know they're all appreciated, much admired, greatly respected. And join in the national effort, I think, for an ANZAC Day which will be one to remember for a very long time. Thank you, Brendan.
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Thanks, Prime Minister. So, currently the case tally in Australia is 6,673 cases. 78 people have, unfortunately, died from coronavirus-related disease. Fortunately, the number of people in intensive care units is dropping, only 43 at the moment. Only 29 people on ventilators. So, progressively those numbers have fallen. We know that over 5,000 of the cases have now recovered. As I'll show you later, we're still continuing the same sort of pattern we've seen for the last week, with small numbers of cases every day. The Prime Minister pointed out the risk always of new clusters appearing, and Victoria has reported a small new cluster this morning. So, these will happen and these we have to be incredibly vigilant about as we focus our efforts on suppression, containment over the next few months.
As the PM already also said, we presented to the National Cabinet today advanced versions of what we're calling our ‘pandemic intelligence plan’ and our surveillance plan, our plan to test extensively and make sure that we can detect any of these clusters that might appear over the coming weeks. In particular, National Cabinet was informed today that every single jurisdiction has now - every state and territory - has now broadened their testing criteria from today. Some did it earlier. So that anybody with acute respiratory symptoms - cough, sore throat, runny nose, cold symptoms, flu-like symptoms - can get tested. This will significantly expand the population of people tested. We're pretty confident that most of them will be negative, but this will give us a really broad reach of what we call passive surveillance. But we're also looking at a range of active surveillance mechanisms to test even people without symptoms in a range of front-line occupations and a range of what we call sentinel situations, where we sample the population. National Cabinet is very clear that they want to be absolutely confident before relaxing any measures that we are in a position in this country to detect any community transmission of any significance.
The PM also mentioned the discussion on what we're calling non-medical face masks, the lower-quality masks that a lot of people feel the need to wear in the community. We're saying again that they are not recommended. We have very low case numbers in Australia, and these masks often aren't of particularly good quality, and they often provide a false sense of security and make people not practice the social distancing measures that we want. So, we are not recommending the general community wear masks. We have been saying that consistently through the pandemic.
So, I'll now take you through the modelling presentation. And so this is the usual first slide, showing, as you can see, a pretty steady low number of cases, and that very, very satisfying flattening of the curve. As of 6:00am this morning, only 13 cases reported in the previous 24 hours. The next slide, please. This is the effective reproduction number. Using the modelling that we showed last week. So, it's exactly the same methodology, just extended out another week. And as you can see, ACT and the Northern Territory aren't here because their case numbers are so low that there's no statistical purpose in showing them. So, it should be a mark of pride to not be on this graph for those states. But you can see, interestingly - and I'll show this more on the later slide - there's a broadening of the error margins for each of these things, particularly in states where there are very low case numbers. That's to be expected. When you have very, very few cases, the error margins extend. So, that broadening is exactly what you would expect. But the effective reproduction is the middle of that dark blue line. And you can see that, using the modelling of last week, everyone is below 1, even Tasmania, which had this little outbreak in north-west Tasmania, the middle of the dark blue line is just below 1. But I'll show you later that we are now advancing that modelling to look primarily at those cases that have been transmitted in Australia, and trying to exclude the impact of those repatriated cases that the Prime Minister referred to earlier.
So, that's the modelling on last week's methodology. We'll just show the next slide. This is - before we come to the current modelling on the new method - this is some early work from our modelling team, showing what they would forecast on the data that they've got of the case numbers we would get in Australia. This is new science. This is not very reliable science. They're just developing this, and they're very keen for me to say that this methodology is still being developed and advanced in their hands. But you can see they predicted this sort of pattern, and you can see from the solid bars that, actually, our case numbers are right at the lower end of what they might have predicted in this model. I'll have the next slide. The updated modelling that I'm going to show you now really is changed to account for the new measures we've put in place for returned travellers. Because we are now quarantining formally every return traveller, the opportunity for a return traveller to infect locals is essentially zero. And I have to say again we are so grateful to the states and territories for organising this quarantine, and grateful for those Australian citizens who have put up with two weeks of quarantine to protect their fellow members of the community, and most of them have done so very graciously. They're just pleased to be home in the safest place in the world to be. But up to... So what we've done is now changed this modelling by removing progressively the impact of those return travellers and I'll show it to you on the next slide. And because we have taken out that impact, we see a slightly different pattern. So, I'll show the next slide now. Here you can see, because the case number... We've taken out the impact of return travellers, the error margins are even broader, so it's quite a broad error, with small case numbers at this most recent time point. Again, ACT and the Northern Territory have no cases, or haven't had enough cases to show any data on this slide. And you can see that, as you take out the impact progressively of those return travellers, the lines are a bit more bumpy and they are getting a bit closer to the 1, which is what you'd expect when you're talking about just those cases that have been transmitted in Australia. Now, I'm not saying that they're transmitted from unknown community sources. Many of those cases - and I think all of them in Tasmania - have actually been transmitted from known contacts. But they are still transmitted in Australia. And taking out the return travellers, you can see that the numbers are a little bit closer to 1. Tasmania is slightly over 1, but continuing its very good trend as it gets control of the outbreak in north-west Tasmania. And you can see that, again, with very few cases in some states, you've got a very large error margin. But the middle of the dark blue line in all cases, except Tassie, where it's just over 1, is still below 1.
So, this sort of modelling now, which is dealing only with Australian-acquired cases from now on, is going to be a more reliable and more sensitive way to show our modelling. But what it does tell us is that we are close to 1. We've got to keep it below 1 if we want to… and we have to not be complacent, a message that we have been making time and time again. But we are still in a good place and need to keep a very, very strong vigilance over what we're doing. I think the next slide, I think that's the last one. So, I'll leave it there, thanks, PM.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Brendan. We might, David, why don’t we start with you, if that's alright. Or we can start from Michelle? Work from the front and work to the back, and then start at the back and we'll work to the front.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the question of the app, can you tell us something about the storage of the information? And we know who accesses it, but where it's going to be stored? And if I could be permitted a second question, on the nursing homes, what is the problem here of getting cooperation? Because you sent a very strong message. And is the Government still doing spot checks? Because a lot of families would be worried - not so much about the virus - but whatever else goes on in nursing homes when they're not visiting so much?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, those checks are continuing, and all of those regulatory arrangements, they're continuing. I want to assure Australians about that, that the qualifications work and the inspections and so on, they, of course, would continue. But it is important that family members, support people, have the opportunity to visit these facilities as well. The reasons why there's some reluctance, I think, is something to work through with the sector. And so if there is a factor here, we'd be keen to understand what it is. But the very clear medical advice that we have is that these visits are quite safe when they're done in the right circumstances, and it's very important for the health of the residents that they maintain contact with their loved ones and other support people. This is very good for them. And so that's why that's necessary. So, look, my hope is that those matters can be resolved and we can get that cooperation and get it soon, and I'm sure in the webinar this evening there will be opportunities to explore some of those issues. It's not my inclination to prefer that sort of regulatory approach, but if it's necessary, then we'll do it. The server is in Australia and it's using AWS, who work with Australia on many, many sensitive issues in terms of Australia's data management. It's a nationally encrypted data store. It is illegal - it will be illegal - for information to go out of that data store to any other person other than that for whom the whole thing is designed, and that is to support the health worker in the state to be able to undertake the contact tracing, with the data that they access being released by the individual for whom is the subject of the contact tracing.
JOURNALIST: Are you going to download it yourself?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course I am. Absolutely, I am. Are you?
JOURNALIST: Why not.
PRIME MINISTER: Great. Good on you, Michelle.
JOURNALIST: PM, we've still got unions out there, teachers unions, that are, I guess, pushing back against the idea of kids going back into classrooms. What's your message to them, if they're suggesting that the entirety of the next term parents should keep their children at home? When do you think those children should be back in the classroom? And do you have any concerns about the number of children in a classroom?
PRIME MINISTER: Brendan, do you want to speak to that?
PROFESSOR MURPHY: So our advice has been consistent that we don't have evidence of significant infection in children, and, more importantly, we are not seeing evidence of significant transmission amongst children in schools. And the data is increasing in this space. New South Wales Health have just done a very large study looking at some infections that have occurred in the school setting and have tested a lot of children, have not found evidence that children are transmitting this virus in schools. This is quite different from influenza, where we know they are sometimes super spreaders and can spread the virus. So, we think the community risk of having children together in a classroom is low. Most children who have contracted the virus in Australia have contracted it in the family home. They have not contracted it in the school environment. Clearly, school can be a risk for adult-to-adult transmission, from parent to teacher, teacher to teacher, and we have made a range of recommendations of keeping vulnerable teachers out of the school environment, practising good distancing in the staff room, practising good practices when parents bring their children to school. And obviously, some children may carry the virus from time to time, and practising very good hygiene methods across the school. But if we were seeing significant transmission, there have now been a dozen or so school-related cases in New South Wales, some in South Australia, and we have not seen evidence of widespread transmission in schoolchildren, particularly younger schoolchildren, where the risk is perceived by teachers to be even greater. And the international evidence is the same and many countries around the world with much worse epidemiology than we have at the moment that did close their schools are now reopening. And we feel... clearly, we understand the concern, clearly we understand that in some states there's a gradual return, but look, AHPPC advice has not at any stage been that we should close schools.
PRIME MINISTER: Rosie?
JOURNALIST: Professor Murphy, I just wanted to clarify, in terms of small gatherings, do you see there being a national guideline on how those gatherings can be eased? I think most states and territories you can have one or two people outside your household over. Would you see something like five people allowed first and then moving to 10 and 20, a very gradual easing of small gatherings? And on 14-day quarantine in hotels for international return travellers, will that need to be in place in Australia for as long as there's no vaccine?
PROFESSOR MURPHY: Well, on the latter point, potentially. I mean, there may be a situation where a country has effectively eliminated or got very low cases. For example, New Zealand, we might have a situation where it could be relaxed. But if you're coming from a country where there is significant community transmission, I think that the impact... you've seen the graphs. The impact of our quarantine measures on what's happened in Australia has been huge. Clearly, the National Cabinet has asked us to come back with a range of potential recommendations for gently, carefully, cautiously relaxing distancing measures. And, of course, the size of gatherings will be in that mix. But I don't want to pre-empt the decisions of National Cabinet. But we will be making recommendations, similar to those that you're talking about and they'll be coming to National Cabinet. It will be their decision.
PRIME MINISTER: I'd just add to that National Cabinet, as indeed the medical expert panel, have always been very conscious that there are different experiences in different states and territories. In the Northern Territory at the moment, the schools are back 100 per cent. And there is no evidence of any community transmission, as best as we can determine, in the Northern Territory. But that said, I mean, other states, the experience is different. So, there would understandably be some differences. And you're already seeing that. In South Australia, they have never regulated down to two. They have always kept it at 10. And that regulation at two is beyond the baselines, and there are good reasons, have been good reasons for that in places like New South Wales and Victoria. But states and territories will make their own calls over the next few weeks.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the review into the role of the World Health Organization in the pandemic, how do you ultimately see that being conducted? And is there a role for the G20?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, potentially. I think absolutely. And many of the international groups of which Australia forms a part, I mean, we have the opportunity to discuss this on many occasions. I think it's important for us, though, to be aware that here in Australia, with a bit over 6,500 cases, we are in a very different head space to where they are in France or Germany, for that matter, or certainly the United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe, where they are in the middle of a devastating crisis well beyond what I think most Australians can even imagine at the moment. And so we need to be mindful about what their priority focus is right now, and, if anything, their need to look at these sorts of reviews is something not immediately, but down the track a bit, is more a reflection of what their more pressing urgency is here and now. Now, I think that does leave it open for Australia and countries like New Zealand and others who are a bit more advanced in where we are in managing the virus, to be able to, I think, think through these issues a bit more, and engage with like-mindeds there, and there are many in the G20 that fall into that category. So these types of changes do take some time. I have been around public life for some period, and certainly in the international sphere things can move very slowly. So, you've got to be patient about this. But I think getting your arguments and particularly getting your proposals fine-tuned is very important, and the G20 provides a good platform for that.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, your Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton, has tweeted an attack on Annastacia Palaszczuk, accusing her of being, "running scared of the militant Teachers' Union" in her state, and that's the only reason why schooling hasn't returned to normal. How are those sort of comments helpful at a time when you're trying to have a unified approach?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, I'd simply say that Peter, of course, is a Minister in my Government, but he's also a Queenslander. And these are issues that are being debated and addressed in Queensland. And whether you're a local member, a Minister or just any old Queenslander, then you do get to have the right to have a view as a local. And I'm sure that's the context in which Peter's expressed those views.
John?
JOURNALIST: Thank you, Prime Minister. Dr Murphy, are you able to give us a precise, or the latest estimate on the reproduction rate. You say it's below 1. I can't actually see the decimal figure in here. And I do note that it was below 1, according to this data, in mid-March, before the widespread and harsh, economic and business shutdowns came in in late March. Are there some specific individual circumstances unique to Australia, beyond policy, that have enabled us to contain the virus better than most other countries?
PROFESSOR MURPHY: So, I think that we did, there was certainly a significant impact of the border measures that we took in March. So, as I've said on many occasions, we were unusual in Australia in that, you know, as the Prime Minister said, two-thirds of our cases at that stage were imported - from imported cases from returning travellers. So, the border measures did have a very significant impact on the reproductive rate in early March. But there was rising, what we call community transmission with no epidemiological link, particularly in Sydney - those cases that weren't related to any known contact. And you can see, and I could go back and show you the graph if necessary, that there was further flattening after those distancing measures were introduced, particularly in New South Wales and Victoria. But it was below 1. But we were starting to see community transmission. And as we know, and as you saw in the graph in Tasmania, that can take off very quickly. So, those, if we hadn't put those distancing measures, we may have seen it rapidly go above 1 fairly quickly. So, why Australia is in a better position than just about any other country is that, as the Prime Minister was talking about, the exporting phase from China, we uniquely got on top of those cases. We got testing going early. We identified all of those cases. We tested widely, one of the widest testers. And we managed to capture, contain, isolate, quarantine contacts for all of those exported cases. In those countries that have significant problems, they didn't. And they had widespread community transmission before they actually realised they had a problem.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there will be many businesses who are eligible for the JobKeeper payment because of their collapsed revenues. But unfortunately a lot of the staff in those businesses are paid by a services entity, where that services entity, the revenues haven't dropped, so aren't eligible for JobKeeper. Therefore meaning the original business won't be able to get JobKeeper. Are you aware of that problem? And are you planning any changes to fix that problem?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're working closely, as the Treasurer is, in particular, as is the Tax Commissioner, on the implementation issues around JobKeeper. And let's also remember that where JobKeeper doesn't apply, JobSeeker does kick in. So, these two work together, and that's always been important. JobKeeper was never intended to be a catch-all for every Australian worker, or a worker who had their hours significantly reduced or, indeed, was stood down. It was intended to be there as an important element of the income support that we put in place, and the lifeline to businesses and to keep people connected to businesses. But where that can't be in place because of arrangements that we've set to ensure that we manage these issues well, not just administratively but fiscally, then JobSeeker is available. And as I said, we're approaching now almost 600,000 claims for JobSeeker over these last 5 or so weeks, which has been quite an effort on their part. And, again, I thank those who have made claims, and those who are still awaiting for their claims to be processed for their patience.
Yep? Was there someone else at the back? Sorry, I missed Jen! Sorry, Jen.
JOURNALIST: Apart from the outbreaks and the clusters that you are foreshadowing, based on these numbers and the advice from medical experts, are we ever going to see levels akin to the United States or parts of Europe? What's the likelihood of such a big second wave? Or can you safely say now that the worst is now behind us? And same question for Professor Murphy, if I can as well?
PRIME MINISTER: I think Professor Murphy is in a much better place to advise on that.
PROFESSOR MURPHY: So, we will do everything we can to avoid having a situation like that. And that's why we're putting in place the world's best testing and public health and surveillance regime before we relax any measures. No Australian wants to see hundreds of people dying a day from coronavirus. We are not prepared to see that, and that's why we are being so cautious and we are putting in these extraordinary surveillance measures. We want to be testing 40,000, 50,000 Australians a day if necessary, so that we can be absolutely sure. Because what's happened in those countries - I've said this on many occasions - is that they had, because this virus is quite mild, particularly in young adults, they can get it and it happened in those countries often, it was in the winter, people thought they had the flu or a cold, and tens of thousands of people probably had it, and then suddenly, unfortunately, some elderly people died of pneumonia or presented to hospital with pneumonia. They realised it, they test broadly and they find it's widespread. We have never been in that situation and we have no intention of being in that situation. I can't be 100% sure. We don't know everything about this virus. But I can tell you we're going to be as prepared as we can to
prevent that happening.
JOURNALIST: Just on your previous comments about negative globalism and the pending review into Australia's involvement with global bodies, has the pandemic impacted that review? And where does this leave the World Health Organization, given your criticisms of its handling?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I've just said a few times I think - and my criticisms, I think bear out the warnings that I provided in that speech to the Lowy Institute. I would say, if anything, events have only reaffirmed my view that I articulated to the Lowy Institute last year, I think it was back in September. I've said that we value very much the work that is done on the ground by the WHO. And we work closely with them, particularly here in the South-West Pacific. But I mean if it wasn't for the WHO in places like Indonesia at the moment, then, while I have obviously great concerns about the health and wellbeing of people in Indonesia, and we send our best wishes and as much support as we can to President Widodo, and the great challenge that he has there, the WHO is an important partner on the ground. And that's understood by Australia. And I've made those comments and reflected those comments to other international leaders. That said, what happens at the upper echelons of these organisations, and how they operate, I think is in need of change. And Australia will continue to advocate for that change with like-minded countries who share our concerns. What ultimate decision the United States ultimately takes on funding will be a matter for them. We will certainly want to see an improved set of arrangements at the WHO, and we'll continue to push for that through the forums as a participant, as a member, as someone who understands and publicly states the value of the work that it does on the ground. So, I think that's a constructive but not uncritical partner.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you mentioned the National Cabinet agreed on some principles around sport and recreation,
PRIME MINISTER: That we would develop them. And that's the work that's under way now.
JOURNALIST: You will. Okay. Can you give us a sense of the inclination, perhaps, of the National Cabinet as to if there is a preference to see, say, elite sport return before community-level support? Or vice versa? And, secondly, on a separate matter, now that the Pell case has been finalised, will the Federal Government release the redacted parts of the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse?
PRIME MINISTER: Well that is being worked through by the Attorney-General and I will leave that matter to him. I know they have been engaging with the relevant agencies on that in a positive way. So I'll leave that for him to address directly with you. On the broader issue of well, individual recreation, through to community competitive sport, and elite and professional sport, that is an important body of work that now has to be done and I don't want to pre-empt any of that. Obviously we're doing it from the point of view of being able, being in a position to be able to enable it again, and what is a safe way to be able to do that, and to get as much consistency as we possibly can across all the states and territories. And that was strongly supported today by all the states and territories, having something along those lines they would find very helpful, as I'm sure their residents would find helpful as well. I know that the elite sports bodies are raising issues with us and we will look at those very carefully, their funding issues, but also then how they train and so on. And that’s important. I mean, the Olympics have been put off for a year, but that gives them another year and we want to make sure they can put their best foot forward. In terms of the big codes, AFL, NRL, things like that, they're both working through states and territories presently. They're in different phases of where they're up to on that. And what we'll be doing, and particularly what the medical expert panel will be doing, will be drawing their proposals together. My understanding is that they have already had quite a lot of expert advice going into their plans, and that will probably present a lot of the homework that needs to be done to support the expert panel in setting out what some of those principles are. So, there's a bit of harvesting again that I think would occur from that process, which will be good. I think people would welcome seeing these things happening again, and not just at the elite and professional level. Everything around from going for a surf to, you know, having a game of football or whatever it happens to be, netball. So, we want to get back to a place where that can happen and we can have the confidence to do it safely. And we want to do that as soon as we can.
Mal?
JOURNALIST: Professor, today at a briefing, Donald Trump said that quote, "a tremendous hit", unquote, of ultraviolet light could see off the virus. He also referenced the effectiveness of disinfectant and wondered whether injections of disinfectant might also be effective. Given that this is coming from the President of the United States, an influential person, is there any scientific basis to either of these propositions?
PROFESSOR MURPHY: I would not, I would caution against the injection of disinfection. There is, they could be quite toxic to people. I’m not, I wasn't privy to his comments, so I want to be very careful about commenting on something that I didn't hear myself. Certainly, and ultraviolet light, look, I don't know the context in which he said it, so I really would need to study it before I could comment, thank you.
JOURNALIST: I actually have a similar question, so I'm good, thank you.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, how is the Government going to balance wanting to boost growth with a desire to pay down the debt when it comes to company tax? And could I ask about your comments about looking at industrial relations with fresh eyes - does that mean that the Government is not going to push ahead with the Ensuring Integrity Bill?
PRIME MINISTER: No, it doesn't mean that at all. What it means is exactly what I said yesterday, and that is that we're encouraging all to take a fresh look and have fresh eyes on these challenges and problems, and policies and reports and recommendations that have been made in the past. I mean, I don't think I could be more up-front about that. I'm not drawing into any conclusions on any particular measures at this time. And I don't think it's fair to draw those conclusions at this time. I think we need to do that work, and we need to do that with an open mind. And we will. When it comes to the issue of revenue, the best way to increase your revenues is to grow your economy, not to increase taxes. We've demonstrated that as a Government, time and again, as has predecessor governments of the Liberal and National Party governments. If you think the way to increase revenues is to increase taxes, that has the effect of slowing your economy, then you'll neither raise your revenues or pay down your debt. That's been our experience. And we hold those views quite deeply.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the workplace principles, workplaces that are potentially best placed to have social distancing, like an office, are also those that can more easily work from home. Is there sufficient economic benefit in getting those workers, you know, back on public transport, crowding our cities, moving around, when they could easily be working at home? Or would you prefer that the workplaces that started to look at returning were those that are services, operators, retail, that can't actually operate from home?
PRIME MINISTER: I would love to see a return to normal right across the board. Of course we want to see that. And that includes people going to work in offices. And that's an important part of how our economy functions. I mean, there are some people who can work from home, and for whom this period of time has been less of an inconvenience to them than it has to many others. But I'm sure you'd know that if you're a parent at home, trying to work from home and you've also got the kids at home, and they're trying to learn, it's not working too well for you. And your productivity isn't doing too well either. And so when we can get back to the point where we can have kids back at school, and we can get people back at work, then I think we're gonna see that also lift our economy in ways that we very much need. Because we want our economy to support businesses and jobs, not Government through subsidies and income support payments and things of that nature. I mean, our social security net will always be there for those who need it. But our preference and priority is always to ensure that our economy is what supports people's livelihoods. And that's what we need again. Now, how long it's gonna take us to get back to that point, well, we'll see. But I think we're making a lot of progress. Where we are right now is much more in advance of where we thought we would be and that's good news. And that means we are able to take steps that we're already taking right now that is getting us closer back to that point.
JOURNALIST: PM, thanks for that. You mentioned in your opening remarks about, as we sort of ease restrictions, the risk of clusters of infections breaking out. If those sort of scenarios do happen, do you envisage the sort of restrictions that would have to be reimposed in those particular pockets or communities will be akin to what we have now? Or would we have to go harder even in terms of locking down things and stuff like that, to avoid the situation that Professor Murphy was talking about, the overseas sort of thing, where you have widespread community transmission?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's going to depend very much on the case. We have a version of that at the moment out in western Sydney, around the nursing home, as we've had in north-west Tasmania. It's really going to depend on, I think, what is occurring and where it's occurring, and even the physical geography of these sorts of places. I mean, some places can be quite easily isolated. Others, in the middle of suburbs or neighbourhoods in major cities, it's very different. What we also want to be careful of, and this is why we're doing it in a very sort of incremental, iterative way as a National Cabinet, is what we don't want to see is a stop-start approach to our road back. This is why getting in place the sentinel testing, the comprehensive testing regime, the automated industrial-level contact tracing, which is very much helped by this app, this health app, a public health app that helps health workers help you. We need this so we can have the protections in place for you, your family, so you can get back to work, so you can get your kids back to school, so you can get back into community sport. That is what this app helps you do. That's what it's designed to do. That's why we've been so direct about it and so careful about its construction and the protections that are there. And to have this, as you say in your question, this rapid response that can deal with the condition on the ground, of course there will be outbreaks. I think we can anticipate that. But where you have the response capability and the AUSMAT teams and other quite well-trained and highly qualified people to go and seal off those outbreaks, then you can keep the rest of the country moving at the same time. That is our much preferred position. You don't want to go on a stop-start basis, and that's why you've got to be careful when you come to relax some of these restrictions. As you saw from Professor Murphy's modelling, moving into this sort of community phase off the repatriation phase, the risks are different. And with community transmission and protecting against that, there aren't the same level of certainties that you have of this person got off a plane, put them in a hotel, isolate, mission accomplished. But when it comes to community transmission, that surveillance testing, that sentinel testing that's in place, the app and the other contact tracing tools that we have are effectively doing the same thing. Giving us that same level of certainty, and with the rapid response, that you have by just getting someone off a plane and putting them in a hotel. We want to be able to replicate those defences when we're in this next phase and that's why we're doing exactly that. We're making a lot of progress every day. Australians are making a lot of progress every day. There's very few countries in the world that would not want to be in our position right now. And not just from a public health point of view but from the point of view of actually planning the economic recovery out as well. And that's very much where the government's focus is. That's where the National Cabinet's focus is as well. We spoke today also about infrastructure projects and things of that nature, regulation agendas, and that's going to become more and more part of the National Cabinet's agenda going forward, as we move to that getting things back to a COVID-safe economy and a COVID-safe community. So, that rapid response capability, Andrew, is a very important part of the tool kit that we need to ensure we can move back to that. But, sorry, David?
JOURNALIST: A follow-up question on testing. To you, Professor Murphy, you mentioned you would like to get 40,000 to 50,000 tests every day. When do you think that's achievable? Do we have enough test kits to achieve it? And further to the spread of, or the infection rate among children, one of the bits of feedback I get is we're not testing enough children and therefore the figures about low infection among children must be wrong. What's your comment on that?
PROFESSOR MURPHY: So on the latter, again, the New South Wales Health report they did test a lot of asymptomatic children in those school environments and found negative. They didn't find a lot of positives. That report, I think New South Wales Health will make that public fairly soon. I said if necessary, up to 40,000, 50,000. We're still doing the surveillance plan. We have done some really exciting work in the supply line of test kits. I'm sure Minister Hunt is going to be talking more about that in the coming weeks. But I think we are much more confident that we have diversified the supply line of testing. We feel that we will be able to secure enough tests to meet our whatever surveillance plan we put in place.
PRIME MINISTER: Just before we leave, I just want to confirm that Parliament is coming back on 12th, 13th and 14th of May. I met with the Opposition last night at our regular weekly get-together. On the Wednesday of that week, there will also be the Federation Chamber operating in the House of Representatives. The arrangements that we've had in place for the other days of sittings will be pursued when we return in more or less the same form, ensuring that the Chamber operates with the appropriate social distancing. But I anticipate we'll see a lot more members back in Parliament House, but obviously they can't all be in the Chamber at the one time or, indeed, in the Federation Chamber at the one time. The business of the Parliament in that week, it will be the ordinary business of the Parliament. I anticipate there will be a couple of COVID-related bills. And those COVID-related bills we would seek to work through with the Opposition in advance before we come back to the Parliament that week. Of course, once they have gone through the Government's party room processes and backbench committees, but otherwise, it is a return to the Parliament, a return back to that legislative program and the Government will be taking that forward. There are many bills already on the docket. There will be a lot more bills that will be introduced over the course of that week. So, 12, 13, 14 May. And it is our intention that going well, then we would expect to see further weeks of sittings between now and the end of the financial year.
Other than that, I will see everyone tomorrow morning at 5:30am. I will be at the War Memorial. Everyone else will be at home. At 6:00am I look forward to the entire nation, standing on their driveways, lighting up the dawn, remembering our fallen heroes and drawing great inspiration from them for the task and challenge that we currently face.
Thank you very much.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
23 April 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning everyone. Before I make some remarks on an economic update and progress report, I just want to commence, and I am sure the Treasurer will join me, in extending our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and the friends and the fellow serving officers of the four police who were tragically killed. This is a terrible time, more broadly, but for these families and for the Victorian Police family and for police officers all over the country, and I know their families will be feeling the same way, this is just an awful tragedy. A terribly dark day for that police force and our thoughts, our prayers, our sympathies are there for all of them, but also our thanks to police officers serving all over the country. It is a dreadful and terrible reminder of the dangers that you face every single day. You step up every day, you stand between us and that danger every single day and we are deeply grateful for your service, deeply grateful for your sacrifice and to those families who are knowing nothing other than terrible grief today, we stand with you as much as we possibly can and we hope that provides at least some comfort to you and we extend also to the Victorian Government our appreciation for the work they are doing to support those families. It is a very, very sad day.
More broadly, today is an opportunity for the Treasurer and I to give you an economic update and progress report on some of the important programs that we have been putting in place over recent weeks. We have always been fighting this battle on two fronts. We always have been fighting it on the health front and on the health front and on the economic front. Both of those issues have been considered equally, as we have dealt with this issue from very early on and that continues to be our focus and will be into the future. We are getting, obviously, good news on the health front. Yesterday with just four cases, a rate of growth of 0.22 per cent. Those sort of figures were unimaginable weeks ago and they are being achieved now because of the patience and discipline and efforts of the Australian people right across the country. We thank you again for your patience and the way that you are going about your lives each and every day as Australians. It is a credit to you and a credit to our country in this difficult time.
Tomorrow I will be providing you an update with the Chief Medical Officer on the effective rate of transmission figures that I first raised with you with the Chief Medical Officer a week ago. This modelling work, which is being updated on a weekly basis, will give you a further indication of how we are travelling this first week down into that four week process that National Cabinet flagged as being the period of time in which we will be assessing our performance and looking at how we can start to ease restrictions in that four week period. As I say, we are one week down almost and we are making good progress and we can report further to you on that tomorrow. That also involves making good progress on things like testing kits, personal protective equipment, respirator supplies, the status of those and the supply lines are in place and they are strong and that is enabling us, I think, to make a lot of progress.
We are on the road back and that is demonstrated by the measures that we already have taken and we are on the way back to a COVID-safe economy as well, which is what we have to achieve. We are building the protections for this COVID-safe economy in the areas that I have mentioned. Importantly, in the areas of surveillance, or I should say sentinel testing, in the area of industrialising our contact tracing capabilities and our immediate response capability to outbreaks, wherever they may present themselves. We have moved on elective surgery. States are moving on schools and I welcome that very much. The schools changes are a very important step in how we reopen our economy going forward and, most importantly, to ensure that children are getting the best possible education. We are in three weeks as I said, we will be moving on the baseline restrictions after considering this further information from the health advisers and states also are already moving where they have gone beyond the baseline restrictions in scaling that back already and we expect to see more of that in the weeks ahead.
But let's not get complacent. While our numbers are good, one number that is never good is the fact that 75 Australians have passed away. As sad as that is for those families, let's not forget that in countries that are smaller than Australia, like Belgium - 6,262 people have died. In the Netherlands, 4,068 have died, in Sweden 1,937 people have died. If you look at the fatality rates as a proportion of population, in the United States it is almost 50 times higher than Australia. In France it is over 100 times higher than Australia. In the United Kingdom also, just under 100 times higher. In Germany it is over 20 times higher. In Switzerland it is over 60 times higher, Denmark over 20, Norway 12. These are all sophisticated, developed economies with good health systems. This can happen in Australia if we are not careful and that is why Australians and our governments have been so careful to balance the needs to get our economy back to a COVID-safe level so it can support people's incomes and we can return to higher rates of growth into the future.
Now, in terms of getting our programs in place to support our economies, we are making good progress. The Treasurer will update you on those key support measures on accessing super, on JobKeeper enrolments and cash flow supports to businesses. There has also been an unprecedented ramp-up in public service in responding to these programs. Some 3,000 extra staff have been surged into the Australian Taxation Office and they soon will be approaching some 50,000 enrolments a day processing, which is a great achievement. At Service Australia they are getting close to those levels of 50,000 claims processing a day also, they are currently around 40,000 a day. Some additional 5,000 additional staff have been surged into Services Australia and, on top of that, another 3,000 have been redeployed both within Services Australia and across the Australian Public Service to be part of that effort which has today, just before this press conference, has now processed some 587,686 JobSeeker and related applications. That is more than we do in a year. That has been an extraordinary effort from those services and I also want to thank the patience of Australians for the way they have been engaging with Government Services Australia. The outstanding claims that we have now, 80 per cent of those have only been there for around two weeks. We will get through those, I think, over the next week or so. But I want to thank Australians for their patience for engaging, whether it has been with the Australian Taxation Office, the businesses or others, as well as those dealing with Services Australia at Centrelink and their patience. They understand these claims are at historic, unprecedented levels and their patience is helping those staff get through those claims and achieve these highly ramped-up levels of claim processing, which means we can get that support to Australians quicker and in the days ahead.
The Australian Office of Financial Management now has succeeded in raising over $40 billion. The AOFM issued since last week was $19 billion, it has a planned issuance of $11 billion this week and they already have done $5 billion this week so far. So we will be over $40 billion. Two-thirds of that in bonds and the third in notes. The AOFM has indicated the trading volumes and pricing out to around 12-year bonds are returning to more normal levels. Now, our ability to raise this sort of finance in these sorts of markets, I think, says a lot about the standing of Australia in these financial markets and the credit worthiness of Australia and this will be critical to ensure that we can continue to provide this economic lifeline Australians. We are fast approaching the date in May when the first JobKeeper payments will be made to those businesses and so I commend the AOFM on the work they are doing to ensure that we meet those targets.
For these arrangements to work, though, it can't just be the public service agencies who are stepping up to the mark in processing these claims and these arrangements. For these arrangements to work, we obviously need continued strong cooperation from the banking sector over and from the superannuation sector. Now, the Treasurer has been working closely with the banks, meeting with them last night again and also again today and I am aware that there has been some frustration amongst businesses, in particular, in accessing bridging finance with banks. We are aware of that. I have no doubt the banks are aware of that as well and we need to be addressing that. Early on in this crisis, the bank's decision to pass on the cash rate reductions and provide deferments and waivers of various arrangements for businesses and individuals is very much welcome. But that needs to be continued. It is important that the banks stay up to the mark here. I am concerned at the increasing number of stories we are getting and those issues I am sure are being raised directly with the banks, but we need those turn around times to improve. These banks know their customers. They know these businesses. They work with these businesses, they are there to stand by these businesses in their time of greatest need and that is now. So they know their history. They know their trading performance. They know what they are capable of doing. When it comes to the JobKeeper arrangements, they are very straightforward when it comes to businesses impacted on their turnover and there is a further instrument today which the Treasurer is pursuing which will make that even more clear when it comes to the delivery of the JobKeeper program.
Finally, while there remains important immediate challenges for us to address the COVID-safe working environment work that has been done through the COVID Commission and together with the Minister for Industrial Relations, the rollout of all of these programs, the adaptation that businesses themselves are doing which has been extraordinary. We also must look to the recovery, as we are. We are looking afresh at all of the work that has been done over the past decade, but we are looking at all of those important reform documents that have been prepared by groups like the Productivity Commision, the Shifting the Dial Report which went well beyond issues that relate at a Commonwealth level and significantly to reforms that can be achieved at a state and territory level.
All of these areas need to be looked at with fresh eyes. We need to go through this process at the moment of harvesting all of these important policy options and how they can be utilised to have an effective and sustainable and strong recovery on the other side of the coronavirus. We will take the opportunity in the months ahead to work through all of those arrangements. The COVID Commission is engaged in that process, Treasury of course and the Government more broadly, but also engaging with the many partners we're working with at the moment as part of the broader COVID response. The states and territories through the National Cabinet, the excellent working relationship we’ve been establishing with the ACTU. These are all important relationships being forged during this crisis which we believe we can put to work for the broader economic recovery piece that will be there. But it is not a matter of just dusting off old reports or old submissions that have been made to the Government and bowling them up again. That's not what we are doing. We are looking with all of these things with fresh eyes, with very fresh eyes, with a view to what the post-COVID economy is going to look like globally and domestically and see how these can best help Australians get back on their feet, support their income, grow the businesses and have a business-led recovery that will put Australia in a even stronger position in the future. Treasurer?
THE HON. JOSH FRYDENBERG MP, TREASURER: Thank you Prime Minister, and can I join with you in expressing our deepest sadness at the loss of four police officers' lives yesterday. A tragic accident occured in my electorate, in Kew, and our thoughts as a Government and, indeed, people right across this nation, are with the families of those police officers and with their colleagues and with the first responders and a very, very sad day for Victorians and, indeed, for the country.
Two weeks ago, the largest economic lifeline that this country has ever seen passed the Parliament. The $130 billion JobKeeper package providing a wage subsidy of $1,500 a fortnight will support the jobs of millions of Australians. And it was part of a broader sweep of economic measures totalling $320 billion, or 16.4 per cent of GDP, which the Government and the Reserve Bank rolled out to support our economy at this very difficult time. Cash payments to households, cashflow boost to businesses, support for the financial system, early access to super, accelerated depreciation, instant asset write-off and a range of other economic measures. Well, we're now firmly in the implementation phase and providing that support to millions of Australians.
In terms of the early access to super, the ATO - the Australian Tax Office - has approved 456,000 applications, totalling $3.8 billion. Those applications are now with the superannuation funds for their payment over the next five days. The average withdrawal is around $8,000. And just to remind you that you can access up to $10,000 from your super this financial year and up to another $10,000 next financial year. The ATO has also paid out $3 billion to 177,000 businesses employing 2.1 million Australians as part of our cashflow boost measure, which was a measure designed to support businesses, keep people employed, meet their fixed costs, by linking those payments - up to $100,000 and a minimum of $20,000 - to those payrolls. Importantly, the ATO have done an outstanding job. As the Prime Minister has said, they've brought extra resource to this challenge, done an outstanding job in processing so many claims so quickly, have paid out support to businesses, ahead of what they thought would be the start date on 28 April, so they're ahead of schedule.
In terms of the $750 cash payments, which are going to pensioners, to carers, to people on the disability support pension, on family tax benefits - those payments have now gone to 6.8 million people totalling $5.1 billion. In terms of the JobKeeper payments, as you know, more than 900,000 Australian businesses have registered their interest in accessing the JobKeeper payment. The formal applications have been open for three days. Already, 275,000 businesses have filled in those formal applications for the JobKeeper payment. Around half of those are sole traders. The others are obviously incorporated businesses, partnerships, trusts, not for profit organisations. They cover a whole range of sectors - technical, scientific, financial services, construction, retail, accommodation and the like.
As the Prime Minister said, we're very conscious, very conscious of the fact that the banks are playing a vitally important role in bridging the finance that these businesses need to pay their staff ahead of receiving the first payment in the first week of May. Now, it was an integrity measure as part of the system that businesses had to pay their staff before receiving their first payment. Today, I held a telephone hook-up with the four bank CEOs and the Tax Commissioner, Chris Jordan. It was a very productive discussion and we emphasised the need for the banks to provide the support to those businesses. They have agreed to set up, each of these four major banks, a dedicated hotline for their customers to call to receive the bridging finance necessary to pay their staff ahead of receiving that money under the JobKeeper program. Importantly, they have also agreed to expedite the processing of all those applications to the front of the queue. So our message today is if you are a business or a not for profit operation that is eligible for the JobKeeper payment, as required, you need to pay your staff ahead of receiving the money from the Tax Office. Go to your bank, ring their hotline, ask for that support, and that support will be forthcoming. As the Prime Minister said, the businesses, the banks, they know their customers and they want to work with their customers as we want to work with the Australian businesses to ensure that they get their payments under the JobKeeper program.
Finally, we are living, still, in a very difficult time with the coronavirus and the pandemic playing out across the world. Many other economies are doing it even tougher than we are doing it here in Australia. But the success of our health measures, the cooperation of all Australians, has helped us flatten the curve and, as the Prime Minister did at this podium just a few days ago, announce the early relaxation of some of those health restrictions on elective surgery. It is a start, because our focus is on keeping as many Australians in a job and as many Australian businesses in business.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. We'll start on this side today and we’ll move around.
JOURNALIST: The New South Wales Premier appears to be blaming the Federal Government over the virus outbreak at the Newmarch aged care facility, because it's a federal government jurisdiction. What's your response to that?
PRIME MINISTER: We've been working very closely with the New South Wales Government on those outbreaks, as we have in other places. The aged care facilities are areas that have always been of great concern. Yes, the Federal Government does provide funding support to aged care facilities but equally there are regulatory responsibilities that are held at a state level and we will work closely together. One of the important things we did early on in the COVID response was to ensure that we were providing additional funding to support the efforts of surging additional medical staff and others into aged care areas. Because in aged care as well, state governments also provide direct clinical support into those facilities as well. So it's a team effort.
JOURNALIST: You've spoken about the need for fresh eyes to get to a COVID-safe economy. Does a COVID-safe economy involve breaking election promises?
PRIME MINISTER: It involves ensuring that Australia is put in the safest and most prosperous place that we possibly can.
JOURNALIST: Is there an updated timeline for when the contact tracing app will be released, Prime Minister? And what's the strategy for marketing it and promoting it to ensure enough Australians take it up?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's a very important part of the broader plan that the Government's pursuing. It's not a silver bullet. It goes along with many other initiatives that the Government is pursuing. I want to be clear about, again, what this is. This is a tool, a public health tool, to assist health officers and state and territory governments, when someone who has contracted the coronavirus, to assist them in that work and to contact others who may have been put at risk. That's what we're trying to do here. That protects every Australian. Every Australian will be safer if those health officers are able to contact you more quickly if you have been exposed to the coronavirus and, importantly, that means that you will be less at risk of infecting others if they can get to you fast. And so we want to help those public health officers. There's been a lot of - quite rightly - praise and commendation for our health officers, our nurses, our doctors. You want the health system, you want to help nurses, you want to help paramedics, you want to help doctors and say thank you for the great job they're doing, then you can help them, by supporting and downloading the app which will be released soon. Now, that app, the information, that is collected from that app, goes into a national data store that is fully encrypted and the Commonwealth Government has no access whatsoever to the information into that data store. None. Zero. Zip. Nothing. That information can only be unlocked by the health officer at the state and territory level in direct communication with the person from whom, who has contracted the coronavirus in releasing that information into the data store. Now, that's how it works. It's got one job. Just one job. We're not having it do other jobs. It will never do other jobs. It's for a time-limited period. It has the specific job of helping public health officials help you. Help them help you. That's the simple message, I think, of this, and there will be a strong communications campaign to get across this very simple information, but also to assure people about the very significant protections that will be put in place. We've been listening carefully to the debate that has followed since I first indicated that we were going down this path, and we've been responding to that and we've been ensuring that the protections are built in, so this just does focus on this one job. We have no interest in it doing any other job. There is no geolocation. There is no tracking of people's movements. None of that is true. It is one simple job - to help that public health official - and as I said the other day, following the National Cabinet meeting, the states and territories have given their in-principle endorsement to this. They strongly support the measure and they'll be backing that up and have requested to back that up with their own communications campaigns as well.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can you just detail what sort of inquiry you'd like to see in the genesis of this pandemic and the sort of lessons the world can learn? And what's your message to China about its responsibility to comply with such an inquiry?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, my message on the latter is the same for all nations. What I'm simply seeking and advocating for is two things - and the Foreign Minister set this out in her opinion piece this week - we will need an independent inquiry, that looks at what has occurred here so we can learn the lessons. Now, there will be debates about the timing of that. We are in the middle of dealing with the pandemic right now and I understand some of the hesitations that have been expressed about the timing of that particular inquiry. But Australia would have cooperated with such an inquiry. Any member of the World Health Organization, I think that should be something that should be understood and that's part, I think, of your responsibility - or should be anyway - in participating in such an organisation. The other thing that can happen - and you can do two things at once - and that is to look at things that can be done to improve the safety of the world more readily. Now people are aware of my view about having the sort of authorities that would enable independent public health inspectors to be able to go into areas where a virus of potential pandemic implications can be understood quickly, because that information, undoubtedly, can save lives. Now, you'll know that with weapons inspectors, that people access that because those who sign up to the weapons inspectors' arrangements, sign up to - if they're in that situation, then those inspectors would come in. Now I expect the same arrangements in terms of what I’m suggesting about how that could be done. They don't have a roving commission to go anywhere they want in the world. If you're going to be a member of a club like the World Health Organization, there should be obligations and responsibilities attached to that. That is how, that is why you would collectively band together in a global organisation like that, to protect the world's health, and I would think that the ability to understand what's happening in a particularly dangerous virus that has the potential to do what this virus has done to the world, people would want to know that information sooner rather than later. So, look, we will, I mean advocating anything and pushing anything globally is ambitious at the best of times, but that doesn't mean Australia shouldn't stand up for these sorts of things, for independence, for transparency, for public health, for taking action early, for sharing this sort of information. These are important principles and Australia will stand up for them.
Phil? Sorry, and then I’ll go to Phil.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you mentioned before how dangerous this virus is. How important is it, though, that people continue to adhere to the quarantine measures in place? And are there any circumstances under which anybody should seek to make themselves exempt from those quarantine measures, irrespective of their status in society?
PRIME MINISTER: We're all in this together. All of us. And I think that's the expectation of all of Australians.
JOURNALIST: PM on the reform agenda ahead that you’re flagging for the October Budget, just two parts - A, when you said you're going to cast fresh eyes on everything that's been done in the last decade, would that include the Henry tax review? And separately, you're sort of talking about this - for want of a better term - a modern-day sort of accord with unions and businesses and so forth to make this work. Would a gesture towards the unions be to drop the ensuring-integrity bill, given you're forged this new relationship with them, you want to maintain that and they clearly don't like this bill that’s before the Parliament?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, Phil, I'm not about to start articulating a public reading list on the topic, nor am I about to engage in horsetrading from this podium about this process. What I'm honestly saying to Australians is we're looking at all options with fresh eyes. In a good-faith way and I would be encouraging everyone else who has a stake in this - and that includes the union movement, I mean it's about jobs - to engage in a similar good-faith manner.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister and Treasurer, we know there's a good reason why you've deferred the Budget, the full Budget to October. Would you consider some sort of economic statement or mini Budget update in the next month or two before then? And if the economic shackles are lifted earlier for some parts of the economy and we can return to some sort of normality in some areas, would you consider, perhaps, unwinding or not fully using the full 6 months' worth of stimulus measures?
PRIME MINISTER: I'll allow the Treasurer to address those issues.
TREASURER: Thanks, Prime Minister. And thanks, John. There's never been more contemporaneous data available. You've got the labour force numbers coming out on a monthly basis, and as you saw, unemployment for the month of March was at 5.2 per cent. You've got the ABS now providing some preliminary data in areas like retail and international trade that they haven't done previously. The Finance Minister will be doing what he normally does, which is put out a monthly financial statement with revenues and expenditures in the coming days. And also, you've got national accounts. As you're familiar, the March quarter will be out on June the 3rd and that's got everything from wages to profits to GDP to the savings ratio. So there is a lot of data that's out there. And we'll continue to take the best possible advice from Treasury.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just back on your advocacy of this international investigation. I'm not sure you directly responded to the China question in particular. So what steps, if any, have you taken, or will you take, to engage President Xi or the senior leadership in Beijing? And do you agree that this public spat, I suppose it could be described as, between Minister Dutton and the Ambassador, the Chinese Ambassador here in Canberra, in which he's described, the Ambassador's comments as regrettable and he hopes that he reflects on his public interventions here - do you think that augers badly for China's engagement with this process?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I don't. I think the Minister for Home Affairs has set out the situation well. Australia is perfectly entitled to set out positions that are totally consistent with the principles and values that we have as a country. We are a transparent, open nation, and when it comes to issues of public health, we would only seek the good faith participation of any country that would find itself in that situation. We had a virus originate out of Wuhan in China, and we were very fortunate here in Australia that we moved very quickly to close off the travel of Chinese nationals to Australia early in that piece, as I said yesterday, it was one of the matters that President Trump and I discussed. I think we were in about 24 hours before the United States, but we made the decision about the same time and it was the extraordinary discipline of our Chinese Australian community, that meant that we resisted that first wave of cases, the wave of cases that impacted Australia came from predominantly returning Australians from other parts of the world, where the virus had transmitted to, out of China. What's important is that we work together in a transparent way. The World Health Assembly is coming up in May. There are opportunities to pursue that matter there. And that's our first port of call. I've obviously shared my views, as has the Foreign Minister, with other like-minded countries, about the need for a transparent process here and for a fair dinkum look at how these rules are working. Our purpose here is just pretty simple - we'd like the world to be safer when it comes to viruses. It seems like a pretty honest ambition that I'm sure most people in the world would agree with. So it would be great if we could achieve that and that's the spirit in which we're pursuing this and I would certinaly hope that any other nation, be it China or anyone else, would share that objective.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on JobKeeper, you’ve flagged that construction is an industry that you see as low-risk and high-value that we would keep going in a COVID-safe economy. But because construction companies are often state-wide, we've seen instances where workers are laid off in one particular area, where work has slowed down, they don't qualify for jobkeeper, because there might be projects and revenue elsewhere across the company. Is the Government looking at ways to keep those tradespeople connected to those businesses? Obviously they can get JobSeeker, but that doesn't have the same, I guess, commitment between the employer and the employee out the other side of the coronavirus pandemic.
PRIME MINISTER: Well I'll let the Treasurer comment on the issues about group companies and things like that and how that's been progressed. But the best way to get Australians back in jobs and back working, is to get our economy opening up as quickly as it can, subject to the health constraints - whether that's in the construction industry or anywhere else. I am pleased that working with the states and territories that the many significant projects that we have that we co-fund at state and territory level, well, we're keeping up the pace on those. And we're looking to, you know, put the pedal down on those. It's an important part of the economic recovery. So the best way to get people off JobKeeper and off JobSeeker is to ensure that those businesses are busy again and that's why opening up the elective surgery is important. That's why opening up our schools again is important. That's why moving on the baseline restrictions once we get these health protections for a COVID-safe economy in place - that's why it's all important. The more businesses you open up, the more people are going to have jobs, support themselves and not have to rely - as they don't wish to - on the public taxpayer.
Josh?
TREASURER: Well, thanks, Prime Minister. Well, as I was walking into Parliament House this morning, just a torpedo punt from here, I saw plenty of construction workers out there with their fluoro vests and their hard hats getting to work and I've seen that in my home state of Melbourne as well so it is good news that many of those construction workers are back at work. Obviously, those particular arrangements for the, for businesses that may have some projects working and others, will be matters for that business and we say to them to look after their staff, to make the necessary arrangements, and obviously, if there are issues that fall within the discretion of the ATO, to speak directly to them.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. Over here?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you've said a number of times here that you'll look with fresh eyes at all options. Does that include negative gearing and franking credits reforms? And also, will you bring forward the review into the petroleum resources rent tax in order for that to be one of the options on the table?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Treasurer can talk about where things are up to with the PRRT. But as I said to Neil Mitchell the other day, I don't understand how increasing taxes on people in that way - particularly the ones you're referring to, actually helps grow the economy. I've never understood that argument. I mean there are some things that remain truisms.
Michelle? Oh Josh - did you want to...?
TREASURER: Just to say, in relation to the petroleum industry, we made some changes in terms of the integrity of measures based on the best advice that we received from the Tax Office. There's been appropriate consultation. There hasn't been a change to that stated timetable.
PRIME MINISTER: Michelle?
JOURNALIST: Two things. A point of clarification - you gave several figures about new public servants and transfers. What is the net figure of new people brought on staff?
PRIME MINISTER: 5,000.
JOURNALIST: Is it 8,000 or 5,000?
PRIME MINISTER: 5,000 is how many additional people have been brought into the task and that includes with service providers. As you know, early on, one of the first things they did with the service providers was to lift some of the call centre staff out of, I think it was out of one of the airlines actually, and have them move in and they started processing JobSeeker claims, which has worked very well.
JOURNALIST: And on the question of substance, do you intend to make the October Budget an overarching reform Budget? Or will your harvesting yield its seed in several stages?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's early days on that work, Michelle. And it's, we're in that process, as I said, of harvesting. The Budget will be a significant contribution in that respect. I mean it always is. And the scale of the task that we have on the economic front is bigger than anything we've known for a very, very long time, arguably since the Great Depression. And so you can expect the Budget to be very significant in that context.
JOURNALIST: The Chief Medical Officer said this morning that among the first restrictions to be eased in three weeks will be around community sport. How can that be done safely? Will it extend to all sport like the NRL, which says it has government approval to resume on May 28?
PRIME MINISTER: Let me just deal with the NRL issue first. Look, the NRL is not community sport. The NRL is a fairly large commercial activity. Many people employed and has far-reaching commercial implications for many other sectors. And so I don't necessarily make that connection. I mean community sport, I think, is something very different. And what the National Cabinet does in several weeks' time and what recommendations the medical expert panel - which Professor Murphy is a part of - wish to recommend at that time, well, I don't want to get ahead of that and they will make their own arguments as to what is doable and how that can be achieved at that time. So until we have that advice before us, I wouldn't be offering a view on that. What we are seeking to do is focus on those activities that are more low-health-risk and more high-economic-value. My priorities are to get kids back to school, to get people back to work. That's what my priority is. And in terms of the broader social restrictions that are overseen by the states, I think there is a reasonable expectation from the public - based on the tremendous patience and discipline that they've shown - that they will get some relief on those fronts as well. I welcome, for example, the decision taken by the Queensland Government overnight in regarding to funerals. I mean, you know, people probably could see my strong views on that last night. And I really do welcome that. That is, would have to be one of the hardest measures, and one of the most difficult. I remember when I announced it some weeks ago, it was a very difficult thing for National Cabinet to make that decision. And I am pleased that we're getting to a point now where Queensland and others feel that those measures can be wound back.
Now, in terms of the NRL, I mean it's principally a matter for the New South Wales Government, because they are, as I understand the proposal, that's where the matches are being played. And so they have the health authority over what occurs with that. And so if you're looking for what the health agreements or approvals that have been provided, that's entirely really a matter for the New South Wales Government, or any other state governments who may be involved in where games may be played or how training is being conducted. The Commonwealth Government doesn't have any direct role in any of that. The only matters that we've been directly engaged in - and they're being handled by the Minister for Home Affairs - is in relation to the New Zealand involvement. Now, I had a, I mean I speak weekly to Prime Minister Ardern and there are many issues we discussed. There was the issue that came up recently about our borders. Now, if there is any country in the world with whom we can reconnect with first, undoubtedly that's New Zealand. And we have similar trajectories. Their restrictions have been far greater. Our case response has, you know, been the same, if not better than New Zealand. So if there's any country where we can look to achieve that, then I would have thought New Zealand would be the obvious candidate and that's the nature of the discussions we've had. So there already are exemptions that the Border Force Commissioner has to enable individuals to come. That is an area that I think we can look potentially favourably on provided all the other arrangements are in place regarding public safety. That's something we'll just work through patiently.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you talked about the extraordinary demand for JobSeeker…
PRIME MINISTER: Sorry, I just didn't hear?
JOURNALIST: Demand for Jobseeker, the extraordinary demand for JobSeeker. Given that we know people will be out of work and struggling to find work for quite a period of time, are you open to having an increased level of JobSeeker longer than the six months? And specifically do you accept that we can never return to just $40 a day for people on the old Newstart payment?
PRIME MINISTER: We’ve put a COVID supplement in place for the period of the pandemic and that's what we've budgeted for and that's what our policy is. Mal?
JOURNALIST: PM, you've got a blank page, you’ve got a lot of stakeholders and a lot of advice coming your way. There's precedent in such circumstances for what is called a national summit on these big issues. Have you - assuming domestic travel gets back somewhere near normal - have you considered a national summit? Or do you see any value in one before the Budget?
PRIME MINISTER: I must admit, Mal, I feel like we're in a rolling national summit at the moment with the amount of engagement that is taking place with ministers, with states and territories. I mean, the Treasurer has been with the four major banks twice in the last 24 hours. The actual pace in this COVID environment where people aren’t physically moving around to connect with each other, even including at international level, is like nothing I've seen before. The level of cooperation that is occurring between the COVID Commission, industry, business, unions, others - this is quite an interesting period. And I think it is positive in the sense that it is drawing so many different views and feedbacks far more quickly than it normally does and I welcome that. So while not being drawn on any specific events, Mal, and of course we're trying to harness what I think is a very strong institutional ambition here, among the many different strands of our economy and our society, whether it's in the not for profit sector, whether it's in the industrial sector, mining, resources, manufacturing, the educational sector, our universities, our research institutions, the CSIRO, our states and territories, our independent schools. There has never been, I can't recall a time in my public life or in public policy where there has been so much of this occurring and I think that's creating some good habits, good habits that I would hope we would be able to continue in a non-COVID crisis environment. Whether that will be done, we'll see, but I'll remain forever optimistic. Shane?
JOURNALIST: If you're going to look at major reforms, reforms over time have cost money to the Budget, either in compensation. The Shifting The Dial report has some very contentious and expensive proposals in the short-term to deliver long-term benefits. Would you consider running the Budget in deficit a little longer so you can afford to put in place those reforms if you're going to see a pay-off longer term?
PRIME MINISTER: The Treasurer might want to comment on this. I'll simply say this. The way we have sought, as a Government, to manage and handle and respond to the coronavirus crisis is we've got some very clear principles that have guided us and I, in particular, outlined those some weeks, if not months ago, in Sydney at the AFR conference. And we have been guided constantly by the evidence - not the opinions, but the evidence. And we've been guided by some outstanding expert advice, whether that's the Governor of the Reserve Bank, the Secretary of Treasury, whether it’s the Chief Medical Officer, whether it's Alan Finkel or any number of people, Nev Power, the team of people working with Nev, David Thodey and Catherine Tanner and a whole range of others, Jane Holton, there are so many people that have been guiding us with good expert advice, and this is a model that I think has always underlined how our Government has operated and we'll continue to do that. We'll continue to be driven by the principles that we hold very dearly, the data and the evidence to inform our views and the solid and respected expert advice that can input into that process. And what's our goal? Save lives. Save livelihoods. See Australia stronger again.
THE HON. JOSH FRYDENBERG MP, TREASURER: Prime Minister, as you've said before, and Shane, as you know well, the pathway to paying back that higher debt that has been incurred by this necessary spending at this difficult time, is by growing the Australian economy. It's not through higher taxes. It's actually by growing the Australian economy with productivity-enhancing reforms. That's what we're committed to. And because National Cabinet has led so strongly, we've now got at ministerial level regular meetings between the federal and state counterparts. So the treasurers will be meeting later today and among the issues that we'll be discussing relate exactly to what the Prime Minister has been talking about with Shifting The Dial, in terms of health reforms, talking about how we can work more closely together in a whole range of areas to enhance the productivity of the nation. The Governor of the Reserve Bank gave an important speech just a few days ago. Not only did he point to our responsible fiscal position that allowed us to use our balance sheet to support the economy at a time of a significant income shock, but he also pointed to the need for productivity-enhancing reforms into the future. It's not business as usual. It's about the Federal Government and the state governments working together in a whole field of areas from tax to industrial relations to infrastructure to skills and, of course, to cutting red tape and deregulation.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks. Look on that note, particularly on cutting red tape, can I... the Education (sic) Minister will be standing up later today but a positive report on the progress being made on environmental approvals. In the December quarter, 19 per cent of projects were being approved on time. In the March quarter, that rose to 87 per cent. And we're looking to be at 100 per cent by the end of June. I'll let the Environment Minister speak to that later today. But ensuring that we're moving quickly through approval processes and providing that certainty for business investment and the regulatory arrangements that are in place, that will be a key part, a key part of the economic recovery strategy. Tomorrow, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know, we'll be upstairs. It's a little warmer up there. But Professor Murphy will be taking you through that next round of now-casting, as they call it - we're all getting used to a lot of new terms these days - on the effective rate of reproduction of that virus and where that's sitting a week down in that process. Of course, National Cabinet is meeting tomorrow. But let us finish where we began, in remembering those four brave police officers in Melbourne, and their families, and all their, all the police family all around the country. Let us remember all of them and just say thank you for what you do every day. And for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for protecting their community, we are forever in your debt.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
21 April 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Well good afternoon everyone. Some encouraging news, the growth in the number of cases continues to be at very welcome low levels and we want to thank all Australians again for the great efforts that they are putting in. It is testing their patience, we understand that, and their patience is proving up to the mark. We are still very much in the middle of combatting this terrible virus, as we're seeing all around the world. But here in Australia, we're doing better than most, better than many, and we need to keep doing that, and so we thank Australians for the great support and the efforts that they are putting in as we go through these very difficult times. About two-thirds of the cases in Australia have - they have now been able to overcome and recover from those cases. So, we have active cases of less than about 2,500 now. Overseas experience, even the most cautious and careful of nations, such as Singapore, demonstrates that none of us can be complacent about these issues and we need to maintain the efforts that we're putting in place. Singapore now has, sadly, more cases than Australia after some very strong early successes. It is a reminder that even a country as diligent and as careful as Singapore has been that none of us can be complacent about this virus. As I've said on many occasions, it writes its own rules. We need to ensure that we are continually up to the mark in our response.
It means we need to stick to our plan and that was very much the view of National Cabinet today. We have got to stick to our plan. Our plan is working. Our plan is saving lives and it is saving livelihoods. So we need to stick to that plan. We need to stick together in ensuring we maintain the implementation of that plan right across the country. For those who are asking when can we ease? Well, we were clear about that last week. We laid down some clear markers as to what the requirements would be. We said there needed to be an effective rate of transmission less than the score of 1. And we said we need to get in place over these four weeks that we're now in - almost one week down in that timetable - of testing, tracing and a response capability on the ground. National Cabinet will continue to look at those areas that may be able to be eased at the end of that period when we look at those issues. But they are the clear markers. They are the clear prerequisites. There is no uncertainty about that. I think that's very clear. An effective rate of transmission consistently under 1 and putting in place the testing and tracing and response capabilities that are necessary for us to stay on top of any outbreak or any risks that could emerge when we moved into a period where we may be able to ease those restrictions. And states and territories in the meantime, where they have taken actions on restrictions that go beyond the national baselines, as we have already seen Western Australia do, then they will take decisions over the next few weeks that may see them ease back on some of those restrictions where they are above the national baselines in terms of the issues.
Today we considered a number of measures and areas, and the first of those was in relation to elective surgery, which I flagged at the last media conference. Today we agreed to lift restrictions on elective surgery after Anzac Day, after the long weekend. This will not mean an immediate return to normal with elective surgery, but a gradual restart, subject to, of course, capacity and other constraints that may exist in each jurisdiction, and the Minister for Health will outline one of the reasons why we have been able to do that is the increase in the amount of personal protective equipment that we have been able to secure. And the Chief Medical Officer will also make commentary on that. But we will be easing the restrictions on the following areas and that is all Category 2 or equivalent procedures in the private sector, and selected Category 3 and other procedures, which includes all IVF, all screening programs, where they have ceased. I want to stress that the National Cabinet and indeed the AHPPC has never recommended any easing of screening tests or procedures, but where they have been eased, then they can be restarted. Post-cancer restriction procedures, such as breast reconstruction, dental and level 2 restrictions, so such as fitting dentures, braces, non-high-speed drilling and basic fillings. All procedures for children under the age of 18, all joint replacements, including knees, hips, and shoulders, all cataracts and eye procedures, and endoscopy and colonoscopy and all of these measures will be further subject to review on 11 May to determine if all surgeries and procedures can then recommence more broadly. We estimate that this will lead to a reopening of around 25 per cent of activity in elective surgery in our private and public hospitals, of the capacity that had been closed because of the earlier restrictions. Priority will be given, with this reopening, on the basis of clinical determinations by the relevant health professionals and that will occur in both the public and private system.
This is an important decision because it marks another step on the way back. There is a road back. There is a road ahead and the decisions that the National Cabinet has taken today is evidence of that. This would not be possible if we were unable to secure the additional PPE and it also wouldn’t be possible if we were not able to have confidence about the level of contacts, sorry, of cases that had been identified in Australia and the slowing that rate of growth down to very minimal levels. So this is an indication to Australians that when we do keep staying ahead of this, then we can make these changes and we can start heading back to where we would all like to be.
On aged care, we reviewed recent events in a number of aged care facilities and took the lessons from those cases and an important one is the finding was that we are very concerned about the impact of restrictions that had been put in place in aged care facilities over and above what was recommended by the National Cabinet on the residents in those facilities. There is great concern that the isolation of elderly people in residential care facilities where they have been prevented from having any visits, from loved ones and support people, is not good for their well-being, is not good for their health and so the National Cabinet agreed that there needs to be a strong reminder that the National Cabinet decision was to not shut people off or to lock them away in their rooms. That was never the recommendation or the advice of the National Cabinet. The advice I think was very clear about ensuring that there could be visits of two a day, close relatives and support people, this would be undertaken in the resident's rooms but otherwise residents would be able to be in other parts of the facility, they could sit in common rooms, they could sit in outdoor areas of these facilities and we would like as many freedoms to be extended to residents in aged care facilities as is possible and there is no recommendation from the medical expert panel that they should be confined in that way. Where further restrictions should be put in place in aged care facilities is where you may have an outbreak in that facility or indeed an outbreak in the area in which the facility is located. So there are exceptional circumstances where further restrictions might be placed on people living in residential aged care facilities in terms of access to visitors. But those additional restrictions are the exception, they are not the rule and we think it is a good thing for people to have those visits in accordance with those screening procedures and other things that are necessary to protect elderly residents in those situations. It shouldn’t be done out of the convenience of isolation in terms of how these facilities are run, it should always be done always only in the interests of the care of those who are living in those facilities.
I also stress that the same applies, as we confirmed today around the states and territories, that for older people who are self isolating, that that does not mean that for care and compassionate reasons that they can’t receive visits from those who would normally provide that care. That may be a relative, that might be a carer, it might be a friendly neighbour who regularly looks in on someone. Jen just went and visited someone the other day for that purpose and the visit was well received and this is important, I think, for the mental health and well-being of particularly elderly residents in our community. I know Australians that are doing a great job, they’re ringing them up and they’re sending them notes, and they’re making them meals and things like this and that is wonderful. There should be the obvious constraints on that, we’re not saying that there should be 50 people going through an elderly residents home on a daily basis, of course not, those visits should be limited just to those who would normally be looking in on people and taking good care of them. So I just want to remind people that that is still an interaction that we think is positive and that we also believe is safe.
On schools, National Cabinet was keen to reinforce the point as was made last week that the health advice is not, is not, in relation to schools that a four square metre per person rule be enforced in classrooms. That is not the advice of the medical expert panel and any suggestion that this is a requirement for schools is not the case. The recommendation was smaller class sizes, not smaller classrooms, smaller class sizes, and that those smaller class sizes is something that can be practically addressed at the school level but there is no requirement from the medical expert panel that there be a four square metre per person rule enforced in those classrooms.
Finally, we also today had the opportunity to brief the National Cabinet on the app which many of you are aware that we have been working on for some time. It was good to provide that update and we have been working closely with states and territories on that app and I was pleased that it received in principle support from the National Cabinet. There are a few more hurdles for this to clear as we address the many issues that are associated with this but it was absolutely seen as an important tool, of many, to help health workers in states and territories in the important work of determining contacts of those who may have been in close proximity to people who have contracted the coronavirus. This does three things. It firstly protects Australians in their own health and those of their own family by participating in this process. Secondly, it helps other Australians to keep them safe and, thirdly, it ensures that we can more effectively get back to a more normal setting where we have widespread take-up of this app and we will be saying more about that when we are in a position to launch that app in the not-too-distant future.
Just finally before I throw to the Minister for Health and then of course Professor Murphy, I updated the National Cabinet today that we have now processed, since the 16th of March, 517,000 JobSeeker claims. And by the end of this week we will have processed as many JobSeeker claims in 6 weeks than we would normally do in the entirety of the year. And I think that is an extraordinary effort by those working in the Department of Government Services, and Centrelink, as I said some 6,000 people in addition have been put into that program, to ensure that we are able to move through that work. There is still a fair bit of work to go there but having now eclipsed more than half a million people, that is obviously of great concern, and that is half a million people who are needing that payment and needing that support. But what it does is it reinforces that both the JobSeeker and the JobKeeper payments work together to provide the necessary income support for Australians who find themselves out of work or those who are on reduced hours or who are being stood down through the course of the coronavirus crisis. Additionally stimulus payments of some $4.5 billion in the $750 payments, has been paid as of yesterday to just under 6 million Australian and the rest will flow in coming days.
And so with that I will pass over to the Minister for Health and then Professor Murphy.
THE HON. GREG HUNT MP, MINISTER FOR HEALTH: Thanks very much to the Prime Minister and to Professor Murphy.
Today is an important day on the road back. There is progress on all three fronts. On containment, capacity and recovery. And it is the progress on those first two fronts of containment and capacity which allow us to take these steps on the road to recovery through greater freedoms and opportunities for elective surgery, which will mean such an enormous amount to Australians in need of health assistance.
In terms of containment, with regards to our first pillar, our border measures, we reviewed and extended the current prohibitions on travel into and out of Australia yesterday. Secondly, with regards to our testing, we have, as of early this morning, 434,000 tests completed in Australia and as was noted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine last week, it remains at the global forefront in terms of the accuracy of our testing which is just a tribute to all of our pathologists and our state systems and territory systems and the cooperation with the Commonwealth around the country. In terms of tracing, we continue to follow up all of the cases that we possibly can and the goal of the app of course is to assist with the protection of ourselves, our families, our health workers and to assist that process of tracing which has been going on since the very first case was found in Australia back on the 25th of January.
And then in terms of distancing, what Australians have been doing in a very consistent way across the country, has led to a real flattening of the curve. I would say now, building on what I said on the weekend, that we now have a sustained and consolidated flattening of the curve. Less than 1 per cent growth in cases for 9 consecutive days and over the last 3 days, we have averaged less than half a per cent of growth in new cases. This is a collective national achievement, it’s our doctors and our nurses, our pathology workers, but it’s every Australian that has been contributing and I want to say thank you for what people have done. You are the ones that have made this happen. You are the ones that have helped Australia lead the world as well as with those other containment measures. Those containment measures though are still important as the Prime Minister mentioned, even a country as cautious, successful and sophisticated, as Singapore is seeing an outbreak on a very large scale and so we have to keep doing what we are doing because these measures save lives and protect lives but they also allow us to achieve the road back at an earlier time. If we can hold, practice, continue our distancing measures, it will put us in a stronger position to be on the road back earlier.
In terms of the capacity that the Prime Minister mentioned, with regards to our primary care, we have been very successful with over 4.7 million telehealth consultations. In particular, though, what we have been able to do is secure the masks and the PPE that are critical for the protection of our health workers which, in turn, means that we can take steps such as the recovery on elective surgery. We have secured and delivered into Australia 60 million masks, that has allowed for 22 million distributions with another 11.5 million masks to be distributed over the coming week and we have secured a further 100 million masks over the coming 6 weeks. That means that we are in a position now to support elective surgery.
Equally, what the Prime Minister has mentioned with regards to aged care, making sure that there is support for the residents with helping to decrease their isolation whilst there’s support for our aged care workers by increasing the testing capacity and focus on our aged care workers to give them that protection, to protect their residents that they care and work so hard for and this is an extremely important combination. And in terms of our hospitals, we have now had delivered 3,260 ventilators in the last week and a half from a great Australian company, ResMed, that’s 3,000 non-invasive and 260 invasive ventilators. We have now achieved our national goal of full capacity of 7,500 ventilators. That is an extraordinary achievement across our hospitals, across the country.
All of this means we are in a position to start the recovery and today's announcement, the decision of the National Cabinet and the announcement of the Prime Minister that not only can all of Category 1 elective surgery continue but that Category 2 and urgent Category 3 can proceed on a 1 in 4 basis, approximately will mean an immense difference for families, whether it is in terms of IVF, whether it’s in terms of dental pain, whether it’s in terms of orthopaedic procedures or other procedures, it’s going to mean a real difference to their quality of life. It is a result of what Australians have done with containment, it’s a result of what we have been able to do in assisting Australians with capacity, and it is a very important day on the road back.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Greg. Professor Murphy?
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Thanks PM and Minister, I will be brief.
Just on elective surgery, one of the things that has concerned the health profession generally during this pandemic has been the lack of attention to non-COVID related related medical conditions. We have said previously we are really keen for people to not stop seeing their doctors for their chronic medical conditions, continue to get that clinical advice whether it’s by tele-medicine or if necessary face-to-face. And the same applies to elective surgery. Some people think elective surgery sounds like it’s something that’s not important, it is incredibly important, some elective surgery is life saving. It really means all surgery that’s not urgent. So some people are seriously disabled with hip and knee problems. Some people can't see because of their cataracts, some people need surgery and have been waiting for it and this is an opportunity in a safe and controlled manner to slowly restart, cognisant of making the process safe, cognisant of getting the facilities up and running again, cognisant of the need to preserve our PPE, this is a gentle, careful start of normalising what is so important, the general healthcare needs of the community.
In the aged care space, just a couple of comments. We are all concerned about the terrible tragedies that happen when you have a big aged care outbreak and of course we understand the need to protect the residents. And that protection is best achieved by ensuring that nobody, nobody, enters an aged care facility if they are in any way unwell. No staff member, no visitor, no-one coming in for any other reason. You do not go into to an aged care facility if you have the slightest respiratory symptom, a sore throat or a tickle, you stay away. And anyone who works at an aged care facility is eligible for a COVID-19 test and can get them. That's the most important thing.
We've also really expanded our response in aged care outbreaks so that every resident and every staff member can be tested. But as the Prime Minister has said, it is not reasonable in a situation as we are now across pretty much the whole country, where the community outbreaks are not in existence, to lock poor residents away from their family. We’ve made a series of recommendations at AHPPC previously, that could make visits safe. We don't want lots of visitors, we want limited visitors, no more than two a day and not for a long period of time and with appropriate health screening and visits to occur in a safe part of the facility. But it's not reasonable or fair to people who may have been used to getting their family coming every day, who may even have dementia in some cases, to be denied access to their families. So we are encouraging all providers to be proportionate. Of course protect the residents, of course screen everybody who comes into the facility, but don't lock residents away from their families. Thank you Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Brendan. I am going to start here and then I’m going to move around. So,
thank you.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister today we’ve seen the easing restrictions in terms of elective surgery, South Australia yesterday recorded its third day with no new cases, which has prompted calls for considerations in regards to community sport and when bans on that could be eased. Where do you see community sport fitting in, in terms of easing restrictions such as health requirements and things that are going to boost the economy? And just a question for Brendan Murphy, is it unreasonable for a sporting code to think that they will be able to start up their community sports again in winter, given the additional risk that that poses?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, let me just deal with your question first and then I'll go to Professor Murphy. The baseline restrictions remain in place. That's the view of the National Cabinet, we are monitoring those key metrics that we said we would over the next four weeks. If we felt we were in a position to do something earlier than that then we would so decide. But the decision of the National Cabinet remains that we will keep the restrictions in place at a baseline level. It is true, South Australia is getting a great result, so is the Northern Territory, Western Australia has had some great numbers, this is fantastic, it's great. But you've got to keep them going and you’ve got to stick to the plan. And there is a strong resolution amongst the National Cabinet to stick to the plan because the plan is saving lives and it is saving livelihoods. But what we have announced today shows that we are on the road back, thanks to Australians we are on the road back and we want to stay on the road back. And to do that you have got to move carefully and that’s what we're doing.
Brendan?
PROFESSOR MURPHY: So thanks, PM. So I think as we’ve pointed out, a new outbreak can occur very quickly as we have seen in north-west Tasmania, brilliantly controlled by Tasmanian Health, one person can infect 40 people. So we have to have those systems in place such as widespread sentinel surveillance, such as really good public health response, such as the app that we have been talking about. So that if an outbreak occurs we can get on top of it before we do more widespread relaxation. That’s one of, we have only started elective surgery in a gentle way because we want to do it in a controlled way. Of course things like community sport and those sorts of things will be considered, and the National Cabinet will be given a range of potential options that can be looked at once we feel that the situation is safe. We are obviously concerned about exercise in the community and small-scale community sport is one thing that could be considered. But we don't want to pre-empt any of the decisions of National Cabinet, they have asked for a long list of the risks and benefits of a range of things that can be considered at the end of this 4 week period.
PRIME MINISTER: I’m going to keep going around, I won’t see everyone today, there are quite a few of you here today. But, yep?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you have seen the best of Australians, arguably, during this crisis, but also at times the worst of Australians, for example, Asian Australians being spat on and bus drivers attacked. Is it time for a new anti-racism campaign? And what is your message to people doing that sort of thing?
PRIME MINISTER: Stop it. That's my message. It’s, and I think that is the message of every Australian. Now is a time to support each other and I would remind everyone that it was Chinese Australians in particular that provided one of the greatest defences we had in those early weeks. They were the ones who first went into self-isolation, they were the ones who were returning from family visits up into China and they were coming home, and it was through their care, it was through their commitment, their patience that actually Australia was protected in their first wave. I mean within a week of our first case, we’d shut off travel from those from China except for Australians returning home. And so absolutely I deplore that sort of behaviour against any Australian regardless of their ethnicity or their religion or whatever it happens to be. And I think that is the view of all Australians. So we have to call that sort of thing out. It's not on.
Yep?
JOURNALIST: PM, PM, thank you, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has rejected Marise Payne's for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus, saying things like we are dancing to the tune of another country, no surprises for who that would be, um what is your reaction to that? And what sort of steps will you take in your talks with other leaders, perhaps, about trying to establish such an inquiry?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I think such an inquiry is important and we can respectfully have a difference of view from that that has been put by China. The virus began in China, in Wuhan, that’s, I think that is well understood. And it's important the WHO acts, and all parties that are part of the WHO, act with great transparency. I think this is important regardless of where a virus may break out, if it happened in Australia, if it happened in China, if it happened in parts of Africa or the Pacific or the Middle East or wherever it would happen to be, it's important for public health globally that there is a transparency in the way that you can get access to this important information early. So it's not pursued as an issue of criticism, it's pursued as an issue of importance for public health. And I think it's important that all countries cooperate with that regardless of who they are, and we would be certainly pursuing something along those lines. It’s, I know it's a view that the Foreign Affairs Minister has articulated with my very, very strong support and I think there is great support for that type of initiative more broadly.
Yep, no just hang on, behind you?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister some reports this afternoon that North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-Un is in a serious condition in hospital. Are you seeking clarification on that and would his deteriorating condition concern you?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I can't really offer any comment on that because I can't provide any confirmation of it. So until these facts are more clearly determined, there is not really much I can offer.
JOURNALIST: You mentioned May 11 as a date when elective surgeries would be reviewed, and that is also a date when Victoria's state of emergency is due to end, Solomon Lew says his retail stores will reopen, NSW children will start going back to school on a rostered basis, so is that date May 11 potentially a turning point with how Australians can live while dealing with this crisis? And would you be hopeful that May 11 would be the date where we can see a further easing of the social distancing restrictions?
PRIME MINISTER: No look I wouldn't read too much into that. We are already on the road back and I think we have already reached a turning point on these issues provided we can keep the controls in place that keep the virus under management, it will continue to write its own rules, and it is provided, I think, that we continue to stay on top of it. Then I think we will continue to see further easing of restrictions. I mean today’s decision, the decision that other governments have made whether it be in Western Australia or elsewhere regarding schools, these are all turning points and they are all turning points in the right direction, and I look forward to more of them.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, does the provision that allows for compassionate visits to the elderly, extend to any friend or relative that might be struggling mentally during the isolation process? If not, why? And did states give assurances that these kinds of visits to a grandparent at home, for example, wouldn't result in an on the spot fine?
PRIME MINISTER: They simply reinforce what the original restriction was and that always enabled those sorts of care or compassionate visits. That has always been the case. And if that is what the nature of what the visit is, they just restated their commitment and support to that.
JOURNALIST: Just on IVF, there have been a lot of commentary from people going through that process who have obviously been quite upset. Do you hope that this will bring some relief to families that are going through that very personal struggle at the moment?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I have some familiarity with how they would feel about these sort of things and I certainly hope that it would provide them with some of that comfort and I hope that more broadly, it is a message, as Greg was saying, to Australians more broadly that we are on the road back and these are the steps that we are taking. They are not all great leaps and bounds. This one is a pretty significant one I have got to say, though. And each step is important and I think is an encouragement to everyone else for the good work they have been doing and so why, we are always just thanking Australians every day and I look forward to continuing to thank them.
Yep?
JOURNALIST: Yeah just on those jobs numbers, that extraordinary jobless claim numbers. Are you confident that the rate of jobless claims is now slowing? The ABS put out some figures today showing that the last week was actually the biggest in jobless claims over the last three weeks?
PRIME MINISTER: We have seen a slowing in the rate of claim and that's welcome. But the levels of claims are still very high and they are obviously deeply concerning to me because every one of those half a million Australians who we have processed for JobSeeker claims is an Australian that has lost their livelihood. And that is deeply distressing to me. Terribly distressing. That's why we have doubled the JobSeeker payment effectively through the addition of the COVID supplement. And we still have a lot more claims to get through.
Yep?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just on the COVID tracing app, obviously Australians are a bit wary about giving the Commonwealth that kind of data, so what kind of assurances can you give people, we understand it could be released as early as this week, that the Commonwealth won't stuff it up and you will be able to protect people's privacy?
PRIME MINISTER: Well there will be the privacy statement which is being developed up with the Privacy Commissioner. There are also the technical assurances that we have been working very carefully through. We have not been rushing to this solution. We have been listening carefully since we first indicated that we would be moving to use this app to the various concerns that have been raised and ensure that they’re being addressed. And we were able to work through quite a few of those today with the National Cabinet.
I want to be clear about a couple of things. The app only collects data and puts it into an encrypted national store which can only be accessed by the states and territories. The Commonwealth can’t access the data, no government agency at the commonwealth level, not the Tax Office, not government services, not CentreLink, not Home Affairs, not the Department of Education, not child care, nothing. The Commonwealth will have no access to that data. It will be locked in the data store, an encrypted data store that can only be accessed by the state health detectives, if you like, the health tracers. Those who are actually making contact with the individual whose phone they would then seeking for them to unlock the data for it to be released to them, so they could begin the contact tracing process. So that’s what it’s for.
It's for a process that is currently being undertaken manually and this would speed it up. Now I noticed in New Zealand they are looking to ask people to keep diaries of these things. We think this is a more comprehensive and a more foolproof system of ensuring that we are picking up as many of those contacts as possible, but it will keep people safe, it will keep them and their families safe. It will keep others they are coming in contact with more safe and it will of course help Australia get back into an economy which will be supporting more and more jobs.
John?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that China has reached out to about a dozen countries in our region to canvass the possibility of reinitiating very important business travel and diplomatic travel. Has Australia had any reach out from China or been in discussions about that? Would you be open to it?
PRIME MINISTER: We have just rolled over again the travel restrictions that we currently have in place with both outbound and inbound and we have no plans to change any of those. There are some exemptions that sit around diplomatic travel and a few other very limited cases and they will remain. Sorry, Sam, you can be next.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, when Bret Walker led the South Australian Murray-Darling Royal Commission, the Commonwealth went to the High Court to block him compelling evidence from Commonwealth public servants. He is now leading a Commission of Inquiry into the Ruby Princess, including the decisions and actions of Commonwealth agencies. Will you guarantee that the Commonwealth will provide full cooperation and won't take those efforts to stymie him getting evidence from Commonwealth agencies?
PRIME MINISTER: We always cooperate with Royal Commissions.
JOURNALIST: Not the Murray Darling one. So you are ruling out going to the High Court or trying to stop this?
PRIME MINISTER: We are always cooperating with Royal Commissions. Sam?
JOURNALIST: Just in relation to JobKeeper, are you concerned about these emerging reports of workers being exploited or even sacked when they request JobKeeper? I’ve had many, many emails just in the last 24 hours. A woman saying that when she asked to be put on JobKeeper as a casual and she was eligible, her boss said he did not like the tone and he said she was then sacked. Another worker was told she would now have to work up to $750 worth of hours to get the money and she was sent a text message saying you work when I tell you and if you don't like that you are sacked. What protection do these workers have? It seems to be very much at the goodwill of the employer?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you are raising two separate cases. I would be concerned about any behaviour by employers that was coercive and be very keen for that to be relayed to Fair Work and the Ombudsman and others to ensure that we can take action on those cases where they are presented. I think that is important. On the second issue, in terms of if you are doing, if you are getting paid $750, then the employer can obviously ask you to do $750 at your rate of pay or work. That’s what the Act provides for. That is not an unreasonable request that someone would work the hours that they are being paid for, that is being paid by the employer but obviously that is being met by the Commonwealth through the JobKeeper program. But coercive behaviour by employers in this situation is no more tolerable than it is at any other time and I would expect those sorts of complaints to be raised formally and would be keen to know the incidents, the level of that and it is something I would be happy to raise and have followed through on.
JOURNALIST: Did you catch Malcolm Turnbull's interview last night and what do you think about his criticism of the government?
PRIME MINISTER: On this issue, I am just going to remain focused on the actual bigger picture and that is dealing with the coronavirus response. I have answered the question.
JOURNALIST: Back to the National Cabinet, given we are in a better position than we thought we would be a month ago, touch wood, and we are thinking about lifting restrictions and getting people back to work in about a month. Is there a possibility that the money you have set aside for JobKeeper and JobSeeker that you may not spend as much as you anticipated on those rescue packages and that might just take an edge of the cost of this in terms of budgeting?
PRIME MINISTER: We will follow the estimates and if there are estimates variations then obviously we will note those at the time. When we costed this measure, it was based on 6 million Australians being picked up by JobKeeper. But similarly, we need to understand that the automatic stabilisers, as they are known, the supports that already exist within the welfare system that get called upon at a time like this, they are also covered by estimates variations. So what does that mean? So you would have directly budgeted for JobKeeper to be at $130 billion over that period of time and we had some budgeting about the additional cost of the COVID-19 supplement on the JobSeeker arrangements. But there will be many more who will be drawing on the original JobSeeker payment and that would have been accepted and absorbed by the Budget. So we're still a long way, I think, from knowing the full extent of all these costs. What we have always been prepared to do, though, is meet them and the combination of the JobKeeper and the JobSeeker payments means that we have put in a safety net for Australians both through their employer and directly through the social security system that Australia has never known before. And this is the platform that enables businesses and individuals to be able to get through better than they otherwise would and it is a very uniquely Australian program, the combination of these two things together and it is what is going to help us all get through together. I mean, Virgin is very topical today for very understandable reasons and we are obviously concerned for those employees in Virgin. But those employees themselves are getting support of some $15 million a fortnight through the JobKeeper program and then there is the other supports that have been provided and we look forward through the voluntary administration process, which as the Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister made very clear today, that process is a road out. It is a road out and forward into the future to ensure that the airline can emerge on the other side and we can have the strong commercial viable competition between two carriers in Australia, which the government believes is very important. It is very important in usual times but it will be even more important as we emerge from the coronavirus economic crisis, ensuring that we have those carriers in place. It is important for the jobs which we have always been very concerned about and it is important that the competition regulator also, particularly as we are coming out and as the administrator works with the airline to ensure that it can go forward in a viable way, that it is also not crushed by any anti-competitive actions that might be put in place by any other player in the market. So we are very keen to see that remain in place, we’re very keen to have policies which are supporting jobs, which is going to support the resurgence of the economy we’d obviously like that to be as quick as possible but I believe it will be a challenging road ahead and I think we all understand that and I wish the administrator all the best. As you know, Nicholas Moore will be doing that work on behalf of the Government to engage with the administrator. I am encouraged by the fact that there are already 10 parties that have expressed interest in working with the administrator regarding Virgin's future, I think if we had not taken the actions that we have and not demonstrated the patience that we have had then all we may have ended up doing is sending $1 billion to foreign shareholders and that was never part of my plan. Our plan was always about seeing two viable airlines on the other side, two viable airlines that would be there not just one year from now but five years and 10 years from now. Thank you all very much.
JOURNALIST: Is that 10 potential investors that you said have expressed interest?
PRIME MINISTER: Sorry? 10 parties have shown interest, is my understanding, and I welcome that announcement.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
16 April 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks for joining us everyone. Of course I’m joined by the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy.
Today has been another successful meeting of the National Cabinet. Again I want to thank all the Premiers and Chief Ministers for the incredibly good faith way they continue to engage in the National Cabinet. The issues that we deal with are not simple. There are difficult considerations, there are a lot of trade-offs that have to be made, a lot of issues that have to be considered on the ground. Every state and territory has very different scenarios that they're facing at the moment and I do want to thank them again, very much, for the spirit in which they remain so committed to the National Cabinet process.
Having made some real progress over the past month in getting the virus under control, as reflected in the data that you have been seeing, and Professor Murphy will be taking you through some more of that data today, and also getting the key economic supports through programs like JobKeeper and Jobseeker out there and being implemented, our attention as a National Cabinet has now been turning to the road out, having worked through the road in, and that road to recovery on the other side. And importantly today at National Cabinet, we received quite extensive briefings from Dr Lowe the Governor of the Reserve Bank and Dr Kennedy, the Secretary of Treasury. At those briefings it was reinforced again to the National Cabinet, on a point that we strongly concur with, the need to synchronise our health and economic responses to the virus. We must consider these responses conjointly and understand the impacts of each, whether that's in the modelling work that we're doing, with the responses and measures we're putting in place, this has to be considered together and understood together. There was also very welcome support from the Governor for the fiscal policy responses that have been put in place by the Commonwealth and the states and territories, and you may have seen, I think it was the Grattan Institute work that was done, which outlined as a percentage of the economy, the scale of Australia's fiscal response to this crisis, which sits pretty much on top of the leaderboard around the world. They also highlighted, though, the need to ensure that on the other side of the virus, as we make our road out, that any sense of business-as-usual when it comes to the policy frameworks that we had prior to the election will need to be reconsidered on the other side to ensure that we can achieve the growth that will be necessary in our economy to get people back into work, to get our economy back on track.
It will be a different world on the other side of the virus and there'll be many challenges. And the National Cabinet has a very good appreciation of this and there has been some talk about its role on the other side of the virus and that is a discussion for another day. But between now and as we continue to work through the impact of the virus, the National Cabinet will also have on its agenda the types of things and policy measures that we can take together, working at federal and state level, to ensure we can give our economy every support and, importantly, every freedom to be able to get on and see businesses grow on the other side. And that cooperation at a federal and a state level will be very important, and there'll be a sense of urgency and, I think, of shared purpose on that front across the National Cabinet. And again, I thank them for collectively understanding that opportunity we have together.
Also, we've noted, of course, that today's unemployment rate showed only a modest change from the figures in February but we, as we all know those figures were largely based on the middle of March and that was, in particular, before we put in place the restrictions across the economy towards the back-end of March. While that figure is welcome, we know that is the best figure we're going to see for some time. We know what the expected impacts are going to be on employment and from the figures you've already seen released from Treasury and the RBA have similar views, as we've also seen in some of the IMF reporting as well. And so that is a figure which we can note but is not one that we can expect to be held going forward. And in saying that, we really do need to prepare ourselves as a country for some very sobering news on the economic front in the months ahead. I think Australians understand that, I think Australians are ready for that, but it is always difficult to receive that news. That's why it's so important that as a National Cabinet that the Australian public understand that we are working on that road out, and that we are working on that road ahead and that recovery piece that will see people getting back into work and Australia getting through this and to the other side.
The G20 met last night, the Finance Ministers and central bankers. This was an initiative that, actually, Australia recommended some weeks ago. That the finance ministers and central bankers should meet regularly. And I thank the G20 for continuing on with that practice and the Treasurer joined them last night. There is some $8 trillion so far that has been put into government fiscal responses and other responses around the world and as I said, Australia features prominently in that. Importantly, they agreed that G20 nations would be moving to provide relief from, and deferral of payments to loans to developing countries. We have only one such loan and that is with Papua New Guinea. Most of our support, in fact pretty much all of the support that we provide in the Pacific is done through the form of grants. I spoke to Prime Minister Marape just before this press conference and let him know we'd be certainly honouring that agreement last night. We have one facility with them at the moment, some $300 million US, that is an interest-only loan, and those payments will be deferred until the end of the year and they were obviously pleased with that decision.
Also on finance, we are advised today that markets are finding a new normal in this COVID-19 world. But that new normal and that relative stability, and everything is relative now, will depend very much on continuing to achieve a stable health outcome and Australia is well placed on that front as well as being able to set out the forward economic plans and the implementation of the measures that we're already putting in place. On bond markets, $13 billion was raised yesterday on a syndicated offer which had some 25.8 billion of bids and that follows up the 5 billion raising just the previous week which had a coverage of over four times. And since the 20 March, some $28 billion has been raised by the Australian Office of Financial Management. This should give Australians a sense of assurance and confidence that the significant financial commitments that we have made, we are being successful in raising those funds, on markets, some 68% on this latest syndicated offer was from domestic investors and that was dominated by banks. But we are finding ourselves in a situation where Australia’s bond issuances have been well received. That is because of the relative strength and the relative positive impression that markets have in relation to Australia.
Turning to the health issues considered today, we remain in, formally, after receiving advice to the, again from the AHPPC, in what we describe as the suppression phase. We are not in an eradication mode. Nor are we in the other mode which would just see some sort of herd immunity approach. These are not the approaches that we are following in Australia. We are not in the Sweden end, nor are we at the New Zealand end, when it comes to how we are approaching things. And our data and our experience shows that, in that phase, we are doing relatively very well. Particularly over countries that are using even more extreme forms of lockdown. But we can't overstate this success. There is a high number of internationally-acquired cases and that means that we need to look at the numbers in that context. But it is pleasing to know that it is estimated more than half of those who've contracted the coronavirus in Australia have actually overcome it, and that is also good news in terms of the actual number of people currently suffering from the coronavirus. On the road out, there are important metrics, important benchmarks that we were advised today by the AHPPC that will inform the National Cabinet's decisions about the easing of restrictions when that is deemed possible. And the most important of those is what’s called the effective reproduction rate. Now I’m not going to give you a lecture on that, I will let Professor Murphy do that and take you through what that means and how that works. But there is some encouraging signs on that front. And we need to hold our performance in relation to the effective reproduction rate and we’re looking at that by state. That is the most important way to look at how we're tracking in relation to those statistics. So in order to understand how and when we can move, then those metrics are important to give us a guide.
But we agreed today, on the basis of the advice and it's something I've been talking about for a few days, there are three things we need to get in place. The first of those is a more extensive surveillance, or sentinel as it's called, testing regime. So beyond just those who are symptomatic. If we are to move to a different phase when it comes to the restrictions we need an even broader testing regime than we have at this point. Now we have one of, if not the most, extensive testing regimes in the world today but we need to do even better than that to ensure that we can have greater confidence that when we move to a lesser restriction environment, then we can have confidence that we'll be able to identify any outbreaks very, very quickly and respond to them. The second part of that is ensuring that we have an even greater tracing capability than we have now. Now, I want to commend the state governments. This has been the real heavy lifting they have been doing over the last several weeks in really boosting their capability to trace cases. They are a team of Sherlock Holmes' out there at the moment and they are doing a fantastic job of tracking down these cases. But we need to lift that to an industrial capability and we need to do that using technology and we need to do that as soon as we possibly can and we will be needing the support of Australians. If we can get that in place, if we can get our tracing capability up from where it is, then that is going to give us more options and Australians more freedoms. The third area is that we need a local response capability. We're seeing this in part now in north-western Tasmania where we have an outbreak, the Australian Defence Forces, the AUSMAT teams, working together with state authorities have been moving very quickly to contain that outbreak. And there will be other outbreaks in other parts of the country and in all states and territories, we need that ability to move very fast to be able to lock down an outbreak where it occurs and to ensure that it does not transmit more broadly within the community. If we are going to move to an environment where there are fewer restrictions then you need these three things in place.
The National Cabinet agreed today that we will use the next four weeks to ensure that we can get these in place. And the baseline restrictions that have been set some weeks ago will remain in place until we're able to achieve those three goals. We'll be reviewing that in the next four weeks. A positive thing to say is that we've often found ourselves, as we have now, in a better place, ahead of time. If we're able to achieve that, well and good. But we want to be very clear with Australians that the baseline restrictions that we have in place at the moment, there are no plans to change those for the next four weeks. In terms of states that have gone beyond the baseline restrictions, and that includes how they may be enforcing measures, or there are some restrictions that are put in place in some states and not in others, those states will take the advantage over the next few weeks and they will make their own decisions whether they want to change any of those arrangements on their own circumstances. So I would refer you to the individual states and territories where they may choose to do that over the next few weeks. One of those areas which we will be considering again on Tuesday is the issue of elective surgery. There is a bit more work to do on that but we'll be considering elective surgery next Tuesday.
And finally on the health issues, on six months. We've often talked about what is the six months, when does it start, when does it end. This is the June and September quarter. I've always considered the six months the period in which we've been operating and will be operating these lifeline measures in the economy, which is JobSeeker with the JobSeeker supplement, and JobKeeper. They run for those six month periods. We have bought that time to find the road out. Now, whether we do or not, no other country has at this point. But this is our goal. To ensure that we can get the economy at a level which will not require those extreme levels of income support and the economy will be able to support people on those incomes in a self-sustaining way. We have bought that time for six months and we intend to use it wisely. We would expect that there will be restrictions in some form or another running over that entire six month period but the degree of those and how much they can be relaxed or changed over that period, well, that will very much depend on the circumstances, the health and the economic advice at the time.
On schools, you will have - you should have - a list of seven principles that have been agreed today in relation to schools and the advice that was adopted from the medical expert panel on protections and practices that can be employed in schools to support those environments. This is a state and territory issue. I want to make this really clear. The Commonwealth does not run public schools, state schools. They are run by state governments. They set the policy, they set the rules. All states and territories are operating within the principles that we’ve set out here in these seven statements, and rather than go through them with you because I know you want to get to questions, they’re there before you. They’ll be posted and secondly, there is a lot of very helpful, I think, instructions and advice from the medical expert panel for schools that deal principally with the safety of teachers and other staff. The health advice has always been consistent, that this virus behaves very different with children than it does with adults and for children, the health advice has been very clear, that schools are a safe place for students to be. I think where the confusion arises is that for teachers they are more likely, teachers are more at risk in the staffroom than they are in the classroom, when it comes to how the health advice plays out and the impact of this virus on children as opposed to teachers. That means that we need to have proper arrangements in place for teachers and other staff in schools, obviously, to protect their work environment. But at the same time, that doesn't lead to the same rules applying for students because they have a different level of risk. So that is the advice of the medical expert panel and that is contained in the principles and in the advice that is tabled today.
The National Cabinet also agreed the COVID-19 operational plan for people with disability, and that builds on the $1 billion in financial assistance for NDIS providers to support increased costs and to maintain business viability, particularly over this period. I also note that as we are seeking over the next four weeks and beyond to move to a different phase, after that period that we will be seeking and I will be raising this with the Opposition at our regular meeting with the leaderships of both the Opposition and the Government this evening, that we will be looking to have a trial week of Parliament in May and that would be returning to the normal business of Parliament. That would not be the Parliament coming together to consider necessarily COVID-19 related measures but if there are such measures that need to be considered, then of course they can be. But we want to send a very clear message that we are well ahead of where we thought we might be at this point and that would mean that we might be able to - I would say will be able to - move to having the Parliament meet again on a regular basis. But obviously we just need to trial how that is going to work. We will have to work, obviously, within the new arrangements that we were able to establish a few weeks ago. There are a lot of logistical issues we have to overcome, there are not many flights running now which will make it difficult, but there are also some border closure issues for a number of states which also have to be resolved and I am sure we will be able to deal with that through the National Cabinet as well. But it is important that Parliament goes about that work and where we are in a position to do so, and I definitely think we will be, then I look forward to Parliament being able to resume and continue to do the legislative work that it does. But I would stress this to people at home - just because the Parliament isn't meeting does not mean your members of Parliament are not working very hard every single day. You would have seen them, the support they are providing in the community on COVID-19. Of course, the Ministers and the Government have been extremely busy on the COVID-19 response and so politicians and members of Parliament are working very hard for their communities. Another part of their work is, obviously, the legislative work that is done here in Parliament and we would envisage coming back in the trial week sometime in May and it is my hope that we might then be able to establish a pattern beyond that which is workable.
So, just before I handed over to Professor Murphy, the more we do the right thing now, the easier it will be in the long-term for everybody. We still have a difficult road ahead of us at this point, despite the successes that Australians have achieved in the weeks that we have just gone through. The more we keep it under control, the more we all enlist in the sorts of things we need to do to help those who are tracing the virus and identifying it and reacting to it. If there are outbreaks, well, the more we might be able to at some point turn to easing those restrictions. We have stayed ahead of it, we've got to keep ahead of it, we can't allow our patience to wear off. I know it's a very anxious thing for Australians and when they see the really good results, they go well can't we all just go back to how it was? None of us would like that more than any of us here. But let's look to the experience of what has happened overseas. If you ease off too quickly too early, then you end up making the situation even worse and I don't just mean in the health terms. If you move too early and the health response gets out of control, then the economic consequences will be even worse. And so we need to keep it finely balanced, that is what we are seeking to do, and I will ask Professor Murphy now to take you through his report and the numbers, which again I find very encouraging. Thank you. Professor Murphy.
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Thanks, PM. So today we have 6,457 cases. Unfortunately, 63 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19. We've got 42 people still on ventilators across the country. So we've got to remember that there are some people who suffered gravely with this disease.
As the PM said, our numbers are looking very encouraging at the moment. We've had less than 50 cases a day over the last few days. Many of those cases are returned travellers or contacts, but, as before, there are small numbers of community-acquired cases where a source is not known. As I have said on many occasions, this disease can spread rapidly undetected for, very easily and we've seen that in other countries of the world. In fact we have seen a small outbreak in north-west Tasmania recently - where very rapidly - a large number of cases appeared over the course of a few days. It has been expertly handled by the Tasmanian health authorities, in an exemplar way of bringing an episode under control. But as the PM has said, if we relax the distancing measures that are stopping or reducing that community transmission, that will inevitably lead to some more outbreaks of community transmission. Unless we are prepared as a nation to detect those outbreaks really early, and get on top of them, and control them, and isolate the cases, and quarantine the contacts, we could end up with large community outbreaks that could lead to situations like we've all seen every night on the nightly news in high income countries with good health systems, like the USA and the UK. We cannot afford to do relaxation until we have a public health system which is so finely tuned that it can detect and respond to any outbreak. That is the message that we gave to the National Cabinet today. Like anybody, AHPPC is very keen to see some of these distancing restrictions removed, but we are not confident just yet that we have a public health system that is so completely prepared that we can guarantee to government that we will be able to deal with any outbreak. Our public health system is one of the best in the world. And I will show you some data on that in a minute. But we just have to hold the course while we get ourselves completely ready so that we can live through these next difficult months together. What I'm going to do now is show you some of the modelling, as we've agreed. We are going to be showing all of the modelling that the University of Melbourne modelling team working for AHPPC and the Commonwealth Department are doing and they’re going to release a paper this afternoon using some early Australian data and I think you've all got a handout showing these slides. So we will just go through it.
So what we are showing you now is some modelling that is based on real Australian data and this is the sort of information we are going to use to understand this epidemic as it progresses over the next months. We are going to start using a concept of ‘nowcasting’ instead of forecasting which is able to use current data to identify what’s happening at the moment and what's likely to be projected to happen in the next fortnight. We will be able to review the effectiveness of our current measures and be prepared to respond to future changes. Can we have the next slide?
So you have all seen these graphs and you can see the flattening of the curve and you can see the progressive drop in numbers of new cases. A very gratifying outcome but, again, one about which we cannot be complacent. Next slide.
So, two measures we are looking at today. One is a model that was developed by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to assess countries on the effectiveness of symptomatic case detection, this uses a model which you can get in the paper when it's published this afternoon to show how likely it is that a given country is actually detecting its cases. And as you will see as we come to this, we are doing very well and that's probably one of the major reasons we have done so well in controlling the early phases of this pandemic. The other bit of data we are going to show is the Prime Minister referred to the effective reproduction numbers - you are all now familiar with the R0, the basic reproduction number of the virus and we think it is about two and a half for the coronavirus, but the effective reproduction number is the number of people each case infects after we have mitigate and control it. Obviously if we get that below one we can control and reduce the outbreak. So it's a very good measure of our mitigation and control strategies. Next slide.
So this is showing across Australia the symptomatic case detection rate and according to this model, which will be published today, we are detecting in a model sense only - we could be detecting 100% of all cases - but they’re estimate is we’re detecting, within the margins of error of this model, about 92% of all symptomatic cases. And you will see that there are different predictions for each state. These are showing four states here but they are all very high. Next slide.
These are the other states. All of our states and territories have a very high symptomatic case detection rate. What that tells you is that our testing regiment, our surveillance regiment, is highly effective. And to show you that more starkly we will look at the next slide - you see it’s very hard to read, people on TV probably can't see it, but right down at the bottom of the slide is Australia which is ranked highest in this model of all of those countries in its symptomatic case detection rate. The estimates are showing that we are the most likely country in the world in this modelling - of the countries shown here - to be detecting our symptomatic cases. And they’re estimates showing that Australia has an estimate of 84% on this model. So that was very reassuring about our public health surveillance. Next slide.
And this is the effective reproduction number that I talked about before. And we are showing it here for all states. You can see there that South Australia and Tasmania, the other states have dropped off the bottom there, but you can see Tasmania, down the bottom there is showing a little kick up and we expected to see that because of that little outbreak in Burnie. That shows how sensitive this measure is. That will drop away very quickly as that outbreak is brought under control. You can see in the other three states there, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, that the effective reproduction rate is well below one, showing that the epidemic is reducing. Next slide.
And this is showing Victoria and Western Australia again below 1. So what we are showing here is the measures that are being used to monitor the outbreak on our real Australian data, the measures that we've got to reassure us that our public health surveillance is good and our response measures are good. But as I said earlier, our public health response has to get even stronger if we are going to be able to relax distancing and take us through this pandemic with the least amount of social disruption but the best possible public-health control. Thanks PM.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks Brendan, we’ll start on this side this time, Mal did you want to go first? Or? I was just going to move across so?
JOURNALIST: Thanks PM. Could you elaborate on what you are saying that we won't be able to return to the old days in terms of I think you were saying in terms of fiscal policy? That there were going to have to be changes there? Or have I misinterpreted that?
PRIME MINISTER: No I was talking about general policy settings at both a state and federal level. On the other side of this virus and leading on the way out we are going to have to have economic policy measures that are going to have to be very pro-growth, that is going to enable businesses to employ people, that is going to enable businesses to invest and businesses to move forward. Our government sees business at the centre of the economy. We do not see government at the centre of the economy. In the middle of an emergency crisis such as this of course government to protect Australia’s sovereignty must step in with these emergency measures, but going forward we need to see a revitalisation of the private sector economy and that means we need policy settings at both the state and federal levels that’ll encourage that growth and that’ll encourage that employment and encourage that investment and there will be an opportunity I think for federal and state governments to work together and, initially and potentially beyond as part of a National Cabinet process to do that. Now, Commonwealth Government, Federal Government will be doing it’s thing there’ll be a Budget in October, and equally the states will be doing what they need to do, but there was a very clear message from the economic advisors this morning, particularly Dr Lowe, and that is, that if we thought that we can just grow the economy under the old settings then we need to think again.
JOURNALIST: You say in your principles that with the teachers and schools, that you want to ensure the health and safety of teachers, at a practical level how is that actually going to work particularly when maybe a lot of students might actually go back to school in term two?
PRIME MINISTER: Particularly given? I missed the last part?
JOURNALIST: When students actually go back to school in term two, if we do see a lot of students go back?
PRIME MINISTER: Look I’m going to ask Dr, Professor Murphy to talk about the advice, that the medical expert panel had given to schools they are releasing today, I think we need to appreciate that because of the term structure that is so different for different states, that there is going to be some variation, and that's understandable. But effectively what you’re seeing in Victoria this week, is what you are seeing in New South Wales just a week ago, as they are coming into the term break. And Queensland is coming back I think next week, and states will move at different times. I think what you see in these principles is an understanding that of course, face-to-face learning in a classroom on campus that is the best way to deliver education, that is an obvious statement, but at times like this then alternative models are being used, principally to protect the safety of teachers, in this environment, and so these models will be used for a time, but, ultimately, at some point we’d obviously like to get back to that other arrangement, that’s certainly what the Federal Government’s view is and we will continue to work with everybody to that end but states will have to set their own rules around that, but we need to be very clear as states and territories have, this is not a health issue for kids, this is a health issue for those who are working at schools, and as I said they are more likely to be at risk in the staff room then they are in the classroom. Brendan?
PROFESSOR MURPHY: So as the PM said, the most important thing is to protect teachers, so we have recommended that older teachers and teachers with chronic disease not be working in the classroom but we are also recommending that there is a range of measures that teachers can take to reduce the risk, so clearly right across the school environment reducing the size of groups, teachers can practice social distancing with each other, we know that children don't seem to be transmitting this virus to any great extent in schools, but clearly some children have picked up this virus, a small number, mostly in the family, so we are recommending that teachers practice good distancing particularly with other adults but also some distancing in the classroom, that children practice very good hygiene, and there’s a whole range of measures that will be released this evening in how to make a school safer.
PRIME MINISTER: It’s practising good hygiene, it’s all of these issues. And as I said, they set out their first aid arrangements, it is a pretty exhaustive list so you’ll have that very very shortly.
Just hang on, I’m working around the room, everyone will get a go. Yep?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Winston Peters flagged a more relaxed border arrangement between New Zealand and Australia on television this morning, he called it a trans-Tasman bubble, how far have those arrangements gone, and is that how you imagine border control as well being loosened over time, New Zealand first and then staggered by a country to country basis?
PRIME MINISTER: Well that’s, we are aware of their interest in that, it has not got much beyond that, I mean New Zealand at the moment has been in a state of even more extreme lockdown, there in New Zealand, that has been their process. So we are aware of that but we are not at present contemplating any border changes at the moment, we will obviously work closely with New Zealand, we have all along, and our measures have largely mirrored each other, New Zealand decided to go a lot further but I’d note that the outcomes we are getting are actually on a per capita basis actually better than what is happening in New Zealand, that is not a criticism that is just to say that while following different practices, where we’ve pitched it has managed to get as good if not a better outcome.
Yep here, I’m sorry we’ll go to the back and then, no no, you’re next- go ahead?
JOURNALIST: Will the government bail out Virgin?
PRIME MINISTER: I will give the same answer I have given to this question each and every time, and that is, we as a government, appreciate the value of two competitive, viable airlines in the Australian economy, we are in a very unusual period at the moment but that is a good outcome to have in the Australian economy, that any responses that the Commonwealth government is going to have will be done on a sector wide basis, and that's the way we will continue to pursue those issues, I'm aware that there are many market-based options that are currently being pursued, and I would wish those discussions every success.
JOURNALIST: PM, Professor Murphy, the actuaries Institute has done some modelling, they estimate that there might be 20,000 cases in Australia, and if broader testing was used including random samples those numbers might be found, would you have a response to that?
PROFESSOR MURPHY: My, our sense is that is unlikely, we can't be absolutely sure, one of the challenges is that it's pretty clear now there are some asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 that don't present for testing. But we have done some pretty broad scale testing in a lot of states now, South Australia is testing everybody with respiratory illness, New South Wales has broadened it’s testing, Victoria’s broadened its testing, we have existing, what we call Sentinel surveillance which has been going for weeks, a range of general practices which test every single person with respiratory illness, we are testing every unusual pneumonia in every hospital, if we had that level of undetected cases I think we would have found it by now, but we were definitely going to broaden our testing and surveillance and that is the reason we want to put broader surveillance in before we relax our measures but I think that estimate is likely to be too high.
PRIME MINISTER: I’d refer you to two numbers, when you look at Australia's positive test rate on those tests which is one of the most comprehensive in the world, is a positive test rate of 1.7%, you compare that to Sweden at 14%, or even Japan at 8.5%, I think that gives you an idea of the level of precision we are currently getting, the other one I refer you to is the rather morbid statistic of the fatality rate which is at just under 1% at the moment. Now when you look at the mortality rates you are seeing elsewhere in the world, I mean the UK you are seeing that rate up at almost 13%. And in other countries like Spain it’s over 10%, France, over 13%, in the Netherlands it’s 11%, they have a population of 17 million. One thing I think we can be very sure of in Australia and this is why I think Professor Murphy said in the courtyard the other day, the one set of numbers we do believe is Australia's. And that is because we, I think we are pretty confident, particularly, sadly where there have been fatalities, when they have been COVID related, sadly overseas I don't think they can have that same level of confidence.
Phil?
JOURNALIST: PM, just back to your comments on business as usual on economic policy on the other side of this and the need to drive business productivity and the investment, does that mean we can expect from the Federal perspective at least to see changes, the lowering of taxes that are seen as impediments like corporate taxes and changes to IR laws and things like that? Is that what, would we be looking in that sphere?
PRIME MINISTER: I think it would be premature to speculate on that at this point Phil, I think the advice from the governor and the advice from Treasury, is very much that we couldn't expect the high levels of growth if we were to continue with similar sort of policy settings, so that is something we are going to be examining very very closely and I want to do it very closely with the states and territories because they have a big role to play in all of this as well. I mean one of the things that the transport and infrastructure ministers are working on right now, I think they’re meeting now, led by the Deputy Prime Minister is how we can get some of these projects going again, I mean one of the areas of the economy which hasn't been restricted is our construction sector, I mean in New Zealand they have shut the construction sector down. And the construction sector, I want to see more roads built, I want to see more bridges built, I want to see more roads fixed, I want to see those things happening now. Because that will be good for the economy, it will be good for employment, and it can be done in a COVID economy, that is one of the things that the Transport Ministers in particular are working on at this very moment.
Okay I’ll start at the front and go to the back?
JOURNALIST: Just on schools, you’ve said it’s very jurisdictional, are there just differing views from state to state on what should be done in this sector in their own jurisdictions and on childcare, is anything changing in this, you said we are ahead of where we thought we would be, parliament will resume sooner rather than later, is childcare going to resume sooner rather than later and what does that mean for the funding the government has put in place, that’s meant to last for six months?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ll start with the second one first. Childcare, the arrangements we put in place for childcare, or universities, or private hospitals, JobSeeker, JobKeeper, these are all on this six month timeframe I mentioned before, and that’s over the June and September quarters and you can anticipate they will stay in place for that period of time. In terms of schools and the views of individual jurisdictions, well I think the principles we have released today and agreed summarise the general position that all the schools should be following in each jurisdiction, but of course there will be differences, take the Northern Territory for example, in the Northern Territory they will be back next week and back exactly according to normal, there have been virtually no cases, I think there have been actually no cases for some time now in the Northern Territory. So they are doing that from next week I understand, more broadly and in Victoria, you know the arrangements there, I know in New South Wales they are working on a range of different options about how they might come back and Western Australia the same, in South Australia as they went into the break they had attendances of 50 per cent and at one point up to 80 per cent, so I think you are seeing differences between states about how parents are engaging, how schools are acting, and I would expect to continue to see that. Because schools are delivered at a state and territory level, but these principles I think set out quite clearly what the priorities are and where we would like to ultimately be.
Sam?
JOURNALIST: The principles you outlined here, I think we all accept the fact that your position on schools is really clear, the principles are clear as mud, they are full of the sort of poly waffle language we have come to know and love from COAG,
PRIME MINISTER: Sam that’s unlike you.
JOURNALIST: They do accept that the states are are in charge so what are parents to make of this? Do you accept as Victoria has proposed that it is a risk to have parents doing drop off and moving around the state, how soon will your own children be going back to school, and what is your response to Malcolm Turnbull's book where he claims that you are a Machiavellian plotter and that the finance Minister Mathias Cormann didn’t think you were not up to the job?
PRIME MINISTER: On the last point, I am not interested in any distractions, I’m focused on the safety and health of Australians, and I think that’s what you’d expect me to say and it’s certainly my position.
I don't share your rather cynical view about the principles Sam, I really don't. In terms of these principles what we are setting out is that of course, you want in the best of arrangements for children to be able to be taught at school by professional teachers. That's the clear objective we would all want, sorry?
JOURNALIST: That’s not in the principles though?
PRIME MINISTER: It is. It’s principle 1. It says, our schools are critical to the delivery of high quality education for students and to give our children the best possible start in life. Our education systems are based on the recognition that education is best delivered by professional teachers to students in the classroom on a school campus. Principle 1.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible] say that flexible and distance learning?
PRIME MINISTER: well it says, that it is accepted that during the Covid-19 crisis, alternative flexible remote delivery of education services may be needed. Now that’s not going to be happening in the Northern Territory, as I just said. So I think this does provide a very clear objective of where you’re seeking to get to, now in relation to drop-offs and pickups, we actually, I agree with the Victorian Premier I think we do have to be very careful about the interaction between parent on drop-offs and pickups because that's where the potential infection occurs, but those things can be accommodated they can addressed, I don't think that's not something beyond the wits of most parents and schools, I mean at the drop-off at my own children’s school you are not allowed to get out of the car, you are not allowed to see the principal who is there, the kids get out, I can't even go around to the boot and get their bags out, they have to do that themselves, so there is no contact between any adult and that was before Covid-19. In relation to my own kids that you ask about Sam, I want my own kids to go back to school and to be taught in a classroom by a teacher. That's what I want to see happen, and when a school in New South Wales that they go to can deliver that for them then I will happily have them back there in a heartbeat, that's what I want them to do, I don't want them to just go and sit at a school hall and look at the Internet, I want them to go to school and learn and be taught by a teacher in accordance with principle 1 of these principles, and when that's on offer I will certainly have them there in a heartbeat, whether they are sitting in a school hall or sitting at home at the moment, the outcome is going to be the same, I would prefer obviously for my own children, as I was having them attend school up until the last week before school break because the Internet arrangements they put in place meant there was no difference between them learning at school and learning in the classroom. Regretfully, they were no longer getting classroom teaching at that school. That's what I'd like to see happen again.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you mentioned the road out, no decision for another four weeks as to when those restrictions might be eased, you set a 6-month timeline until the end of the September quarter for the economic material. Can you elaborate on what you think the road out looks like? What your strategy might be for easing what and when? And can you switch that economic lifeline support off after six months if you haven't achieved what you set out to achieve?
PRIME MINISTER: I think the six month timeframe gives us a ticking clock basically on this lifeline and it gives us a clear goal to work towards to ensure that we find that road out with restrictions eased ideally, and for the economy to lift to a level of activity where people's wages and incomes can be supported again, where they can get the hours, where they can get the days, where they can be back working again and be in a position to support themselves and not relying on JobKeeper or JobSeeker or things of that nature. That is the timeframe that we have bought through those economic supports, so you have got to work backwards from there. There will be I imagine baseline levels of restrictions that will be changed over that period of time, just like we are saying in about a month from now there will be some changes to the baseline restrictions that we put in place a few weeks ago. That is what I was just about to get to. So when we hit a trigger basically on this RF (reff) provision, that statistic, when we get to that and when we have got in place the broader testing regime for surveillance, the automated contract regime in place, and we have scaled up our capacity to respond to outbreaks, that is what we are looking to do in the next four weeks - build that up and then what the states and territories and ourselves are working on, on what you would call high-value, low risk economic activities that we will be able to start to open up more of.
JOURNALIST: Is that going out of the road the same way you came in effectively? Is it working backwards?
PRIME MINISTER: In broad terms I don't think that is an unfair assumption but the specifics of it are being worked through. I think it will be some time. I think social distancing, the washing of the hands, the doing of those things, that is something we should do until we find a vaccine. Those sorts of things, the 1.5m, being conscious of your distancing with each other, that is something we will live with this for the foreseeable future, but when it comes to the specific economic restrictions that have been put in place, well after the next month then there will be the opportunity to review that and potentially make some changes if we meet those other benchmarks. But within the next four weeks, states and territories that went further than those baselines both in enforcement and with some additional measures of their own, they have indicated today that they will be reviewing those in the meantime. As I said, next week on Tuesday we will consider the issue of elective surgery, which could see some immediate return in that area which would be very positive and I have already talked about schools.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, aren't you effectively describing aggressive test, trace, isolate and when you're happy that that is working, we're on the road out?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
JOURNALIST: That’s it?
PRIME MINISTER: I think that is a good summary Tim. That is exactly what the advice has been and what our own sort of policy view I think has been as my Cabinet here federally as well as the Chief Ministers and Premiers, you have got to have the assurance that you can deal with outbreaks because they will happen and that could be a bumpy road on occasion. You can't rule out increasing, potentially restrictions at some point if things got a bit out of control because the virus writes its own rules. It doesn't work to our rules. But getting those protections in place - and I want to stress this about the automated contract tracing - you have heard about the fact that we are working on a tracing app that people can be involved in and there are still some issues that we have to work through on that, the privacy issues on that are being worked through very thoroughly, but the more people we have that ultimately take that up, when we are in a position to launch it, the better the tool we have, and the more able we are to be able to get down that road back.
Michelle?
JOURNALIST: Can I take you to the issue of debt and deficit, which particularly worries some of your own supporters. Would you anticipate being able to set out before the next election a roadmap to deal with those issues into the future?
PRIME MINISTER: Well there will be a Budget in October and that Budget in October I think will begin that very process that you are referring to. Debt and deficit concerns me greatly and my concern about debt and deficit is based on the fact that I have been part of a government for six years that has worked incredibly hard to get the Budget back into balance and a growth in debt reduced from 30 per cent to 0 in the space of that six years, so when you go through that process you are particularly sensitive to the issues of increased debt and deficit.
JOURNALIST: So tackling it early rather than later?
PRIME MINISTER: We will have a plan to deal with it, just like we have had a plan to deal with it for the last six years, and I think Australians can take some comfort and confidence from that, that as a government we have already demonstrated our ability to deal with debt and deficit in the past, but you will recall that for almost all of that period of time, this is a time when we went to record levels of health and education spending. This was a time when we went to engage in the biggest recapitalisation of our defence forces and growing us to 2 per cent of GDP in defence spending that is the highest level we have seen, and turns it around from pre- Second World War levels when we came to government, so what we will do is ensure that we will be growing that economy to support our Budget and to ensure we have the right settings in place around living within our means as a Budget to deliver the right outcome to get the debt and deficit under control.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, regarding that mobile phone app you are developing, can you confirm that for those who have downloaded it it will require the phone to capture the numbers of anyone who they spend more than 15 minutes with over a rolling period? It will require those to be collected, and will you consider less privacy intrusive options such as the model advanced by Google and Apple?
PRIME MINISTER: well I would contend that that model that you suggested would be less invasive I would suggest that your thesis is incorrect. I would.
JOURNALIST: Well the Google and Apple one uses beacons.
PRIME MINISTER: And I think the permissive option around a trace app that enables people to elect to do exactly the same thing that you are proposing, the Google and the Apple proposal does exactly the same thing, it is just that it is not a consent based model. The trace app which has been put in place in Singapore is a consent based model and the reason we are not quite ready yet is we are still working through ensuring that it meets the privacy protections, robust and up to a standard that we believe is necessary for the Australian context and that is what the Attorney General in particular is working on right now. It is a complex area, but it is a tool that Australia will need if we are to pursue the road out of this that we would like to pursue.
We’ll go right up the back and then we’ll come to you.
JOURNALIST: PM in addition to the elective surgery that you are going to be reviewing, might you also include IVF procedures? That has been a concern for parents who have been told, well prospective parents who have been told they can't do that and, if I may, a technical question for Professor Murphy. About a week ago you started publishing recovery data. Do we actually have a nationally standardised way to determine when a person is considered recovered? Is that being applied by every state and territory?
PRIME MINISTER: I will let Brendan deal with both of them actually because that was the intention.
PROFESSOR MURPHY: Yes, I think IVF is definitely something that would be considered an elective procedure and something that was paused during the elective surgery cessation and it is something that the state and territory health departments will be considering along with the other range of elective activities. It is very important if we do restart elective activity that we only do it through the confines of our available PPE supplies so it would have be fairly gentle because we have to ensure we have enough protective equipment. So that modelling is being done at the moment. At the moment recovery, we have stopped doing clearance testing after people have recovered, so a recovery - people are allowed out of isolation, two weeks after diagnosis if they have been completely symptom-free for 72 hours and we are making an assumption in our modelling that people who are released from isolation are now recovered. There is no longer - unless you are a healthcare worker - in some states we are doing tests to make sure that you're not still carrying the virus. So we are working towards a nationally consistent algorithm to determine recovery at the moment.
PRIME MINISTER: Hang on, I’ll go to Brett and then,
JOURNALIST: PM just to, you sort of opened today by saying that the states and territories agreed that there’s a need to synchronise the health and economic response. There will still be be a lot of parents tonight who won't know whether they should send their children to school. Are you frustrated that there isn't that synchronisation in terms of education? And to both of you the big announcement today in terms of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities testing and care, can you perhaps elaborate on how important it is in those communities where you have said you have been most worried about Covid-19 taking hold?
PRIME MINISTER: I will let Brendan deal with the second part of that. Look on the first part of it. I wouldn't agree with your assessment of how I would feel about it. The principles I think do set out very clearly what we all agree and what we are all sort of working towards. Parents should follow the instructions that are being provided by state premiers and their state education ministers. And for the arrangements put in place - see if you are going to school in Victoria there is only one person you need to listen to, and that is the Premier of Victoria. As to what you are doing in Victoria, likewise in New South Wales you should listen to what, the Premier of New South Wales. You don't get the choice to go to Victoria one day and New South Wales another, even if you live in Albury-Wodonga, but if you are living in the Northern Territory it is what the Chief Minister is saying and they have different arrangements again. We are a big enough country with very different geographic and different case scenarios that are occurring in the states and territories for there to be some differences, but those differences I think all accord with the principles that we have set out today. So I think it is very clear that the medical expert advice is - children are safe to go to school, but there are issues within each state about the delivery of education, which they have had to take into account, which means that they will be operating on slightly different bases, but consistent with these principles.
Oh sorry, on the Indigenous issue.
PROFESSOR MURPHY: So we have from the outset of this pandemic, we have been very concerned about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, they are a high risk group, if, particularly in remote communities if this virus got in it could do significant damage. So we’ve had from the outset a community owned and informed strategy, which is unlike other communities, perhaps with the exception of aged care, it is focused around keeping out the virus out at all costs, which is why many of those communities have set up very strict isolation and prevention of people coming in, but also programs to health screen and check people who might have to come in and work in those communities. Clearly there is now a broadened testing program. We will be using what we call remote testing kits that can go into communities and we have used them in sexually transmitted infection diagnosis in the past. We are getting the test kits to be able to have mobile testing, but the key issue is to prevent the virus getting into those communities at all costs.
JOURNALIST: Why has Australia not trying to eradicate the virus given our progress has been so strong and if we are not at the New Zealand end of the scale yet, is it possible we will get there at some point in future?
PRIME MINISTER: As we observed today and Professor Murphy will touch on this, as well, a by product of the approach we are taking may well be what you say, that could well happen. But the eradication pathway involves an approach which would see even more economic restrictions than are currently in place and that is not seen to be, a wise, in our view, trade-off in how we are managing the two crises that we are facing, the economic one and of course the health one. Now we are doing well on the health one and I want to do better on the economic one. So the suppression strategy which we have been following, that’s basically what we have been following for about a month, I think that has sat well within the groove of Australia's ethos and how we live and what we would hope. I think it is rubbing at the edges a bit in parts of the country, and that is understandable. We like our freedoms, we like to be able to do what we want to do. We like having a barbecue, we like going out, we are very social beings Australians and we really miss it and we miss our kids being able to get together and go to school and be with their friends, and we miss all of that. But the suppression path is the best Australian path. As I have said throughout this, the solutions we are putting in place are the right solutions for Australia. We are not looking to copy anyone. We have the right plan for Australia.
Brendan?
PROFESSOR MURPHY: Yeah so it's quite possible we could eradicate the virus in some parts of the country. We’ve had some states have had no cases for some days and small numbers of cases all imported. We are on the same trajectory as New Zealand which is aiming for eradication and if we achieve complete lack of transmission and no cases that would be great. But we don't know then whether there are asymptomatic cases circulating. You cannot relax your surveillance and control mechanisms because you have for a period of time not detected new cases for a period of time. Essentially there is not a lot of difference between an aggressive suppression strategy and an eradication strategy, with the exception that we don't feel the need to hold the country very seriously in lockdown until we have no cases. But if that happens, with the measures we are doing now, that would be fantastic.
PRIME MINISTER: Yep, last question.
JOURNALIST: Am I allowed two because I waited until the end?
PRIME MINISTER: Been so patient, like all Australians.
JOURNALIST: Just following on from Brett's question, if things progress as anticipated by National Cabinet, when would it be business as normal, do you think, in terms of going back to school for families in every state? And just one question on JobKeeper as well, we are hearing reports of employers asking workers to give back some of their JobKeeper payment. Is there a penalty for employers that rip their workers off?
PRIME MINISTER: Yep, I’m going to follow, I can't tell you the precise penalty of the top of my head, and I’m happy to get that to you, but that sort of behaviour where that’s occurring by employers that is disgraceful and it's illegal, and they should be reported to the police and the ATO, to ensure that can be followed up, it's not on, it is really appalling behaviour. We will move quickly on that, and so we will seek the cooperation on that as we do on any other law and order issue when it comes to those matters, I would expect over the next month or so and into May and I know each of the states are looking into different arrangements, I mean, Victoria has only just come back, they have set the arrangements for going back now and that is fair enough, Queensland will go back next week and New South Wales after that, and New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia have a bit more time to how they will conceive what they might do in a few weeks’ time, ACT the same. As I said, Northern Territory has already made its decision for when they go back, but the principles we have set out today I think, not just what they agree to but there is an aspiration attached to them which I think is important, I don't think anyone wants to see us not have schools operating like they used to of course you want to get back to that, I believe all states and territories will be taking the right decisions they believe are appropriate to get them back to that point, how long that will take, well we may see better things on that front by, in May some time, the same time we might see the Parliament come back, I think that is an indicator of us trying to get back on to at least to some form of new normal when it comes to this it won't be like it was before but our experience over the next few months will be very much that iterative step-by-step, there won’t be just one day when it goes back to how it was before, that’s just not how this is going to work. It's going to be step by step, there is going to be some trial and error, this is completely uncharted territory, no country in the world has worked this out yet, I know Germany today they’ve outlined their schools will be coming back for May, there are changes and we will see how they are planning that, I know France is looking at different issues, so we will all work together and we will all find a way through.
Just before we finish I know there has been some commentary about the World Health Organization, now of course Australia is always going to consider where we put our funds and we always want value for money and those things are always under review, and indeed what I announced at the Lowy Institute, that we were reviewing how we are engaging with all these organisations that included the WHO, I should stress, and that’s a process that’s been going on for these many months since then, and there is a report coming back very soon. And while I have had my criticisms of the WHO as have many other leaders, and i think they are very valid criticisms, we have got to remember also, while they may have had a few poor outings lately there are also some very important work they have been doing and I do want to make reference to it. The WHO has responded in our Pacific family here to over 300 requests from the Pacific, 68 shipments of PPE to 20 countries and territories, over 35 deployments to countries assisting Fiji in particular with their testing capability, establishing Covid-19 isolation facilities in Timor-Leste, this is the same WHO that was there in the Samoa measles outbreak of last year, the polio outbreak in PNG in 2018 and they do work in the Western Pacific on eliminating measles, rubella and tetanus, maintaining high levels of polio vaccination, the safety of essential medicines and vaccines, eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV and hepatitis and preventing diabetes and hypertension. So look I know they have had their criticism and frankly I think it has been quite deserved and of course we are frustrated but they do important work, they do do important work, and they do important work here in the Pacific and we will keep working with them but it won't be uncritical.
Thanks very much.