Speeches
Address, Launch of the 2020 Defence Strategic Update
1 July 2020
Thank you very much, Linda, and thank you all for joining us here today.
Can I particularly commence by acknowledging the Ngunnawal people, their elders past and present, and of course leaders emerging for the future.
And as is always my practice, and particularly on occasions such as today, can I acknowledge any veterans who are here in the room with us today and serving members of our defence forces, of which there are many, and to simply say on behalf of an incredibly grateful nation, once again thank you for your service.
Can I also, of course, acknowledge my many Ministerial and Parliamentary colleagues who are here with us today and I will speak of Linda in just a moment.
But to ministers Hawke and Price who are here with us, doing such a tremendous job in critical areas of our defence operations and in defence engagement, both in the building of that capability through Minister Price, and rolling out the enormous commitments and the industry capability that is essential to achieve what we're speaking of today.
But also to Minister Hawke who has been leading our approach in the Pacific Step Up, bringing together not just the defence components of that, but the international development components of that and bringing that into one strategic initiative that has seen our standing amongst our Pacific family rise to whole new levels that is so essential to what I am setting out today.
Senator Molan is here, of course, who has been a long-time friend and a consularery on many matters regarding defence, border protection and many other things, Jim, and it's good to see you here today and thank you for being here.
Can I also acknowledge the Chief of Defence Force General Campbell and Secretary Moriarty and all of the defence leadership that is here today. Your skill, your experience, your integrity is so written into these documents and gives Minister Reynolds and I and the entire Cabinet and the National Security Committee of Cabinet great confidence in the advice that we receive.
And that when we make decisions, we are making them on the best possible advice and experience. And the leadership that you're showing across the services, together with your service chiefs represented here today, is exemplary.
It really is a strong period for our defence forces under your leadership.
That, of course, leads me to Minister Reynolds.
Not only a serving reservist herself with deep engagement in matters of defence over her professional life, but she has brought a clarity to this portfolio. She has brought an accountable to this portfolio which is absolutely essential.
As Linda and I just this morning, or last night, again reflecting on the depth of what is in these documents. There is, of course, the many more apparent elements of the strategy that we're outlining today - the hardware, the equipment, all of these sorts of things, and, of course, that draws significant public attention.
But at the end of the day, that's not what makes it work. What makes it work are the people who drive it and the accountabilities that are placed upon the plans that we see here today. And that is what Linda, in particular, has driven so far in her time as Minister.
There is an accountability to these plans that she insists on, as I know the service chiefs and others are very well aware of, and the Secretary, and that gives me a lot of confidence because the investments we're making here today and for the longer term require the accountability of implementation.
It's significant and so I commend you, Linda, for the terrific job you have had in bringing this all together as part of my team and I also thank the many members of the National Security Committee of Cabinet as well who have been integrally involved in the development of this.
And it goes without saying that we all pass on our thanks to the Finance Minister and the Treasurer who have had a keen interest in what we have been working on for now for some time.
So it is an honour to be here today. It is a pivotal day for Australia and for our defence forces.
It is an honour to be here at ADFA to launch the Australian Government’s 2020 Defence Strategic Update and the 2024 Structure Plan, these two very important documents that will guide our nation through one of the most challenging times we have known since the 1930s and the early 1940s.
A plan for Australia's future in the most important area of a Federal Government's responsibility.
The cadets of the Australian Defence Force Academy who would normally sit in this lecture theatre today will be asked to confront many of the challenges that are set out here throughout the course of their careers.
But more than that, to live up to the ideals and traditions of the ADF serving and protecting Australia.
And at times, that work will be in accordance with plans already developed and it will be also at other times responding quickly to the unexpected.
Our times are a testament to that challenge.
This year, the ADF has provided crucial support to Australians during our Black Summer bushfires.
And now a response to a once-in-a-Century pandemic.
Senator Seselja, who is also here with us today, has been very familiar seeing that support here in his own home territory, here in the ACT and so often in his other responsibilities.
At the height of the operation Bushfire Assist, led by Major General Justin - Jake, as he's known - Elwood, 6,500 ADF personnel provided support to state and territory fire and emergency services across our nation.
It was a proud time for our defence forces and in particular the unprecedented compulsory callout of 3,000 ADF Reservists, who are proud at the best of times, but to be able to be serving as reservists in their own country at a time of great need, so many of them that I was able to meet around the country felt a great pride in being able to deliver that service.
And I thank their employers once again for supporting them in their efforts.
Then we went through, when we thought life was going to return to normal as the fires receded, of course it didn't.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit and once again the ADF has responded with Operation COVID-19 Assist.
At its peak, it has involved around 2,200 personnel across Australia.
In April, there was an outbreak of coronavirus in the north-west regional hospital in Burnie, an outbreak that included staff across the hospital.
The ADF responded with a 50-person deployment to assist the hospital.
For two weeks the ADF's medical professionals treated and supported more than 400 locals who entered the hospital's doors.
This support was not just practical, but it was a great confidence-booster at a time of great anxiety in north western Tasmania.
Premier Gutwein, to this day, continues to offer his thanks to the tremendous support provided by the ADF.
Meanwhile, in Shepparton, engineer and maintenance specialists from the Army Logistical Training Centre and the Joint Logistics Unit worked on lifting vital PPE capacity at the Med-Con plant and thanks to them, Med-Con surgical face mask production has an output capacity of 200 million masks per year.
From contract tracing to quarantine support and isolation checking, the ADF has demonstrated again its capability, professionalism and adaptability.
Lieutenant General John Frewen and the COVID-19 Task Force, I want to thank you very much for your calm and methodical way of getting the job done, yet again.
And the jobs continue with more than 200 personnel right now in Victoria and others standing by ready, if needed, to go and assist with the current outbreak.
And if we need reminding, 2020 has demonstrated in no uncertain terms that the challenges and threats we face as a nation are constantly evolving.
The enduring responsibility of Government, though, is timeless - to protect Australia's national interest, our sovereignty, our values and the security of the Australian people.
This responsibility requires sustained commitment, focus, application.
It requires strong economic management to support the necessary investment and it demands tough and difficult choices.
As the Australian Strategic Policy Institute noted in the 2012-13 Defence Budget Brief, just prior to our Government's 2013 election, the Defence Budget had fallen to 1.56 per cent of GDP.
That was the lowest level since 1938.
Now, to illustrate the real-world implications of this, there were no major domestic naval shipbuilding projects commissioned in the six years that followed the end of the Howard Government in 2007 and the decisions they made to acquire the Hobart-class air warfare destroyers and the Canberra-class LHDs.
I want to assure the men and women of the ADF, who inherit a proud tradition and carry it, that our Government, my Government, will not repeat those mistakes of the past.
We will ensure, together, that you are always properly supported as you face the challenges of today tomorrow, and you carry out the decisions that we make, that you undertake on our behalf and on behalf of the Australian people.
Despite the many pressures on the Budget - and, of course, during this COVID-19 recession, they have only accelerated - I reaffirm today that our Government's commitment is to properly fund Defence with the certainty of a new 10-year funding model that goes beyond our achievement of reaching two-percent of our economy of GDP this year.
This simple truth is this: even as we stare down the COVID pandemic at home, we need to also prepare for a post-COVID world that is poorer, that is more dangerous, and that is more disorderly.
We have been a favoured isle, with many natural advantages for many decades, but we have not seen the conflation of global, economic and strategic uncertainty now being experienced here in Australia in our region since the existential threat we faced when the global and regional order collapsed in the 1930s and 1940s.
That is a sobering thought, and it's something I have reflected on quite a lot lately, as we've considered the dire economic circumstances we face.
That period of the 1930s has been something I have been revisiting on a very regular basis, and when you connect both the economic challenges and the global uncertainty, it can be very haunting.
But not overwhelming.
It requires a response.
Now, we must face that reality, understanding that we have moved into a new and less benign strategic area, one in which the institutions of patterns of cooperation that have benefited our prosperity and security for decades, are now under increasing - and I would suggest almost irreversible - strain.
The Indo-Pacific is the epicentre of rising strategic competition.
Our region will not only shape our future, increasingly though, it is the focus of the dominant global contest of our age.
This is the setting for it.
Tensions over territorial claims are rising across the Indo-Pacific region, as we have seen recently on the disputed border between India and China, and the South China Sea, and the East China Sea.
The risk of miscalculation and even conflict is heightening.
Regional military modernisation is occurring at an unprecedented rate.
Capabilities and reach are expanding.
Previous assumptions of enduring advantage and technological edge are no longer constants and cannot be relied upon.
Coercive activities are rife.
Disinformation and foreign interference have been enabled and accelerated by new and emerging technologies.
And, of course, terrorism hasn't gone away and the evil ideologies that underpin it and they remain a tenacious threat.
State sovereignty is under pressure, as are rules and norms and the stability that these provide.
Relations between China and the United States are fractious at best, as they compete for political, economic and technological supremacy.
But it's important to acknowledge that they are not the only actors of consequence.
The rest of the world, and Australia, are not just bystanders to this.
It's not just China and the United States that will determine whether our region stays on path for free and open trade, investment and cooperation that has underpinned stability and prosperity, the people-to-people relationships that bind our region together.
Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, the countries of South-East Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Pacific all have agency, choices to make, parts to play and of course, so does Australia.
There is a new dynamic of strategic competition and the largely benign security environment, as I've noted, that Australia has enjoyed, basically from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the global financial crisis, that's gone.
Since the Government's 2016 Defence White Paper was released, we have witnessed an acceleration of the strategic trends that were already underway.
The pandemic has accelerated and accentuated many of those trends, and that is why today I'm launching the 2020 Defence Strategic Update.
It represents a significant pivot.
It outlines the shifts and challenges I've foreshadowed and mentioned.
It makes clear the strategic environment we face and this clarity will guide Australia's actions.
The update sees an evolution of strategic defence objectives in accord with our new strategic environment.
The objectives outlined in the 2016 Defence White Paper saw an equal weighting across the three areas of Australia and its northern approach, South-East Asia and the Pacific and operations in support of the rules-based global order.
In this update, the Government has directed Defence to prioritise, to make choices, ADF's geographical focus on our immediate region, the area ranging from the north-east Indian Ocean through maritime and mainland South-East Asia to Papua New Guinea and the south-west Pacific.
The Government has set three new strategic objectives to guide all Defence planning, including force structure, force generation, international engagement and operations.
They are these:
Shape Australia’s strategic environment.
Deter actions against Australia’s interests.
And respond with credible military force, when required.
We must be alert to the full range of current and future threats, including ones in which Australia's sovereignty and security may be tested.
These new policies will require forestructure and capability adjustments.
These must be able to hold potential adversaries, forces, and infrastructure at risk from greater distance and therefore influence their calculus of costs involved in threatening Australia's interests.
This includes developing capabilities in areas such as longer-range strike weapons, cyber-capabilities, area denial systems, and at the same time our actions must be true to who we are as a nation, a people, what we value, for ourselves, our friends, for our neighbours.
Soon after becoming Prime Minister, I said that our decisions as a nation are a reflection of our character and our values, and so are these decisions today. What we believe in. And if need be, what we will defend.
As one of the world's oldest liberal democracies, we know who we are, we know what we believe, we know what we're about, we know what we stand for, and we know what we'll defend.
We're about having the freedom to live our lives as we choose in an open and democratic liberal society without coercion, without fear.
We're about the rule of law.
We're about being good neighbours, pulling our weight, lending a hand and not leaving the heavy lifting and hard tasks to others.
We don't seek to entangle or intimidate or silence our neighbours.
We respect their sovereignty.
We champion it.
And we expect others to respect ours.
Sovereignty means self-respect, freedom to be who we are, ourselves, independence, free-thinking.
We will never surrender this.
Never. Ever.
Everything my Government does is designed to build our national resilience and protect our sovereignty, our freedom, our values and our independence.
This is our great trust.
Australia's defence and capability planning has been updated accordingly and is detailed in the 2024 Structure Plan, which I am also launching today.
And the good news is that we're already pointed in the right direction.
This journey didn't start today. It's been happening for some time.
The Government made a commitment to deliver a more potent, capable and agile ADF in the 2016 White Paper, and we went further than that.
We've backed it up with the investments, something that is often peculiar for white papers.
We are undertaking the biggest regeneration of our Navy since the Second World War and have charted the transition to a fifth-generation Air Force.
This includes the F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter, the most advanced Strike Fighter in the world.
The Joint Strike Fighter will strengthen our high-tech industrial defence capability as well.
Minister Price and I have been out there seeing it being built in south-western Sydney, parts of it.
Over 50 Australian companies are already sharing more than $1.7 billion in contracts as part of the global JSF program, truly exciting.
Greater mobility, protection and strike power also for our Army.
New infrastructure to enhance the delivery of our war-fighting capabilities, from logistics and intelligence to bases, which also brings benefits for many local and regional communities, including Indigenous communities.
And to implement the Defence Strategic Update, my Government is making a further commitment to better position defence to respond to rapid changes in the environment that I've noted.
We're again providing long-term funding certainty for Defence and defence industry.
That enables them to plan with confidence.
An updated 10-year funding model that will enable defence to deliver the strategy and the complex capabilities it requires to keep us safe.
This will see capability investment grow to $270 billion over the next decade.
Now, that's up from $195 billion we committed in the decade following the 2016 Defence White Paper.
So what will this deliver?
It will expand our plans to acquire sophisticated maritime long-range missiles, air-launched strike and anti-ship weapons, as well as additional land-based weapons.
That's right. That's what we're going to do.
We will also invest in more highly integrated and automated sensors and weapons, including potential development of hypersonic weapons systems, and this investment will see us build on Defence’s collaboration with Australian industry, which is already at a new level.
In 2016, the Government released the Defence Industry Policy Statement.
In 2018, we launched the Defence Industrial Capability Plan.
As I said, we're not starting here today. We've been long at this task.
This was followed by the release of the defence policy for industry participation last year.
These steps have all been about making sure we have a robust, resilient and innovative defence industrial base, a base that maximises Australian participation and supports highly skilled Australian jobs and local investment, whether it's the small arms and ammunition being designed and manufactured at Force Ordnance in South Australia, or new capabilities such as Boeing Australia's autonomous “Loyal Wingman”, designed and produced in Brisbane and Melbourne.
We're on track with the delivery of our Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles that we've just seen outside here today, an example of which we've got for you to see.
These new armoured vehicles will provide better protection, firepower and mobility to the men and women on the ground, and they will be built right here in Australia, and it's a similar story for our naval shipbuilding industry.
The Naval Shipbuilding Plan in 2017 set out a long-term vision for a strong, sustainable and innovative naval shipbuilding industry here in Australia.
Three years on, we are delivering on that vision.
Continuous naval shipbuilding in South Australia and Western Australia is now under way.
The Arafura class offshore patrol vessels are in production.
The Guardian class Pacific patrol boats are being delivered to our Pacific families, which I know Minister Hawke has been on a number of those deliveries and they couldn't be more pleased, really couldn't.
The Hunter class frigates and Attack class submarines are now both on contract and progressing well and we will cut steel on the first Hunter prototypes at our new Osborne Shipyard in Adelaide later this year.
These naval shipbuilding programs are on track and they are on budget.
The 2024 structure plan now includes plans for the acquisition or upgrade of up to 23 different classes of Navy and Army vessels, representing a total investment of almost $183 billion, up to that.
This program is delivering thousands of jobs, even more important as we come out of the COVID-19 recession, and this will grow over the coming years.
Minister Price has ensured we have been bringing forward elements of our defence procurement and investment as part of our activity to support the JobMaker program more broadly in response to the corona recession.
Laying the foundation, though, more broadly, in all of these areas of shipbuilding, for advanced shipbuilding for generations to come, so Australia can be in a strong position.
Now, these actions that we've taken since 2016, and those that I'm announcing today, will deliver the cutting-edge capabilities necessary to achieve what we have set out as our objectives.
The first objective is to shape Australia's strategic environment.
Now, the Indo-Pacific is where we live and we want an open, sovereign Indo-Pacific, free from coercion and hegemony.
We want a region where all countries, large and small, can engage freely with each other and guided by international rules and norms.
These are not unreasonable objectives or ambitions or requests.
Where countries can pursue their own interests peacefully and without external interference, because this means Australia can pursue our interests too.
Indo-Pacific is where Australia has our greatest influence and can make the most meaningful impact and contribution and we intend to.
And it is also where our need is most pressing.
Before the pandemic, the ADF was participating in almost 50 bilateral, mini-lateral and multilateral exercises in our region each year with great success.
We have deepened defence and security cooperation with partners new and old, including the United States, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.
And we are working more closely than ever with our Pacific family.
As part of the Pacific Step Up, which I launched at Lavarack Barracks on, I remember, a very warm day, up there in November 2018 in Townsville, we're working in partnership with Pacific countries to grow economies, build resilience and enhance regional stability.
And the transformation of Blackrock in Fiji has been part of this.
And as I said when I visited there last year, it's so much more than the bricks and mortar. It symbolises an enduring commitment to a stable, secure and sovereign region.
It speaks of a deep relationship, a commitment we've made to all members of our Pacific family, our vuvale our whanau.
They've stepped up in return, particularly in the bushfires this year, when PNG and Fiji provided military assistance and so many of our Pacific neighbours donated so generously.
It was wonderful to see Linda's posts of them singing in mess halls around the country, and just their enthusiasm.
My good friend, James Marape, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, would be calling me saying they're on their way and he was keen to understand how they were going each and every day and I'd share the stories and when he smiles, that's a lot of brightness coming back at you. He was so excited.
That's how friends and family deal with each other and the same was true of Prime Minister Bainimarama as well, so proud that they could be there for us, as we have been there for them on so many occasions and always will.
So Australia's commitment to the region will only intensify.
Our sharpened focus will see Defence forming even deeper links and trust with regional Armed Forces and a further expansion in our defence diplomacy cooperation, capability and capacity-building.
Our new strategic settings will also make us a better and more efficient ally. It means a lot to us.
We've always pulled our weight. We want to continue to do so as challenges increase.
We remain prepared to make military contributions outside of our immediate region, where it is in our national interests to do so, underscored, including in support of US-led coalitions, and where it matches the capability we have to offer, a capability built - as Minister Reynolds often reminds me - a capability built to deal with our objectives and where that can be applied in other theatres for other purposes, then, of course, we show up.
But we cannot allow such consideration of contingencies to drive our forestructure to the detriment of ensuring we have credible capability to respond to any challenge in our immediate region.
Our first job is always our first job, and it is in our region we must be most capable and the military contributions we make to partnerships and to our ever-closer alliance with the United States, which is the foundation of our defence policy.
The security assurances and intelligence-sharing and technological industrial cooperation we enjoy with the United States are, and will remain, critical to our national security.
They are enduring.
But if we are to be a better and more effective ally, we must be prepared to invest in our own security.
Part of this means improving our awareness of what's happening in the region, and this will include expanding our world-leading Jindalee Over-the-horizon Radar Network to provide wide area surveillance for Australia's eastern approaches, complementing the existing surveillance of our north and west.
We will also increase our investment in intelligence under-sea surveillance and cyber capabilities to enhance our situational awareness.
Improving situational awareness provides the foundation for the second of our objectives which is deterring actions against Australia's interests.
Now, Australia has a highly effective, deployable and integrated military force of which we are so proud.
But maintaining what is a highly capable, but largely defensive force will not equip us to deter attacks against Australia, or our sovereign interests in the challenging strategic environment we face.
The ADF now needs stronger deterrence capabilities, capabilities that can hold potential adversaries, their forces, and critical infrastructure at risk from a distance, thereby deterring an attack on Australia and helping to prevent war.
Of course, we can't match all the capabilities in our region. That's not the point of what we're announcing today.
That is why we need to ensure our deterrence capabilities play to our strengths.
Australia will invest in longer-range strike weapons, cyber capabilities and area denial.
As mentioned, we are expanding our plans to acquire long range maritime and land strike capabilities and to invest in more highly integrated sensors and weapons.
We will increase the Australian Defence Force's ability to influence and deny operations directed against our interests.
The threshold of traditional armed conflict in what experts call the grey zone, which is becoming ever present and ever expanding.
This will involve boosting Defence's special operations, intelligence, and offensive cyber capabilities as well as its present operations, capacity-building efforts and engagement activities.
$15 billion investment in cyber and information warfare capabilities says a lot about where the world is at and where the threats are coming from, and it will range across all key touch points of capability - people, platforms, technology, research.
Our investments in these capabilities will enable Defence to more effectively counter cyber attacks on Australia, on Defence and our deployed forces.
And this will be part of my Government's broader investment in Australia's cyber defences, resources and capabilities.
It's no secret - nor have we sought to make it one - that the cyber threat landscape is evolving rapidly and soon we will announce, as a Government, our new Cyber Security Strategy, building on our 2016 strategy, and its $230 million investment in incorporating our $156 million cybersecurity commitment from last year.
It will include funding of $1.35 billion over the next decade to enhance the cybersecurity capabilities and assistance provided to Australians through the Australian Signals Directorate, represented here today and of course also the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
The focus will extend well beyond defence capabilities with, for example, over $31 million devoted to enhancing the ability of the ASD to disrupt cyber crime offshore, taking the fight to foreign criminals that seek to target Australians and providing assistance to federal, state and territory law enforcement agencies.
Over $12 million will go to new strategic mitigations and disruption options, enabling ASD and Australia's major telecommunications providers to prevent malicious cyber activity from reaching millions of Australians.
And I want to thank Australian industry, Australian businesses, for the response to my statement of several weeks ago, where we alerted them to the increasing nature of cyber activity in Australia and I'm advised by ASD the response from the business community has been extremely strong, as well as from state and territory and local governments.
We appreciate that. We'd encourage you to continue to engage. You are joined in this great effort with us.
Now, the third objective our Defence Strategy Update is ensuring Australia can respond to threats with credible military force when required.
The strategic environment and the heightened risk of miscalculation in the region makes this a necessity.
There's much more tension in the cord these days.
We need an ADF that is ready now, but is also future-ready, and this means streamlining our capability development acquisition processes as well as bolstering supply chain security, heightened by what we've seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Because responding credibly to threats doesn't simply come down to the ADF.
It's about the system that surrounds it, supports it, the ecosystem that it is a part of, and this is the hard bit - it's about the support and structures that has to do with the job.
We learned that with the health system during the pandemic.
It's equally true for our defence capability.
It's about Australia having what we need when we need it and the ability to provide it.
And to achieve these aims, the Government will invest accordingly in resilience and the ADF's ability to respond to an array of challenges at the same time.
That includes investment in the logistics systems that will improve the ADF's ability to deploy globally and support our allies where it is in Australia's interests.
And over time, we will significantly expand the ADF's guided weapons and explosive ordinance stockholdings.
We will modernise and reform the ADF supply system, including expansion of its fuel holdings and deployable fuel and water systems.
We will prioritise our investment in critical military infrastructure, such as the $1.6 billion upgrade to RAAF Base Tindall, where I was recently, just before the pandemic really took hold.
Furthermore, the Government will significantly increase investment in defence space capabilities, a whole new theatre, including a network of satellites so we have an independent communications network and we're going to invest some $7 billion in those space capabilities over the coming decade, working closely with industry and other government agencies, including the Australian Space Agency, headquartered in Adelaide where I was there to open that agency not that long ago.
Working with key partners and allies, we will take advantage of Australia's unique geographical position to better contribute to collective space domain awareness and we will look to enhance the ADF's ability to counter emerging threats in the space domain and ensure our continued access to space-based intelligence and reconnaissance.
And we'll increase our investment in Australia’s technology and innovation programs, partnering with defence industry, research institutions and education providers while also rethinking how Defence can better support during natural disasters.
The defence of Australia is a big team effort and it goes well beyond those who wear uniforms.
It really reaches almost into every aspect of our community and Australian life.
And that's important because we all have a stake in it.
We all have a part to play always to hold dear what we value most.
Ladies and gentlemen, the strategic challenges of today and tomorrow call Australia, in many ways as we've been called before, at difficult times.
To play our part in a region where peace, stability, and prosperity cannot be taken for granted.
2020 has demonstrated once again the multiple challenges and radical uncertainty we face, eerily haunted by similar times many years ago in the 1930s.
Today, with the Indo-Pacific experiencing fundamental shifts and increased threats, our commitment will only deepen.
Our Defence Force will need to be prepared for any future, no matter how unlikely, and hopefully not needed in the worst of circumstances.
And I'm very confident, very confident, in both the leadership and the plans of our Defence Forces, their resources, the people, whether from those in command to those following commands, there is a great culture, a tremendous culture, that will build even stronger in the future under the leadership that I know is in place from Minister Reynolds and the Chief of Defence Force, General Campbell, and Secretary Moriarty.
It has the budget certainty, our defence effort, of the Government's 10-year funding model and our sustained record of taking defence and national security seriously.
I acknowledged Jim Molan before. It was Jim who convinced our Government before we came to government of the strategic need to make the big commitment to have the budget to do the things that Australia needed to defend itself.
We're putting into action all of this, with the Defence Strategic Update and Force Structure plan.
We're Stepping Up, once again, for Australia to protect our sovereignty, to preserve peace, which we value, to help our region meet the challenges of the 21st century together.
Because that is how we will keep Australians safe.
Thank you very much for your kind attention.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
26 June 2020
PRIME MINISTER: The Chief Medical Officer and I thought we should congratulate our Matildas, the bid team, the Trans-Tasman team that has been able to secure the 2023 Women's World Cup. I think it's wonderful. If we could do backflips like Sam Kerr we would, but I’m not going to try that out here in this courtyard. That’s one of the other rules of the courtyard, no backflips, you’ll use that one day again I’m sure, Riley. It is great news, wonderful news, at a time when Australians are doing it so hard, so hard, each and every day, to get that bright spot of news with this wonderful event coming. It'll be the largest and undoubtedly will be the best. We can look forward to a magnificent event and to be part of so many other events as Australia grows out of the COVID crisis, grows out of the COVID recession and this will be an important milestone ahead for us to look forward to and build towards that point. So congratulations to all those who are involved and we thank all of those who supported Australia's bid. I've been in contact with Prime Minister Ardern this morning, as well, to congratulate the Kiwis. It will be great doing this together, when the world comes Down Under.
So on that, we might move to more formal mode, Brendan. On, obviously, a more serious note, there are a million new cases being reported of COVID-19 around the world every week. We are seeing the virus take hold in places like South America now at a level difficult to imagine and we are anticipating similar types of scenarios in Africa and other parts of the world as the virus makes its way. The challenge being faced globally only gets more complicated, more complex, more difficult. And against that backdrop, Australia's performance is remarkable, and that is a tribute to all who are involved. Certainly, of course, we have some challenges in Victoria at the moment but I think that does put it in perspective. We remain on track, the curve remains flat. But where you get bumps and when you get outbreaks, then you need to manage them and you need to respond to them, and that is exactly what is happening. And I commend the Victorian Government and I commend the other state governments who are supporting Victoria, and of course as the Federal Government is, at National Cabinet today there was a great sense of solidarity in supporting Victoria because this could occur in Queensland, it could occur in Western Australia, it could occur in Tasmania, New South Wales, in any other place. And one of the, some of the outbreaks occurred coming out of quarantine, out of hotels. There are hotel quarantines occurring in other states and territories as well. So it is a reminder that outbreaks will happen, but at National Cabinet today they remained firm on sticking with the three-step plan and continuing to make their announcements of easing restrictions that will continue into next month. Premiers will be making their own announcements about those issues either today or in the days that follow. Obviously, there is a challenge for now in Victoria and we had a rather extensive discussion about that outbreak and the response and the support that is being provided and can continue to be provided by other states, whether it's with testing resources and capabilities, or it is with health officers that are available to support the efforts in Victoria. And I have no doubt Victoria will return the favour at another time when another state or another territory is faced with that type of a situation. There was also, I think, a very good understanding that this is a localised outbreak. It is not all of Victoria. It is a part of the suburbs of Melbourne and the response is very much localised. It is also very culturally appropriate. It is a response that is bringing the health system, literally, to people's front door and to their street, to ensure that they can get the maximum rate of testing and be able to isolate those who have been infected by the virus.
And what this should say to Australians should be a message of confidence. There will be outbreaks. What matters is the response. There will be outbreaks and what matters is that we continue to build our capability to deal with those outbreaks. As you see the response on the ground, that is a reassurance to Australians all around the country that we can deal with this, and we will continue to deal with this. And while it may cause concern and anxiety in some parts of the community, please be reassured, states and territories, the Commonwealth, we're all working together to ensure that where these things happen then we can appropriately respond with all the resources that are necessary, with a tailored plan to deal with the very specific nature of any particular event.
So all states committed to continue on with the various plans that they have and they're making those announcements. Today we also agreed, and noted the advice of the Medical Expert Panel, that the two-square metre rule can be moved to for smaller premises. Smaller premises will be determined by the jurisdiction but, as a rule of thumb, that's around about 100 square metres. So that means for much smaller premises that would have otherwise been trying to stick to a four-square metre rule arrangement, this just gives them a bit more room for them to be taking more patrons. That had been considered by the AHPPC and so where jurisdictions choose to do that, it is up to them to make those decisions. In Tasmania and Western Australia they've already moved to that two-square metre arrangement, so other states will be free to consider that. Previously there had been a more formal rule around four-square metres and I think it just shows the flexibility that is now being able to be built into the response, based on the experience that everybody is having and is being shared.
The AHPPC, the medical expert panel, has also been tasked to develop a roadmap for advice to the National Cabinet on entertainment venues to assist with industry planning around major productions and events. At the announcement we made yesterday, one of the key issues that still we knew needed to be addressed was that they need greater certainty about when they can start planning events for. Whether that’s 12 months away or six months away, so the plan will be addressing what may be possible for venues three months from now, six months, nine months, 12 months and so on. And that will assist those producers and other event planners with getting moving now and as a result being able to access and seek support through the entertainment support package that we announced yesterday. For example, South Australia is moving to 50 per cent attendance in theatres. And the Premier of South Australia, Steven Marshall, was pleased to report he had been at the theatre the night before. And that was wonderful to see those venues opening up again.
The National Cabinet also adopted the recommendations of the medical expert panel on a public health workforce strategy. This is about continuing to invest and support the development of a public health workforce on testing and tracing and localised outbreak responses. And so we need to remain ever vigilant and keep building up that expertise and the states and territories spoke about how that resource will be able to move around the country. There'll be much of it which is resident within a particular jurisdiction. But as we're seeing now in Victoria, officers and other officials will be able to move into other jurisdictions where there is a need. And there was an absolute commitment from everyone to be able to move those personnel where they needed to be to respond to any particular demand.
National Cabinet also confirmed the advice that the 14-day quarantine period kept at 14 days. But Brendan will talk about some of the testing arrangements that will be a little different going through that. There was also a statement which was adopted on the safe return to entertainment venues, which went into quite granular detail, which I won't make tedious by going through here. Quite specific rules about how they prepare venues and manage access and egress and so on. And we also received a briefing on the economic impacts from Dr Kennedy this afternoon. The Treasurer and I will be meeting with the CEOs of all the major banks. And a couple of issues will be there, particularly the issue of deferral of loans and the issues that are emerging in a few months from now and getting a better understanding of what their proposed practises will be there and we'll be speaking to them about those issues. Also around getting access to finance in relation to new construction and rebuilds, obviously supported by the HomeBuilder programme at a Commonwealth level, but the state governments as well. We want to make sure that those who've decided to go ahead with those plans who don't already have finance are in a position to get access to that finance. And we also raised the issues around getting approvals for HomeBuilder programmes, for particular homes and redevelopments, particularly those affected in bushfire regions and that is most acute in New South Wales and in Victoria.
We also had a cyber security update. You'll remember the statement I made a week ago and it was a good opportunity a week on, after there had been a lot of technical briefings at officials levels with all premiers, chief ministers together for Rachel Noble from ASD to brief all premiers and chief ministers on those issues.
Outside of that, this is the Chief Medical Officer’s last briefing is the Chief Medical Officer. He's been in the living rooms of Australians now for many months. And I know, Brendan, you have been a person of great assurance to Australians with your calm way of explaining what are often very complex things. You've given Australians, I think, a great peace of mind. Brendan is taking up the role of Secretary of the Department of Health, which we delayed because of the seriousness of this issue and his keenness to continue on in that role and until he was in a position to now hand it over to Dr Kelly. And so I want to thank you very much, not just for the way you've reached out to Australians, Professor Murphy, but the outstanding leadership you've shown across the AHPPC, the medical expert panel, and the unfailing advice that you've provided to me and to my ministers and to my Cabinet. And so we thank you very much. He told me a little story before, he bumped into a little boy, was it?
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: A little girl.
PRIME MINISTER: A little girl who said, how did you get out of the television? I'm sure some of you get that from time to time, but I think it's a sign of endearment. And so thank you very much. And I'll hand over the CMO.
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Thanks, PM. So as the PM has said, this virus is accelerating around the world. We are in a very fortunate island, but we will remain at risk of importation of cases for the foreseeable future. Every day in Australia we have cases in hotel quarantine, mostly in New South Wales and Victoria, because they're taking the lion's share of that hotel quarantine hotel. Hotel quarantine is never going to be 100 percent perfect and importation our borders, whilst we have done so well with borders, we can't be absolutely sure that there won't be more and continuing imports of cases. We also, as we've said, can't be sure that there isn't small amounts of virus circulating in parts of the country. So the outbreaks, mini outbreak, we've seen in Victoria is what we predicted. What we planned for. When I took to the National Cabinet the plan for reopening, removing restrictions, we assured National Cabinet that the likelihood of outbreaks was high and that we were ready to respond to them. And that is exactly what the Victorian health authorities are doing right now. They have a huge team, they’re contact tracing over a thousand people. They're testing extraordinary numbers of people. And that's a way to bring a localised outbreak under control, to go to where the problem is, engage with the population test, isolate, quarantine, standard public health response. We're seeing some continuing cases, 20 to 30 a day in Victoria over this week. That's what you'd expect. That is absolutely what you'd expect as you bring this outbreak under control. The cases that are detected today were infected five to seven days ago. So the fact that we're not seeing a major escalation in numbers is reassuring. And we are very confident that the Victorian response which is being assisted, as the PM has said, by people from interstate as well. It's good, strong and appropriate and it's focal. So we're dealing with the problem. We may see more such outbreaks. We're very likely to see more such outbreaks, not just in Victoria, could be anywhere in the country. We're prepared. We're responding. And we're very, very comfortable with the way things are going.
As the PM has said, we have to reiterate the importance of 14 days quarantine for returning international travellers. That is because the risk is still very high. The country risk profile is changing all the time. We're seeing important cases in hotel quarantine from a different range of countries now. We are going to start testing people on entry to quarantine and testing people before they leave quarantine to see whether a testing regimen might help in the future to modify that quarantine in certain circumstances. But at the moment, even though we know it's a burden on our returning citizens and permanent residents, it's something that the great majority are very happy to put up with because they know it's protecting their fellow Australians from the importation of this virus.
So I was very confident to be able to reassure National Cabinet on my last day as CMO that we remain on track. We remain on track with our reopening and we remain prepared to respond to outbreaks as and when they occur. I'd like to thank the PM for his kind words. Particularly, I would like to thank my fellow members of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee. Any achievements that I might have had as a collective achievement. The wisdom of that group is extraordinary. Every member of the Federation of Australia has responded well. One of the great legacies of this outbreak is how our Federation has worked well. At the health level, we have consensus cooperative assisting each other and we have taken the best expert advice and given it fearlessly to our first ministers who have taken that advice on every occasion. That makes me very proud. I won't be moving away from the COVID response as Secretary of the Health Department. I will still be very much involved. I just won't have to appear in front of too many television cameras. Thank you very much.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you.
JOURNALIST: You stood here not too long ago and told Australians to stop it when it came to panic buying. You said it was ridiculous. How disappointed are you to see that today there's been limits introduced again on toilet paper in Coles and Woolworths and what's your message to Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's the same message I gave last time. Stop it. It's ridiculous. But more importantly, those restrictions have been put in place, the coordination commission that works around these issues has been working with the suppliers and the retail outlets to put that in place. I'm sure it will pass, as it did last time, and there's no need for it. And I think today it's important to reassure people the outbreak doesn't mean there's a problem. The response to that outbreak is strong, which means that Australians can have confidence. Of course, there are going to be challenges, as Brendan Murphy has just said, but we're on top of it and we will continue to work together to stay on top of it. As a result, there is no need for the anxiety that would lead to that type of behaviour. Mark.
JOURNALIST: What concerns do you have about attempts at foreign interference into Australia's political systems? And what information can you share about the raids in Sydney today?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's a matter that is being pursued by the taskforce, which became operational last December, which we established. The details of that I'm not at liberty to go into, as I'm sure you'd expect. But it's been an investigation that has been going on for some time. It's taken, it's elevated to a new level today. I think the actions of the Australian Federal Police and ASIO demonstrate that the threats in this area are real. The need to take action is necessary. And the Government is absolutely determined to ensure that nobody interferes with Australia's activities. We won't cop anyone coming and seeking to interfere in our political system, in our energy sector, in any area of the perceived area of opportunity for an outside actor. We won't cop it. We are a resilient people. We will stand up to it and we will take action, as what you've seen today demonstrates.
JOURNALIST: PM, you said you and your Treasurer were talking to the banks later today. What is it you'll be seeking? Specifically on loan deferrals, will you be asking for greater flexibility in terms of avoiding a cliff, for example?
PRIME MINISTER: The discussions are of a broad nature. It is an opportunity for the Treasurer and I to effectively get on each other's page in terms of where we're at and where we're seeing the economy and the impacts, what they're seeing in their own information through their own networks and their own data, we can share similar things. It's to address some of the very real issues you've just noted. The Government has a range of measures in place until September. The banks also. And we do want to ensure there's smooth transitions that occur. As I've said now and on numerous occasions, there are parts of the economy now which are building back up and that's welcome. That's great. And we need to ensure that what we're doing in providing supports is not getting in the way of that or preventing that. But equally, there are parts of our economy, and we had a very heartbreaking example of that yesterday with Qantas, and equally sitting down and working with the entertainment sector. And, of course, there's the tourism sector, particularly in regional and remote parts of the country, that will experience these downturns for much longer and obviously, they will need ongoing support. And so we're looking to make sure that we're integrating all of that and ensuring there is as smooth a transition as possible and that we're all working to the same end.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the economy reopening, is it a reasonable approach for a state to reopen its borders in July, but exclude residents from localised hotspots? Is that a reasonable approach you think could be taken? Are you still expecting that all states will reopen in July except WA?
PRIME MINISTER: That is my expectation. The other point I'd make in response to your first question. Yes, I do think that is a reasonable way to do that. And that's exactly what the Northern Territory government is doing. The Northern Territory government is opening up and I commend the Chief Minister, Michael Gunner, for that approach. If you're, you know, you have to fill out a statutory declaration going into the Northern Territory about where you've come from and if you've come from a hotspot, well, you have to go in quarantine. And that's entirely reasonable because what that does is reinforces that this is about where the hotspot is and these are localised outbreaks. You know, if you live in Wangaratta, as I said yesterday, or Wagga, you're just as affected by what's happening in the hotspots of Melbourne. And so to have those sort of broad-brush type restrictions really, I don't think makes an enormous amount of sense. And so this is part, I think, of a more tailored, more localised response to outbreaks. Of course, people shouldn't be going out of those areas and nor should people be going into those areas. That's how you manage an outbreak. And that's exactly what the Victorian government is doing. That's how the New South Wales government has also responded in terms of the hot zones. And I welcome the approach followed by the Northern Territory.
JOURNALIST: When do you expect international students to start returning to university campuses across Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're still working on those issues with a number of states and territories and we've got some good plans there. But that won't happen until Australian students are back at universities. That won't happen unless Australians can move from one part of the country to where that's happening.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] safe corridor. Sorry to interrupt you.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they are the prerequisites. Australians have to be back at those universities first and the borders of the states in which those campuses are, need to be opened first. And so there are a range of prerequisites that the states are well aware of. And they'll be applied.
JOURNALIST: Can I just ask about the hotel quarantine arrangements for international arrivals. Professor Murphy has mentioned that everyone will be tested now for COVID. We heard this morning that 30 per cent of the people in quarantine in Melbourne are refusing tests. Will Home Affairs be requiring travellers to sign a consent form before they return to Australia? Or do the states need to upgrade their emergency powers to be able to compel people to be tested? And have we seen the same sorts of figures in New South Wales as well?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'll ask the Chief Medical Officer to respond also. But it is a matter for the states in terms of what's done within their borders, within their jurisdictions in complying with health requests.
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: So, yes, I think that 30 per cent is quite a high rate. Other states haven't seen the same rate of refusal, but the states have the powers and they obviously will work it through locally. But you have powers to say to someone, well, we won't let you out of quarantine until you've been tested and had a clear test. So there... I think most people, when they understand it and particularly we will, as you say, make sure that people understand before they come that this is a requirement. And I think most people will cooperate with that arrangement.
JOURNALIST: Just on the Women's World Cup. Were you surprised by the outcome? And what do you make of our biscuit-loving English friends who want to eat our Tim Tams but don't want us to host the World Cup? Are we going to retaliate with a Tim Tam tariff for Boris?
PRIME MINISTER: No, there'll be no Tim Tam tariffs. But look, my reaction to the result is one of being thrilled. And I got the news through the evening last night, in the middle of the night, and was really pleased. I mean, the Commonwealth obviously put $5 million into this bid and because we believed in it, so I wasn't surprised. But I was thrilled. And there will be the opportunity, I'm sure, for me to have a chat with Boris at some point and I'm sure he'll make it up to me some other way.
JOURNALIST: Just on that ASIO activity up in Sydney. From the briefings that you've had, how concerning or how serious are the matters that are under investigation in this matter?
PRIME MINISTER: They're extremely serious. The actions that have been taken by ASIO and the AFP demonstrate that seriousness. The careful nature of the way they're undertaking these investigations. I was briefed on these matters last night and advised that they would be taking these actions. These are matters that I am also aware have been under investigation for some time. They’re operational matters, they are decisions taken by those agencies rightly. But the reason they could go and do that in the way they have done it is because our Government a) put the laws in place to ensure that doing things that are under investigation here are contrary to laws in Australia. And secondly, to set up and give the capacity to ASIO and the AFP to go and enforce it. So our Government made the laws to counter foreign interference, and we've provided the resources and the enforcement resources in particular to go and make those laws a reality.
JOURNALIST: On the entertainment package, do you anticipate that young Australians will be able to enjoy outdoor music festivals this summer? And if I may, just on the smaller music venues, what do you say to some smaller venues who might not be eligible for direct support and feel frustrated that their support comes from them taking out further debt through concessional loans?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the grants and the loans apply across a vast array of business sizes, so they wouldn't be discounted for that reason at all. This can be from quite small events through to quite large events. So they would not be excluded from that. And I would hope that they would think through how they might approach the Minister's programme to be able to access that support, to get those projects up and away. The arts and entertainment sector already is benefiting as they constantly, when I meet with them, show their appreciation for through the JobKeeper programme, but also the JobSeeker programme, which for many that is the programme which they've used. But for many others it has been the JobKeeper programme. So in terms of the outdoor venues, well, that's a matter more in the hands of the states and territories, but we are already seeing an easing of those restrictions. I think there is an appetite to get back to something. But it would sort of, I would assume, and Brendan I'm sure you'd comment, have to be under quite controlled circumstances. And this is one of the reasons why we've asked the medical expert panel to look at what a road map would be for the entertainment sector so they can actually make some decisions about what is possible. But the key things that the expert advice has been focusing on is the ability to know who's there, where they are when they're there and who they're coming in contact with and how those social distancing measures are being... enforced is the wrong word, but practised. And so as time goes on, we're finding that states and territories, as well as operators, are finding more innovative ways to respect the social distancing and conduct their business. And so I would hope that it would not be beyond their imagination to be able to overcome those issues and I would hope that we would see that happen as soon as it can be practically arranged. But Brendan?
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: So, Prime Minister, I couldn't do more expert advice than you did. But the principle really is exactly as the PM has said, to make sure who's there so that there are tickets with you can contact people. And at least initially, whilst we're getting confidence that people are seated and are able to distance. So at the moment, many states are already planning to have music, live music events in outdoor stadiums where you can put people in seats. The sort of festivals where people crowded together in an uncontrolled fashion are more risky and they're probably a bit later down the track. But in some states, as they get more confident, they may look at those in increasing size.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Bain Capital has agreed to buy Virgin. Have you received any assurances that jobs and routes will be saved?
PRIME MINISTER: I have been in the National Cabinet meeting all this morning, I've just only received the news while we were there earlier today about the success of that programme. I am pleased that a successful bidder has emerged from that process. That's what we anticipated would happen and I look forward to Virgin going forward and more importantly, for the jobs that are in Virgin to be being able to be secured. It is a sector, though, as we saw with Qantas yesterday, that faces very, very significant difficulties. Virgin is now focusing, obviously, on the domestic operations and the domestic operations have a much more positive outlook than the international operations. And so, therefore, you would hope that they would be able to move to a more profitable situation, at least for those operations, given they're keen to focus on those things, but it's a good next step. There's still a long way to go and the Government will continue to provide the broader support that it has been providing.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister yesterday an audit found a massive failure in the Environment Department's management of the EPBC Act. You've spoken about the need to cut green tape before. This showed that there's been massive blow-outs in approval times. A former Environment Department official has linked those blow-outs to declining budget over the last seven years. Will you commit to giving the Department the resources it needs to manage the environmental legislation effectively?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we did, and that's why they've been able to reduce the backlog of those environmental approvals, which postdate that report down to just a handful now. And that's why we have had the review of the EPBC Act, which we're expecting very soon, and there will be some options we would hope that would seek to streamline those approval processes to ensure that resources can be applied where they can be most effectively used and to do that work in concert with states and territories. It's been a matter that we were to have looked at more closely today in the National Cabinet. But given the need to address the issues in Victoria, we've delayed that discussion for a further fortnight. So the short answer to your question is, we're already doing it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just again on state borders. What assurances did Queensland give you about opening their borders by July 10? And were you surprised on Victoria's decision to walk away from the offer of a thousand or the request for 1,000 troops to 150?
PRIME MINISTER: On the first one, I understand the Premier of Queensland, there is the existing date of July 10. And I understand that they are reviewing that and they'll be making further announcements about that date in coming days. And they have a review and they'll take that advice and they'll make a further decision. But as far as I'm aware, the date is July 10 and if there's any change to that, then that is something the Premier would advise. On the issue of the Defence Force deployment to Victoria, I had a discussion on, well, several discussions, many discussions with the Premier over the course of this week going back to last Saturday and talking of what the issues were. The medical expert panel met on the Sunday. There was a review of where there may be gaps that we might have to assist with and they were then operationalised. I spoke to the Premier on Tuesday night and he set out a number of areas where they would need support. That actually didn't include the issues around that large number of 1,000 for the quarantine. That was a further request that came the following day, as I understand from officials, and that was a request that was subsequently withdrawn, I assume as a result of further discussions by officials in Victoria. But the point is this. Where any state needs some support here, then we will provide it. And these situations can be quite fluid and the needs can change in a short period of time if they didn't end up needing that additional support and that can be done by their police service, well, good. But if they needed additional support from the Federal Government, then it would have been there. And I spoke to General Campbell late on Tuesday night, and he had the show ready to go the next day. And that's what the states can expect. But I've got to say, I was very pleased by the solidarity of the Premiers today in supporting Victoria. As I said, it could be them on another occasion and I think it showed us, as Brendan Murphy was saying, the way the federation is working. Sure, they have their odd words about each other from time to time, about which state they should visit, which borders they want to shut to each other from time to time. I'm for all the borders to go and for the jobs to open. But what is important is that they are all supporting each other with their resources and with their learnings. Sam?
JOURNALIST: A question on jobKeeper and providing certainty with businesses going forward, the turnover test currently operates that you qualify once and that's it but you have to put in our data monthly. Obviously, that could be switched over to a monthly qualifying period. Now, that's something the Treasury review has looked at. Is that something that you see applying before September potentially or only after September if you were to extend JobKeeper for some specific industries?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I've said consistently that the scheme will run as it was intended to run until the end of September and there are no changes to that.
JOURNALIST: But does that preclude changing the turnover test?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that would be a change to the scheme. And so I've said I mean, that the point about JobKeeper and putting it in for six months when other countries only put it in for three months was to give stability and a platform for employees and employers alike so they could operate with confidence about what that set of arrangements were. And I have no doubt that there are many businesses now, fortunately, who have moved back above that threshold. I suspect that's absolutely the case and I certainly hope it is for their sake and their employees. But we are working under the arrangements we put in the legislation and will continue to do that for the current phase of that programme. In relation to future phases of what we will need to do in terms of aggregate demand stimulus, well, as I've said on numerous occasions, we'll be announcing that in time for the economic statement. And these are considerations that the Government is still working through. But as I've assured, whether it be Qantas or those in the entertainment sector or the tourism and hospitality sector or regions like North Queensland, we get it. We understand that they are going to be hurting more for longer than other parts of the economy. And so we will continue to tailor our fiscal supports to those areas that will continue to need them. Our hope is more and more parts of the economy won't need them and they'll be able to move forward. But on this point in particular, the income support side of it is really important, but so is the industrial relations flexibility, and that is the constant feedback we have as well. I mean, if we were to go to a situation where the industrial relations flexibility was withdrawn post September, what that would mean is, the rigid rules around full time employment and part time employment, which employers are now managing to keep people in jobs and to manage and share hours and doing things like that. If those rigid rules were reinforced, and we talked about this at National Cabinet today, then those who are on part time hours would be most at risk because in order to fulfil the requirement of the full time hours at the full rates, then I fear that that could lead to part time employment being lost unnecessarily. And we know that and particularly women are affected, would be affected if part time jobs were to go as well as, you know, more than 12-month casual employees who have more casual hours. That's where businesses may have to regrettably move, if that were the case. So it's important in talking about ongoing fiscal support that we also talk about ongoing industrial relations flexibility. Industrial relations inflexibility in this environment will cost jobs. And there are obviously issues that we're talking through. Last one. Two more.
JOURNALIST: What was the feedback you got from premiers and chief ministers about that issue and how long…. What's your sense of how long that extra flexibility will be needed for?
PRIME MINISTER: They’re all matters under discussion. I'm not going to go into the comments of individual premiers and chief ministers, only to say that there is a great unity of purpose about keeping as many people in jobs as possible. We all want to see that and I'm very appreciative of all the premiers and chief ministers commitment to the practical goal of that. And that often means we're all doing things that some might find a little different. But we're all focusing on the same task.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the international border, yesterday Qantas, the boss, said basically he doesn't think it's going to open until late next year at the very earliest. Do you share that pessimism? Is there no chance of travelling overseas in the next at least 12 months?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we hope that we might be able to come to an arrangement with New Zealand far earlier than that. Whether we do that with other Pacific nations, I know there's interest from that perspective as well. There've been a number of other countries that have expressed an interest, given our health success in Australia. That doesn't necessarily mean that they would be invitations we would take up. So as you look around the world and you see the intensity of the virus escalating, not decelerating, then I think it is not unreasonable for Alan Joyce to form the view that he has. But no one really knows. And that's the problem. And that's just the uncertainty we have to deal with. And as we make so many decisions, you can't always do it on full information and you have to make judgements based on the best possible advice on where you think things are going and whether it's our health advisers or our economic advisers, Treasury or others, that's what we're seeking to do. And that's why it is good to know what the next step will be three months from now or six months. But the earlier you try and make those decisions, the greater uncertainty there is about the environment you're making decisions about. And so we will continue to just scrutinise those things very diligently. This has been an incredibly busy week with meetings of the Expenditure Review Committee and Cabinets and there've been numerous meetings and the Treasurer and I, we spend a lot of time together at the best of times, but at the moment, we are as inseparable as any two people could be. And there is a lot more work to do. Okay. Thank you. Yes, I'm sorry, John, then we’ll have to go.
JOURNALIST: IR flexibility beyond September. Is that sort of a separate thing you're talking about, but related to the Christian Porter five-group process…
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, separate thing.
JOURNALIST: And is it... would it require legislation or could employers and employees get together and do it themselves, or would it require legislation?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it worked far more effectively when it was done by legislation earlier this year. But we are talking about another phase. That's the point I've been trying to make now for some time. We've had this phase of six months. There'll be another phase beyond that and there'll be a separate set of challenges that we have to deal with there. And we also have to be mindful of the resources that are available to do this task. Today, the financial statements for May have been released today and you'll see there's a lot of red ink on those statements. And you'll see there the significant change in the fiscal position that has occurred as a result of the last few months. Now, we don't step back from the decisions we've taken. They've been absolutely necessary to ensure that Australia has not only had one of the best health responses to the COVID crisis and that continues, but also one of the best economic responses. Last night I had a call with Chancellor Merkel and we were talking about these issues and Australia's success in this area is well appreciated and understood. But it was another good opportunity to swap notes. Thanks, everyone.
Press Conference - Eden, NSW
23 June 2020
THE HON. ANDREW CONSTANCE MP, MEMBER FOR BEGA: Well, first of all, welcome to everybody and I particularly want to acknowledge the Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, who is with us today. Minister Littleproud, who on behalf of the region I want to acknowledge as our bushfire recovery minister at a federal level and Fiona Kotvojs, who I worked very closely with, of course, and Trevor Hicks. Today is an important day, and I will tell you why. Because [inaudible] particularly our timber industry and the workforce and Malcom McComb and Kel Henry and the team here at Pentarch who have turned this mill around during the toughest of times. And we are in the toughest of times. We're still in intense drought here in the southeast. And as Fiona gets around, particularly the feedback we're getting from the community is, you know, we're in tough times. We're resilient. We're positive. And we're going to stick together. And that comes through good community leadership. And I want to particularly acknowledge Fiona for that over the last six months, in particular by working alongside her through what has been without doubt the most trying and deepest and darkest of times.
Our community has been through a lot, but what's brought people together is the way in which people are positive, resilient and looking forward to the future. And I have one message today, particularly to the people of Eden-Monaro as one of the state members in the region. And I've been in opposition and I've been in government. But let me tell you, the power of having someone who can be a decision maker as part of a government is what is really important, and particularly a government under Scott Morrison's leadership at a time when we are facing an incredibly powerful virus which could strike anyone down at any time. And we have seen complacency creep in. Yet at a local level, people are responding to the leadership that's been on display because partisan politics have been pushed aside and everyone's come together. The Prime Minister has done an incredible job through the National Cabinet process to keep us all safe, keep our economy going as best it can and I want to recognise that. I want to thank them on behalf of the local community and I again want to reiterate the importance of electing Fiona to be a decision maker as part of a government. You know, if you reflect on some of the members past in Eden-Monaro, both Labor and Liberal, Jim Snow, Gary Nairn, Mike Kelly, the most effective times they had was when they were elected as part of a government, particularly Gary Nairn under the Howard years. And what we saw through those years and that strong leadership. You know, that's what, of course, is key to this byelection. So I'd urge everybody to reflect on that as they cast their vote and the importance of supporting Fiona to be a decision maker, not someone down a corridor, you know, working out political games, but someone who was part of a team that is saving Australia from the most horrible of times.
So on that note, it's a great opportunity to invite the Prime Minister to say a few words. It was great to be with him yesterday. It's great to be with him today. He's following me everywhere. So, it's good stuff. Over to you, Scott.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Andrew. Well, it's great to be here with you, Andrew, and great to be joined by David Littleproud and Trevor and Fiona Kotvojs, the Liberal Candidate for Eden-Monaro and to be with Fiona again today. Can I just start off, Andrew, by thanking you not just for your presence here today, but in the many months since the start of this year, there's been so much to do. I want to commend you for your very strong local leadership across your community. And I remember when we caught up at the memorial service in Sydney when we honoured those firefighters who'd fallen and at that time we were working through the very, the very real issue of small business grants across particularly across the fire affected areas of the south coast of New South Wales and your electorate. Not just, of course, there but in the many other fire affected paths. And, you know, that programme wasn't working. It wasn't delivering as much as we wanted it to. And together with the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and David Littleproud, we got that programme right, and there's over 4,000 small businesses now that across the Eden-Monaro electorate have who benefited from that small business support grants programme of $10,000. And it's just another great example of when you have state members, federal members working together, what you can achieve. And Andrew's right to raise those issues. We were right to sit down and work it out and get it sorted. And I want to commend David Littleproud for the work he did on that as well.
Andrew makes the right point, is that when you have a member on the ground in your team as part of a government, you can get just so much more done. Last time I was talking about the Eden Mill was when I was talking to Mal back when the fires were still burning and we needed to get the ADF out here to support them and to know that just within a few days of the site being handed over, they were back at full strength here with people here cleaning up the site and that's continued here today.
Jobs is what everything is about. Last Friday, I was standing with Fiona as we were out in Cooma and we were dealing with the jobs that were going to come from the Snowy 2.0 project. Here, we're talking about jobs again in Eden. But it's not just jobs in Eden we're talking about today. It's jobs up in Batlow and Tumbarumba and other parts of Eden-Monaro, but also other parts of the country. In the wine country of the Adelaide Hills and parts just outside of Canberra. What we need in this next phase, having put particularly in Eden-Monaro, over $100 million in recovery and support already through disaster recovery payments, through the Small Business Grants programme, through the primary producer grants and the primary producer loans. That's helping people and has been helping people get back on their feet. But now it's about the longer term future. And talking to Mal about their investment plans here, they will be supported by the plans we're announcing today. And that's $86 million in three tranches of programmes. The first of those, around $50 million, is going into the timber industry, recognising how important the forestry sector is to build back those jobs, not just here, but throughout the community. Some 600 jobs here in Eden depend on this mill right here and its continuation and the investment that needs to go in. And we're going to back that investment in, across the country. But particularly here, we've got $50 million overall going into that forestry programme to support mills, just like this one, to create the jobs and look into the future and make their own investments.
Some $30 million or around $120,000 an orchard is going into the apple industry. Now, it was actually on the very day that I went and visited the COVID-19 Information Centre, Emergency Response Centre, in Canberra. That same day, I was out in Batlow and I was out at Tumbarumba and we were sitting down and talking to the orchardists there about how they were going to build back. And the thing about orchards is it takes quite a while to sow those new orchards in. And it's not one or two years, it is a decade at least for them to build back and they were having to make decisions about whether they are going to stay and have another crack and go forward again or they were going to give up. And I said we were going to work on a plan together to ensure that we get the orchards back and we were going to support them in doing that. So today, $120,000 an orchard on average as part of that $30 million programme to get these orchards back and planted and restored and not just what that does for those producers and the many jobs that go around those producers, but how that affects the broader region.
And then there's another $5 million to support smoke taint of grapes. Now, that's particularly going to be in the Adelaide Hills more broadly when we're speaking nationally. But these are all the things that were affecting the key job creating and supporting industries in bushfire affected areas. First comes the disaster support, then comes the build back up through the recovery grants, which helps businesses get back on their feet. And then you’ve got to plan and put the investment in for the future to make sure those jobs are not just here in the next 12 months, but here in the next five years and 10 years and chatting to those who are working here today, they've been here, some of them, for up to 50 years, some from as little a few months here on contract. And it just goes to show the longevity of the jobs and how that can support communities. If we'd lost the mill, we would have lost the community. And it's so important that we put those investments into these businesses, to these industries that are so critical in these regional parts of the country.
So that's what we've done and we're going to continue to invest and we're going to continue to support. And on that note, I'll hand it over to David Littleproud to talk more specifically about the programmes.
THE HON. DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, DROUGHT AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Thanks, PM. It's great to be back here. I was here three or four months ago and saw the devastation that not only the mill felt, but also the entire community. So it's important that we as a government made sure that our recovery wasn't Canberra led, it was locally led. So we've sat and listened and understood the needs of each of these communities and today is the next down payment. We immediately put relief out there. The first phase of this fire disaster was relief. Nearly $240 million has gone out of the bank account of the Australian Government into the pockets of those that most need it. To give them some dignity and respect in the here and now when they were going through this disaster. That was the first phase. The second phase was to set up a $2 billion fund. We estimated $500 million that would be spent by the 30th of June. We're going to have a billion of that out by the 30th of June. We've doubled that commitment because of the work that we've done with state governments and with Andrew Colvin on the ground listening and understanding where those pressure points need to be. And in fact, a complementary piece of that was only announced recently, $450 million in those local economic recovery plans so the community decides how this gets rebuilt. Not us, not the politicians, but the community. They direct how do we build back better.
But this is another investment today in the next phase of the recovery, the next phase of jobs. In these communities, as Andrew said, it has been intersected by drought, fire, now Covid-19. We haven't taken the foot off the accelerator in response to any of those. We thought calmly through each of the responses to make sure that we protect the livelihoods of those people that have been impacted the most. And so today, I think it's a reflection not just on the timber industry, but we're looking at the apple industry; $120,000 per hectare to help those farmers rebuild, to rebuild the infrastructure, to replant, to put netting back up, to put the irrigation back in. Understanding they are five to seven years away from an income, but understanding the jobs that they create in those local communities and the export opportunities that they've taken up in creating wealth for regional rural Australia. We've understood as well about the wine industry. We were able to put the $75,000 on the ground straightaway where those wineries and vineyards had been damaged by fire. But we've understood and listened to industry and let them direct us to the regions that need the help from smoke taint. I visited one in Victoria and I've given it a crack and let me tell you, it doesn't taste real good. So we've acknowledged that we needed to do something for that part of the industry that has also been hit by COVID, because normally they have many tourists going through at this time of the year. So we've protected them and are giving them some support through that.
But today, with the timber industry here in particular, is an import investment in the future of the 11 mills across New South Wales. But the three across here in Eden-Monaro that Fiona and Trevor know intimately. The jobs that they create, an investment in their future, not just building back by building back better with the infrastructure that'll make this mill more sustainable into the future. That'll protect the 70 jobs that are here and the 600 jobs that are around them. The $10 million to be able to get that resource that’s sitting out on the ground out there that's burnt and be able to do something with it rather than let it sit on the ground and waste away. That's an investment in this community and the jobs of this country and the economy of this country. And I just say this is an important step and I just hope that considering what happened straight after the fires and the abhorrent behaviour of some of the green groups in basically thinking they were dancing on the grave of this sawmill, of these people's jobs, because they felt that this mill was going to be destroyed and stopped forever, shut down. I just say this is a celebration, a celebration of our economy and it's now time, and I just say to Anthony Albanese, where does he sit? Does he want to support the jobs? I'd hope that he'd come out straight away and say today that this investment, not just in this mill, but the three across Eden-Monaro that are being impacted, this is a great investment in those communities, in their futures. I know Joel Fitzgibbon will be out there straight away. Joel's opinion is pretty strong and it's pretty clear. Where's Albo? This is about character. This is about Albo showing some character and showing what his principles are. I mean, we only heard today that he had met the bloke he thought he’d never met before or had little to do with, he had sat down with him. I mean, let's be honest. There's no way in the world you would not know who this Somyurek guy is. With all due respect, he's a power broker in Victoria and if you go and see him two years ago, I reckon there's a fair reason he was there. It was there to square up with Bill Shorten. The way to get the numbers, the way to get to the Labor leadership, was through this character. So this is really about Mr Albanese showing some real character, backing these men and women that are here today that get up in the morning, do a lot for this nation, do a lot for this community. That's just a question of character. Come out, back us. Joel will be out in a few minutes. You could beat him, but you can also clear up what you've done in the past.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, happy to take some questions.
JOURNALIST: Can you or Minister Littleproud...
PRIME MINISTER: I’m happy to go to the Canberra gallery, but if they've got some local journalist here today, I'm happy to give them the first questions.
JOURNALIST: A bushfire question?
PRIME MINISTER: If we’ve got local journalists. Denise?
JOURNALIST: Can you just give us a bit more detail about what this announcement means for this mill here?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, sure. David, do you want to go through that?
THE HON. DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, DROUGHT AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Yeah, so of the $41 million, a mill such as this can apply for a grant of between one and five million dollars to invest in the infrastructure that they will need to rebuild or to to actually enhance the productivity of this and the sustainability of this mill. So this is a competitive grant process for mills, not only here in New South Wales, but in Victoria, South Australia and even in Queensland, where they'll be able to put in place an application to invest in some infrastructure. We’ve already been talking to Mal about what their investment will be and their application will be. And then there's also around the storage, around creating storage capacity for a lot of that timber that's been damaged that can still be used because of the technology that businesses like this have invested in in the past to ensure that these 70 men and women that work here continue to have jobs and gives us and buys us time, effectively, until the resource continues to regrow and they're able to source timber from other parts. This is the challenge that not only the apple producers have, but also the timber industry have. They've got some challenges about supply for some time to come. And we have to work smarter in the way that we invest Australian taxpayer’s money and protect these jobs, creating the new jobs and making it a more sustainable industry. So this will be an important grant money that they can apply for and has to be matched by the company itself. So it's not just a handout. They've got to put some skin in the game and show they're going to make an investment in this community as well.
JOURNALIST: And one follow up question, what could be done about the supply chain? Is there money being put into and furthering the resource or developing new forests?
THE HON. DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, DROUGHT AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Well, there already has been. In fact, we took to the election a national forestry plan that created a number of hubs and those hubs under Assistant Minister Duniam are being created as we speak. And a lot of the legwork in identifying those, whether they be in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and even in my home state of Queensland, are already underway. And we're working with the forestry industry to make sure that they are located in areas that will make sure that we have a sustainable industry in the future. There's money set aside, the job is getting done. It’s basically all systems go for a sustainable forestry industry in the future. We are going to be a billion short trees by 2030. We've just seen the decimation of a large stockpile of that and we need to make sure that we invest in that. We put the foot on the accelerator and Minister Duniam is all geared up to go.
JOURNALIST: Can you confirm that the deadline for the clean up of burnt properties has been pushed back to July 31?
THE HON. DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, DROUGHT AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Well, obviously, the New South Wales government is running that. The Australian Government is partnering and paying half the bill. It's an unprecedented measure that the Australian Government and New South Wales Government went into that was to put more money back into those people that lost their homes so that their insurance would pay for more of the improvements that they need to rebuild. The New South Wales Government initially told us 30th of June, they've subsequently come back to the 31st of July. Now, I don't think that's passing dispersions but you’ve got to understand, as we just heard before, the building behind you has asbestos in it. These are complex arrangements in which the New South Wales Government is working through with their contractor as quickly as they can, but as safely as they can. You can understand you cannot put your fellow Australians at risk. And New South Wales has put the foot on the accelerator. Victoria won't be finished till August. South Australia's homes have been completed. But New South Wales is on track to complete by the 31st of July, as the last information we were provided.
JOURNALIST: Is that acceptable?
THE HON. ANDREW CONSTANCE MP, MEMBER FOR BEGA: Look, we've seen Lang O'Rourke get through 3,000 homes. What's happened is that, unfortunately, some people have come forward late because of the incredible trauma they've been through and more properties have actually been discovered through the process that need the clean up. So, you know, I don't think there is any issue here, to be honest with you. I mean, I've seen it in my own laneway. The way that Lang O'Rourke have worked with the community, they’ve just got in, got the job done. You couldn't have imagined the fact that we've had this many homes lost to this event. It’s a lot of people. But we've had people come and obviously come through late for various reasons and that's why and to be honest with you, if you look at the magnitude, we are talking hundreds and hundreds of thousands of tonnes of debris that has had to be cleared away. So it's been an incredible exercise. I don't want you left with any impression that this is because of contractors or delays or government. This is just a process that the community is working through and they've been incredibly patient, incredibly good…
JOURNALIST: Are there any residents in Eden still waiting on temporary accommodation?
THE HON. ANDREW CONSTANCE MP, MEMBER FOR BEGA: Look, in terms of the residents, right, the challenge that we've faced with bushfire recovery is a lot of people want to go back to their, quite rightfully, their own properties. Be with their neighbours, be with their local community. And it's fair to say in a community like ours, we don't have the housing stock that you might have in a metropolitan area. So, you know, that's why people are now being supported through programmes that the state government is running to have pods on their land, working through temporary housing and all forms of different models. But when you live away from a community, in the case of some of the communities here, you drive past Kiah, you know, you're 20 minutes from town. It's inconvenient to be away from your property and in some cases feeding animals and the likes. We've got to support people on an individual basis, and that's what we're doing.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can I just ask a couple of Eden-Monaro questions? The first one is talking to people in the electorate, a lot of businesses down here, obviously tourism in particular, they get 60 or 70 per cent of their income at Christmas. So they're saying we're desperate to know what's going to happen between September and Christmas. And the second question is, somewhere like here in Eden, if you want to, because you've talked about skills, if you want to build your skills base, you've got to get to Bega before you can find a TAFE. Is there something the Government can do to actually put more funding into TAFE in local communities like this that have been so hard hit by so many multiple disasters?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, a couple of things first. I mean, there were the small business support grants, over 4,000 of those that have gone out here in Eden-Monaro. 10,000, that's the programme I was referring to that Andrew and I worked on with David to get delivered. That was an important, a very important change in how that programme was being delivered. Then on top of that, there was the $10,000 cash flow support that was put in through out of the COVID response, and that can go a lot higher than $10,000, as you know. On top of that, you've got a similar number of small businesses and others who have actually been benefiting from the JobKeeper arrangements and, as you know, JobKeeper kicked in for those who'd had a 30 per cent fall in their turnover. As you know, the Government is still working through, we're not even halfway through this programme yet, and the data about where the economy is going and three months from now is very difficult to determine. So we're in very, right in the middle of working through those processes to be able to make a decision about the supports that can continue to be provided after that time and we'll be making those decisions and handing that down with the economic statement in late July. One of the things I would stress is the uncertainty around the outlook is very difficult to contend with when you're making decisions that involve programmes that are running at a cost of nearly $11 billion a month. So you need to consider those carefully and you need to target your support where you need to send it. I've always said, right from the outset, that there'll be parts of this country that will feel the impact of the Covid-19 recession far longer than other parts. Whether that's here or whether that's up in North Queensland or parts of Western Australia or other parts of the country, and it's predominantly in regional areas that proportionally will fill that will feel that pinch. And that's what the Treasurer and I and the Cabinet are working very closely on to make sure we get the balance of those supports right as we move into the next phase. There will be a next phase. It's good to see that in parts of the country, they're opening up again and people are getting back to their employment coming in. And they're in a much better position than they were back in March when we set this programme up. But there are many others which aren't in that position. And if you go into the creative industries and the entertainment industries, they have seen no change and that's not surprising, given the social distancing rules that apply. So we are calibrating and targeting how we're going to provide that support and we're working on those responses right now and we'll announce them in July. On the issue of skills, TAFE education accounts for, over all training and education in the country, I think it's about 13 or 12 per cent. And so TAFE aren’t the only providers of skills education in this country. And a lot of the skills training can occur right on sites all around the country. And what we want is a vibrant skills sector that can deliver training where the training needs to be provided. Whether it's on this mill or it's in the town or elsewhere or close by, some will be delivered through public institutions like TAFE. Others will be delivered through private providers and contractors delivering right on the sites through registered training providers. What we have at the moment, though, is not a good enough matching of the skills that people need for the jobs that are there and the training that is being offered at the moment. It's too sclerotic. It's too caught up in its own models. And that's why we set up the Skills Commission. That's why we've set up the Skills Commissioner. That's why at the National Cabinet we are having, I've got to say, the most positive conversation I've had the privilege to be involved in with Premiers and Chief Ministers about how we can make our skills system work better. Because it is a partnership. It's not unlike what we do in hospitals and schools. I think people rightly have an expectation that both the Commonwealth and the State Government will work together on this. There are shared responsibilities and that is very much the case for skills training. It's not just at TAFEs, an important part of it, but it is actually not even the majority part of it. It plays its role. But there are so many other providers that make up the sector and we want to make sure that they're lined up with the skills that people need for the jobs that are going to be there to employ them.
JOURNALIST: Could I just clarify this point about the JobSeeker, though if you’re…
PRIME MINISTER: JobKeeper, or JobSeeker? Or both?
JOURNALIST: Well, both, really.
PRIME MINISTER: We’re working through both.
JOURNALIST: Yeah, but what I'm just trying to clarify is whether your message to voters in Eden-Monaro is that as you move into this next phase, even if JobKeeper is not there, you're basically reassuring them that there will be some form of support for those industries and those businesses and employees who might not be able to know when to make the hard calls until Christmas?
PRIME MINISTER: Look, all I'm saying and I don't want to say anything that isn't very clear. And what I'm trying to say to people is we understand that different sectors and different parts of the country are going to be impacted far worse than others. And we have demonstrated right from the get go that those who have really needed the help, we've been there, straight away. Didn't have to wait for figures to come in, we were in there and we're in there for long. Six months was our JobKeeper programme. Now, similar programmes overseas went for three months. We put it in for six months to give people that certainty and I think that certainly has been incredibly important for confidence, which we've seen consumer confidence rebound to almost, I'd say, completely to the levels lost from when COVID hit. And business confidence is also climbing and it climbed almost to the day of when we put JobKeeper in place. And I think a key reason for that is that people understood that the Government was going to be there and I can assure you, we're going to continue to be there for those who are going to continue to need that support and how that is delivered and how it's calibrated and how it's paid for, well, they are the issues that we're working through at the moment. But our Government has demonstrated absolutely through the biggest ever income support programme ever delivered by a federal government in the worst economic crisis we've seen since the Great Depression, that we've always stepped up.
JOURNALIST: Are you considering a Royal Commission into…. Are you considering a Royal Commission into the Robodebt scheme, in particular claims that some people committed suicide after receiving debt notices?
PRIME MINISTER: We have no plans for one of those, no. I notice that last week the Labor Party actually voted against an inquiry, for such an inquiry in the Senate last week. So they seem to be having a bet way.
JOURNALIST: Why don’t you think a Royal Commission is necessary?
PRIME MINISTER: Because we're fixing the problem. We are aware of what the issue is and we're fixing the problem and we're getting the payments made and we're working through that process now. We're righting the issues. Let's not forget what this issue is about is the use of income averaging as the primary reason for raising a debt. That is the same practice that was used by the Labor Party as has been used by the Government. That is what the legal issue is, and that's what we are now fixing with those who've been impacted by it.
JOURNALIST: So there's no need for further investigation into suggestions that..?
PRIME MINISTER: Because we're fixing the problem.
JOURNALIST: One of the issues they're trying to address with that Royal Commission is trying to find out when the Government was aware that it was actually illegal. So that's not something that you’d be…?
PRIME MINISTER: That's a matter that's currently going through a legal process. I'm not going to comment on it.
JOURNALIST: Should Dyson Heydon's companion of the Order of Australia be revoked after…. in light of the sexual harassment allegations?
PRIME MINISTER: Allegations of this sort are obviously very disturbing and very concerning and they're incredibly serious. And the High Court has been dealing with that and the Chief Justice has made her comments about this, as I understand, and there will be a proper formal process that will be followed, I'm sure, in addressing those allegations. As you know, people's awards and honours, if those processes end in a place where people have, where those allegations have been upheld, then there's a normal process for honours to be dealt with at that time. But it's not appropriate to presuppose those processes. That's not the way these things should be handled. There should be a proper process to deal with this. There will be. They’re very serious allegations. They're very concerning and very disturbing. And on that basis, I would expect those processes to do their job.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just in terms of these measures you're introducing today, they’re actually quite specific and they'll mainly benefit voters in Eden-Monaro. So how is this not pork barrelling?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think that's a pretty offensive question to people who've lost everything in bushfires. These measures are targeted to areas that have been affected by the bushfires. In Victoria, in New South Wales, in South Australia, in Queensland. Now, Eden-Monaro is a big electorate but it is not that big, to cover four states. This is about helping communities rebuild. Rebuild their communities, rebuild their industries, regather their jobs, and these investments are part of a broader plan that started with the disaster recovery payments, the grants to support small business and primary producers. And now the grants now supporting the re-establishment and growth and investment in industries sitting alongside the local economic recovery plans that have been recently announced. This is about rebuilding communities. This is about rebuilding economies. Now, that is exactly the point that we've been making through Fiona Kotvojs as candidates, as the Liberal Candidate for Eden-Monaro. These two next years are going to be incredibly important. Andrew made this point, I thought, extremely well. The next two years are going to be critical for all of these communities. We're going to be investing in these communities and we're going to be relying on working with those communities to make sure we're getting that right. And to have Fiona Kotvojs as part of my team, the Liberal Candidate for Eden-Monaro working with us day in, day out to make sure these programmes are hitting the ground as they as they should, just as we work closely with Andrew to make sure we're getting our grant programmes aligned. That's why I need Fiona in my team. And by supporting Fiona at the byelection, you can ensure that she's there working with me to get that job done, working with Andrew to get the job done here on the ground so we can see the jobs retained and indeed grown in the years ahead and we see all of these communities building back better, rebuilding communities, rebuilding their economies.
Thanks very much, everyone. Thank you.
Press Conference - West Pennant Hills, NSW
22 June 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Welcome, everyone. It's wonderful to be here with the Premier of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian, the Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack, and Andrew Constance, the Minister for transport.
This is a very important day for New South Wales and particularly for Sydney and more broadly across the country, because this is one of those big projects and we've been announcing a lot of new projects starting lately. But it's great to also be talking about projects that we've got done. Over 8,000 people will have been involved in important jobs here, building this incredibly important piece of infrastructure that will keep freight moving, that will keep people moving, get you home sooner and safer. Make sure you can meet the commitments that are being made with freight deliveries, taking big traffic off suburban roads and making a real difference to local residents. And what's also exciting about this project is not just the jobs, but it's the partnerships that have been formed, the partnerships between state, federal governments and together with the private sector to deliver once again incredibly important infrastructure.
Our infrastructure works, our infrastructure programmes are so much part of the economic recovery that we are now embarked on as we come out of the COVID crisis. The works that we're doing together with the New South Wales government and many other governments around the country announcing further investments. Last Monday, I announced $1.5 billion dollars of additional investments on road safety projects and other bring forwards of projects with the Deputy Prime Minister. Infrastructure will be a key to jobs as we grow out of the Covid-19 recession. And I want to thank very much the Premier of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, as a former transport minister, a former Treasurer and now Premier. And for myself, going through similar channels, starting off with immigration. But these projects, I think, has showed the continuity of application of the New South Wales government in getting these big projects done Gladys, and we've been so pleased to be a partner with you. I know our local members here up in northern Sydney and importantly, those up on the Central Coast, which will benefit greatly from this project, are thrilled. It's evidence of delivery on the ground by our governments and getting on with the delivery of these major projects. And so with that, I'll ask the Premier to make a few comments. Then we'll hear from the deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport.
THE HON GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN, PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES: Great. Thank you, PM. It's always great to be here and welcoming a brand new piece of infrastructure in New South Wales, a collaborative project. State and federal government working together with the private sector to deliver this fantastic piece of a new tunnel, 9 kilometres, bypassing 21 traffic lights. I'm really excited by what this means for the people of the Central Coast. It will save at least half an hour a day, 15 minutes, at least each day. And many would argue even more when you sit in traffic above ground. And for local members and local residents in the vicinity of these tunnels at either end and above ground, it does mean less congestion, less freight. Most of the freight will be happening in-tunnel. So this is good news all round.
And as I've been saying even before COVID, infrastructure equals jobs, projects equal jobs. It is so important for our economic recovery that we keep building and we've managed through COVID to keep all of our government based construction jobs going. And that's something we intend to accelerate. In addition to the federal government's acceleration programme, as you know, the New South Wales government kicked in an extra $3 billion dollars to accelerate some of those smaller and medium sized projects in New South Wales. But I'm thrilled to be here with the PM, the Deputy Prime Minister, Ministerial and parliamentary colleagues, from state and federal both levels, to celebrate what is a wonderful symbol of things moving forward, a wonderful symbol of how we’ll help our economic recovery, keep the jobs going, but also improve quality of life. Because at the end of the day, that's what a big transport project does. It reduces travel times, improves safety and improves quality of life. And that's what this is all about.
THE HON MICHAEL MCCORMACK, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Well, thank you, Premier, and acknowledge the Prime Minister and acknowledge Andrew Constance, the transport minister in New South Wales, I'd like to especially acknowledge too Paul Fletcher, and Julian Leeser, local members behind me. Local members who understand the importance of congestion busting infrastructure. And that's what this project is. $412.3 million dollars by both Commonwealth and the state governments in a $3 billion dollar project as Premier Berejiklian just said a 9 kilometre project. It's amazing to actually go through it and to consider, as I drove out here, how many sets of traffic lights along Pennant Hills Road we had to stop at and then start again. Well, that's not going to happen for the tradies, for the truckies, for the local motorists, who Paul and Julian represent so well in the federal parliament. They know that their local road is going to be freed up of much of that traffic. Thousands of trucks are off Pennant Hills Road and into the tunnel and making sure that we ease that congestion. And for those truckies and for those tradies and for people using the tunnel, they're going to get where they need to get sooner and safer. They're going to get their jobs done quicker. They're going to get that freight, that task that they do so diligently well, each and every day on behalf of all Australians done quicker. And so that's incredibly good.
But what is also incredibly good is that you are, if you are in Newcastle and you want to drive to Melbourne, you can get there now that 1,028 kilometre journey without actually having to encounter a set of traffic lights. Just consider that, Newcastle to Melbourne without a set of traffic lights. That's infrastructure. That's delivery. That's what the Liberal and Nationals governments are doing at the federal and state level. And we're doing it because we want to build a better future. We want to build a better Australia. And that's what we're doing with each and every bit of our infrastructure. As the Prime Minister has just said, last week we announced $1.5 billion dollars of new money. And of course, today around the country, a lot of those bring forwards that we've asked the states to do are now being unveiled and announced. We're getting on. We're building better infrastructure, whether it's in the west of Sydney, whether it's in the metropolitan area here in Sydney, indeed, whether it's in rural and remote Australia, we’re building better infrastructure and we're building it so that Australians can get to where they need to be sooner and safer.
I'd like to ask Andrew to make a few comments.
THE HON ANDREW CONSTANCE, MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT AND ROADS: Well, thanks, everybody. This is a tunnel that's a life changer for everybody and to have the support of the Prime Minister and the Premier together, this has been years in the digging and it's now proved up to be an absolute game changer for everybody. Just echoing particularly that the fact that we've got state and federal members here, but particularly the benefits, to the central coast is going to be one in which it does benefit the tradies and our freight task particularly, in terms of Pennant Hills Road. It's one of the worst in the country in terms of congestion. And I know there's a 15 minute timesaving, but I bet it's more than that particularly on a Friday afternoon in the middle of the peak. We are going to see 5,000 trucks removed from local roads that grade. We're going to see tens of thousands of cars on this on this motorway very soon in the next couple of months. The tunnels cater for about a 100,000 vehicles, even potentially more. And it's just great in the knowledge that we've built this for the future. And we do, we must recognise our private sector partners who came to government with an unsolicited proposal many years ago. And together, the federal and state government working together have been able to deliver it in partnership. So that's a great outcome for everyone.
PRIME MINISTER: Happy to take questions. Can I also thank, I'm sure the Premier will join me, the more than 8,000 people who were on the tools here. Thank you for their incredible efforts to bring this project about and and the companies that work closely with them to achieve that. And as I was discussing with Andrew in the bus on the way here, they'll be picking up their tools and they'll be applying them to new projects now, there's quite a great pipeline of projects here in New South Wales, Premier. So thank you. Happy to take questions. Yeah?
JOURNALIST: No hard hat, no PPE?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Oh it’s my fault, that’s my fault.
PRIME MINISTER: I was following the premier's prerogative. Here we are.
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: I take responsibility for that, yep.
JOURNALIST: What’s the [inaudible] behind the [inaudible] for truck drivers to use the tunnel, doesn’t that stop from [inaudible] doesn’t that take away from [inaudible]?
MINISTER CONSTANCE: Well why would you go and build a tunnel if you're gonna have trucks not use it? I mean, that's why we put the penalty in place. We want the trucks off the streets and we want them down underground and away from those communities above ground. I think all the local members would tell you that, Liz. But the one thing I would observe is that a quarter of the accidents have been happening on Pennant Hills Road involve a truck. We've seen 360 accidents in the last 4 years. 122 of them have involved trucks. Unfortunately, 60 people have ended up in hospital as a result. So for us, it's not only about congestion, it's about safety. And that's why we're very keen to ensure that the trucks use the tunnel. There is going to be toll gantries above ground. They will pick up trucks who should be otherwise underground and there will be a penalty applied. So it's important. And those local trucks that need to do the deliveries, they're able to do so.
JOURNALIST: If you want them to use the tunnel, why is it going to cost them $23.50 each time they use it?
MINISTER CONSTANCE: Well, again, it's it's similar to the M2 in terms of the toll. But think about the wear and tear on trucks stopping at 21 traffic lights above ground. Think of the time savings. Think of the freight benefit. So, you know, we're going to see billions of dollars in uplift economically as a result of the time savings associated with NorthConnex. So it makes absolute sense economically and socially. And, you know, I'll reiterate, you know, particularly for people to be able to get home to their loved ones at the end of the day. This is the type of infrastructure which is life changing. It's more time with families. It's more time with kids, less time stuck in motor vehicles. And that's the great benefit of it.
JOURNALIST: When is it actually going to be open?
MINISTER CONSTANCE: Well it, in the next couple of months, what they're doing at the moment is just doing final testing on the fans, the mechanics and the electrics, speed signs and the like. They need to make sure it's right before you stick a car in it. And that's what they're doing. And we'll come back to you with a final date through Transurban very soon. But, you know, this is not years off now, it’s just a month or two.
JOURNALIST: Given you are cutting fines in half for people on centrelink benefits, could you look at Transurban cutting its toll in half?
MINISTER CONSTANCE: Well, let's just be clear in terms of the announcement yesterday, an application has to be made by the person doing it tough and it is considered. So, you know, I think that's really important, in terms of affordability we put a number of cost of living benefits in place through our rebates, including rebates on licences and rego to assist those who obviously, you know, are getting about. And the other thing about it is we still have the free road alternative for those who can choose to use that. We're not a government unlike Labor, who tunnel funnelled all their tollways. We're actually giving people, and maintaining the free option.
JOURNALIST: Is it fair that somebody who breaks the law will have welfare benefits in half price -
MINISTER CONSTANCE: As I said, there's an application process and approval process, and that's consistent with what has always existed.
JOURNALIST: So nothing’s changed?
JOURNALIST: On the, can you talk us through the light installations, I mean someone might think that’s a distraction, what’s the [inaudible] lights?
MINISTER CONSTANCE: Yeah, so, look, it's based on the European experience with long tunnels and it's designed to maintain the concentration of drivers. If you think about a nine kilometre tunnel looking at the same concrete walls, it's designed to actually alert drivers and keep them, their minds engaged with the driving in front of them. And that's why it's important, it’s based on European experience. And it's a measure that's been adopted here. And I think everyone would agree it's a feature of the tunnel, but it's also designed to improve people's concentration when driving along a 9 kilometre tunnel.
JOURNALIST: How much did these installations cost?
MINISTER CONSTANCE: I’d have to check on the exact cost in terms of that, but I mean, again, you know, we have seen a contribution made by the state and the Commonwealth. But, of course, because it was an unsolicited proposal brought forward by Transurban, you'd have to put that question to them.
JOURNALIST: Why won’t there be a toll free period for this road, and was it ever considered?
MINISTER CONSTANCE: Again. You know, we don't, as we've seen with other examples, we're making improvements to the motorway network in Sydney at the moment. And again, you've seen improvements with the M1 further up the road. And I think the Deputy Prime Minister was there the other day in terms of the widening of the M1. But again, you know, ultimately people will still have the free road option. But, you know, ultimately, like WestConnex, we're just going to get on with the job, and obviously the [inaudible] concession over the length of the period needs to be in place. Infrastructure has got to be paid for.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the coronavirus, obviously Victoria is going through some cases of community transmission in certain hot-spots, do you think it would be a good idea to support say hyper-local lockdowns of those areas that are experiencing community transmission or perhaps is it a time for Victoria to close their borders?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, let me make this point first. We said there would be bumps along the road. We said there would not be zero cases. We said there would be outbreaks. So the fact that there are outbreaks should not come as a surprise. This is a Covid-19 pandemic that is intensifying around the world. And Australia still remains by a very long stretch in a very, very, very good position. And localised containment rings, rings of containment, have always been part of the plan, together with, of course, the isolation. The borders work. The contact tracing, and it's another timely reminder as to why people should be downloading the COVIDSafe app as they're moving around more and more in the community. And there is the localised responses. These were all the measures that we set out, both from the National Cabinet and directly from myself as our responses, our health system has been built up. The tracing capability here, particularly in New South Wales, is outstanding, and all other states, including the Commonwealth, will lend support as is necessary to other states and territories. That's Victoria presently. And I was speaking to the Premier of Victoria on the weekend and we talked through their responses. They have paused and where they are going to, to the next level. That's understandable in the circumstances. They have localised outbreaks where they're considering more stronger measures in those localised areas rather than having that extended across the state. That's sensible under the circumstances, and we'd hope that that would mean that some of those restrictions could be eased once the risk has passed. But this is a practise that's been placed, followed in other countries. Israel, for example, does exactly the same thing when they have localised outbreaks. And that's the way we live with Covid-19. This is part of living with Covid-19. And we will continue on with the process of opening up our economy and getting people back into work. But there will be setbacks from time to time. But we've built up the systems to deal with the setbacks.
JOURNALIST: So you would support, and Victoria is going to look at implementing stronger restrictions potentially - in those type of local -
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Premier's already mentioned that, the Premier has already flagged those responses.
JOURNALIST: Premier, has there been consideration of a Victoria - New South Wales border closure?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: No, I certainly have been briefed, I’m in regular contact with our health experts. The border between New South Wales and Victoria will continue to stay open. However, as is consistent with the health advice from Victoria and also New South Wales, nobody from New South Wales should be travelling to those hotspots at this present time. And people should consider whether they should be travelling to Melbourne at this point in time whilst community transmission is where it is. But certainly can I thank, in particular, the more than 8,800 people that came forward and got tested in New South Wales in the last 24 hours. That is a fantastic rate of testing for a weekend. And I'm so deeply grateful because I know many people in the community argue why some restrictions are in place and why that may seem inconsistent or otherwise. But they're working. So please keep respecting them. I'm so deeply grateful to our citizens. We only had two cases out of those, 8,800 one was in a returned traveller and the other one is still under investigation. It's a bit of an unusual case the other one, and it may prove not to be a case, but in any event, those numbers are heartening and we need to keep coming forward and getting tested with the mildest of symptoms. Please know that when you do have a situation, as Victoria's experiencing, we need to make sure we keep up to date with the advice on a daily basis. So the advice that, the strongest advice we have today is that you should not be travelling to those hotspots at all unless absolutely essential. But we recommend nobody travelling to those hot spots. And certainly the Victorian government and the Victorian health experts have also suggested to people living in those hot spots not to travel around and not to move anywhere and certainly not to go interstate. And that is their own advice in Victoria. And we obviously strongly endorse that. But we're also asking people to consider their trips to Melbourne as community transmission at the moment is higher than what what they would like. What we would like. But having said that, we said from the beginning, once you start easing restrictions, we will expect case numbers to go up. But it's a question of how you monitor them, how you clamp down on them, how you make sure people are coming forward to get tested. It would be wonderful to think that we’re through the pandemic, but we're not, we have to live with this until there's a cure or a vaccine. And it's how you manage these spikes that allows the community to keep being able to be active and working and having a good life, a good quality of life. And that is our intention. So I appreciate what Victoria's going through, but don't assume it won't happen in New South Wales or anywhere else. It can happen very quickly, just with a couple of cases, not, a couple of incidents of people spreading the virus unintentionally can can reduce it, can cause a spike. And we have to be very conscious of that. It's a good wakeup call for all of us. But again, I'm so deeply grateful for the number of citizens in New South Wales that keep coming forward, that keep respecting the restrictions as hard as it's been, at this stage we have no intention of changing our course in New South Wales. However, we do issue that travel warning, recommend people not travel to those hotspots that have been identified by the Victorian government and certainly consider travel to Melbourne at this point in time, given the hotspots.
JOURNALIST: So are you recommending people do not travel to Melbourne, you’re saying consider travelling, should people if they’re looking to go to Melbourne for school holidays, should they go or should they stay [inaudible]?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Well, at this stage, the advice is do not travel to those hotspots at all. So do not go to those hotspots, reconsider your plans, reconsider what you're doing. But certainly Melbourne is a discretion. We would recommend people not at this stage travel to Melbourne unless they have to. However, that is, there is a level of discretion there. But the strong recommendation from the New South Wales government, including our health officials, is do not travel to those hotspots at all. And consider your travel to Melbourne at this stage.
JOURNALIST: How can we stop infected Victorians coming here though, their school holidays are about to?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Well, that's why the health experts in Victoria themselves have said to all of their citizens in Victoria, do not travel interstate, especially if you're from those hotspot communities. So that's the message from Victoria Health. And that is certainly what the message that we endorse. And we say to people here, please, please note that if you have the mildest symptom, you shouldn't be leaving the house. You should be getting tested. You shouldn't be travelling anywhere. And especially unless you know you're COVID free. You shouldn't be travelling outside the state of Victoria. And that's certainly the advice coming from the Victorian government itself.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible] that part of their problem is family spreads and that families aren’t taking it [inaudible] do you think that’s a problem here in New South Wales as well, [inaudible] been able to pick it up yet?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Well, our rate of testing is the highest in the nation and per head of population, New South Wales has by far the highest rate of testing, which we're incredibly proud of. That's what's allowed us to keep the community spread under control. But it also comes down to people doing the right thing. And you can't police what 8 million citizens do every day. We're relying on the goodwill of our citizens, coupled with the good advice from our experts and the good action from government and business. Business has been amazing, to see how COVIDSafe they've been in the main. Our businesses have been working so well under very difficult circumstances. So it's really been a community effort. Yes, you have rules and regulations and advice in place, but it also comes down to personal responsibility and people being responsible for their own actions. And I’m so pleased to date with the way in which our communities come together and really put in those hard yards. But please know that just a couple of people not respecting the rules can lead to spikes and can lead to things going backwards. And we don't want to see that in New South Wales. We've done so well so far. We've come so far in the last few months. Let's keep going by getting tested, by coming forward and getting tested. We've had record testing. I mean, last week we had days of, you know, 13, 14,000 people getting tested of a weekday. The fact that we nearly got 9,000 people tested on a weekend is outstanding. Please keep that up. It's keeping all of us safe. It's allowing us to continue to ease restrictions. And it's allowing us to stay on top of the pandemic at this point in time.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible]
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Look, that's a matter for them. Clearly we think that every organisation should look at, look at its activities whenever there's a spike anywhere in the country. And if it was in New South Wales, I'd be giving the same advice. You should reconsider your activity. If there is a spike anywhere, that is that should be normal course. And look, New South Wales could be in this situation. Who knows in the future. And that's why the advice that we're giving in relation to Victoria would be no different from anybody else giving advice if it were in New South Wales. Every organisation who has any activity in and around Melbourne should reconsider its plans. Given the current situation, that is a normal course of action and I’d encourage all organisations to consider their plans whilst there is a spike in community transmissions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister there are reports today some of your MP’s don’t want to see planned Super increase to go ahead, do you agree?
PRIME MINISTER: Well the policy and the legislation is in place. But I can tell you what we're totally focused on at the moment as a government, is ensuring that we're getting these decisions around the JobKeeper and the JobSeeker programme and ensuring that they are best designed, and best calibrated to support people. And we are coming, going through right now this Covid-19 recession and the government is focussed on every single measure that can keep people in jobs and get people into new jobs. And so, you know, we have policies in place, if policies get reviewed at any point in time well, that's a consideration for that time. That's not something that's occurring at the moment. What we're doing right now is we are focussed on getting people back into jobs and reopening the economy is a critical part of that. Doing it safely is a critical part of that. I join the Premier in commending all the businesses that are getting themselves COVIDSafe and opening their doors. Those who have done the training that has been necessary to ensure that they know how to maintain the cleanliness of workplaces, to avoid the infections that occur. A lot of work's gone into that so people can open up their businesses. And that's why it's important that I think Australians have confidence that that work has gone into place, the protections are put in place. And then when we do have spikes and when we do have outbreaks, then they'll be dealt with and they'll be dealt with in a calm and considered way with the with the expert professional advice that we have and the tremendous work being done by our testers and our tracers and our chief health officers and our our chief medical officers who have guided all of our decisions.
JOURNALIST: Some states are offering payments for people who need to self-isolate and don’t have paid leave, would you like to see all states implement these measures?
PRIME MINISTER: Well they’re matters for the states to take up. The Commonwealth is doing its bit with over $250 billion dollars of supports that have been put in place into the economy and will continue. We're doing that. We'll continue to do that as we've set that out. And I know states and territories have dealt with different challenges in their, in each of their areas as they've seen fit to do so. New South Wales has certainly been providing great support to the economy here in New South Wales. And I know other states have been doing similar things. So they'll make their own judgements on those. And I welcome it when they do.
JOURNALIST: If we keep seeing outbreaks like this, would you consider extending JobKeeper and other payments further than the [inaudible]?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the government will be setting out its position on what occurs when those arrangements formally finish in September. That's when the legislation says they finish. And so we're working through those issues right now about how we continue to ensure there's the fiscal supports in our economy, the demand supports in our economy, the supports that help people stay in jobs and get new jobs, put them on a path to jobs. That includes everything from how we invest in skills where we've got a great partner in New South Wales on that front. How we're working our employment services to get people back into work where sadly they may have lost their job. And as we know, as the figures showed last week, devastating job losses across our economy. And we know there will be more. And so we'll keep doing everything that we can to ensure we can either get, keep people in real jobs where there is work to do or where because of the corona-recession, where they've lost their job, that we can work to get them trained up and skilled to get into a new job and that the economy is supported to create those new jobs.
JOURNALIST: Why would states like Western Australia look at whats happening in Victoria, the questions about how borders are being handled up into New South Wales and think opening up now would be a good idea?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's a matter for the Western Australian Premier. But again. We always said that we were not going for eradication of the virus. Other economies tried that. And their economy was far more damaged than ours. And so we have to ensure that we can run our economy, run our lives, run our communities alongside this virus, and until there's a vaccine, then that's what we have to contend with. And we can't just shut everything up forever. The economic impacts of that are devastating, and the states and territories working together as part of a unified National Cabinet have worked together like I've never seen a federation work before. States will make their own calls ultimately what's best in their best interests. But there will be outbreaks. There will be cases. What matters is that we've built the protections to deal with them. And that's what I want Australians to have confidence in. There will be cases. But the work that has been done to build up our defences, and that's why it's so important that people don't get complacent. This is, as the Premier said, a wakeup call. Australia has fared incredibly well compared to the rest of the world. But that cannot be cause for complacency. Covid hasn't gone anywhere. It's still out there, and it can still take hold. And so we can't be complacent about it and we certainly aren't as governments all around the country.
JOURNALIST: Premier can I ask you on that point, [inaudible] situation Victorian border, is this a decision by you based on the medical advice you’re getting? Or the economic advice you’re getting? Or both?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Can I stress very clearly the prime motivator in all of the decision making in New South Wales has been based on the health advice and certainly that is the prime decision. But also, we want to be in a position where we still keep moving forward in New South Wales. Yes, there is risk. There always is risk. And so long as our citizens keep obeying the rules, keep coming forward and getting tested. We can continue to take small steps forward, which is what we are doing. But having said that, please listen to the health advice provided by our authorities in New South Wales, but also the Victorian health authorities. Their advice is do not travel to or from those hotspots. I can't be clearer than that. That is the advice coming from both New South Wales and Victoria. Do not travel to those hotspots and please make sure no matter where you live, do not leave the house if you have the mildest symptoms except to get tested and then stay home until you get the result and you're cleared. This is so important. We have to live with this pandemic. We don't know how long it's going to last. It could be a year. It could be two years. It could be less than that. We don't know. But what we do know is that we need to live with it. And it means we need to make sure people are working and have a good quality of life, that our economy's moving, moving forward. And that's why we have to deal with these spikes as best we can, but also make sure that we do the right thing as we go along as well.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible] broken ranks with the government on -
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: I'm sorry?
JOURNALIST: Minister David Elliot has broken ranks with the government over planning policy, do you think it’s appropriate for a Cabinet Minister [inaudible]?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: We'll look, local, he's in in this capacity as a local member, he's raised his issues with the planning Minister as most of us do, and that's appropriate.
JOURNALIST: On the issue of fines, are you effectively subsidising bad behaviour?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Can I say very clearly that that's not an automatic, so any any reports today that that's an automatic discount is not correct. It has to be applied for. And there are already hardship plans in place. And as I understand it, this is the result of an amendment that was moved in the upper house last year when the legislation was going through parliament. So it's not automatic can I stress that. And there are there was already discretion in the system for hardship, and it certainly reinforces that.
JOURNALIST: Well what exactly was announced Premier? Because it seems that everyone who spoke to, about this is essentially walking back from it saying that there is discretion and that it won’t [inaudible]?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Look my understanding is it's not automatic. That's the best advice I have, that it's you have to apply for it and that it was a result of amendments passed through legislation last year.
JOURNALIST: Snow season opening up [inaudible] their plans?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Well, look, we've encouraged everybody to be COVIDSafe, whether you're a business, whether you're a patron, whether you're someone travelling, more than ever before when you're doing any activity outside of your home. Think about how COVIDSafe you are. Make sure you get tested if you have the mildest symptoms. And that applies to any activity, whether it's for pleasure or for business or for any other activity. We cannot be complacent. We cannot assume because of the case numbers in New South Wales that we're through the worst of it. We just don't know. We only have to look south of the border to see what's happened there. That could be us. If people don't do the right thing, we will go through those spikes. But we have to manage it as a nation, not just as a state. And we have to support our colleagues around the nation in dealing with this pandemic. And that is definitely the course that New South Wales is taking.
JOURNALIST: Premier why won’t you ask the state Liberal party to resolve a dispute in the Baulkham Hills branch in one of Alex Hawke’s [inaudible]?
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Because they're matters for the organisation.
JOURNALIST: Quick question for Andrew Constance
MINISTER CONSTANCE: Like 5 questions ago, go Chris?
JOURNALIST: [inaudible] pop-up bike lanes, when will they go?
MINISTER CONSTANCE: Well they’re temporary. But you know I want to reiterate this point. One of the things we've made clear with the transport plan is if you can walk or ride your bike or use your motor car, particularly during peak periods, that's what we need you to do. And we're facilitating pop up bike paths to encourage cycling. Cycling’s gone up 50 per cent in the last five years. And the feedback is very positive. So we will just continue that but they are temporary at the moment. And we just got to wait and see on them.
PREMIER BEREJIKLIAN: Thanks, everyone.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
19 June 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you for joining us this morning. I’m going to read to you a prepared statement. Protecting Australia's economy, national security and sovereignty is my Government's top priority. Keeping Australians safe. I'm here today to advise you that based on the advice provided to me by our cyber experts, Australian organisations are currently being targeted by a sophisticated state-based cyber actor. This activity is targeting Australian organisations across a range of sectors, including all levels of government, industry, political organisations, education, health, essential service providers and operators of other critical infrastructure. We know it's a sophisticated state-based cyber actor because of the scale and nature of the targeting and the tradecraft used. The Australian Government is aware of an alert to the threat of cyber attacks. Our Government's expert agency on cyber matters is the Australian Cyber Security Centre. It has already published a range and technical advisory notices in recent times to alert potential targets and has been briefing states and territories on risks and mitigations.
Regrettably, this activity is not new. But the frequency has been increasing. The ACSC has also been actively working with targeted organisations to ensure that they have appropriate technical mitigations in place and their defences are appropriately raised. Thanks to the cooperation between the affected entities, the Australian Cyber Security Service and a range of private cyber security providers, we have been working together to thwart this activity. The purpose of raising this matter here today is to simply raise awareness of these specific risks. They are not new risks but they are specific risks and the targeted activities. And to advise you how Australians, and particularly these organisations, can take action to protect themselves. The Government's 2016 Cyber Security Strategy backed a $230 million investment over four years. This has strengthened Australia's cyber security foundations and stimulated private sector investment in cyber security and positioned Australia as a regional cyber security leader. The Government will release a new cyber security strategy in the coming months, and that will include significant further investments. We have also invested a further $156 million to build cyber resilience and expand the cyber workforce as one of our large election commitments and we invested additional funding for a whole of government cyber uplift programme.
But, in this environment, of course and increasingly, there is always more to do and we must continue to work together. Cyber security is a whole of community effort. Government, industry and individuals. That is why we are raising this matter today, to raise awareness of this important issue and to encourage organisations, particularly those in the health, critical infrastructure and essential services, to take expert advice and implement technical defences to thwart this malicious cyber activity. Australia has some of the best agencies in the world on these issues. And Australians, like I, I believe, have confidence in those organisations and they are doing their job and they are doing it effectively. But that is not to diminish or discount the risks that we now face in this modern world. These risks are present. They will continue to be present. It is part of the world in which we live. That is why these investments are necessary and the protections we put in place are necessary. The way we have to work together is necessary and we'll continue to do everything we can to keep Australians safe.
I’ll ask the Minister for Defence to make a further statement and then we have time for a few questions.
SENATOR THE HON. LINDA REYNOLDS CSC, MINISTER FOR DEFENCE: Well, thank you very much, Prime Minister. There is no doubt that malicious cyber activity is increasing in frequency, scale, in sophistication and also in its impact. This activity harms Australia's national security and also our economic interests.
It's vital that all Australian organisations are alert to this threat and take steps to protect their own networks. All Australian organisations who might be concerned about their vulnerability to sophisticated cyber compromise can take these three simple steps to protect themselves.
Firstly, patch your Internet-facing devices promptly, ensuring that any web or e-mail servers are fully updated with the latest software. Secondly, ensure you always use multifactor authentication to secure your Internet access, infrastructure and also your cloud-based platforms. And thirdly, it's important to become an ACSC partner to ensure you get the latest cyber threat advice to protect your organisation online.
Today, the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Department of Home Affairs have published a very detailed technical advisory which is available at cyber.gov.au. Now, this advisory provides all the necessary steps that Australian organisations must take to detect and also to mitigate these threats. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank sincerely the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Department of Home Affairs for their work on this matter. They 24/7 protect the Australian Government, Australian organisations and individuals.
Finally, can I remind all Australians that cyber security is a shared responsibility of us all. For further advice on how to protect yourself from cyber threats, I urge all Australians today to visit cyber.gov.au for all the information you need to keep your organisation and your family safe online.
Thank you, PM.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Linda. Just also as a matter of process, I advised the Opposition Leader's office last night at about 7.30pm last night. I was also able to get the same message to the premiers and chief ministers and a number of them have already been involved working with our agencies on issues. And in addition to that, there will be further technical briefings conducted with the states and territories today. To reinforce the point, we raised this issue today not to raise concerns in the public's mind, but to raise awareness in the public's mind. This is the world that we live in. These are the threats that we have to deal with. The fact that these threats present is not a surprise in this world in which we now live and the actions that we are taking are the actions that we need to take, and we will continue to be as ever vigilant as we possibly can.
Mark?
JOURNALIST: So Prime Minister, have Australians personal details or their financial details been compromised in this?
PRIME MINISTER: The advice I have as the investigation’s been conducted so far have not revealed any large-scale personal data breaches.
JOURNALIST: PM, has this been raised or have you raised it with any other governments, leaders overseas? Is there anything that can be done with our allies to work against this attack and protect ourselves?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we work closely with particularly our allies and partners when it comes to managing the issues of cyber security threats. That is a common topic, as you would expect, particularly through Five Eyes partners. I spoke to Boris Johnson last night about a range of matters, including this one, and there are other engagements with our partners and allies overnight.
JOURNALIST: Which state was it and if you won’t tell us that, is this the action of a friendly nation?
PRIME MINISTER: I'd simply say this, and that is, the threshold for public attribution on a technical level is extremely high. And so Australia doesn't judge lightly in public attributions and when and if we choose to do so, it is always done in the context of what we believe to be in our strategic national interest. What I simply can confirm is there are not a large number of state-based actors that can engage in this type of activity and it is clear, based on the advice that we have received, that this has been done by a state-based actor with very, very significant capabilities.
JOURNALIST: Are these the actions of a friendly nation?
PRIME MINISTER: I’ve made my statement on the issues you’ve raised.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just to understand scale, it was quite a list of sectors and levels of government that you're talking about. Can you break that down into entities? Are we talking the hundreds here, the thousands, who have been targeted?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, there are many that have been targeted. But in terms of their success, that is not as significant. And as I said, the investigations undertaken to date as I related to Mark in his questioning. So we will continue to work closely with the agencies. As I said, today is about raising the awareness. I mean, obviously, those who are engaged in this are not doing this to help us. That's certainly not their intention. And so you could describe it as malicious and that is why our awareness levels need to be raised. And I really do want to thank, particularly, the private sector operators that we've been working closely with. The ASD has a very good relationship with organisations around the country and the contact and the disclosure that takes place and the engagement of our agencies working closely with them has been excellent and I want to thank them for their vigilance. But it is a reminder again that these things don't just occur in relation to state-based actors. We are aware of criminal-based cyber activity that, as we are aware of, has been affecting other corporates at the moment. You'll be aware that there are some other cases that are going on at the moment regarding Lion and a few others. They are not related to these events. They are other events.
PRIME MINISTER: Katharine?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, when did the attack start and when was it brought to your attention? And also, you said you're raising it to raise awareness in the community and business and governments. But is there something about the scale of this attack that is unprecedented?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I don't know if I'd use that word. As you recall, some time ago, I spoke of these issues in the Parliament. So this is ongoing activity. It hasn't just started. This is a constant threat to Australia, as it is to many other nations, and you'd be aware of many other nations having highlighted similar activity in their jurisdictions. So this has been a constant issue for Australia to deal with. And so I wouldn't say that there's been any one event or any one instance. I mean, we have been dealing with cyber security threats from state-based actors for some time, and I've alerted the public to that before. So it has been an issue of ongoing management, defence and cooperation, working with private operators, other governments, all levels of government and other organisations.
JOURNALIST: To follow that up, PM, has it intensified in the last week or month, is it... what has prompted you to make a statement?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, as I said in my statement, I said the frequency has been increasing. Its frequency has been increasing.
JOURNALIST: In what time frame?
PRIME MINISTER: Over many months.
JOURNALIST: PM, you say we haven't sort of reached the threshold for public attribution. That's not going to stop people speculating it's China, particularly in light of their anger and trade retaliation and things like that for your advocacy of an inquiry into coronavirus. What do you say to people who link it to China, who will naturally think it is China, given they have form in this field?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I can only say what I've said. The Australian Government is not making any public attribution about these matters. We, though, are very confident that this is the actions of a state-based actor. We have not gone any further than that. I can't control what speculation others might engage in on this issue or frankly or any other. I've simply laid out the facts as we know them and as we've disclosed today.
JOURNALIST: Obviously you're not going to reveal which state-based actor. But to confirm, do you know which state this is coming from?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, as I just said, the threshold for attribution on these issues is very high.
JOURNALIST: I’m asking, do you know where it is coming from?
PRIME MINISTER: This is my answer. I'm saying the threshold for being able to answer your question along those lines is very high. What I can confirm, with confidence based on the advice, the technical advice that we've received, is that this is the actions of a state-based actor with significant capabilities and there aren't too many state-based actors who have those capabilities.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, why do you think these institutions in these sectors that you outlined have been targeted?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's, as I've indicated, it's quite broad-based. And we've seen similar activity across a broad base in many other jurisdictions around the world. And I think what that does is just highlights that this is part of the new world we live in. Regrettably, this is not peculiar. This is part of the many threats that Australia has to deal with. And I think that highlights, I think, the Government's early action under the former Prime Minister and I remember being there with him on the day when the Cyber Security Strategy was released. That was a forward-thinking plan, with a forward-thinking investment and they are investments that I have continued on as Prime Minister, at the time I was Treasurer. They were important investments for us to make and I'm glad we made them and we're continuing to make them and as I flagged today, we'll be making more, because this is what keeping Australia safe looks like to make those investments. There, of course, can't be any guarantees in this area. It is an area of rapidly advancing technology. But that's why our technical experts have worked so closely with the sector to be able to give the technical advice and the information that Linda has outlined to you today. And I'd encourage people to avail themselves of that. But for many of those who have already been working with us, they would already have that information.
JOURNALIST: Is the motivation of these attackers to obtain state secrets, commercial intellectual property, or is it the personal data of everyday Australians? What is the motivation?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's very difficult to understand what one's motivation might be for that and what is of interest to us is that it is occurring and what we are focused on is the practises that they are employing. And we have some of, if not the best agencies in the world working on this and that means that they are putting all of their efforts in thwarting these attempts. And I can confirm that they have thwarted many. But this is a very complex area and it requires constant persistence and application and that's what they're doing. So I raised this not to raise the concerns of Australians, but in many ways to reassure Australians that we understand what's going on here and we're addressing it to the best of our capabilities and we're in a position to do that better than most countries in the world. We know it's going on. We're on it. But it is a day to day task that we're applied to and we will continue to do that to keep Australians safe. And if there are further updates from I or the Minister to provide, we will be doing that and indeed any other agencies and we'll keep working closely with them. But as you know, as a result of this, I've made some changes to my programme this morning, which I'm now going to return to. I'll be standing up again later today in another context. But I appreciate you coming together this morning. Thank you very much.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
18 June 2020
PRIME MINISTER: The past three months have seen many hard days. This is another very hard day. 38 months of job creation, gone. 838,000 Australians having lost jobs. 227,700 in May. As heartbreaking as all of these lives, stories are that are represented in these numbers, the sad truth is is these numbers are not surprising in these circumstances. We are very aware of the significant blow that Australians are being hit with through the course of this pandemic. This recession will be written in the stories of those who are experiencing terrible hardship and these statistics today are a reminder to all - not that we need one - that with all the other noise about whatever else is going on, our task is simple. And that is we must get Australians back into work. We must maintain our focus on them. All 838,000 of them, but we know there will be more in the months ahead. These figures were taken at a time, just before actually, the opening up of this three step plan that the states put in place, and that is of some comfort that we will see some Australians finding their way back into employment but I would not be seeking to overstate that. There is some comfort that can be taken from the fact that we are making our way back and we are on the road back and that we are taking steps, every single day. We can take some comfort from the fact that Australia has put in place the biggest measure of income support the country has ever seen to cushion the blow, but the blow is still devastating and great. And while Australia is doing better than almost any other developed economy in the world, if you have lost your job, that is no comfort. So, we cannot set our expectations on what is happening elsewhere in the world. Our expectations, the Treasurer and I, together with our Government, is getting these Australians back into work, to getting business doors open, to continue to give Australians the hope and confidence of the road back that we are charting together, as a Government, together with other governments around the country.
These are our dark times, but I can see that ray of light, and I'm sure Australians can see that, too but we have to keep moving towards it and we’ve got to keep working harder each and every day. We will not rest. We are working with some of the biggest economic challenges this country has ever faced and your Government is working day and night to get the balance right, to get the right supports in place, the ones that will work, the one that will support, the ones that will encourage, the ones that will open business doors up again, the ones that will get Australians back into work. I can’t tell you how focused we are on this and how disciplined we are as a team. Cabinet met for hours and hours and hours last night on these issues, as we have every week, for months, working through the data and there will be more data and we will need more data before we make further important decisions. And that is how you can expect your Government to respond and to behave and work diligently for you to get back into work. Young people have been most affected in these numbers. But my hope is that, equally as the economy opens up, they will hopefully also be the first to benefit from that economy opening up. As retail doors open again, as food courts are open again, as shopping centres are fuller again, we hope to see more of those young people back into that work but that task will be great. And our application will be there, our determination will not waver and in the spirit of cooperation and partnership we have worked hard to build over these many months across governments will continue. And we give Australians our pledge on that.
Josh.
THE HON. JOSH FRYDENBERG MP, TREASURER: Thank you, Prime Minister. These are devastating unemployment numbers. They reveal the true pain and hurt that Australians are going through as a result of the coronavirus. In the month of May, 228,000 jobs were lost. In the last two months, over 835,000 jobs have been lost. These are not just numbers. These are our friends, family members, workmates and neighbours. The participation rate fell to 62.9 per cent, the lowest level since 2001. The underemployment rate is at 13.1 per cent. Female employment fell by 118,000, making up 52 per cent of the jobs lost in the month of May. Young people, youth employment, fell by 103,000, making up 45 per cent of those jobs lost in May. Youth unemployment is now at 16.1 per cent.
These numbers reveal the scale of the challenge we face and the mountain we have to climb. And it is why the Government put in place $260 billion of economic support. It is why we provided a cash flow boost to business. It is why we provided cash payments to households. It is why we have provided the biggest income support measure this country has ever seen with the JobKeeper program, supporting more than 3 million workers. And it is also why we have started to see signs that the confidence is coming back. Consumer confidence has regained 93 per cent of its lows, business confidence has regained 70 per cent of its lows. We still have a very, very steep mountain to climb but as the Prime Minister said, we are working day and night to get Australians back into work.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] 8.1 per cent. Given that these figures were taken before the three step plan came in place, as you just said, doesn't this give even more justification as to why WA’s borders should open up?
PRIME MINISTER: Every state government, every territory government, the Federal Government, every local government, all of us must do everything we can to open up our economy and get Australians back into work. There is no surprise in that position from me. That has been my position all along, subject to the health advice and let's not forget that our success on the health front means that we have been able to open up our economy and we are doing that carefully to ensure that we don’t risk a second wave because a second wave would obviously have a disastrous impact on the economy. I have just met with groups from the entertainment industry in a roundtable meeting with them and they are obviously doing things very tough and their challenges will endure longer than most. But a further wave would cause even more devastation to the economy. So it is about getting these decisions right and the health advice on those issues that you raised is clear, and if we want Australians back into jobs then we need Australia open.
Phil?
JOURNALIST: The numbers as you said are terrible, but unsurprising. How does it factor into your thinking on JobKeeper and JobSeeker and the future of those programs?
PRIME MINISTER: This is important information and we will have more information on this before the economic statement is handed down in late July. There is other information that we are gathering to better understand what the right balance of the supports are. Supports will be important. What we have been careful to do is to work through and get this right and get the balance right. I mean, we put these arrangements in place for six months to give us this time. We put our supports in place, income supports, JobKeeper and JobSeeker, and we put that in for six months so we would have that time to properly move for the next step, to change gears again, because anyone who can tell you they know exactly what is going to happen in September, in this COVID crisis, is having a loan of you. The information you have to be patient for, to make sure that you design the next phase of our response carefully, and that is exactly what we're doing. We are carefully doing it, getting ourselves the best possible information and more comes in every day, as sadly this information has, but as you note, Phil, the loss of 227,700 jobs is beyond, I think, some market expectations, certainly. The rate is different again but that is because of the change in the participation in rate. I suppose one of the most upsetting elements, and there are so many upsetting elements of this, but as I said, while devastated by the number, I'm sadly not surprised and we will have to brace ourselves, I suspect for further news going forward.
Katharine?
JOURNALIST: Hearing what you said about the data gathering phase and you are assessing what the best approach is for income support going forward, but conceptually, is the best way of getting Australians into a job, which is your stated objective, is that a wages subsidy that ties a person to a job or is it topping up income support, topping up the old Newstart payment which is the conventional income support while people find work?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, these are the questions, Katharine, and these are the questions which we are continuing to pull all the information together and to get the right balance of all of those decisions. But what we have done is we have given ourselves the time to be able to do that. We have set a timetable to make that decision and that would mean handing it down in the July statement. And these are the very issues we are wrestling with. I mean, as you know, both with Josh and myself but I can say for myself - I have dealt with some of the hardest policy problems you could... many of them you would not want to have dealt with, in many different portfolios. In social services and in immigration and in Treasury and I can tell you, we have never had to deal with a more complex policy problem than this. And that is why I am not going to be rushed on it. I'm going to be careful about it. I am going to take the advice. I am going to grill the data. I am going to listen to people, as I have just come from listening to them now, again. And we're going to weigh these decisions very, very carefully.
Greg?
JOURNALIST: Anthony Byrne has been…
PRIME MINISTER: Can we stay on the economy please?
JOURNALIST: The economist Warren Hogan, he’s told Sky News that we have an effective unemployment rate of 11.5 per cent, which I guess goes with the 830,000 jobs you were talking about losing. Do you agree with that assessment and just to be blunt about it, what are you going to do about it?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, again, like I did when the unemployment figures with the Treasurer last time, I indicated that the unemployment rate I think does understate where things are on the ground. That is why I made no reference to the rate, I made reference to the fact that 838,000 jobs had been lost because that is what has actually happened out there. And how that, you know, adds up in the various, you know, economic measures there will be different views on that and so I am not seeking to have a debate about that. But what I know is 838,000 people have lost a job and that is what we have to turn around and that is why our JobMaker plan has two components to it. There are the necessary demand supports that we have in place and that we will continue to calibrate going forward which provides support to the economy now, both to try and keep people in employment and remembering that keeping people in employment is not just about JobKeeper, it is actually the industrial relations flexibility arrangements that are around JobKeeper that have enabled employers to keep those people in jobs. But there is also, and I believe this was the point you were making, Katharine, there is the work that we do through JobSeeker and JobSeeker is the place where, if you have lost your job, JobSeeker is the place where you can connect to other employment services. To training opportunities. And last Friday in the National Cabinet, I may have remarked upon that in the press conference. One of the issues I was talking with the states about, and they were raising with me, is how better we can integrate state support services with federal support services and connecting them to these people who have lost jobs and I think that is a great idea and I can tell you we are working on that right now. So that is the immediate. But there is the longer term. As I indicated in my presentation on Monday, we're looking at around two years to get the economy back to where it was before COVID hit it and let's make no mistake about this, this recession is a product of the coronavirus pandemic. Our economy was strengthening, stable and sound. Coronavirus is the reason people have lost their jobs and it will take us, we estimate, around two years to get back just to where we were when it happened and I believe we can, over five years, seek to catch where we were planning to be and that requires the JobMaker plan of reforms to skills, of investments in infrastructure, deregulating our economy, making sure that our energy system and particularly we get the gas for a gas-fired recovery which supports manufacturing, our defence manufacturing, and defence industry policies, all of this are a part of our JobMaker plan. Now, I have already outlined quite a bit on skills and industrial relations, deregulation and infrastructure. I will have more to say about energy, I will have more to say about our manufacturing sector. These are important further bricks in the wall for the Government's plan but what I can tell you is we have got a plan and we are implementing that plan and it is a strong plan. It’s a plan that runs for the next five years and we have demonstrated the ability both to balance the budget and create 1.5 million jobs before and we can do it again.
Andrew?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm dealing with people who have lost their jobs today. I will come to Labor's scandals in a second.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, it was only a matter of a few days ago the Treasury Secretary was saying that unemployment would peak at 8 per cent. Is that overly optimistic now, given Warren Hogan's assessment of it actually being around 11 per cent?
PRIME MINISTER: I will let the Treasurer answer.
TREASURER: We will update the numbers when it comes to the statement on the 23rd. But clearly, the employment market is very, very difficult. And as the Prime Minister laid out, there is a plan to get people back into work but we are also putting in place sector-specific supports, like what we have done in the housing sector which has been really important in getting tradies back into a job. So we will update those unemployment numbers on the 23rd July.
JOURNALIST: Just on youth unemployment, these figures are the worst we have seen in 23 years. You did say you were hoping that young people would be the first to benefit but then you also said it would be about two years before we got to pre-corona levels. Would be time to potentially consider youth-specific employment measures, things like JobPath being expanded, things that could really focus on entry-level...
PRIME MINISTER: Everything is on the table here, everything is on the table here. On Monday, I highlighted the great risk of if you have young people not in a job before they are between 22 and 25 and how that can lead to a lifetime welfare dependency. Now, that is just not a sickening loss to the person themselves and a great waste of human capacity, but the longer-term effects for the nation are just as significant and it's always been my view and I have had a great passion when it comes to getting young people into jobs and that is why, whether it is what we're doing in the workplace relations, in the industrial relations area or the Youth PaTH initiatives or the apprenticeships, I mean, that was one of the first things we did as we went into this crisis is we amped up what we were doing on apprenticeships and Michaelia Cash as Minister particularly in the skills sector, and small business, these are things where we are focusing a lot of our attention on, so you are absolutely right. You know, getting people back into jobs right across the board, and we have got to look at everything we can do.
Yeah, Shane?
JOURNALIST: Treasurer, the participation rate has fallen 3 points in 3 months. It is unparalleled. The last recession it fell by about 1.2 over the entire 3 - 4 year period. Are there people who have lost jobs in the last few months who will never work again?
TREASURER: We believe we can get all people back into a job. But ultimately that number that you say, that participation rate, is the lowest it has been since January 2001. But it is the combination of the supply-side reforms as well as what we are doing in terms of income support on the demand side.
JOURNALIST: It’s been two weeks almost since the Black Lives Matter protest took place,
PRIME MINISTER: I’m happy to go to other issues, okay?
JOURNALIST: Are you receiving any information to suggest that there needs to be a slowing of the easing of the national baseline of restrictions that would impact people's ability to get back to work as a result of that gathering?
PRIME MINISTER: So far the news, despite the fact that we have had a number of people that have tested positive to coronavirus who took part in those mass gatherings, against health advice, so far, thankfully, so good. And at this point I am not aware of any states seeking to ease up on the pace of reopening their economies. But we will keep watching the data and they are taking advice from their chief health officers, as I am from mine.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister obviously nothing is settled until after the review but can you confirm that the government's disposition is that JobSeeker can’t return to $40 a day in September?
PRIME MINISTER: I can confirm that the economic statement will be handed down at the back end of July and that is where we will consider a series of matters that relate to the next step in the government's programme of support to get people back into work and to give them the support they need to get through the crisis.
JOURNALIST: On JobSeeker, are you going to extend further the obligations that people have?
PRIME MINISTER: Again, we will be coming back to all of these issues as part of the considerations that are currently underway.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister for the last two months we have seen the worst falls in the unemployment figures on a monthly basis since the records began back in in 1978 but as of right now though, how many people would be out of work without JobKeeper payments?
PRIME MINISTER: Treasurer? I mean, there are over 3 million people on JobKeeper.
TREASURER: Yeah, there’s over 3 million people currently getting the jobKeeper payment. But what we do know is that some people are not, are working significantly reduced hours or no hours at all but are maintaining that formal connection between their employer and employee. Now some of that is as a result of the restrictions that are in place, particularly the international borders and the airlines and the like. So it’s hard to quantify that at present. What we do know is it is playing a very important role.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister just on that, the underemployment rate, i.e. People who want to work more hours but can’t at the moment, is 13 per cent. As you look forward, how are you going to weigh up trying to get people more hours versus people, getting unemployed people back into jobs?
PRIME MINISTER: This is a very, very important question, John. I mentioned before the importance of the industrial relations arrangements that sit around JobKeeper. Now, businesses are going to have some difficult decisions. And they are going to need flexibility. And that means ensuring that more people can stay in jobs and if we have rigid systems then that could see people needlessly losing their jobs. We are not in usual times. We are not in usual economic circumstances. And I don’t just mean that because of the recession that we are now in. But it is the nature of the recession we are now in. The nature of the recession we are now in is because of a global health pandemic and a series of artificial restrictions that have been placed on the economy that effectively put a glass ceiling on the economy. And as a result, we need to have arrangements, both in the income supports that the government provides but also the arrangements that are available in workplaces that can maximise the number of people that we can keep in real jobs going forward. Real jobs going forward. Where people are actually able to do work and generate income for the businesses by the work they do. And that is very important. And so, you know, John, that is effectively the issue that not only the government needs to wrestle with but employers and unions and employees need to wrestle with and there needs to be more coming together to ensure we can have arrangements that mean more people can stay in their jobs, not just because of JobKeeper, but because there is an actual job and because there is the flexibility to enable people to remain in work. I don't want to see people needlessly lose work as a result of those arrangements and that is why I am asking, and the Minister for Industrial Relations, the Attorney, is also asking and working to try to get the right set of arrangements that can keep more people in jobs. And look, those arrangements, it is hard to say how long they would need to extend for because of the nature of the COVID crisis we find ourselves in, but are going to have to keep doing things that we are not used to doing in the national interest and in the interest of these 838,000 Australians, and I fear more, who will be added to those numbers in the months ahead.
JOURNALIST: Can you get IR reform through the Senate? Do you believe you can get the sort of reform you need? Through that chamber?
PRIME MINISTER: It is a test for all Australians and it’s a test for the Parliament but I can assure you the government will not be failing that test.
Yes, yeah sure, Greg?
JOURNALIST: Anthony Byrne. Andrew Hastie said yesterday it is a matter for you and Anthony Albanese, who serves on the security intelligence committee. Do you have faith in Anthony Byrne as being the deputy chair of that committee, given there were covert recordings out of his office and his phone calls were also recorded?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I would take a recommendation from the Leader of the Opposition as to who the Labor Party would like to have represented on that committee, in the first instance. Let me, you’ve asked your question, I would take a recommendation from the Leader of the Opposition as to who he believes should be serving on that committee in the first instance. And I would wait to see what his recommendation would be. That is the fair and appropriate thing to do, in the way that the Parliament works. The Labor Party nominates who they would have to serve as the deputy chair of the committee. I don't nominate that. That is done by the Leader of the Opposition. So the question is really one to the Leader of the Opposition. But you make reference to these issues. And I note that it is, it is Anthony Byrne who has described this as a corruption investigation. A corruption investigation. That is not what the Liberal Party is calling it, or the Nationals, this is what the Labor Party themselves have defined what is occurring in the Labor Party at the moment. They have defined it as an investigation into corruption and you are right to raise these issues because Australians might be sitting at home and think, Prime Minister what has this got to do with me and my job? I have lost my job, and that is why the priority in questions today has been on that. But there are weighty things that are considered by members of Parliament and the national security agenda of the country is one. And where you are raising questions about a member who, by his own admission, is saying that the events that are being enquired into is a corruption investigation. And whether, and you're asking whether they should serve on a committee of that seriousness. So there is very serious implications. I am disappointed that the Labor Party is focused on themselves and fighting amongst themselves. The Treasurer and I and my government, we’ll keep fighting for jobs.
JOURNALIST: Are you worried there are national security implications?
PRIME MINISTER: The Government will continue to manage Australia’s national security interests with the strength that we have. It is an important committee, though. It is a very important committee which facilitates, on occasion, bipartisanship on important national security issues and it is a very important committee, as indeed all the Parliamentary committees are. It has an important role to play. So it really is a test for Mr Albanese as to whether he believes that Mr Byrne should continue to serve on that committee. I’m leaving it for Mr Albanese to make a judgement and make a recommendation. He may wish to continue with the current arrangements. That’s really a matter for him, I'm not getting into a speculation game. It is a matter for Anthony Albanese to make a judgement on that.
JOURNALIST: On international borders and the pandemic, we have heard it is unlikely for the borders to reopen for tourism this year. Is it likely, though, to open for business travellers and can you give us an indication on how that might work? We’ve got a trial in Canberra that is about to begin for international students, do you welcome that?
PRIME MINISTER: I do, and we are working closely with the ACT Government on that, as we are with the South Australian Government and there are proposals that are coming forward from other states. I'm looking to get our economy as close as back to normal as we possibly can and to push the envelope in every possible area. If that means I have the odd dispute here and there with people I work closely with, I know they don't mind, because we are all trying to achieve the same thing. I will push the boundaries, as I have done for many months now, to get the economy as open as possible and to be as innovative and practical about how we can achieve that while at the same time managing the health issues. So when it comes to facilitating the ability of people to move in and out of Australia who are involved in important employment or work or investment or whether it is students or others, and I've just had some of those issues raised with me by the entertainment industry about tours and promotions and artists and so on. These are very practical issues that go to the reopening of the economy and I can tell you, we are fully immersed in all of these decisions. That is why the Government is working night and day. That is why I am not going to be distracted by the many other things that are there, as important as some of them may be. My job is to get Australians back into jobs. That is my pledge. I've done it before and we will do it again. Thank you.
Address, CEDA’s State of the Nation Conference
15 June 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Can I acknowledge and pay my respects to the Ngunnawal people, to their elders past and present and always importantly, emerging. And can I acknowledge any serving members of our defence forces and any veterans who are here with us, which is my custom, and to simply say on behalf of a very grateful nation, thank you for your service.
I, of course, acknowledge the Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and the Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and my Assistant Minister Ben Morton who is also here with us today.
For sixty years, CEDA has been part of the debates that have shaped the Australian economy.
Now in 2020, facing the greatest global economic shock since the Great Depression, CEDA is again well-placed to inform the policies needed for Australia’s recovery.
CEDA’s founder, Sir Douglas Copland spoke of chasing what he called the “Adventure of Growth”.
It is a quest that I think aligns precisely with today’s challenge, as we look to recover from the health and economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, I want to share some further thoughts on where as a Government we see the economy at this point in the COVID-19 crisis and the implications for the many decisions we need to make in the months ahead.
I also want to take the opportunity to focus on the role infrastructure investment and deregulation will play in our JobMaker plan, building on my recent JobMaker announcement, made here at the National Press Club some weeks ago, on skills, industrial relations, housing and construction and the reform of Federation decision-making.
Australia has shown incredible resilience in the face of our twin crises.
We are saving lives and we are saving livelihoods.
We’ve managed to do better than our fears, and even our hopes.
In Australia, our actions have limited COVID-19 infections to just 7,000, fewer than 500 active cases today, and we have reduced our daily infection rate to less than 0.2 per cent, from a peak of more than 25 per cent.
Sadly, of course, 102 Australians have died.
Mercifully, this is a long way from predictions of hundreds of thousands of Australians contracting the virus, tens of thousands of deaths and a health system in crisis.
Our health response has been undoubtedly world class, bettering those of similar developed and sophisticated economies around the world as you can see from the chart looking at the comparison of COVID cases.
But not just those large developed economies. We are one of a handful of countries that have achieved this level of success on the health front. And as you can see from this chart, it was not a forgone conclusion. As you can see in the early days of the pandemic as it hit Australia, you can see the line there of all the other countries, all heading in one direction - to catastrophe.
And then you have seen what Australia has been able to achieve. Better than not just a few countries, but frankly most of the countries around the world.
This has saved lives.
Our death rate of just 4 people per million people of our population is a fraction of other developed economies. In some cases, their death rate is more than 100 times what Australia’s is.
Our response has followed a uniquely Australian path, as we promised it would. Getting the balance right between our health and our economic objectives, as this new global stringency index demonstrates by comparison.
Closing the borders, quarantining, building our health system capacity, social distancing, sensible restrictions, measured restrictions, and strong testing, tracing and local health response capabilities.
And whereas other countries imposed strict lockdowns, we have been able to keep large sectors of our economy open and functioning, including construction, manufacturing, agriculture mining, as well as large parts of the retail sector, which were not closed.
This has not just yielded enviable health outcomes, but it has limited the economic impact of the COVID crisis and put us in position to emerge more quickly and more strongly.
The recent National Accounts showed that the Australian economy shrunk by 0.3 per cent in the March quarter. Now, while the damage to the economy is heartbreaking at that level, it has been far less than so many other countries, as you can see, by the comparative performance on international growth across major developed economies.
Looking forward, Australia is expected to have the third lowest fall in GDP in 2020 of all economies surveyed by the OECD.
But the hit to our economy, we must understand, is significant despite our relatively strong performance and the road ahead will be very hard. We still have a mountain to climb.
Compared with the mid-year update, it is expected that over $100 billion of economic activity has been lost this year, and that it will take us an estimated two years at least, just to get back to the level we were at pre COVID-19.
And that’s why we have a plan to lift growth, not just for the next few months, just not for now. But the next five years. We need to lift our economic growth rate by more than 1 percentage point above trend to beat the expected pre-COVID-19 GDP by 2025, to catch back up to where we were before COVID hit.
The restoration of growth is also critical to our public finances.
We are looking at a record deficit this year and next, and next. And not just because of record COVID-19 expenditures. Revenues have taken an equally large hit.
And while our expenditure measures have been designed to be targeted and time limited, in accordance with the principles we set out at the start of the crisis, the impacts on revenue will be longer lived as the economy makes its way back.
This will require us to recalibrate our fiscal strategy. This does not mean stepping back from our commitment to essential services and addressing the further needs in aged and disability care. We remain committed to those essential services. And supports within the Australian community.
Such expenditure, where carefully planned and controlled, will support growth and it will boost confidence. But we must be extremely cautious about our expenditure, especially as we navigate our way back from the record fiscal supports now in place.
There will always be a case made for spending more and for spending longer, and there are plenty who are happy to make that case. But it is not a wise or responsible course.
Such a path is dangerous and will prejudice medium and longer term capacity to deliver on core essential services like health, hospitals, schools, education, the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, our Social Security supports. Over-extending on the fiscal supports puts those longer term and medium term supportive services at risk.
Our budget will be balanced again by keeping expenditures under control, while boosting revenues through pro-growth policies that lift investment and get Australians back into jobs, just like we did it last time.
Neither excessive austerity, nor higher taxes are the path that our Government will pursue. We will pursue growth and responsible budget management that ensures that governments live within their means and guarantee the essentials Australians rely on, as ever.
Growing our economy all comes back to getting people back into jobs. This is where we must start. And having created more than 1.5 million jobs before COVID-19 hit, we have done it before and as a Government we will do it again, working together with Australians right across this country.
In April, we lost the equivalent of 30 months, 30 months of average jobs growth. Devastating. The job numbers for May, on Thursday, will show, I'm sure, just how large the challenge is. There is still worse news ahead.
The impacts are across all states and territories and, so far, worst in Victoria. Our jobs challenge is a truly national task and is now the primary focus of the National Cabinet, which we’ve agreed to now make permanent.
Recognising the threat to jobs and businesses, we announced JobKeeper and the JobSeeker COVID-19 supplement early, designed for Australia, when uncertainty was at its highest. Once again getting the balance right for Australia’s circumstances, not cutting and pasting from other jurisdictions. Along with other measures, the Government injected some $260 billion into the economy over three tranches, in the space of just three weeks.
For now, businesses have rightly called on this emergency support and it has proved to be an invaluable economic life line, buying them time to come to terms with the impact of COVID-19 and plan their way back. Those plans are now starting to be put in place by Australian businesses, small and large.
The ABS May survey of businesses found more than half of small and medium sized businesses accessing wage subsidies. They have also benefited from cash flow support and the deferral of loan and lease repayments, keeping these businesses alive and keeping jobs in place.
Without these measures, businesses would have simply fallen over, fallen victim, never to open again. This still may ultimately be the experience for some. But for many more, these measures will have provided the bridge that those businesses and their employees needed.
And that is why these supports have been put in place but it is also why they’re only temporary. Left in place for too long, not only will that damage the capacity of the Budget to deal with important essential services, but it will also dull the dynamism of the economy and prevent the adjustments that must necessarily take place to enable new jobs to be created and our economy to move forward.
Similarly, individuals who have sadly not been able to retain their jobs have been supported by an enhanced safety net through the effective doubling of JobSeeker through the COVID supplement and the relaxation of eligibility criteria.
Around 1.6 million Australians are now on JobSeeker, around half accessing these payments over the past few months, many for the first time in their lives.
As you can see, it has been young people who have had the greatest increase in the demand for JobSeeker. This is also true when you include those still employed, but working zero hours.
We know there is a disproportionate impact on women, and younger Australians and those with lower skills attainment which identify key parts of the labour force, key parts of the Australian community we need to focus on as we prepare and plan our way out and make our way out.
These workers are in the worst hit sectors, in particular accommodation, hospitality and retail, where more than 600,000 Australians have either lost their job or working zero hours.
As can be seen from the most recent National Accounts, household consumption of services was what plummeted in the March quarter. Those services are in those sectors that have been most affected that I just pointed to and there is worse expected in the June quarter, when so many businesses had to shut down or couldn’t remain open. And as you can see, non discretionary spending took an absolute hammering, even though spending on essentials actually increased during the quarter.
The good news, and there is good news, because we are aspirational and we are a positive people, the good news is we are now coming back. Australia is opening up again. Australians are once again, as this chart demonstrates, are on the move as States and Territories work together to implement our National Cabinet three-step plan to open the economy. And this is boosting consumer confidence.
JobKeeper and JobSeeker put a floor under the fall in consumer confidence back in March and we have now recovered that lost ground in consumer confidence, both on Westpac and the ANZ indices.
High frequency spending data shows that this is being increasingly translated into increased retail sales. This is good news for those young people and women working in hospitality and retail, who will be the first to benefit from the reopening - and this especially means those people.
Now, while trailing the improvement in consumer sentiment, business confidence and conditions are also clawing their way back. The easing of restrictions and Australians emerging from isolation, confident in the health measures taken by Governments, will continue to drive up demand and indicate to business that they can once again open their doors and make a go of it.
See it's not just enough for the business is to be able to be opened, they've got to have confidence to open, to bring the staff back, to get the orders in, for their inventory. You have to put investments in including through the instant asset write off which Treasury extended out. That requires confidence that people are coming back.
We will be supported by the efforts to boost that confidence, we have made to connect with supply chains that better aid our growth. While global growth forecasts are weak and bleak, those of our major trading partners are much stronger, which is important for the outlook.
Our mining sector has also been able to keep on running. Export volumes and prices are encouraging and will provide much needed income for the country. The same is also true for many other export sectors. And with plans to re-engage international education, and our tourist industry opening up again, at least for domestic travellers, many more can see the road ahead.
As we come out of this COVID crisis, and as we are on this road ahead, infrastructure development will play a critical role in our JobMaker plan. Our Government has already committed nearly $180 billion on economic infrastructure over the next decade, with more than half allocated across the four years of the forward estimates.
This isn’t just the roads and rail that get us to work and get us to school and get goods to markets and ports. It is dams that improve water security and underpin an expansion of high-value agriculture, as part of our 2030 Agriculture Plan. The telecommunications services that keep us connected. The poles and wires which are critical to removing bottlenecks in our electricity grid, improving competition and driving down prices. Defence assets which keep our nation secure and supporting many regional economies with advanced manufacturing.
As we come to the end of this financial year, the Commonwealth will have invested more than $24 billion for infrastructure across key government portfolios. And as we move into 2020-21 we are pushing to do even more.
Since last November, we have worked with state, territory and local governments to bring forward or inject additional investment totalling nearly $7.8 billion:
That includes $4.2 billion for joint priority projects with the states and territories at MYEFO.
$1.75 billion in additional funding for Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport, fast tracking a nearly $11 billion project that will support 14,000 jobs in the heart of Western Sydney.
A $1.3 billion bring forward of the Financial Assistance Grants program, the Deputy Prime Minister announced recently, providing untied funds for all councils across Australia to use at their discretion. And that comes on top of the support as the DPM will remind you for drought and bushfire recovery assistance.
$500 million in new funding to establish a new program supporting all councils to undertake local road and community infrastructure upgrades that previously weren’t in their forward schedules. New spending.
Today I am committing a further $1.5 billion to immediately start work on small priority projects identified by the states and the territories as part of our partnership.
As part of this package, $1 billion will be allocated to priority projects which are shovel-ready, and being smaller projects they’re ready to go. And with $500 million reserved specifically to target road safety works. This is an important opportunity to make our roads safer right across the country, not just in rural and regional areas where it is critically important but also in other parts of the country.
Further announcements on specific projects will be made soon. The result being we will have brought forward or provided additional funding of $9.3 billion in infrastructure investment in just the past eight months.
To build the pipeline of future projects, we are determined to get out of the way and speed up progress by improving approvals processes.
One area in which the Commonwealth has a direct regulatory role for relevant projects is through approvals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
According to departmental estimates, delays associated with these approvals alone cost industry over $300 million just in 2019. That’s not good enough.
The Commonwealth has already taken steps to cut project approval times under the EPBC Act. At the end of 2019, approval decisions took 90 days on average. Today they take 40. That is what we've achieved this year in 2020.
Our goal is to cut these times by a further 25 percent by the end of this year – to 30 days for major projects.
Ultimately, our objective is the streamlining of Commonwealth and state processes to a point of ‘single touch approvals’.
The National Cabinet has had already - early discussions on how we can achieve this objective, and there is already, I can assure you, a high level of engagement and agreement.
The National Cabinet will come back to this issue very shortly, informed by the current review of the EPBC Act being conducted by Graeme Samuel.
Of course, focusing on Commonwealth approvals won’t do much to deliver projects faster if we don’t also address state processes.
Now when it comes to major projects, focusing on Commonwealth approvals won't do much to deliver projects faster if we don't address the state approval processes.
Today I announce a priority list of 15 major projects that are on the fast-track for approval under a bilateral model between the Commonwealth, states and territories.
Joint assessment teams will work on accelerating these projects worth more than $72 billion in public and private investment.
Projects that will support over 66,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Under our new approach this investment, and most importantly, these jobs will be brought to market earlier by targeting a 50 per cent reduction in Commonwealth assessment and approval times for major projects, from an average of 3.5 years to 21 months.
This priority list includes:
Inland Rail from Melbourne to Brisbane;
Marinus Link between Tasmania and Victoria;
Olympic Dam extension in South Australia;
Emergency town water projects in New South Wales; and
Road, rail and iron ore projects in Western Australia.
Early examples of this approach are already paying dividends and are encouraging.
I commend the New South Wales government who we have been working with. We are on track to complete Commonwealth assessment and approval for Snowy 2.0 in under two years - unlocking over 2,000 regional jobs.
Successful deregulation has increased competition and economic efficiency, raising productivity and, ultimately supporting jobs and wages.
Early gains have been made in the process I established with Assistant Minister Morton last year through the Deregulation Taskforce. This included simplifying business registers, streamlining export documentation and making it easier for a sole trader and micro-businesses to employ people. In most cases, the first ever employee.
The next phase of the Taskforce work will zero in on areas to assist COVID-19 economic recovery.
For example, occupational licensing and registration requirements often vary across states and territories, which increases costs on business and workers who operate or move across Australia. Greater mutual recognition of qualifications and improved information flows between jurisdictions will be vital to allow Australians to take up job opportunities in coming months.
Secondly, COVID has shown that our laws have not kept pace with digital technology when it comes to business communications - for example, by requiring business to use paper for storing information, instead of using electronic delivery or adopting new technologies like blockchain. These laws, too, are ripe for modernisation.
So today I announce that I am bringing the Deregulation Taskforce into my own Department, into the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet as part of the Government’s JobMaker agenda. This will further drive a whole-of-government approach to how regulatory policy is prosecuted, supporting Assistant Minister Morton.
Our focus applies as much to the culture of regulators as it does to the content of regulations. I'm sure anyone in business would understand that point. This crisis has shown what can be achieved when regulators are pragmatic and responsive, solving problems without compromising safeguards.
As the Treasurer I know would reinforce, APRA in particular working with the major banks, to ensure that we could be dealing with deferral of loan payments and how that effect banks capital adequacy ratios in all these issues, just working constructively together to solve quite a serious problem that was going to have a significant impact on whether businesses could keep their doors open. The attitude of the regulator mattered as much as the regulations themselves.
So I have asked Assistant Minister Morton to report back on ‘lessons learned’ in recent months, highlighting cases where governments and regulators have responded to the COVID crisis and its economic fall-out with urgency and common-sense.
There are many encouraging examples beyond the ones I have mentioned.
Shop trading hours were deregulated in Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia so people didn’t have to spend so long in the queues. Practical problem, practical solution by practical people.
Trucks were allowed to resupply along roads and during hours where they were previously banned. And the sun came up the next day. It was extraordinary.
Steps were taken to ensure unnecessary professional requirements did not block nurses coming back into the workforce. Common sense.
At the Commonwealth level, we fast-tracked approvals for drug trials. Changes were made to the Medical Benefit Scheme to promote the use of telehealth. We cut red tape to allow companies to use overseas standards for hand sanitiser.
Cooperation between business and unions meant employers were empowered to reduce hours and reconfigure tasks that their employees are allowed to do. Keeping people in jobs.
And we reduced financial reporting and other requirements that would have hit firms struggling to survive the shock, as I said. As a result, businesses are able to sign documents with electronic signatures and conduct virtual AGMs.
Far from weakening that performance, this agility has helped our economy function, save jobs and has demonstrated what can be done when necessity is presented. At last Friday's National Cabinet, I committed the Commonwealth to bring forward further priorities. With specific targets. and I've asked them to match me. I expect them to do the same. I won't be disappointed. Unity of purpose among National Cabinet. To get the jobs back. It’s amazing what unity and purpose can do and we want to keep that going.
The Government of Western Australia already has bills before its Legislative Council to accelerate major projects, reduce red tape, and facilitate bilateral arrangements to remove duplication between our assessment and approval processes. My simple messages to pass the bill. It is good for jobs. It provides a model, I believe, for other states and jurisdictions. And my simple message to the Western Australian Parliament is pass the bill. It’s good for jobs. It provides a model I believe for other state and territory jurisdictions.
The Productivity Commission will also be tasked with informing and developing this Federation wide deregulation agenda, the bringing in of experts and Brendan Murphy, who I now suspect is a household name, nothing I'd expect he never anticipated that in venturing into his career as a public health profession many years ago. But those experts have been incredibly important to our government and to the National Cabinet and governments all around the country. And I have asked the commission's chair, Michael Brennan, to brief the next National Cabinet meeting on priority areas where we can work on the investment and job creation and I look forward to those presentations and I know the premiers and Chief ministers also do.
In conclusion, Australia faces an immense challenge as we look to recover from our first recession in three decades. Those words are hard to say. For many of us, I think for most Australians, it is still to sink in. We worked so hard to get Australia back on the right track, 1.5 million jobs, a budget brought back into balance and then in the space of days - it shows how important economic resilience must be for the future. It shows how we must never let the tension in the cord slacken when it comes to the important economic changes we need to make to secure the lives of Australians and their livelihoods. We need to return that growth that will ensure real and sustainable jobs, the wages that support families with all of the decisions they want to make. And importantly the essential services that Australians rely on.
Our Government’s five year JobMaker plan charts the way forward for a new generation of economic success. We are weathering this storm. It’s now time to gather the momentum to continue to build the confidence we need to resume Douglas Copland’s great adventure. Thank you very much for your attention.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
12 June 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon everyone. Just a reminder, today’s briefing with Question Time upon us this afternoon, I don’t intend for this to be a particularly long press conference compared to ones we've previously had, so just to flag that at the start. Apologies to those if we've broken into their midday movie for today's media conference following another very constructive meeting of the National Cabinet today. Many issues on the table today and I welcome, of course, the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, to this press conference again this afternoon.
We received an economic briefing from Dr Kennedy, which is becoming a standing item now of our regular meetings of the National Cabinet. He was able to take us through the work that he's been briefing the Federal Government on in terms of the impact of the economy, particularly on issues of unemployment and affected sectors, and that's been very helpful as the National Cabinet has continued to consider issues of restrictions and planning for the road ahead. The National Cabinet, as you know when I presented following the decision to abandon and abolish COAG and to establish the National Cabinet and the National Federation Reform Council, I noted there would be a series of National Cabinet subcommittees that would be established to drive a national jobs agenda, to drive a national agenda to generate jobs. As we look forward over the next 12 months, and beyond, our efforts, policy level at a federal and state level have to be about creating jobs. And we confirmed six National Cabinet subcommittees that will be established which will be driven by the leaders at National Cabinet and to set out the tasking for those subcommittees on rural and regional, skills, infrastructure and transport, population and migration, energy, and health. The leaders that sit around the National Cabinet table are very keen to set very clear expectations and tasking to those National Cabinet subcommittees to ensure they progress a very rapid jobs agenda.
In addition to that, the Council of Federal Financial Relations, which is the meeting of state Treasurers, together with the Federal Treasurer which is chaired by Minister Frydenberg, has also been tasked, as we flagged, to do work that will report at the end of August on consolidating and rationalising the National Partnership Agreements. In addition to that, they will take forward the issues on tax reform and on deregulation.
Also today, I provided an update to all premiers and chief ministers on our progress on Closing The Gap, and pleased to report on that front that we're making excellent progress when it comes to the Closing The Gap initiative and the new targets that are to be established. We anticipate that they'll be in place next month. That work has, of course, involved the Council of Indigenous Peaks and they will be considering those new goals over the course of this month, as will the Federal Cabinet, and states and territories will also be involved in that process and we would hope that they would all be agreed next month. That's great work that's taking place there. This is the first time that the Closing The Gap targets will have been set with Indigenous Australians, not for Indigenous Australians, which is a significant change.
Also today, we reaffirmed our commitment to the three-step process to ensure that we are on track for concluding the third step of that three-step process in July. On top of that, we also confirmed that it is the national strategy which brings together all the states and territories to pursue a policy of suppression. If we're able to achieve elimination or eradication as a byproduct, well, that's well and good. But we are not going to have our policies trapped by the goal of eradication. It's important to note that there being cases and there being the odd outbreak here or there, is something that is anticipated and the system has been built to deal with. But the emergence of cases is not something that will necessarily require the three-step process and the opening up of the economy to be halted. But that will always be subject to the medical advice from the medical expert panel of the AHPPC.
We are on track for the three-step process to be completed in July. Today we made some important decisions to change elements of that third step. The first of those is, as you look across the third step, you will note a series of caps for indoor gatherings of 100, and that can be anything from funerals through to the number of people who can be in a premises, or even in a room such as this. That 100 cap for step three across all of those areas will be removed and it will be replaced by a four-square metre rule application to those premises. So depending on how large your premise is, and that four-square metre rule applies to each room within that premise. You'll note that around this building, you’ll certainly note that in my office, the number of people who are allowed to be in that room at any one time based on the four-square metre rule. Now, that will mean obviously for much larger premises that will provide much greater scope. This is not happening immediately. This is part of step three. So states and territories who are making decisions about when they're moving to that step three, they will now be moving based on the policy of four square metres being applied and those caps of 100 for a particular building, they won't be in place. It'll be determined on that basis. The four-square metre rule by room. Now, the four-square metre rule continues to be reviewed by the AHPPC - the medical expert panel - and further work is being done on that, particularly for much smaller premises.
Also, for outdoor events, for outdoor organised events, sporting, cultural; we will be moving, as part of step three, for events in stadia or other venues of that nature with a capacity of 40,000 or less to enable attendance at those events which are ticketed and are seated, and all the social distancing rules apply, for up to 25 per cent of the capacity of those venues to take patrons. Now, there will be further work done over the next fortnight. This is not something that's happening straightaway. This is something that would be happening as part of step three, where states and territories choose to move to that, and it will require a bit more work. So that's in July. But we have to give venues and others time to prepare for that sort of change. I think that will be welcomed. Issues that have to be then addressed is access to the wet areas of those stadia, the bars and so on, and I have no doubt there will be some view about restrictions on those because they tend to be the areas where people would congregate and gather and that obviously presents risk, but when we're talking about people who have bought a ticket - so we know who's bought a ticket, we know where they're seated - then that enables those sorts of gatherings to take place in that structured way. Now, that of course would extend to outdoor festivals where they are ticketed and where they are seated. So if we're talking about sort of large folk festivals where people sort of roam around from tent to tent, and gathering to gathering, that is not something that is being talked about here. It would have to be a large, open area. There would need to be seats at the appropriate distance. It would need to be ticketed, and so people would be able to understand who was in attendance at that event. It's important to note that for venues greater than 40,000, that is an entirely separate issue. That will require further work because it's not just the number of people who are in the venue when you're up above 40,000, you've got more than 10,000 people going to a gathering, that has implications for the egress and access off and to those premises, public transport crushes, all those sorts of things, and that will require much more significant work, and I know that's work that both the medical expert panel and those states and territories that have those larger venues are keen to work on, but I wouldn’t want to raise expectations there. I think that will require a fair bit of work. But for those sort of mid-tier venues and below, up to 25 per cent is something that can be done in step three. So venues and state and territories can now move to plan around that, together with sporting codes and cultural performances and organisers, and I'm sure that will be very welcome.
When I noted, I stress, the 100-person cap on indoor being removed and being replaced by the four-square metre rule, that includes funerals. It also includes funerals for outdoor areas as well. So this, as you know, is an issue as you know that has caused great heartache across the community and I think we’ve all shared that and I think that will be a very welcome change. So if they're larger venues, then obviously they can have larger attendees and if they’re outdoor venues, then obviously properly seated and properly arranged, they will be able to accommodate larger gatherings and I’m sure everyone will be looking forward to that. That also applies to places of worship, of course, and things like that, depending on the size of the venue and how they're arranged. I’m sure people are looking forward to that. I know I am.
In terms of nightclubs though, that is not on the agenda. We've seen overseas that has been one of the areas of failure when nightclubs have opened and Michal Gunner, the Chief Minister in the Northern Territory, they noted that even though it is not prohibited, the application rule of 1.5-metre distancing means that venues have not opened there because it is not commercially practical to do so. So I wouldn't anticipate those venues opening any time soon or as I said, those larger mass gathering festivals and events that take place.
Finally, on international students. On international students, we'll be working closely with states and territories, firstly on a pilot basis and to enable, in a very controlled setting, for international students to be able to come to Australia but only on pre-approved plans for particular institutions worked up between federal authorities and state and territory authorities. I'm not suggesting this is going to happen soon. There's still a lot of work to do and that needs to get in place. We've received some very, I think, well thought-through proposals from states as to how this can be done, particularly here in the ACT. This is something that I'm sure we would all welcome happening again, but it has to be done with the appropriate quarantine entry arrangements and biosecurity and all of those matters being addressed. That's something that I know Border Force is working on. Our Federal Cabinet has been considering that now for some time. We're still a little way away before being able to advance on those proposals. But I made one thing very clear to the states and territories today, if you can't come to your state from Sydney, then no one is coming to your state from Singapore. If your borders open for international students, then you have to open up borders for Australians. I welcome the decision which I understand was made after National Cabinet today by the Queensland Government to nominate a date for the opening of that border in Queensland. That is welcome. We had a very open discussion about those issues today. The three-step process is very clear. It was a very constructive discussion. I anticipate states will be working through those decisions in the next few weeks. And they'll come to their own conclusions, but what is important, whatever date that is, that it is nominated as soon as possible because that will enable the travel and tourism and hospitality industry to plan for that time. So that is a matter for the states but I welcome the decision in Queensland and we look forward to other decisions being made soon and for that to enable those jobs and those businesses to be able to be realised.
Finally, and I’ll allow the Chief Medical Officer to speak more on this matter, and that is on the rallies and protests that are planned for this weekend. The medical advice hasn't changed. The medical advice is that this is an unsafe thing to do. It puts not only your own health at risk, but it puts other people's lives at risk. It puts the, in economic terms because of the potential risk of a way that could come from these events, it puts the livelihoods of other Australians at risk, people's businesses. It puts the progress we have been able to make at risk and the very clear message is that people should not attend those events because it is against the health advice to do so. And so I would strongly encourage people to exercise that responsibility by not attending those events and to respect their fellow Australians by exercising that responsibility and on the views they wish to express, that they seek to express those in another way. This is not about the issue that people are raising, this is about people's health and welfare and I would urge Australians to respect that by not attending those events. State and territory governments are responsible for law and order in their jurisdictions and they will be taking the decisions about what is done in relation to those gatherings, but we would simply urge you to do it. I don't believe there should be a double standard. There shouldn’t be a double standard when it comes to this. Australians have made great sacrifices to get us to where we are today and everyone has had very significant personal issues about which they have great feeling and if they can accommodate that in the actions they are taking and showing the discipline and respecting the restrictions that have been put in place, then so should everybody else. There should be no two sets of rules in this country when it comes to this.
Thank you, Brendan.
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Thanks, Prime Minister.
So we are one month now into the easing of restrictions and I was able to present to National Cabinet today an update on our pandemic health intelligence plan, which shows that we are in a good place. We've only had 38 new cases over the last week, more than half of them are overseas returned travellers. And we will continue to get cases from overseas returned to travellers for the foreseeable future, because the rest of the world is not in the same good place that we are in Australia. In fact, we have only had community transmission in the last few weeks in one state and only a tiny amount of that. New South Wales has now had no cases of community transmission confirmed in the last fortnight and the other states have had very, very few reports in the recent months.
But as the Prime Minister said, our strategy across the nation has been one of suppression. It is fantastic that we have effectively achieved elimination at this time in many parts of the country, but that's not our goal, because we know we’ll have return travellers coming, we know our quarantine arrangements are not going to be 100 per cent perfectly safe all the time. We know that there may be small pockets of community transmission of this virus in many parts of the country and they may appear and they will probably appear as we get more and more active and more and more interactions. So if there are small numbers of cases, small outbreaks anywhere in the country, we are well prepared. National Cabinet was not going to let us relax restrictions until our public health system was in a state of very strong preparedness. We know that we can test, we are testing a lot of people and we have got to keep that testing up. Everyone with a respiratory illness, everyone with a cough and cold needs to be tested, but if we get outbreaks, we are in a good position to respond, small outbreaks.
Because we've done so well, you've noticed from what the Prime Minister has said, that National Cabinet has become more confident about relaxing restrictions in phase three and that is absolutely fantastic that we are in that position. But we do need to be patient with all of these steps and that leads me to the issue of protests and I absolutely agree with the Prime Minister that those sort of events where you have a large number of people who don't know each other and who we can't contact trace easily or track, one of the highest risk events. We saw in Victoria that one of the people who was at the event potentially could have been infectious. We won't know, we won’t know for another week or so whether that has led to any spike in cases in that state, but these sort of events really are dangerous and the AHPPC, all these state chief health offices and our experts, released a statement yesterday pleading with the population to not attend those uncontrolled mass events. You cannot make them safe. Despite all the attempts of organisers to try and make them safe, those sort of events where people are crowded together and where you can't, we don't know who is there, are inherently unsafe. Please express your genuine concerns about issues in other ways.
Thank you, Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. Lanai?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are you still confident that all interstate borders will be open by July, as was the original plan, and particularly when it comes to Western Australia, was there any indication given by Premier Mark McGowan that that would be the case?
PRIME MINISTER: Well the plan was not by July, the plan was in July. And I think the only state or territory that is unlikely to fall out of that is still possibly Western Australia, but there is a commitment from the Premier to continue to look at this issue, I mean the Premier in Western Australia will make the argument that containing the borders of Western Australia has enabled them to move, they are effectively on step three now with the exception of that one item. But he also understands the importance of the growth of the national economy and Western Australia has been a very good partner in all of the things we have done. I have never claimed, through the National Cabinet process, there’s going to be 100% agreement on every single issue. I could almost nominate in each and every state and territory that they have all taken a different path on one or the other issue. But I think the Premier has always sought to engage constructively with the National Cabinet process, but at the end of the day they have got to make their own calls. National Cabinet has never sanctioned internal borders. Never. So it is not a National Cabinet position that has been followed by Western Australia on that issue or any of the other states, that is a matter they have chosen to do unilaterally and it is for them to make their explanations on those issues. But I can assure you when we are framing our fiscal and economic policies over the next 12 months, the assumption the Treasury will be making is that we are all on step three in July.
JOURNALIST: ...Clarification on the easing of crowd limits. For stadiums with larger than 40,000 capacity like the MCG, Docklands, Adelaide Oval, will they still be allowed to have 10,000 people, like smaller stadiums?
PRIME MINISTER: This is going to be looked at over the next few weeks. So what we're saying right now, right now, is if it is a smaller stadiums, less than 40,000, in step three, which would mean, I am not anticipating any such stadium to be doing this month, it would be sometime in July, I would expect, that that would apply to those. For the larger ones I would venture that it would be the subject of a discrete approval for each venue, that would be worked up with the Chief health Officer in each state or territory. So by the time you get into July there may be that type of opportunity for the rules that apply to those under 40,000 to just carry over to those above 40,000, but that is not a decision that has been taken yet. I mean these will be practical, commonsense issues, they’ll be worked through by the medical expert panel over the next few weeks and I think that will give it greater instruction. The purpose of me flagging this today is so sporting codes, venues, state and territory governments, can engage in that appropriate discussion, know broadly what the parameters are which the National Cabinet has set, so it means that people will be able to watch the games, not as cardboard cutouts, but in person, should they be fortunate enough to get one of those seats.
JOURNALIST: You mentioned before not wanting people to attend crowds in such large numbers at these protests, this morning the Finance Minister, Mathias Cormann, suggested looking at removing JobSeeker for those who do attend and break these social distancing guidelines, you agree with that, would you consider taking away those welfare payments?
PRIME MINISTER: We won't be doing that.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just on Closing The Gap…
PRIME MINISTER: And the reason is, enforcement of these matters is for the state and territory governments. And so they will apply their fines and their laws on these issues in those jurisdictions. They are dealing with those gatherings and those state laws and state restrictions are a matter for state and territory governments, not the Federal Government.
Brett?
JOURNALIST: Just on Closing The Gap, there has been a lot of frustration from First Nations people this week about the lack of tangible progress in achieving those measures. How committed are you to closing the gaps, there are many of them, and just in terms of your comments yesterday about Australia not having had slavery, do you regret those comments and do you accept that we have seen those actions here in Australia that first Nations Australians have been very upset to hear you make those remarks?
PRIME MINISTER: I think anyone who has seen my commentary from the very first speech I made in this place, I have had an enduring and committed passion to closing the gap. One of the most important things that I have had the opportunity to participate in as a Member of Parliament was in those first few weeks when I was able to stand for the National Apology. And this is the point about Australia. In Australia, we know we have had problems in our past. We have acknowledged those and, indeed, in our Federal Parliament we have acknowledged those. I've always said we need to look at our history. The comments I was referring to was to how the New South Wales settlement was first established and the views that were communicated at the time, informing the New South Wales colony, and if you go back to people like William Wilberforce and others, they were very involved in that first fleet expedition and one of the principles was to be that Australia or in that case, New South Wales, was not to have lawful slavery. And that was indeed the case. There was not the laws that have ever approved of slavery in this country.
So I don't intend to get into the history wars, my comments were not intended to give offence and if they did I deeply regret that and apologise for that. This is not about getting into the history wars. I was simply trying to make the point that Australia, yes, we have had issues in our history. We have acknowledged them. I have acknowledged them. And we need to address them and, particularly those who I work closely within this area, would know that, personally, I have been heavily invested in these issues. And I will continue to be heavily invested in these issues and I pay tribute to my predecessors as Prime Minister because, you know, when you are Prime Minister you know this is a responsibility that you have, together with your Minister for Indigenous Australians, and that has always been the case, from either side of politics, and I genuinely don't believe there are large divisions when it comes to the issue of acknowledging the treatment of Indigenous Australians in this country. But I will tell you what there is an even bigger passion for, and that is to ensure that the passage of reconciliation, the process of improving the lives and outcomes of Indigenous Australians, is foremost in our minds and I think all Australians of goodwill and good faith are endeavouring to achieve that and I will continue to seek to achieve that.
David?
JOURNALIST: PM, do you think that blackbirding would be considered slavery? And a follow-up question on Indigenous policy, what has been the reason why there has been relatively slow progress on Indigenous incarceration targets, do the states need more funding, do they need more commitment in order to address it?
PRIME MINISTER: Well look on the first point, I acknowledge there have been all sorts of hideous practices that have taken place. And so I'm not denying any of that, okay? I'm not denying any of that. And I don't think it's helpful to go into an endless history wars discussion about this. It's all recorded. I acknowledge all of that, okay? The challenges of Indigenous incarceration go across so many different areas of public policy. Its health policy, its youth policy, it's suicide policy, it’s employment policy, its welfare policy, this is an incredibly complicated area and not all Indigenous experiences are the same. Indigenous Australians living in metropolitan areas have different life experiences to those living in regional areas and remote areas, and so to suggest that there is one set of issues that applies to the Indigenous population is obviously ridiculous. And we are aware of the heartbreaking stories within remote Indigenous communities, of abuse, of sexual violence, of alcoholism, of drug abuse. It's heartbreaking. But it's true. You want to have an honest discussion about what's happening in communities, you can't ignore those facts either and it’s chronic. And it is enough to bring any Australian to their knees in tears. And so this is a complex issue, David. There is no shortage of funds being thrown at this issue. But clearly the application of funds by governments over decades and decades and decades is not getting the results we want. I can assure you it's not through a lack of will, it's an admission of the complexity and the difficulty of the task.
JOURNALIST: On a modern extension of this issue we’re seeing of cancel culture with Gone with the Wind, Chris Lilley's projects for example being pulled from streaming services. Is that something you're worried about?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm worried about jobs. I'm worried about 800,000 Australians going on to JobSeeker in the last 3 months. I'm not interested in what they’re showing on streaming services. I'm interested in getting Australians back in to work. I'm not interested in the debate about what people want to tear down. I'm interested in what people want to build up, and what we need to build back up are businesses and jobs and we need to restore livelihoods and lives. Honestly people - let's focus on what's really happening. 800,000 extra people are on JobSeeker in the last few months. You want to know where my focus is? On them. And the businesses that have closed and the livelihoods that have been destroyed. What you're watching on television is your business. Not going to create one job. Let's focus on where Australians are hurting today. And they really are hurting. And I will not be distracted.
JOURNALIST: Just on international students, when do you expect that they might be allowed to re-enter Australia? And are you concerned at all that recent commentary from China could deter Chinese students from coming here to study?
PRIME MINISTER: No on the second question. On the first question, I would hope we would be in a position to be doing pilots next month.
JOURNALIST: How do you respond to China calling on Australia to do some soul-searching and face up to racism against Chinese nationals here? Is our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China working? And how is Australia going to repair it?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Australia has done nothing to injure it. What Australia will always do is act in our national interests in accordance with our values. We'll do so consistently and with constancy and we will respect that comprehensive strategic partnership. And I stress Australia has done nothing to injure that partnership, nothing at all, and when it comes to our record of multiculturalism, of freedom of religion, of liberty, treating everybody equally, I'm happy to stack Australia's record up all around the world. Now, there's one more question. I think that people want to ask a few questions of Brendan and then I'm going to have to go.
JOURNALIST: Professor Murphy, what social distancing should apply at airports and on flights? Are those requirements being observed for special purpose flights in and did you have to warn Alan Tudge and others that they weren't correctly social distancing on the most recent flight from Melbourne to Canberra?
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Social distancing is not possible in the same way in domestic flights. We have a domestic airline policy. Airlines, domestic airlines, certainly short haul airlines, present quite a low risk of transmission because of their air handling. We have not seen a clear case of transmission of the virus on a domestic flight in Australia. So whilst initially we were practising, the airlines were practising good distancing, they are now occupying their seats more fully and I know that's one of the circumstances where we think it's not an unreasonable choice if someone chooses to wear a mask. I certainly have not warned any politician about not practising social distancing. So airlines, and on the return flights from overseas, they have been at 80 per cent occupancy, so we're trying to get a bit of gap. But you can't get the full 1.5 metre on a flight. But as I said, there are special requirements for flights and they are not a very high risk environment.
PRIME MINISTER: I'm going to have to call it off there, but I do note that I think on every press conference I’ve attended, except in this room, that I've had to warn the media that they weren’t actually practising social distancing. Thank you very much.
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.
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.