Speeches
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
29 September 2020
Prime Minister: Good morning, everyone. I'm joined by the Treasurer, before what will be one of the most - if not the most - important Budget since the Second World War. But before we go to the announcements we're making today, today is Police Remembrance Day. There are 798 names on the police memorial. In particular, this year, we remember four officers were Victoria who lost their lives while on duty. Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris and Constable Joshua Prestney. I think all Australians would be thinking of them today in the context of Police Remembrance Day as our thoughts move toward that issue. Our police, each and every day, face things the rest of us don't. They see things they can't unsee and they carry that with them. They hear stories they can't unhear. And this affects them, not just those who we've lost in the line of duty, but those police officers who carry the burdens of their service through each and every day of their lives. They are an amazing family, the police family, and today we honour them. We respect them. To all of those who have lost colleagues, families who have lost fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, we remember them too, as they think about those who have been lost. And we think about those, in particular, who continue to struggle each day with the cost of their service. So I want to thank them all for that, for their service to their community, first and foremost, to their service to their states and to the service to their nation.
Today also we pass a milestone that no-one would want to have ever seen passed and that is a million lives lost to COVID-19 around the world. And it is a reminder that we are living in the midst of a global pandemic. This is a pandemic that has been visited upon Australia from outside our shores and is one that has impacted on us greatly. In Australia, 882 lives have been lost to COVID-19, 670 of those in aged care. This is a heavy blow when it comes to the health impacts of the pandemic and it has been a daily challenge to ensure that we remain, as best as we can, ahead of the challenges of this pandemic, and in Australia we have fared better than almost any other country in the world. That is particularly the case when you combine the challenge we have with the COVID recession that has stemmed from the pandemic and our task has always been to manage both the health impacts of the pandemic and the economic impacts of the pandemic. And Australia sits amongst a handful of countries that have been able to limit the economic blow as well as limiting the health blow to our country and that is a great credit to all Australians in what they've been able to achieve and the way that they've demonstrated resilience and, in particular, the people of Victoria and especially the people of Melbourne, who have most significantly undergone the heavy burden of those restrictions in recent months and together they have flattened that curve for Australia once again. I said Australia will not win until Victoria wins and I believe Victoria is now beginning to win and that's good news for all Australians and we thank Victorians for their great sacrifice over these many months to ensure that Australia can move forward together.
This Budget will be, as I said, one of the most important, if not the most important, since the Second World War because we find ourselves in unprecedented times when it comes to the effect of a global pandemic on a modern, globally interconnected economy. The Budget will confirm once again the strong plan we have for recovery, for economic recovery, from the COVID-19 recession and to build our economy for the future, to continue to cushion the blow, to continue to recover what has been lost, the jobs, the livelihoods, the hours, the incomes, the customers, the clients. But also to take new ground, to emerge stronger, to build our economy for the future. That's what this Budget is about. In these unprecedented times, we have cushioned the blow. The economy burden, Treasury advises us, could have seen 700,000 additional Australians without a job on measured employment in this country, were it not for the blow-cushioning measures that our government undertook - JobKeeper, JobSeeker, cashflow support and the many other measures. And we are recovering what has been lost, although there is still much ground to take. Some 760,000 jobs that were either lost or reduced to zero hours have already come back into our economy and that is great tribute to the resilience of our economy and the Australians who make it work every day. And we are building for the future through the JobMaker plan that I began outlining many months ago. Affordable and reliable energy, particularly for heavy industries and households. Lower emissions into the future. Skills development through the JobTrainer program and the supporting of apprentices in this country. $1.5 billion alone from the Commonwealth, also backed up by the support of the states in the $1 billion JobTrainer fund. Fixing problems in our industrial relations system so we can employ more people. That's what it's about. Unions coming together with employers to find ways that they can work together better to employ more Australians and we grow into a recovery. Record investments in infrastructure through our three grids - a transport grid, a water grid and an energy grid . Making it easier to do business, cutting red tape, streamlining approvals, particularly for major projects, and the reforms to the EPBC Act that we flagged.
But we need to go further than that and in the Budget we will, particularly in this area of making it easier for people and businesses to do business in this country and that means supporting businesses to thrive in the digital world. And making it easier and safer to deal with government when it comes to the digital economy. This saves time and it saves money and that is good for our economy and it's an important part of the change program we need to see Australia's economy build for the future. So today we outline our JobMaker digital plan to support growth in our economy and to support jobs in our economy, firstly by significant investment, some of which had been noted last week on the NBN and earlier on cybersecurity, together $1.67 billion on cybersecurity and a $4.5 billion further investment in the NBN. In addition to that, accelerating the uptake of 5G technologies across businesses, we’ve invested a further just under $800 million in a range of programs. Infrastructure and a security that can underpin business's engagement in the digital world. Secondly, skills and capability in digital. Digital skills, tools and training support across businesses, drawing on the JobTrainer fund but also in new programs to build business skills to take up the technologies that are there. Australia has arguably the most advanced real-time payments system in the world. That is the digital infrastructure through our new payments platform that enables people to get paid instantaneously. Not seven days, not two days, within seconds. But for that to happen, we need our businesses to be online. We need them to be digital businesses and in recent months we have seen through COVID a rapid acceleration, produced by necessity, of businesses really engaging and upgrading their digital capabilities. What we're announcing today will build on that, will strengthen that and it will accelerate it. And thirdly, it's about gutting the red tape. The red tape of dealing with government and going digital greatly unburdens both individuals, households and businesses in how they deal with government. But we've both got to be on the same page, both government and house-holders and businesses.
So the announcements we're making today on accelerating our work in the fintech sector, the consumer data right, upgrading regtech which is basically automated regulation compliance, the end of phone books full of forms, where things can be done online and digitally, remembering your previous answers so you don't have to go through and fill out the forms later. Business registers being upgraded, a digital identity that enables people to have a seamless interface with government and e-invoicing, in particular, making that a key part of ensuring that we pay businesses quicker and on time and seeing that uptake by businesses more broadly which means, at the end of the day, small businesses getting paid on time and ahead of time and injecting much-needed cashflow into our economy. So these are the announcements we're making today as part of our digital plan. It sits together with the many others I've outlined in recent months and the Treasurer's outlined over recent weeks as well. These will all be added to in next week's Budget and later this week I'll make further comments on our plans in the manufacturing sector for advanced manufacturing. But it's all about three things - it's about cushioning the blow, it's about recovering what was lost, and it's about building for the future.
Treasurer.
The Hon. Josh Frydenberg MP, Treasurer: Thank you very much, Prime Minister. Firstly, can I join you in acknowledging the service of Australian men and women who wear the police uniform. Every day, they put their lives on the lines so that our lives can be safer, and those four distinguished police officers who lost their lives in Melbourne included members of a local police station in my electorate and I joined members of the community to go and lay a wreath in their honour. So a very big thank you to every Australian man and woman who serves in our police force.
As we all know, COVID-19 has changed the world. COVID-19 has changed Australia and COVID-19 has changed the way businesses do business. 9 out of every 10 Australian businesses have used technology to adapt. Indeed, it has been said that we have made five years' worth of gains in advancing the use of technology in this country and around the world in just a matter of eight weeks. Zoom meetings have replaced air travel, telehealth consultations have replaced GP visits and e-commerce, which was already gaining pace, has moved to the next level. Now, the Morrison Government made a number of temporary changes to our regulation through COVID to ensure that businesses could continue to do business and people could continue to stay in jobs, despite the virus. Today we're making an announcement that a number of those changes have become permanent, as well as going further in other areas.
The distribution electronically of documents will now be much easier to undertake for businesses. We're enabling the execution of documents to now be undertaken digitally and we are also enabling AGMs to be held virtually. For example, last year, Telstra printed and posted 650,000 notice of meetings at a cost of around $1 million. No longer will that be required. We're also moving to e-invoicing by Commonwealth agencies. This is when the supplier and also the buyers' systems are automatically connected and it reduces the cost of an invoice by around two-thirds. And this is really good for small businesses who will be able to be paid a lot quicker. So if you are a fruit and veg supplier to an army barrack, if you are an IT consultant to a government department, by moving to e-invoicing, we will be able to ensure that you get paid a lot faster. 90 per cent of small businesses today still use paper-based invoices and if you take the Commonwealth, together with the states, governments are responsible for around 10 per cent of all business invoices. And this was an issue that I raised with the state treasurers as recently as last week and it is hoped that the Commonwealth, by taking the lead to e-invoicing, will lead to states - and I know New South Wales already has measures under way - other states following the Commonwealth's lead in this respect.
The other initiative worth mentioning is around the consumer data right. Prime Minister, when were Treasurer, you were promoting and pursuing the electronic exchange of consumer information in a secure and trusted way in order for consumers to get more choice and to get a cheaper product. And we have already implemented the consumer data right through open banking, as it applies to credit cards today, but we're also extending it to mortgages and personal loans by the end of this year. What this means is if you have a $250,000 mortgage on your home and you're a trusted customer of a bank, long-standing customer, you may be paying $1,000 too much for the variable interest on your loan compared to the best market offer that is otherwise available. And we're extending the consumer data right also to the energy sector and why is this important? Because, again, if you are on an established paying system in one state, you may be paying $400 more for a medium set of energy supplies than you otherwise could get if you got the best median market offer, if you got the best market offer available.
Finally, we should all see digital transformation as an opportunity, not as a threat. We want existing Australian businesses to transform by using the digital opportunities available to them. We want new businesses in Australia to be born digital and, in doing so, we will help Australian consumers and Australian businesses alike.
Journalist: Prime Minister, in relation to the hotel inquiry that’s been going on in Melbourne, obviously on March 27, you stood in this courtyard and announced that program. You gave the states a very short period of time to get it up and running. The consequences of that short period of time have been discussed during the hearings. That put a great deal of pressure on the state public servants. So I have a couple of questions. Do you take any responsibility for the consequences of those time pressures? Should they have been allowed more time? Do you accept the suggestion of counsel assisting the inquiry that while the offer of the ADF was made that it doesn't necessarily need to have been taken up and no findings should be found against the Victorian Government as a result of that? And given there are no concerns that some of those people may have been held unlawfully, should National Cabinet consider some sort of hybrid model where you basically have a triage system, check out whether people should be kept in hotel quarantine and let them go to their own homes?
Prime Minister: First of all, I remember the National Cabinet meeting very well. It was actually the states and territories that were most urgent in moving forward and they made the recommendation to move so quickly to establish hotel quarantine and we supported that. That was a, quite a lengthy discussion and the states were very keen to move forward and get this in place so that was a genuine decision taken by National Cabinet and at the initiation of the states and territories to actually move as quickly as they did. I welcomed the fact that they were so keen to move so quickly and to get those quarantine arrangements in place. In all other states and territories, I think the experience has been quite different to Victoria, and that is a great shame in Victoria. But, you know, that is what has occurred and that's all plain for people to see. In relation to the second question, well, the offer was made for the ADF to be available. It was taken up by most states, not by some, and that was a decision for the states and territories, so how best that was to be done was a matter for those states and territories to determine and so I will leave it to the inquiry to make their own recommendations.
Thirdly, in relation to issues of home quarantine - which is largely I think what you're referring to - if we recall back in sort of February and March of this year, that's how it was working, we were having home quarantine and I've got to say particularly amongst the Chinese Australian community, where the risk was greatest, where people were returning from mainland China and even Wuhan at one point, that home quarantine was followed incredibly assiduously by our Chinese-Australian community and that, as I've said on many occasions proved absolutely vital in Australia's success in managing the impact of that first wave. Now, I think home quarantine can play a role in the future and it's something that is being considered by the AHPPC and particularly as we sort of move beyond the phase we're in now and we do look to see, to have others, our borders open up at some point to safe locations whether it be New Zealand or parts of the Pacific or places like South Korea or Japan or countries that have had, I think, a much, high rate of success, then there are opportunities to look at those alternative methods, a triaging if you like. And many countries do this. I mean Denmark operates on a traffic light system which goes along those sorts of lines. In Greece, they have an algorithm which triages people based on where they've come from and where they've been and that quantifies the risk. Because at the end of the day, the answer to your question is really about how you're going to manage risk and how you're going to identify it and then apply the right solution to the risk that presents and I think as time goes on, we will need a more flexible approach that gives us more options for managing this, so I think that is something that is under active consideration, when it comes in, well that will obviously be determined principally by the health advice that can provide a green light to those sorts of options again but I'm hopeful it's something we can move to.
Journalist: A question about what's going on on the waterfront at the moment with the go-slow action in response to seeking a pay rise and some other conditions, the... Sorry, the Industrial Relations Minister yesterday floated the prospect of some sort of intervention. How serious is the Federal Government on that? And what would you be looking at?
Prime Minister: Well, I'm very serious. There are 40 ships, and I'm told there's some 90,000 containers out there. That includes medical supplies. I mean we cannot have the militant end of the union movement effectively engaging in a campaign of extortion against the Australian people in the middle of a COVID-19 recession. I mean this is just extraordinary, appalling behaviour. And they as much as admitted it on morning television this morning, with what they claim are ambit claims. That is just straight-out extortion. It is reprehensible. Now, as I made some remarks on Saturday when I was in Adelaide, I thanked the union movement, I thank the ACTU. I thank Sally McManus for the way that she has brought the union movement to sit down as part of this, I think, good-faith process that the Attorney is leading and I find what's happening with the MUA in Port Botany so at odds with that good-faith spirit. I would think that the union movement would want to distance itself from that behaviour as much as certainly the government does in condemning it. This is certainly - whether it's ever a time for extortionate demands, I would never say there's never such a time but certainly not when Australians are doing it so tough. I mean it is just absolutely galling. Now, the specific measures the government may undertake, well, I'll keep that to the counsel of the Attorney at this point, but I want to assure Australians that we don't take this lightly. It's not on, and we will take what steps are necessary to ensure that this can be brought, I think, to a more meaningful and swift conclusion.
Journalist: Prime Minister yesterday at the hotel quarantine inquiry, counsel assisting said that three departmental secretaries had failed to brief their ministers about major developments relating to the program, giving serious questions to whether the Westminster system had, of ultimate ministerial accountability, had been unsettled. Do you have confidence in the Victorian bureaucracy's response to the pandemic?
Prime Minister: That's really a question to the Premier. I mean I'm responsible for many things but I'm not responsible for the State Government of Victoria. That's a matter for the Premier and he's initiated an inquiry into this, given the seriousness of the matter and that report has not yet been brought down. I note that there's been counsel assisting who have made comments but the final report will come down and I'm sure the Premier will address that in due course.
Michelle?
Journalist: A theme through a number of your recent announcements has been deregulation and the need to free up things from controls. I'm wondering whether you are really confident that this, in the end, won't be counter-productive in some cases. I'm thinking particularly of your announcement on credit the other day, which it does seem could lead to some people in the end being worse off, undertaking obligations that they really can't afford.
Treasurer: We had no less authority than the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Michelle, talk about how the responsible lending laws had led to a risk aversion when it came to lending and -
Journalist: I'm talking about the banks, though, not the consumers.
Treasurer: This is all about the consumer. This is all about increasing access to credit for the consumer, be it for a credit card, be it for a home loan and I note that industries such as the motor vehicle industry, the housing industry and others have strongly welcomed this proposal from the government. We already have APRA as the prudential regulator with a lending standard, which will continue as it applies to the banks. And it requires the banks to verify the income of the customer and their ability to pay. But what has happened over the last decade is that these regulations, which started as principle based have become overly prescriptive, costly and complex. It's leading to delays in loans being made available. It's leading to loans not being available as they otherwise should, as the risk aversion on the part of the banks cuts in. So what we're seeking to do here is to boost Australia's economic recovery by reducing unnecessary red tape, by encouraging and facilitating lending as appropriate but, of course, with the necessary consumer protections in place.
Journalist: Prime Minister - thank you, Prime Minister - childcare for…
Prime Minister: You've had your hand up for 20 minutes. I thought I'd give you a break.
Journalist: Freezes on childcare fees were lifted in every state but Victoria yesterday. Given what we know about how families are doing it tough, what's your message to centres? And is it correct that the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is looking at policy options for childcare?
Prime Minister: Well, a couple of points. For everywhere other than Victoria, the situation is quite different, and the Treasurer may want to comment on this particularly, what we are seeing around the country is Australia's economy recover. Now, there's still a long way to go but when you look at the most recent job numbers that we've seen nationally and on the measured employment alone, more than 400,000 jobs have come back, more than 400,000. Now, it was even more than that around the country when you take out the impact in Victoria, which saw the number of jobs go down. So we are seeing many of the other- all the other states and territories get themselves back into a much stronger position. We always said that our supports would be temporary, that they would be targeted and that they would be proportionate and we can't stay stuck in the same gear when it comes to our response to the COVID-19 recession. We've got to keep moving forward. We need to keep leaning into the next step to see our economy strengthen and not have it held back by keeping support measures in place for too long. So what we want to see is the economies continue to restore and as the economies continue to restore, then households' budgets will be further strengthened, the job prospects will be further strengthened. Businesses and incomes will be further strengthened and that will enable Australians from all around the country to get back to as close to a COVID-normal position as is possible. So where there have been measures in the past, there does come a time for them to move on. Where there are particularly difficult situations, like the situation in Victoria, then we've shown the flexibility and I think the common sense to make exceptions and arrangements in those cases. But in other cases where we're moving ahead and in Western Australia, for example, the Premier will tell you, I'm sure proudly, that Western Australia, which is looking at even having a Budget surplus this year, the idea of maintaining many of those sorts of support in that environment, I think, would be quite counter-intuitive. So it is important we keep moving on and not stay stuck in the same gear when it comes to economic recovery.
But Josh?
The Hon. Josh Frydenberg MP, Treasurer: Thank you, Prime Minister. The Australian economy is operating at two speeds. There's Victoria and then there's the rest. Outside of Victoria, the jobs have come back, as the Prime Minister said. 458,000 jobs in the last three months, 60 per cent of which went to women and 40 per cent of which went to young people. And in the most recent job numbers, we saw 42,000 jobs being lost in Victoria, whereas jobs were created in the other states. We saw the unemployment rate fall from 7.5 per cent to 6.8 per cent, the single biggest drop from more than 30 years. This is why it's so important to get the virus under control and then restrictions can be eased and that's why the Prime Minister, myself, the Health Minister, have been calling for the easing of restrictions in Victoria, in a COVID-safe way, so people can get back to work. Because, as Treasury as estimated, some 60 per cent of the people who will be on JobKeeper in both the December and March quarters will come from Victoria.
Journalist: Prime Minister, in 1949, the Labor Prime Minister Ben Chifley sent the troops into the coal mines to break a strike. Given that Australia is in a national emergency, would you consider something similar on the docks?
Prime Minister: Well, I'm not going to pre-empt any of those sorts of things. We're still at a stage where I think that sort of thing would hopefully be unnecessary and that it would never come to something like that. My simple message today is to get it sorted and stop the extortion and to think
of your fellow Australians and get back to work.
Journalist: On the waterfront, the MUA said that they offered to get medicine off the ships but were rebuffed by Patricks. What more could they have done? And why should they give up the right to take industrial action when politicians are still getting pay rises?
Prime Minister: Well, they're not.
Journalist: Politicians aren’t still getting pay rises.
Prime Minister: No, they're not.
Journalist: Not in federal or state government?
Journalist: Not in federal government, no. So, we’re not.
Journalist: Why shouldn't they be able to take lawful industrial action, though?
Prime Minister: We're in the middle of a COVID recession and there are supplies on ships that need to come ashore. It's extortion and I won't put up with it.
Journalist: Prime Minister, you talked about the need to build and you’ve talked previously about the importance of infrastructure into the future. Do you agree that with the Western Sydney Airport, do you agree with your Deputy Prime Minister that $30 million was a bargain for that piece of land?
Prime Minister: Look, I agree with the Auditor's report. And these events are not things I'm happy about. There are clear lessons that need to be learned within the Department and they will be. And there is a review going on presently within the Department and I understand why Australians would feel very disappointed in that. I'm also disappointed in it and I don't think it's something that I would ever like to see repeated and I know the Minister at the time feels equally disappointed about that. I agree with the Deputy Prime Minister that the Western Sydney Airport is going to be one of, if not the biggest game-changer we've seen in infrastructure in the Sydney basin in a very, very, very long time. I agree wholeheartedly with him on that. It's an absolute jobs machine, the Western Sydney Lady Nancy Bird Walton International Airport and the logistics hub and technology hub that will continue to be built around that with the rail supports. This is a megalithic project for Western Sydney and for Sydney more broadly and the country. So the Deputy Prime Minister and I are completely on the same page when it comes to that. But when it comes to the processes that led to that decision, I'm not happy about it. The officials understand that. This happened some years ago, as you'd appreciate. Now that it's come to light and it’s been brought to our attention, we'll be ensuring it doesn’t happen again.
Journalist: Back on the waterfront, Prime Minister, if Patrick were to form a rival workforce, would you support such a move?
Prime Minister: I'm not getting into hypotheticals about how this is going to be resolved. I think I've made the point fairly clearly and I'm imploring that there be a lawful resolution to this situation, because I cannot have Australians who need what's on those ships being held on those ships, 40 of them out there. You can go down to Port Botany or down to Kurnell and have a look out there and you can see them lining up and every single one of them lining up is being held back from Australians getting what they need in the middle of a recession. So whatever differences that people have on the waterfront about this, I would ask them to put it aside, think of the national interest and get back to work.
Journalist: Prime Minister, you've made two observations today - that jobs are coming back in the economy in some places but people are still doing it tough. A lot of those families who are doing it tough are on the edge and with JobKeeper and JobSeeker now tapering off, a few hundred dollars could be the difference between meeting the mortgage or meeting a rent repayment and literally living rough for a lot of these families. So there's been speculation about maybe a supplement for pensioners in this Budget coming up. Will you give something for those families who are on the edge of being thrown out of their homes, looking at a very bleak Christmas, in this Budget, in some form of supplement payment or support?
Prime Minister: The Budget will be next week so I’m not going to make further announcements about what we're putting in the Budget for next week and the Treasurer will do that at that time. Let me give you a scenario here. Someone who is receiving JobKeeper at a rate of now $1,200 per fortnight may also be eligible for a part payment for JobSeeker of $276 per fortnight, which includes the coronavirus supplement, bringing their total taxpayer-funded income back to $1,476 per fortnight. Now, my point is that JobKeeper and JobSeeker work together to provide essential income supports and it was the same analysis we did when we looked at the less than 20 hours and the more than 20 hours. If people are working less than 20 hours, and they’re on $750, which I remind people is paid to the business and the business then pays the employee. Now, that business is not restricted to paying that employee $1,200. In fact, what we are seeing when I talk about 760,000 jobs coming back in, that's not just the more than 400,000 that have come back in terms of measured employment, that is about 300,000 or thereabouts of jobs that were reduced to zero hours. So those people would have been on JobKeeper. Now, those JobKeeper recipients are now getting more hours, so their actual incomes will be being supplemented by their employer, not just the taxpayer. That's a good change. And so yes, JobKeeper is transitioning, as is JobSeeker, but equally there are more jobs coming back into the economy and more hours coming back into the economy so people's incomes, increasingly, will be supported by their jobs, not just by the taxpayer, particularly when it comes to JobKeeper as a payment. And JobSeeker is there to support and buttress what is otherwise happening with their income supports and so the two will work together and you will see people being able to get further income support where they're in the sorts of situations that you're talking about.
Journalist: Prime Minister, 11 days ago, you flagged that you wanted to see a national network of contact tracing systems right across the country. How long do you expect that to take to be set up? And can I ask both you of you, given what you said in your statement on Sunday and where Victoria's cases are at now, with an average of eight a day over seven days, do you have faith in Victoria's contact-tracing system so that restrictions could be eased now or in the next couple of weeks?
Prime Minister: Well, a couple of points. Dr Finkel is leading that taskforce that I announced after the last meeting of National Cabinet. That's already under way. He's in Canberra now and leading a team drawing from a whole range of different disciplines to start - it already has started - the work of pulling together that digital overlay that can connect the contact-tracing systems between the states and territories. One of the reasons that's so important is because it enables your contact tracing resources in other states and territories to swarm onto particular problems. That was one of the challenges we had when Victoria hit their second wave. While there were plenty willing and able to assist the systems, and the system in Victoria at the time when it first hit is very different from what it is now. In large part, there were paper-based systems in Victoria at that time. That has radically transformed since that time and I would say - and I commend the Premier on this - that it is now going beyond that with the modernisation they're applying to bring the system up to what I would call the New South Wales gold standard and now they're looking at further improvements beyond that system. Now, they've come a long way in a very short period of time and the key to being able to open up your economy, as New South Wales has demonstrated, day after day, week after week, month after month, has been about the capacity of your contact tracing system and your testing regime. Those two combined with outbreak management, maintaining COVID-safe behaviours, that's how you keep your economy open. That's how you live with the virus, not have the virus tell you how to live. And so it is very important that that work continue and it builds. Now, you make the point where is it now? Well, I made the point on the weekend with the Treasurer and the Minister for Health that Victoria now is at a similar state when it comes to the number of cases that New South Wales has been at over recent months and New South Wales has a very different level of restrictions. Now, they are matters at the end of the day that are for the decision of the Victorian Government and, of course, the Victorian Government and the Premier does take responsibility for the decisions they make about restrictions and the path that they're on. Obviously, as a Federal Government, we have sought to work with them to highlight areas where we think we could move more quickly but we do that behind the scenes, working in good faith with the Victorian government. Do not take an absence of commentary from this platform as an absence of engagement between officials or otherwise. And that's a good thing. That's how it should work. I don't intend to have those discussions in a public setting. We want to support the Victorian government to move forward as safely and quickly as they possibly can. Ultimately, the calls that are made, I respect are made by the Victorian Premier and the Victorian government and, of course, the implications of that also rest with that government.
The Hon. Josh Frydenberg MP, Treasurer: As the Treasurer, I'm very focused on businesses reopening and people getting back to work. But as a Victorian parent, I'm also very focused on my children and other people's children getting back to school. I note that that timetable has been accelerated for some of the year levels but I cannot see why all students can't get back to school in Victoria now. Not just for their educational development, because so many of those students have lost nearly a year of study, not just for their educational development in the classroom, but for their wellbeing. I've read letters from well-regarded doctors and GPs, open letters to the Premier of Victoria, and they speak of the mental health state of young people in Victoria as a result of the lockdown. And the number of cases they are seeing through their doors skyrocketing, providing antidepressants to kids as young as 12 and 13 as a result of this lockdown. So I say to the Premier, follow the medical advice but please get Victorian children back to school at all levels.
Journalist: The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission published data showing it had barely got to a quarter of aged care homes in April and June for non-site visits, so done remotely. How can Australians have confidence that the regulator has effectively been toothless throughout the pandemic? Will the Government consider beefing up its powers, not just with resources, but empowering it to go into aged care homes more often and do more site examinations in and also the Aged Care Royal Commission is due to hand its COVID report to you tomorrow, will you commit to making that public as soon as possible?
Prime Minister: Well, we'll wait for the Royal Commission to come down. It's a Royal Commission. It will make its report. It will make its report. We've invested around $1.5 billion in boosting our support for aged care. In aged care, this has been the area where Australians have been most vulnerable. That's the case all around the world. So it's not surprising that what you've seen is as the case numbers steadily increased in Victoria, with the second wave that has flowed because of the community outbreak, which was obvious to all, those numbers also rose in aged care. Now, as the number of cases in the community have fallen in Victoria, so have the numbers of cases in Victorian aged care. There has always been a direct link between what has been happening in the community with what has been happening in aged care facilities and predominantly, the aged care facilities within Melbourne are not publicly run facilities. They're privately run, or not-for-profit-run facilities. So obviously, where the community outbreak has been greatest, that's where it is going to affect those centres and that's why we've seen predominantly what we have seen. There will be many lessons to be taken out of what has occurred during the COVID period. Many lessons have already been taken in how we would respond in other states and territories and they've been discussed candidly at National Cabinet and the Aged Care Response Centre, which continues to operate successfully in Victoria as a crisis response. That has been formalised to a level that would enable it to be stood up very quickly in other states and territories. I note there's been a call that it should already be stood up in other states and territories. Those states and territories are adamant that they do not want such a centre stood-up in other states and territories, that this needs to be done in partnership. They believe the arrangements that exist in other states and territories are satisfactory for the current threat and risk that presents. But, should that change, then both the Commonwealth and the State where a situation may arise can move immediately to put those things in place.
Rosie, and then I’ll go to,
Journalist: Farmers are crying out for thousands of workers to pick Australia’s fruit and vegetable, particularly with harvest around the corner and Christmas, what will you do to encourage more Australians into the regions, when will you announce that package because we haven’t seen it yet? Are you open to expanding the seasonal and Pacific workforce programmes as well?
Prime Minister: The answer is yes and soon.
Yes?
Journalist: The Public Service Commission has decreed that all 250,000 public servants should return to work, if it’s safe to do so. Obviously you agree with that,
Prime Minister: I do, as Minister for Public Service in particular.
Journalist: I assume you might have a message for corporate Australia about whether or not they should see their staff return to the usual workplace? And can I just ask, in your deliberations on the Budget coming up, did you have a concern that some extra boost for aggregate demand might actually not work? That it might take a bit for effort to flow into the economy?
Prime Minister: You might want to unpack that last bit, I mean of course we’re only going to consider things that we think is going to work.
Journalist: Well just in terms of spending, it might actually not get your bang for buck because people might have to save it or indeed they might not be able to spend it because of businesses being restricted.
Prime Minister: Obviously with every measure we’ve undertaken, and particularly since the COVID crisis hit, it has always been one of our assessments - temporary, targeted, proportionate. Targeted means, it’s going to go somewhere where it works and has the best effect. That has been one of our principles the entire time. When we went into this crisis, we thought it was really important to set out what the principles would be and indeed I did that at the AFR Summit back in March, where we were very clear about what the rules were for framing the economic measures that we would introduce and we have held fast to all of those, and we will continue to hold fast to all of those, so I think that probably answers your question. Of course, of course we would consider the effectiveness, that is the point with every single measure and aggregate demand measures are important in this recovery phase. Very important in this recovery phase. As the tide has gone out on so much other investment or activity, then it is an essential response in these unprecedented times that we would have a Budget like the one you’re going to see next week. How do we respond and claw back from that position and that Budget? By growing our economy. That’s how you do it. You don’t do it by putting up taxes, you don’t do it by risking essential services that Australians rely on, you do it by growing your economy. And that’s why today’s announcement along with the so many others we’ve made, whether it’s on insolvency reform, or credit reform, or whether it has been on the JobTrainer fund, or affordable, reliable energy with lower emissions, all of this is designed to grow your economy. Now when you grow your economy, you can build your revenues again. And that’s how Australia comes back from the Budget that we will have to announce next week, and the measures that we are putting in place are designed to achieve those ends. I mean today, we’ve announced reforms that are effectively upgrading the circuit board of our economy with this Digital Plan. That’s what it’s about today, making the arteries if you like, of our economy to borrow on another analogy, to be able to be cleared and able to ensure a much more healthier economy for Ausrtalians.
Now on your other point, and I’ll address your other two points, on the issue of the public service, of course I support that measure, and it is important whether it’s here in the ACT or in Sydney, or in Brisbane or Perth or anywhere else, where the health advice enables it, obviously VIctoria is still in a different position right now, for public servants to be back in their offices, buying their lunch at the local cafe, and doing all of those things which support particularly those CBD economies. And it’s a matter that I’ll continue to pursue, I think very positively with the other state, with the state Premiers and Chief Ministers who I know will also, I'm sure, wanting to be seeing their own CBD’s revitalised. And when I say CBD, I’m not just talking about the Sydney CBD in NSW, I’m talking about Parramatta, I’m talking about Liverpool, I’m talking about Sutherland, I’m talking about all of these places, and Hurstville, and the many other similar suburban CBD’s that are around the country, Box Hill and the like. So it’s important that I think we get people back into their offices in a safe way, I think people have learned an enormous amount over the last 6 months about how to do that in a COVIDSafe way, and it’s time to get our CBD’s humming again. And I think the Commonwealth Public Service taking the lead in that regard is a good thing and we’ll seek the encouragement of other state public services and I know the NSW Premier, sorry Treasurer Dominic Perrotet has made similar comments. In relation to business, I would encourage them to do the same thing. For example, if your head office is in Melbourne, that doesn't mean that your office in Perth should be operating on the same COVIDSafe plan to the one in Melbourne. And I know that's a point that the Western Australian Premier has made on a number of occasions. We also have large multinational companies that are running their COVIDSafe arrangements based on what’s happening in Paris or New York or in London. And those rules are probably very appropriate in all of those places. But they don’t make much sense in Adelaide. So I think it is important that we always have customised home-grown COVIDSafe plans here in Australia, targeted to the locality because that is the best way to get our economy opening up again because an economy opening up again safely means jobs, it means livelihoods, it means incomes, and it means that we will recover and we will grow.
Thanks very much.
Press Conference - Sydney, NSW
18 September 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon, everyone. Today was a very practical day for the National Cabinet. The National Cabinet has been meeting now for around about six months. And its purpose on many days is to resolve disagreements, work through difficult problems, find solutions, find a way forward and today was another example of us doing just that. As the COVID pandemic continues to roll on around the world, we're encouraged by what we're seeing out of Victoria now. We're encouraged about the relaxation of the restrictions that we've seen in Victoria in regional areas. We are hopeful that the road map that has been outlined by the Victorian Premier continues to be achieved and we hope it continues to be accelerated in response to the case numbers that we're seeing there and that was refreshing news. It's good news that ACT is being opened up to Queensland. There is a lot of progress that is being made and we continue to resolve to make that progress each and every time that we come together. It's about working together to just solve problems and keep moving forward.
Australia is the envy, in many respects, of so many other countries around the world in how we are managing both the health consequences of the COVID pandemic and the economic consequences of the COVID pandemic. This was brought home again this week by the employment figures that came out yesterday. I mean, these are employment numbers that have seen more than half now, more than half of the jobs lost come back. That's good news. And as Victoria continues to improve, as we saw job losses in Victoria, we will see that situation only go forward further. We saw, not that long ago, that in the June quarter, that we had a fall in the size of our economy in that June quarter by some 7 per cent. But we've learnt just this week that just across the ditch in New Zealand, in that same quarter, they saw a fall of over 12 per cent. Australia is managing both the economic and the health impacts of this COVID pandemic better than almost any other part of the world in developed economies. Countries like, of course, Korea, South Korea, have also been doing extremely well. Economies like Taiwan also doing very, very well. But when it comes to the league table of how countries are managing both, that is something that I think Australians can take some confidence from and some encouragement from, and the National Cabinet has been a key vehicle through which we have been able to achieve that. We haven't always agreed. There's been the odd, there’s been the odd exchange of words from time to time. But I want to reassure Australians that when we get in that room, we solve things. We make the compromises that are needed from time to time to get to a yes and to get to going forward and that's what's happened again today.
Let me run you through some of the arrangements that we addressed today, the issues, I should say, we addressed today and some of the agreements that were taken. We did note and you would have seen from the common operating picture, that the testing levels across Australia, the testing rates, we noted that they need to be improved. And so, to that end, I welcome the fact that we're advised that Western Australia is actually moving to sewage testing, which is an important other testing method to give us an understanding of the presence and the spread of the virus. This has also been done now in the ACT for some time and other jurisdictions. I can also note that not only has Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia taken up the COVID pandemic leave disaster payment, that is also now to be taken up by New South Wales, and those arrangements will be put in place over the next little while. And that ensures that, when someone has a positive COVID test, they can get access to those payments. And I believe Queensland will follow shortly. There is just a couple of issues that have been finalised between the Queensland Government and the Commonwealth Government, and we have positive discussions with the Queensland Premier about that today, and I look forward to that being in place very, very soon.
We welcomed the extension today of telehealth. This is a major, a major commitment. A $2 billion commitment that will see telehealth services continued for a further six months, out to the end of March of 2021. One of the things we've been able to do with telehealth is we've reached more and more Australians through these health services, and particularly in relation to mental health services. We have learned a great deal during the COVID pandemic about how these services can be delivered even more effectively, and especially in regional and remote areas. And so this is a big lesson out of the COVID-19 pandemic. This will continue, as I said, until the end of March. But, of course, we're working on future plans on telehealth, as to where it goes beyond that time, but for now that ensures that we have a certainty of that support and that people can access those telehealth services out over that period of time. It was also pleasing to note today that the 15 mental health centres that have been open now in Victoria, and they are receiving patients who are coming and getting that help. And that's been another important COVID initiative.
Today we received reports from Dr Alan Finkel and Commodore Hill on the tracing regimes. Following the last meeting, what we were able to arrange with the Victorian Government is the Victorian Government, together with the New South Wales Government, did a comparison of the New South Wales and Victorian tracing regimes. And the good news about that is there were lots of lessons learned and the upgrade that has been taking place with the Victorian tracing regimes, they're to be commended for. And we've seen that working, in particular, just in these last few days as they have been dealing with a particular outbreak. And so what we've seen is a lifting of the bar with the tracing capacity, and we welcome that in Victoria. And what was agreed today is that the work that Dr Finkel and Commodore Hill have done will now be spread across all the other states and territories, and under the Commonwealth lead we'll be taking the lessons out of that New South Wales/Victorian exchange and applying that to each of the states and territories. So, that will provide a reckoner against a benchmark to ensure that we keep our tracing systems up to standard and up to being match-fit over time as well. One of the challenges that you have with running a tracing regime when you have no cases is there's not much to do when you're tracing no cases. But you always need that capability to be there, and you need to be able to switch it on very fast. So, it was also agreed today that the Commonwealth would lead an initiative to connect all the digital systems that the states and territories are using so they can interact with each other. That doesn't mean they need to be all on the same system. Reproducing that effort would take considerable time and unnecessary cost. But we can design and develop a digital overlay across all those systems, which will mean that if there were to be an outbreak in a particular place, what that means is that we would be able to swarm, harness the tracing capabilities of more states and territories, to plug in to the tracing work that is being done in that particular jurisdiction. So, that's a positive development. It comes out of that process of Dr Finkel and Commodore Hill working, looking at the two systems that were being used in New South Wales and Victoria. So, we welcome that as a further initiative.
We noted today reports from Jane Halton, the former secretary of Health and Finance, and the work that she has been doing to examine all the quarantine systems around Australia. And that was a very positive report. She will be now moving to finalise that report and she's providing that feedback directly to each of the states and territories. But her report today was a positive one about the standard of that quarantine arrangements that are now in place right around the country.
We also, of course, addressed the issue of international arrivals today. We want to see Australians be able to get home. Some months ago, in the middle of July, the states requested that the Commonwealth put in a cap, that the Federal Government cap the number of arrivals coming back into Australia. Now, the reason for that was fairly obvious. We had a situation in Victoria which was rapidly escalating. In New South Wales, there was also a lot of pressure on their system as they were dealing with outbreaks and that was causing concern in many other jurisdictions. So, we put those caps on. They have been in place now for several months. But it was time to start lifting those caps and we made announcements about that earlier this week. I want to thank, in particular, the New South Wales Government for their very quick and prompt response to support those liftings of the caps and today we did get support for moving to those additional numbers. But it will be done in a staged way. New South Wales will move to take an additional 500 by Monday week, so that's the 27th of September. Queensland and Western Australia, on that same day, will be taking an additional 200 per week from the 27th of September. By the 4th of October, Queensland will then move to that full 500 extra. So, they'll increase it by 300 again. And by the 11th of October, WA will also go to that 500 extra a week. That will give those states additional time to get the quarantine arrangements in place. All of that will be done on the express guarantee of support, which I've always been happy to provide, which was ADF assistance in that task. So, we'll be focusing much more of our ADF support on that quarantine assistance in those jurisdictions. And this is going to help get more Australians home.
Australians who are trying to get home at the moment are seeking to do that for many reasons, and particularly those more vulnerable, for circumstances completely outside their control. It's not like they had an opportunity to come home early or anything like that. But we've got to remember, these are Australians coming home. These are Western Australians coming home to Western Australia. They are Queenslanders coming home to Queensland. Now, New South Wales has been carrying the majority share and will continue to do that. They will go to 3,000 a week from Monday week. About, I understand, 40 per cent of those who are coming through New South Wales are going on to other states and territories. So, New South Wales is welcoming home those from other states and territories, and they are quite happy to do so. And I thank the New South Wales Government, and I know all the other states and territories appreciate the role that they have played. So, Queensland and Western Australia will be also increasing the number that they'll be taking and I welcome their support for that today. Now, the smaller states and territories, they have also agreed to work with the Commonwealth to assist us when it comes to bringing in commercial charter flights. The reason we need to focus on Sydney and Queensland and Western Australia is because that's where the commercial flights go. If additional commercial flights were to go to Darwin or go to Adelaide, that would be fine, and those states and territories have expressed their willingness to take additional. But that's not where the flights go. But all of the other states and territories, including the ACT and Tasmania, even, where there is not yet an international airport, but we can put those arrangements in place quickly to deal with a commercial charter or an emergency evacuation.
Now, in particular, Howard Springs. Howard Springs is a facility that we will be able to use to deal with those type of evacuation charters, if they become necessary. Now, at present, we don't have any of those currently planned. But I should note that, since the pandemic started back in March, in its most significant form, we have assisted some I think it's 27,000 Australians to get back over that period of time. So, the Commonwealth has been out there, trying to help Australians get home. We understand that, for the reasons of putting the strain on quarantine capacity, we had to limit the number of places that could come in on flights over the last couple of months. But with the improvements and with the success that we've had as a country in recent months, we can start opening that up again and we can start helping Australians get home again. And so I thank all the states and territories for their assistance in that agreement today.
Now, another important agreement today is that there will be mandatory data collection on domestic flights to assist states and territories when it comes to contact tracing when people are moving between states and territories. From the 1st of October, part of the mandatory manifest information will be name, email address, a mobile contact number, and a state of residence. There's still some work to be done there. That will be arranged with the major airlines, with the Department of Infrastructure, and those arrangements are being put in place now. Now, that is just simply to help our state and territory agencies in the contact tracing that they may be required to do, when it comes to tracking when people are moving from state to state, and that information will, of course, be treated sensitively by the states and territories in the same way that public health information is always treated.
Another way we'll be able to help more Australians get home is we're working to ensure that New Zealanders can come to Australia, and Australians can return to Australia from New Zealand without the need to go through quarantine if they're not coming from an area where there is an outbreak of COVID-19. For example, the whole of the South Island is an area where there is no COVID. And so if we can get to the situation soon where those coming home from New Zealand are able to enter Australia without going into a 14-day quarantine in a hotel, or in the worst-case scenario, only having to do that in their home, then what that does is that frees up places in our hotel quarantine system. And so we see that as another way of enabling more and more Australians to come home. I think they account for about 15 per cent, or thereabouts, of those who are going through quarantine, are those coming back from New Zealand. So you can see that's a sizeable component that will assist us to do that.
The boarding school advice provided by the medical expert panel was adopted and I thank the states for the work they're putting in to enable kids to come home in the school holidays, particularly those coming out of boarding schools and going back to remote areas, where they will be able to spend time with their family. This year has been tough enough on our kids at school without putting them through a situation where they wouldn't be able to go home and spend the school holidays with their families. And so we welcome the work that's been done there. This is about getting them home safely, having the right conditions in place.
The final thing is that the National Cabinet agreed a tasking for the Rural and Regional Committee. That's one of the six subcommittees of National Cabinet. After our last meeting, we tasked the Energy Subcommittee, and so they will be working on the growth of jobs in rural and regional areas, and things that can be done to achieve that with the states and territories working to together.
So, it has been another busy meeting of the National Cabinet. We next meet on the 16th of October. The next meeting would normally have been held just before the Budget, so that's not something that the Commonwealth will be able to do at that time. We'll be very focused on the Budget at that time and so we agreed that we'd meet again on the 16th of October. And by that time, much of the work which I've mentioned today will be coming to fruition as well and that will be welcome.
Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: How did you go with discussing the definition of a "hot spot" in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: There was no further recommendation from the AHPPC on that today.
JOURNALIST: What did Jane Halton brief on and was she able to give any indication of whether there were actual issues with other states quarantine systems?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, she will be going into that detail with them specifically, with each state and territory. But the overall report was good. And particularly in places like New South Wales it was very good where they're doing it at an industrial scale. And so they got a very big tick today. But the other states and territories, I mean, obviously there's none going on at the moment in Victoria, but a lot of lessons learned there, obviously. But Jane's report, I thought, was very positive today. I think Premiers would be very encouraged by and Chief Ministers by the work that's been done. But to scale that up in those areas, particularly in WA and Queensland in the weeks ahead, well, with the ADF's support, the medical support that is provided by the states as well, then it will meet the test.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, that cap of 6,000, is that likely to be increased again?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, I believe it will, and we spoke about that today. So, let's get to this next level, and then ultimately we'd like to see those caps lifted, as they were back in early July. That would be my goal and we'll work towards that goal and get there as soon as we can. But between now and the next meeting we will have increased the number of people who are able to come home every week by 2,000 a week and I think that's a good step forward. And to do so, I've got to stress, in a safe way. In a safe way. And for those states and territories where they have been many, many months now without a case, I understand the sensitivity in those states. But it's also important that they let their neighbours come home and many of their neighbours are coming home in situations which can be very distressing. So we want to facilitate and enable people to come home as soon as they can.
JOURNALIST: Just in terms of facilitating people coming home, airlines will struggle to fly empty planes one way in order to get people home to Australia. Are you going to look at relaxing the exemptions for people to leave Australia so that airlines can be commercially viable to fly out in order to fly Australians home?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the first point that was being made to us by the airlines was to lift the caps so they can keep these flights going. So what we have announced and what we have agreed today, I think, will address that in the short-term, I think in the medium term, out over the next couple of months, I think if we can get to a point where we don’t have these caps at all that would help that. When you don't have the caps coming in, then that makes it easier for people to be able to move and if it's on essential business and travel and things like that. But there are thousands of these exemptions that are given every single week for people to go and travel in those circumstances, whether it is to attend a sick family member or an important event or business purposes, things of that nature. So we're continuing to provide those exemptions and I look forward to when we can have even less restrictions on those things. But we don't want to create a problem with the pipeline of people trying to get back in, so we need to address that problem first and that's what we're addressing today.
JOURNALIST: You said you wanted the international arrivals cap lifted by next Friday, why the delay?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I didn't say that. I said we would be increasing the cap.
JOURNALIST: Sorry, increased by next Friday. Why the delay in increasing it to that?
PRIME MINISTER: Working with the states and territories, you work together. There are some disagreements about that and there were issues raised in terms of the step up. So we've been able to resolve those today. So we'll get there. We will get there about a couple of weeks after I would have liked to have got there, but we're still going to get there. That’s the point.
JOURNALIST: What caused that delay?
PRIME MINISTER: The issues raised were about the ability of the Western Australian Government and less so the Queensland Government, because they're moving a week before Queensland, to get their quarantine up to that capability that quickly. So they've asked for that additional time. They'll move to 200 additional extra by Monday next week. So it’s not like there won’t be an increase in the cap, there will be, they've agreed to that, and that will happen in that next week timetable. Then it will scale-up first to 500 first in Queensland and then 500 in WA. New South Wales will move to that first and they'll do that within the next week.
JOURNALIST: Do you still believe that all states except for WA will have their borders open come Christmas?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, I do. I think we're making tremendous progress. I mean, Queensland has opened up to the ACT today. That's great. It's good news. South Australia has opened up to the ACT and I'm sure New South Wales won't be far behind. I mean, the Premier was able to report today, I think it was one case today in New South Wales. So that's great news. We're making great progress. We're making tremendously good progress and from time to time we'll disagree on this and that but when we get into the room, we sort it out.
JOURNALIST: What do you think about Queensland's decision to open up to the ACT but not New South Wales? Do you think it's fair and consistent?
PRIME MINISTER: I think it's a matter for the Queensland Government to explain.
JOURNALIST: What’s your relationship been like with the Queensland Premier today?
PRIME MINISTER: Fine.
JOURNALIST: The New South Wales Treasurer described the arrangement as a ‘Berlin Wall-esque’ arrangement.
Sorry?
JOURNALIST: The New South Wales Treasurer described the allowance for the ACT as a ‘Berlin Wall’ situation. Are you concerned about it fraying of relationships between the two states?
PRIME MINISTER: There's always a lot of rivalry between New South Wales and Queensland. I don't think anything's going to change that. Dom has got much more dramatic rhetoric than mine. He clearly has the gift of more dramatic rhetoric.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, exactly how many Australians are stranded right now overseas that want to come home?
PRIME MINISTER: We've got over 20,000 right now but we have…
JOURNALIST: Do you have a more specific number?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, it is about 24,000. We have got about just over 4,000, and this number has been coming down, how we would categorise through DFAT as being more vulnerable. Recently, several weeks ago, we provided additional funding to DFAT to assist these most vulnerable cases. That has meant in cases assisting them with air travel. It has also meant assisting them with accommodation or other needs that they might have. There was very wide discretion given to our consular posts to do that. We're talking in the tens of millions that we've provided that support. We had to do that because of the caps that were put in place at the request of the states, which was a very reasonable request, but that meant we had to act to get more support into our consular offices to provide assistance to those in need, and we've done that. Our consular teams around the world are amazing. Let's not forget that after the Beirut blast, we got hundreds of people out of Beirut and we got them home. And that was done outside the caps. I rang the Premier here in New South Wales and Gladys didn't hesitate. She said, ‘Of course, of course.’ And we got them home, and we got them home to many states. So our consular officials are doing an extraordinary job around the world and our many Members of Parliament too, I know, are fielding these calls and these requests, and they are heartbreaking in so many cases and we're seeking to resolve them as quickly as we can. But the most important thing we can do is continue to get more people able to be on flights and coming back into Australia. So today by working with the states and territories we will achieve that and more Australians will be coming home as a result.
JOURNALIST: Sorry, just according to the new cap increases, how long do you expect it will take to get everyone back home?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's a question of who's looking to come home. There are and that changes, I've got to say, from time to time. Some, I mean, for example, there are quite a lot of Australians living in Bali at the moment. When you ask how many of them want to come home, it's actually only a few hundred. But there is, I think, around 7,000 Australians who are in Bali currently. So that doesn't mean they're all looking to come home. And so for those, what we're trying to do is for those who are seeking to come home, and particularly those who very much need to come home, we are prioritising them both in the financial support and other assistance we're doing through our consular offices and by opening up these flights we'll get them home sooner, and to make sure they aren't bumped off flights because of issues that only business class seats are available, things like that. That's what our consular offices are resolving. But I would hope that those who are looking to come home, that we'd be able to do that within months and I would hope that we can get as many people home, if not all of them by Christmas.
JOURNALIST: Should states who are forcing Victorians and other returning interstate travellers into hotel quarantine, should they look at alternatives like having those people isolate at home to free up space for more returning Australians?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, we had that discussion today, particularly when you're talking about people coming from low-risk places. The ACT, for example, does home isolation on 14 days. We have Members of Parliament who are doing that exact thing in the ACT and there are medical officers who visit and take tests, and there are also police visits as well to make sure that they're there, and that has proved to be quite a successful model in the ACT. And the ability to apply those sorts of arrangements to people coming from particular areas where there's very, very, very low risk, well, they're options that the states can look to do and I would only encourage them to look at doing that because that eases the pressure on their other quarantine arrangements, which should be prioritised for those coming in from more high-risk areas. That's just common-sense and I'm sure the states will continue to try to exercise that common sense.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, has the Federal Government considered contributing to the states to allow that hotel quarantine system to be set up faster and allow that capacity to increase faster?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's why we have so many ADF personnel involved. We have, I think, over 110 in Western Australia right now. There are 340, just over that, in Queensland doing that right now. Let's not forget, the people who pay for the quarantine are the returning travellers. They're the ones paying the hotel bills. Originally, that was being done by the states at their agreement, and on their initiative, and good on them for doing so. But the hotel bill for quarantine is being paid by the returning traveller. So they're the ones writing out the cheque and that could be 2.5 grand on a good day, up in the Northern Territory. Much more in the other capital cities. But then there are other costs that are attached to that. There's the work that the police do here in New South Wales. Other privately contracted security agencies which states and territories use and it's important that they have the right training and the right tasking, particularly around PPE and other protocols. And the review done by Jane Halton had some good news along those lines. But also, it's through the ADF support. In fact, the ABF support. The ADF, as I've said, we have got hundreds and hundreds. You will see in the statement released just after this just how many ADF personnel we have doing that task all around the country. The Commonwealth can be accused of many things but in this COVID-19 pandemic, not stumping up when it comes to costs, I mean, JobKeeper alone is over $100 billion. If you add up every single thing that the states are doing in their COVID response, you won't even get to the cost of JobKeeper.
JOURNALIST: Hotel quarantine is quite expensive. Would the Federal Government consider chipping in to help some of these Australians returning home?
PRIME MINISTER: I just said, we were providing that in-kind support from the ADF. That is all that has been sought from us by the states, I should stress. They haven't asked for that. No one asked for that today. That didn't come from the Queensland Government or the WA Government today. They weren't asking for money. They were asking for ADF support and the answer to that was yes, they will receive that support, because I want to enable as many Australians to get home as soon as possible and I want to do that safely and I want to do that in as constructive a way as we can and once again today at the National Cabinet, we were able to deal with our disagreements, come to decisions, come to conclusions, solve another set of problems and no doubt there'll be a lot more for us to solve when we get together in the middle of October. Thanks all very much.
National Energy Address - Tomago, NSW
15 September 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Well thank you very much Bob, and to you Greg and all of your team here, many of whom are with us in the room today thank you very much for joining us here today.
Can I acknowledge the traditional owners, the Awabakal and the Worimi peoples, can I also acknowledge any veterans or defence force personnel who are with us here today and thank you for your service on behalf of all Australians.
Can I also thank you for your very warm welcome, a few weeks ago some boys from the Shire came up here, they didn’t get as great a welcome from the KNights, didn’t turn out too well for us but we made up for it last weekend, didn’t we. And it’s wonderful to be up here with you all. It’s nice to be out of Canberra and Sydney I’ve got to say. We’ve spent a fair bit of time there over the last many months and I think for others who’ve made the trip up today it’s good, it’s good to see what’s happening in our regions. And today is an important, a very important part of that today.
Can I also acknowledge of course Angus Taylor, who is with me here today. What we are speaking of today really is the extraordinary work that Angus has done in this portfolio as energy and emissions reduction. He brings an enormous amount of intellect and experience to these tasks and they are incredibly important areas of responsibility for the federal government and I want to thank you Angus for the tremendous work you’ve done working with stakeholders, working with those all across the sector. This is a massive part of the economic recovery.
And of course to Hollie and to David, thank you for joining us here today and for all the work you do in this wonderful part of the country and making sure that it’s always very much foremost in our minds.
To keep and get as many Australians in jobs has always been my job.
In this pandemic, for that to happen, I need as many businesses as is safely possible to be open.
That is why our national COVIDSafe health plan brought together with the states and territories is so important.
Our quarantine, our testing, our tracing, our outbreak containment - all shut the virus down, before it can take hold, when they’re working to standard.
Our COVIDSafe vaccine plan, investing some $1.7 billion to develop and produce a vaccine, right here, sovereignly in Australia, for every single Australian.
COVIDSafe behaviours - with our friends, at home, at school, at work, out and about - that denies the virus the opportunity to move amongst us.
This plan, our health plan is critical to our economic plan. And during this pandemic by Australia pursuing both, we continue to do better than almost every other developed country in the world, when it comes to protecting lives and livelihoods. But as long as we are closed, we cannot claim success as a country.
If we are shut, we are not living alongside the virus, the virus is actually keeping us from living.
So as we emerge from this second wave in Victoria, and I had some, a good message from the Victorian Premier this morning, let’s now seize the opportunity ahead of us, to safely and successfully reopen this country, reconnect this country, and stay open.
But getting Australia open again is just the start of what we must achieve.
Because only when businesses can see their way to expanding what they do, and how many more people they can employ, when they can see that, that’s why they will invest, that’s why they will take a risk. That’s why they’ll have a go.
And that is what our JobMaker plan for Australia’s economic recovery is actually all about, ensuring that businesses have the confidence, in this very uncertain world, to have a go, and to get a go.
Our plan began with the essential economic lifelines that have been keeping Australians in jobs and Australian businesses in business wherever possible - JobKeeper, JobSeeker, cash flow support payments for business.
JobKeeper alone, more than $100 billion, a record and unprecedented investment. But again the plan is not just about getting through. That is not, I think how Australians think about the future.
We don’t just want to get through.
What we want to see is, we need businesses to have the confidence to grow and to employ more people.
And that’s why our JobMaker plan is already:
boosting our investment in skills and training and apprenticeships, to help Australians get the skills that businesses need for them to be in those jobs. And that will be taking place right here.
working with employers and unions to fix our industrial relations arrangements and laws to make it easier for businesses to employ more people.
making it easier to do business by fast-tracking major project approvals, 15 large projects already on that slate working with states and territories to get them moving, and getting rid of the red tape that prevents it. On practical issues most recently, the Treasurer is agreeing to reform and streamline and harmonise occupational licensing.
bringing forward almost $10 billion of spending on new infrastructure projects, and that includes water infrastructure projects dams, pipelines, ports, railways.
In a few weeks the Treasurer will go into greater detail on all of this, and I promise you and more when he hands down our JobMaker Budget on the 6th of October.
But today, I want to focus on a further pillar in this JobMaker Plan that I flagged some months ago - our JobMaker plan for affordable, reliable and secure energy.
Now lower cost and more reliable energy helps businesses to grow and employ more people. And in areas like the Hunter, the business of generating energy is for so many your livelihood, where critical energy-intensive jobs are located.
Affordable and more reliable energy also supports of course household budgets, and that enables Australians to keep more of what they earn. Whatever their source of income is.
Our JobMaker plan for affordable, reliable and more secure energy has three key objectives:
Maintain that downward pressure - down, down -on electricity prices - while simultaneously developing the backbone of a reliable, lower emissions National Electricity Market for the next decade and beyond.
Get more gas, more often and more reliably - by resetting our east coast gas market, unlocking additional gas to drive recovery; paving the way, ultimately, for a world-leading Australian Gas Hub to support high-wage jobs, including and especially in manufacturing.
Reinforce Australia’s sovereign fuel security - recognising that government must play an active, strategic role to ensure Australians have unbroken access to the essentials of our way of life and Angus had more to say about that yesterday.
Now I want to discuss each of these in turn and particularly in relation to gas I want to acknowledge particularly the work of the National Covid Commission, Andrew Liveris and the team who have also been working to support the government in the work that we’ve been doing.
Now in terms of electricity, in recent years, we have taken strong action to get those electricity prices down. It’s all been about getting consumers a better deal.
Wholesale electricity prices have now fallen for 12 consecutive months.
National average household expenditure on electricity have already fallen by 4.7 per cent since its peak in December 2018.
We’ve turned the corner on electricity prices.
Nationally, average annual residential bills are expected to decrease by 7.1 per cent (or $97) between 2018/19 and 2021/22.
Our Default Market Offer rules are protecting consumers from defaulting to a worse deal.
Our big stick laws are evening up the playing field with the big energy companies.
We’ve banned late payment fees and implemented strong protections during COVID, with great support from the energy companies so impacted families and businesses can’t be disconnected without consent. And all of those issues are managed sensitively.
But to help drive economic recovery, we must lock in the settings for even lower prices.
To achieve this, you must deal with generation and transmission.
In Australia, you cannot talk about electricity generation and ignore coal.
For decades, coal-fired generation has been a source of competitive strength for our economy. Reliable, low cost energy. This is still true.
Analysis by the energy market operator shows coal generation is still expected to comprise almost a quarter of the National Electricity Market in 2040.
Coal will continue to play an important role in our economy for decades to come. With new technologies such as carbon capture and storage continuing to improve, it will have an even longer life, not just here in Australia, but in our export markets as well. Right here, and in regions like right here, that means jobs.
My Government understands this. The fact that we understand it is important. So many of your livelihoods depend on it. And not everyone shares this view. Not everyone shares our views on this.
My Government also understands that our energy market is evolving at pace - driven by changes in technology, economics and consumer preferences. Consumers are having a big say about where they want their energy to come from. Our technology roadmap is there to chart a path well beyond today’s needs.
Australia has seen an unprecedented influx of renewable generation. This is not something we have sought to hold back, rather we have encouraged it. And it is also benefiting jobs here in the Hunter and in regions like it. It is not a choice between the two.
More than $30 billion was invested in renewables between 2017 and mid 2020. In 2019 we saw investment at more than three times the per capita rate of countries like Germany, China, or France.
Across 2019 and 2020, Australia will add more than 12.6 GW of renewable capacity - over four times that of our largest power station. Nearly one in four households have rooftop solar systems.
Cheaper renewables not only help us meet our commitment to achieve our emissions reduction targets by 2030 which we remain committed to. Can’t tell you if everyone else does, but we remain committed to that. And we will meet it in a canter. But they also hold the promise of further declines in energy costs. But only if the foundations for grid stability are in place.
To back up intermittent renewables, we need firming capacity. Firming keeps the lights on when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. It’s a very practical proposition.
Every megawatt of dispatchable generation - coal, gas, pumped hydro batteries - can firm around 2 megawatts of renewables.
And we need to bring forward new dispatchable generation capacity as a priority, to compliment what is happening in the renewables sector. In the decade to 2010, around 9.6 GW of dispatchable capacity came online. In the decade since, only around 1.6 GW of new dispatchable capacity has been connected - none of it here in New South Wales.
As the experience with Hazelwood in Victoria demonstrated, the risks in terms of costs and reliability from the exit of large, ageing coal-fired power stations are real.
Against this backdrop, our Energy Minister Angus Taylor last year established a taskforce to assess the potential impacts of Liddell’s closure, working with the state government, working with the sector as well. It found that wholesale prices could jump by 30 per cent, or $20 per megawatt hour, if the station’s capacity was not replaced before it shuts down.
We estimate that some 1,000 MW of new dispatchable generation is needed to keep prices down. And we intend to do something about it.
Now while the private sector has announced projects which could fill this gap, it has committed to very few. COVID has challenged investment metrics, but the physical realities of ageing generators mean we can’t just hope for the best.
To ensure affordable, reliable power, we need the market to deliver 1,000 MW of new dispatchable capacity by the summer of 2023-24, with final investment decisions by the end of April 2021.
Now that’s less than eight months - and we’re counting. Each day.
So, this is the plan. If the energy companies choose to step up and make these investments to create that capacity, great, we will step back. If not, my Government will step up and we will fill the gap.
And to this end, Snowy Hydro is already developing options to build a gas generator in the Hunter Valley should the market not deliver.
The Commonwealth Government would prefer not to step in. That is not our Plan A. But nor will we shy away from taking action to protect consumers and support jobs, including here in this region and so many like it.
So I think there is some certainty there about what the investment environment looks like and what the capacity is. And I am sure we will get there one way or the other.
Alongside critical firming capacity, we need better integration of renewables into the electricity grid.
This makes renewables work. Renewables are getting cheaper, that’s great news. Because we are about affordable power - taking pressure off households, and taking pressure of job-creating businesses.
Grid-scale solar costs fell more than 50 per cent between 2015 and 2020, and are projected to fall by a 54 per cent by 2050.
Falling technology costs will help put downward pressure on prices and emissions over the decades to come. They have also brought grid scale wind and solar generation to economic parity with traditional sources of generation.
Renewables like solar and wind don’t need subsidies. What they need integration.
And without adequate planning and integration, rapid deployment of renewables can lead to delayed connection, curtailed output and congested transmission.
Our energy plan understands this, and includes measures to strengthen our transmission network to better move power to where it’s needed.
Having a renewable future isn’t just about building a windmill. You’ve got to connect it up and you’ve got to ensure it’s backed in by the reliable power that firms it when the wind isn’t blowing. That’s not ideology, that’s just common-sense.
Today I announce that the Commonwealth will work with state governments to accelerate three critical projects. And we’ll have more to say about these later - the Marinus Link, Project Energy Connect and VNI West Interconnectors.
Together with our support for HumeLink and the QNI Interconnector, this means we are accelerating all priority transmission projects identified in the AEMO Integrated System Plan.
Creating over 5,000 jobs, while reducing prices and keeping the grid reliable.
We must also though, modernise the way the electricity market operates to take account of technological change and to put more power into the hands of consumers. Now 21st Century electricity market needs 21st Century rules. A package of market reforms will come forward next year as part of the biggest shake-up of the National Electricity Market since it was created in 1998.
New rules will take account of the increasingly distributed nature of generation and better recognise the critical stabilising role played by dispatchable generation.
The immediate focus will be on security measures, better integrating different generation technologies and a reliability framework. Longer term reforms will focus on rules for a two-sided market, revised investment programs and a framework for the exit of ageing thermal generators.
These reforms, to be developed and agreed through National Cabinet’s new Energy Reform Committee, which tasked this work at our last meeting in fact just over a week ago. An important reminder of the work the National Cabinet is doing, is not just managing our CovidSafe plan, it’s actually working on the JobMaker plan and we see this as an important part of the JobMaker Plan and that’s when the National Cabinet was made a permanent feature of how our federation works. We established a series of sub-groups to work on those job-creating areas, regional was a large one which Michael McCormack is leading, and energy was another, which Angus Campbell, no he’s running the defence forces. Angus Taylor is leading that project.
And they will have three guiding principles:
Prioritise the long-term interests of consumers, ensuring they can access the right services at the right price.
Create competitive and transparent markets to unlock efficient and timely private investment.
Ensure a resilient energy system through a balanced mix of technologies. A balanced mix of technologies.
The Government will also take forward practical initiatives to put power back into the hands of customers. Our Consumer Data Right, which we started with banks, will enable customers to access detailed consumption data from their energy retailer and use this data to find the plan which best meets their needs. Expanded energy rating tools will also help Australians reduce their exposure to electricity bill shocks.
So in summary, the tasks for the road ahead on the electricity system are clear: bring on firm generation capacity, better integrate renewables, overhaul the rules to create a modern and efficient market and put more power into the hands of consumers.
Now Let me turn now to the gas market and I appreciate your patience this morning. Cheaper, more abundant gas is the second pillar of our energy plan for COVID recovery. We’ve got to get the gas.
Gas is already a major contributor to our economy. Based on the development of our enormous gas resources offshore, Western Australia and in Queensland, Australia is now a world-leading exporter of LNG, rivalling Qatar as the world’s biggest.
The $200 billion invested in LNG projects over the past decade was a key driver of our economic performance coming out of the Global Financial Crisis.
We want to continue to be an export powerhouse, but it can’t be at the expense of Australian customers getting a fair deal.
An estimated 225,000 Australians work in manufacturing firms that rely heavily on gas as a feedstock or fuel source, according to APPEA - in sectors such as fertilisers, chemicals, metals, bricks, cement and parts of food processing and beverage manufacturing. When Andrew Liveris sat down with me at Kirribilli some time ago, and working with him through the COVID Commission, said you want to change manufacturing in this country, you’ve got to deal with gas. You’ve got to deal with gas. And Angus has taken up that challenge along with Keith Pitt and this is what we’re talking about today.
For many firms, the most pressing challenge they face is the failure of the east coast gas market to meet competitiveness benchmarks, and that puts Australian jobs at risk.
While spot prices have fallen under COVID, Australian industry is paying well above export parity prices for contracts. The ACCC says the gap is higher than at any time since the competition watchdog started its gas inquiry in 2017.
Chair Rod Sims has identified 18 cargoes of gas sent offshore this year at prices well below those being offered to Australian industrial customers. And despite our resources, AEMO is forecasting potential gas shortages in the east coast market by 2024.
Now that’s not on. This is not acceptable.
Nor is it sustainable when competitive gas should be helping to fire, gas fire our COVID recovery.
Gas is not only central to our industry plan, it’s also central to our energy plan. As I said at the Press Club earlier this year, there is no credible energy transition plan for an economy like Australia that does not involve the greater use of gas.
Alan Finkel, the Chief Scientist, put it this way: “Gas is effectively the perfect complement to solar and wind.” Absolutely true. We need to reset the east coast gas market - and we will. The Government will lean in with measures aimed at ensuring domestic users aren’t at a competitive disadvantage relative to their overseas competitors.
This is not about pitting LNG exports against domestic users. They both should be able to, and they must co-exist.
Our long-term goal is a transparent and competitive Australian Gas Hub on the east coast, with a family resemblance to the ‘Henry Hub’ system in the United States.
The Henry Hub is the international gold standard for gas trading markets, highly regarded for its transparency, its liquidity, and its certainty.
There are many factors that contribute to its success - abundant sources of gas supply, a highly competitive and well regulated network of pipelines and storage infrastructure, and a significant volume of trade in futures contracts which provides greater price certainty for buyers and sellers.
Now we should adapt the best parts of this system and to make it work for Australian circumstances.
This will require us to take action in three areas: firstly, gotta get the gas. We must unlock new sources of supply, we must get additional gas to market as efficiently as possible, and we must empower domestic gas customers.
We need to accelerate development of new basins like the Beetaloo in the Northern Territory and Narrabri in New South Wales. As well as open up more development in existing basins in Queensland where substantial reserves remain untouched.
All levels of government have a role to play here in creating a supportive environment for investment and competition.
The Commonwealth can play a more active role investing in the early planning work required to accelerate exploration and development in priority basins, which we will do through the development of 5 Strategic Basin Plans.
Funding pre-competitive economic, engineering and scientific studies like we are doing in the Beetaloo, and removing roadblocks to development, these are examples of how government action can help “crowd-in” private sector investment.
Just as we’ve done with NSW, we want to work closely with the state and territory governments to set targets for new gas supply as part of bilateral energy deals.
State governments can also do more to facilitate development, for example through ‘use it or lose it’ requirements on gas licences that encourage producers to bring gas to market as quickly as possible. Not sit on it.
We also need to ensure Australian users get their fair share of these new gas developments.
Work is underway on options for a prospective gas reservation scheme, which will be done in consultation with industry and the states and territories. We will support gas exports, but we must avoid past pitfalls.
As we produce more gas for domestic use, we need the right infrastructure of course to connect up the east coast gas grid at the lowest cost possible.
That means efficiently connecting major sources of gas supply with ‘customer hubs’ where there is significant demand.
We will unify the market around a common set of priorities for gas pipelines and other critical infrastructure through a National Gas Infrastructure Plan, just like we have with the Integrated System Plan for electricity.
So under our government: a gas grid, an electricity grid, and a water grid.
And while we want the private sector to invest in this infrastructure, we are prepared to go further if we need to.
The Commonwealth stands ready to step-in to support pipeline development if necessary, as we are doing now with other nationally-significant infrastructure like electricity interconnectors, water infrastructure and of course major highways.
Finally, we need a competitive market that allows for fair bargaining between gas buyers and sellers. A market that empowers gas customers and ensures they have the power to negotiate, not just accept, the terms offered to them. Not good for jobs.
Transparent pricing and greater pricing certainty is needed so end-users can contract the volumes they need for the future, and so upstream producers can invest with confidence that there will be demand for their gas. It’s a two way street.
Government can create the conditions for an open and transparent trading hub, and act as an honest broker to match supply and demand.
Now we know many of our manufacturers can’t wait for years for the market to reset and for the new gas supply to come online.
So we will also move immediately to extend the heads of agreement with the East Coast LNG exporters and ensure they meet their end of the bargain to provide competitively priced gas to the domestic market.
There are many other elements to our gas plan, including work on netback pricing and pipeline regulatory reform, all of which will be done closely with industry.
And again I want to thank Angus as the Minister, and Keith Pitt, the Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, for their tremendous work on the plan that I’ve been outlining to you today.
Now the third area, was ensuring Australia’s Fuel Security, and Angus has already spoken at more length about that yesterday.
But the COVID crisis has highlighted the importance of robust supply chains for the essentials of daily life. And that includes liquid fuel.
Without fuel, you cannot restock supermarkets, you can’t drive to the doctor, you can’t get home to the family.
Australia’s fuel supply chains have proven resilient over recent decades - this is something we should be proud of, including through major market and supply disruptions.
But as refineries have closed under competitive pressure, Australia has become more reliant on imported petroleum products.
This is a reality Australia needs to be prepared for a more unpredictable, less favourable global environment, both strategically and economically.
When it comes to fuel security, we must safeguard against low-probability, high-impact events which could disrupt our supply chains. We must be prudent and develop additional buffers to bolster our resilience.
That is why the Government will secure a domestic fuel reserve by regulating a minimum level of industry stockholdings of petrol, jet fuel and diesel.
This means more supplies of critical fuel on-shore to help safeguard supply chains.
Under our plan, industry will maintain petrol and jet fuel stocks at least at long-term historic average levels of 24 days of consumption cover. Industry will be obliged to increase national stocks of diesel beyond the recent average of 20 days to 28 days, an increase of around 5 million barrels. This is in line with the findings of the Government’s Liquid Fuel Security Review.
Now these obligations flow through to the second part of our fuel security plan - which is about driving a major expansion of national fuel storage capacity.
This will see the construction and operation of an additional 780 million litres of liquid fuel storage in Australia. This will strengthen our fuel security, supporting investment and jobs in cities and towns right across the country.
We will minimise costs while ensuring this new storage maximises resilience. We will work with industry to design legislative changes and a market-based mechanism to give effect to the stockholding obligation.
Guaranteeing Australia’s sovereign oil refining capability is the third component of our fuel security plan.
Over the last decade, three fuel refineries have ceased operating and permanently converted to import terminals. One in my own beloved Shire, in Kurnell.
These were economic decisions, driven by increased regional competition and the relative price of imported crude and fuel. But this leaves us with less ability to process crude oil here in Australia, and increases our reliance on international imports.
Australia must have a refining capability into the future. This capability provides security, it keeps downward pressure on prices and it does enable downstream industries.
And in the national interest, and to secure the long-term future of the sector, the Government has begun discussions with the remaining refineries and relevant state governments about the design of a production payment to recognise the critical fuel security role these facilities play.
These steps complement the Government’s decisive action earlier this year to take advantage of low oil prices and secure 1.5 million barrels of crude oil, stored in the United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
So, in conclusion, over the course of our government, we have always worked to a plan.
Reducing taxes, prior to COVID bringing that Budget back into balance which has enabled us to respond in the way that we have in these recent terrible months and unflinchingly so because we could do it with confidence, we’ve signed more export agreements than we ever imagined opening Australia up to the world, creating new options and new opportunities, we’ve invested in infrastructure, we’ve reduced the burdens of regulation and we have so much more to do there.
And this is all been done to grow an economy, to guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on. That’s the only way you pay for pensions, you pay for hospitals, you pay for schools, you pay for disability care and aged care and we have some huge challenges in those areas in the years ahead.
Only a strong economy where people are at work and making a contribution, through under our regime, lower taxes actually pays for hospitals and schools. Just whacking people’s taxes up and hoping for the best is not a plan, that’s a gouge.
Our plan is to grow the economy, again. So we can meet all of those challenges into the future. It’s that economy employing people, people being in work that pays for that because the end result is investment, it’s jobs, it’s exports.
And, above and beyond that, it is a confidence that Australians have in their future, to see over these difficult and dark times at the moment, to see past them. Because when businesses can do that, they will invest. They will have a go. And our plan will ensure, I believe, that they will get a go. That confidence that Australia will be that fair and competitive place to do business.
So, we're accelerating our efforts to ensure we move forward in this area on every front.
We will rebuild our economy. We will do it on the basis of a health plan that keeps Australians safe. We won't be taking risks with people's health to rebuild our economy. We've said from the outset the two go together. And we will build that economy with more jobs, underpinned by our JobMaker plan, for affordable, reliable and secure energy we've discussed today.
And a country with greater control over its economic destiny. That's what sovereignty is all about and that's our plan.
Thank you so much for your attention.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
7 September 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, everyone. We’re about to be joined also by the Minister for Health, who was under different travel restrictions in order to be here today which, as usual, were approved by the relevant authorities here. I'm also joined by Professor Murphy, who you all know well. He's here today not just in his capacity as the Secretary of the Department of Health, but he is also here as the Chair of the expert panel that has been advising the Australian government on vaccines, which is the principal reason for me being here this morning.
Australia needs some hope today. Particularly in Victoria, they need some hope today. And so that is what we're here to deliver today. Today, we take another significant step to protect the health of Australians against the coronavirus pandemic. A $1.7 billion agreement for the supply and production of more than 80 million vaccine doses. This builds on the announcements that the Health Minister and I made several weeks ago. Even more important about this agreement, though, is not just that it puts Australia right up front in getting access to these important medicines, it's a sovereign vaccine plan. Because this vaccine plan, and the agreements that are supporting it, which I want to particularly thank Minister Andrews for doing, working together with the Minister for Health, is giving us the capacity to not just produce the vaccine here in Australia, and that is the AstraZeneca vaccine through CSL, but also to develop and produce the University of Queensland vaccine. So to both develop and produce that vaccine here in Australia and produce the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia. So that is giving us a sovereign capacity to get Australians what they will need should both of those vaccines prove successful as they go through their trials. Now, of course, the AstraZeneca vaccine is in a more advanced stage. The University of Queensland still has some work to go, but we're backing it in. I'll allow the Minister of Health to go through the details of those arrangements.
So a home-grown sovereign plan for vaccines is the hope I bring to Australians today. The decision was endorsed by Cabinet last week not long after I left you here last Friday. And it follows recommendations by the medical expert panel, which I indicated is led by Professor Murphy. We don't expect this will be the last decision we make in this area, but these are the two best prospects, and we have acted on the advice that they have brought forward and Professor Murphy can speak to that process.
Having a sovereign vaccine strategy is an important part of our plan for how we live with COVID-19. Ultimately, a vaccine provides that opportunity. But even under the timing of what we have for the development of these vaccines, it'll be some time yet before we can be living in a potential vaccine environment in Australia. Hopefully that is next year. Hopefully that is in the early part of next year. Well, it certainly can under this arrangement be from the start of next year, with what we've been able to put in place should the trials and other arrangements be successful. But it's not the only thing we need to do. Lockdowns and borders are not signs of success in dealing with COVID-19. They're not signs of success. And so it's important that we put ourselves in a position where they do not feature in how Australia is dealing with COVID-19 on a sustainable basis. And as I reminded you on Friday, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, what we set about was boosting our hospital capacity. The Minister for Health and then-chief medical officer were integrally involved as I said in getting the respirators, getting the ICU capacity to ensure that should the virus reach those high levels of community transmission, then our hospital system would not be overrun, and that we would not have those devastating scenes we saw in hospitals overseas with people gasping for their last breath and not being able to have a respirator. We have been able to protect Australia from those outcomes by ensuring that we move quickly to build that capability and provide that health protection across Australia. And that enabled us to move forward with the 3-step plan which would have had - should we have been able to fully implement it, seen Australia open again in July of this year. Now, that wasn't achieved for the reasons we all know. But now, we are returning to those objectives. And I welcome the fact that we are doing all that we can to see that Australia is open by the end of this year.
To ensure, though, that we achieve that, it's not just about the rules for how you run cafes and restaurants. They're important. They're part of the plan. But the most important thing is, is ensuring that we build an integrated tracing capability right across the country that enables a country to remain open despite the threat of outbreaks. That is the difference between being open and closed. A capable, integrated tracing capability. And, as I've noted, New South Wales is the gold standard. That is where we have to get everybody to to ensure that Australia can be open. And the plan that we will work on with the states and territories is to get ourselves to that standard so Australia can be open.
Now, Victoria's announcement yesterday by the Premier, as I said, it was crushing news. Of course it was. The announcement that Victorians would continue to live under curfew and be under these restrictions for many months, if not just weeks in the most harsh of those restrictions, of course is crushing news. And I know Victorians, as, and Greg has just joined us today directly from Victoria, the feeling out there today is hard. They're frustrated. The mental health of Victorians will be sorely tested. The plan that was outlined yesterday, I hope, is a worst-case scenario. I see it as a starting point in terms of how this issue will be managed in the weeks and months ahead in Victoria. We will continue to carefully review this plan. We're yet still to receive the detailed modelling. We've seen the high-level modelling and the other assumptions that have gone into the plan. But what I can't help but be struck by is that, under the thresholds that have been set in that plan, Sydney would be under curfew now. Sydney doesn't need to be under curfew now. They have a tracing capability that can deal with outbreaks. That's why I say it's important that we work on building that tracing capability in Victoria to get it at a level that enables it to move in a more confident way than I think the plan that was announced yesterday set out. It was a very detailed plan. And it is based on a set of scientific modelling. And that is what I know will be interrogated. Not just by the Commonwealth government, but many others in the scientific community will look at that, and the decisions that have been drawn from that modelling have very profound effects for people living in Victoria. And so it's right, and I'm sure the Victorian government would welcome that interrogation of that. We will be providing constructive feedback on that plan. We will be sitting down with industry. We will be sitting down with business through our National Coordinating Mechanism which is run out of the Department of Home Affairs, and we'll listen carefully, and we'll faithfully convey all of that feedback.
As I said, I hope it's a starting point. I hope we can move more quickly than that. Obviously the legal authority for all of these matters, of course, rests with the Victorian government. It's not for the Commonwealth government, we do not have that authority to step in and tell the Victorian government they have to follow another plan. That is not how Australia's federation works. And so it is incumbent upon us to work constructively with the Victorian government to raise these issues as we will with them in the days and, I imagine, the weeks ahead, and remain always responsive to the most recent information. And so building that tracing capability is incredibly important.
The other thing that I'd be looking forward to seeing soon is the announcement by the Victorian government about what the economic support plan they will be delivering to Victoria to mitigate the economic consequences of the plan that they've outlined. It is right that the Victorian government make the first response to set out what the economic supports are they will put in place to deal with the measures that they have put in place. The Commonwealth government is already providing significant assistance to Victorians through the many programs we've had in place now for many months. And particularly the extension of JobKeeper and JobSeeker, Victoria will draw down on that more than any other state or territory. Victorians are being supported more by the federal government than any other state and territory is drawing on that support, and we will continue to do that. So what is required, over and above the support that the Commonwealth government is providing to Victorians, we first want to see what the Victorian government will be doing to address that. And then we'll consider, the Treasurer and I, and the senior members of the Expenditure Review Committee, what further measures may be required.
But let me finish on this, Australia is in the leading pack of countries in the world today for how we are protecting Australians' health and protecting their livelihoods. That is the clear objective assessment of countries all around the world, and I refer particularly to the Deloitte analysis that was released over the last few days, which shows clearly that Australia sits in the right part of that chart with countries like South Korea, economies like Taiwan and others, who are managing this best in the world today. And we can take some encouragement from that. And we can take some hope from that. And the other thing that Australians can take hope from today is that their government - their Australian government, their federal government - is providing hope through a sovereign vaccine plan which will keep Australia right up the front.
Greg.
THE HON. GREG HUNT MP, MINISTER FOR HEALTH: Thanks very much, Prime Minister, Professor Murphy. Today is about real hope for Victorians and all Australians. It's about ensuring that there is a free, sovereign, voluntary vaccine program for every Australian. And this, ultimately, means saving lives, protecting lives, and allowing Australians to return to the lives and the lifestyles that they've known and they've loved, and which has been the hallmark of our country and our society and our community.
In particular, to turn to the vaccine arrangements in a world with almost 27 million cases, in a world where over 881,000 people, tragically, have lost their lives on the official count, with no doubt numerous more that have never been recorded or counted, we've been able to secure for Australia 84.8 million vaccine doses through two agreements. 33.8 million vaccine doses through the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine, and 51 million doses through the University of Queensland molecular clamp in conjunction with CSL. Of those, 81 million units will be produced in Australia through our sovereign vaccine program. With regards to the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, this is a virus vector vaccine, 3.8 million units will be imported in the first quarter of next year, potentially as early as January and February and made available. 30 million units will be produced in Australia by CSL as we foreshadowed some weeks ago under a manufacturing agreement.
The early-phase results from my discussions with Professor Sarah Gilbert, who heads the Oxford program, show strong antibody responses, strong T-cell responses, outstanding safety outcomes. They're currently underway with their Phase 3 program which will ultimately see, in the Phase 3 clinical trial, up to 50,000 people enrolled across a variety of different nations. This is one of the world's most prospective vaccines, and one of the world's most advanced vaccines. And we've been very fortunate because of our sovereign manufacturing capability to have early access and to have broad access here in Australia.
In relation to the University of Queensland molecular clamp which is being developed in partnership with CSL, and for which Australia has already funded $5 million, this is a recombinant protein vaccine. 51 million units will be made here in Australia and provided to the Australian people. It's likely that both vaccines will require what's called a double shot, or an initial vaccination and a booster approximately a month later. Phase 1 trials are underway. A further group of people in the Phase 1 trials, over 55s are being enrolled as of today, on the advice of Professor Paul Young, who's heading this program. Again, I spoke with him over the weekend. A Phase 3 trial is expected with 40,000 patients and participants, and TGA approval would be fundamental for both vaccines.
But both are leading vaccines globally, and we are fortunate to have, as a nation, secured them and be able to produce them here in Australia. The best advice that we have - and it's not determined yet - is that there is likely to be multiyear protection. Nobody can say whether it will be lifetime. I asked both professors who head the programs as to whether they regarded it as an annual vaccination shot that would be required, and they said, we can't say finally, but our best belief is that it's likely to be multiyear protection. So, yesterday was a difficult day for Victorians and for every Australian who cares about the situation in Victoria. Today is a day of real hope for Victorians, real hope for Australians, and a pathway out to an Australia that sees us recover the very best of what we are and who we are.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. If I can ask Professor Murphy if he just wants to speak to the processes involved. Minister Andrews would of course have been here today, but she's caught in isolation in Queensland.
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: I will be very brief thanks, PM.
So the PM and Minister have alluded to the scientific and technical advisory group that I chair, which is working together with an extraordinary team in the Department of Health on our vaccine strategy, which is a diversified strategy. We have to look at a range of potential vaccines, a range of different types of vaccines, how well advanced they are, critically, as the Minister and Prime Minister have said, how well they are able to be made in Australia, because that gives us an extremely important lead time. So we are engaging widely with a range of the potential vaccine candidates at the moment. There are detailed discussions, but these two are very exciting. The AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine is clearly the most advanced in terms of its scientific evidence, and it is looking pretty good. We're still waiting for the Phase 3 trials, but this gives us very quick access to an onshore production, and the UQ CSL vaccine is also- it's a different type of vaccine, it's one of the most exciting protein sub-unit vaccines. It's earlier, it’s in its pathway but, again, because of its unique partnership with CSL, we're able to get this produced onshore should it be successful in Phase 3 trials very early on. But it doesn't stop there. We're also part of the COVAX multicountry vaccine buying club. That's been announced previously. And we're also specifically looking at a range of other potential candidates. Government has committed an enormous amount of energy and resources to this, and we'll be able to keep you up to date with future developments in the future.
JOURNALIST: You've got more than 1 million Melburnians, Victorians, who rely on JobKeeper now. They will still be locked up in their homes when you start cutting the payments at the end of September. Obviously JobSeeker - that applies to as well. I know your perception is that you're extending it, but how can you justify slashing the JobKeeper payment from $1,500 to $1,200 for people that are still banned from the state government from actually going to work?
PRIME MINISTER: Well Sam, it’s not my perception. It’s a fact. We are extending the JobKeeper payment, we are extending that out to the end of March, we are extending the JobSeeker payment out to the end of December, and as I’ve indicated we will also, I think, lean heavily forward into what we would do post-December. And you're right, there are a million Victorians who've been supported by those payments up until now, and they will continue to be, just like there are those who've received some $6.4 billion in cashflow to Victorian businesses. Some 130 million payments to support 21,847 apprentices, and some 13,352 employers. The Commonwealth government has been stepping up each and every day over this COVID-19 pandemic not just to support Victorians, but all Australians. JobKeeper is a national program. JobKeeper is a program that is as important in Cairns as it is in Cronulla or, indeed, in anywhere else in Melbourne, or Western Australia. Different states will draw on that in heavier amounts as Victoria is now. And they will be drawing heavily on this over the balance of this year and, I would think, into next year. What I'm simply saying today, Sam, is that the situation we have in Victoria is very specific to Victoria, and I'm seeking to see what the Victorian government will be doing in taking actions to mitigate the economic impact of the decisions the Victorian government has made regarding the restrictions and the plan that they have set out. Once I see what the Victorian government is proposing to do - and I'm not talking about infrastructure here - I mean, of course they'll do that. I expect Victoria and many other states will announce further programs in these areas as, indeed, the Commonwealth will to support their economies. But when it comes to specific economic support - income support or other forms of support that they consider is appropriate to deal with the consequences of the decisions the Victorian government is taking, I'll be looking to see what they'll be doing first before the Commonwealth considers any responses that we'll be making.
Phil.
JOURNALIST: You said in your opening remarks about the contact tracing in Victoria, and perhaps Dr Murphy might- what are the deficiencies as you see them, and what can the Commonwealth do? What are you intending to do to try and bring them up to what you say is the gold standard?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think - and Brendan may want to add to this, and so may Greg. Look, I'm only going off what's in front of me. And what I'm seeing in front of me is a plan which says that Sydney would be in curfew now if it was going on the same plan as Victoria. Now, New South Wales has a stronger capability when it comes to tracing. And we want to provide support - as we already have - to the Victorian government through the ADF support that was put in to assist the Victorian government build their systems and their information systems, which I think has greatly improved the situation in Victoria. I think one of the questions that has been raised in relation to the Victorian plan is what assumption is being made about the efficacy of contact-tracing with the measures they've set out. To what extent would those restrictions be otherwise lessened if a higher capacity and functionality of contact tracing were present? So it really is not so much a question to me. We will do whatever - if they need extra Services Australia support, we've already had ADF support in there, but I think if there is extra support that is needed to lift whether it's in Victoria or, indeed, in Queensland or Western Australia or Tasmania - if this is what is preventing the easing of restrictions, then I think it is about matching the level of capacity against what is happening in New South Wales. And I should stress, it's just not about how many people you've got on the phone. Information systems are critical to this. The way work is structured and organised is critical to this. And it's, I said, an integrated tracing capability. In New South Wales, their special emergency operations centre is an integrated operation which involves Health, it's actually led by the police in New South Wales. It certainly has Health central to its operations, but there are many parts of government when you're dealing with a crisis of this nature, which needs to be brought together. Indeed, the call I have every morning involves everyone from Home Affairs to Health, to the ADF, to Treasury to a whole range of different parts of government which you have to bring together. Health is vital, and the way I think New South Wales has integrated the health response with all of these others is proving to be very successful. So that is an exhortation. That is the standard. And if we can assist any state approach that and achieve that New South Wales standard, then I think many of the restrictions that we're seeing around the country wouldn't be necessary.
Sorry Greg, did you want to add to that?
THE HON. GREG HUNT MP, MINISTER FOR HEALTH: I will add, briefly. And I think probably the best thing to do is actually refer to some of the comments from the nation's leading epidemiologists in the last 24 hours. Professor Tony Blakely, from the University of Melbourne, one of the authors of the modelling, subsequently said, "If we do our contact tracing better than we did three months ago, the contact tracers may be able to hold the case count without it going up again as badly as our model suggests." Professor Peter Collignon from the Australian National University here in Canberra: "A lot hinges on very good contact tracing. And so far, Victoria has not been able to do that as well as other states.” and he goes on to say, “I think actually a more nuanced approach like New South Wales is doing where very good contact tracing is more likely to be sustainable over the long-term." Similarly, the comments of Jodie McVernon, one of the leading modellers in the country, from the Doherty Institute, noted that she was, that there's very little detail of the modelling that was presented, "I do think it's disappointing that there's not more nuance provided around the plan." So, amongst the modellers, what they're saying is that contact tracing can make a real difference, and so we've helped. There has been progress. And I think it's very important that we acknowledge that progress - real progress through the ADF, Professor Alan Finkel, and the Victorian authorities. But there's more to go. And that progress can make the difference on the time frames, the freedoms, the ability of Victorians to go back to work, and the mental health challenges which have been put to every Victorian MP with profound and deeply concerning emotions from so many Victorians in the last 24 hours. That's why contact tracing matters.
JOURNALIST: Are you saying this because you're worried that different parts of the Victorian government agencies and departments are not actually integrated and not talking to each other? And do you think that we're now at a point where we've actually got to have integrated contact tracing across state borders? Are the states talking to each other on this?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, one of the welcome elements about the support to Victoria has been that there has been interstate assistance with contact tracing. And building a broader reserve capability at a Commonwealth level harnessing the capacity of other states. So you also want your contact-tracing capability to remain match-fit. When you don't have many cases, well there's not a lot to trace. And that would be the case in Western Australia at the moment, and many other states and territories. But if there were to be an outbreak in one of those states, you'd want to be confident of two things - that your testing regime was strong enough, and I note that the testing levels in Western Australia are - well, on the last common operating picture report, were the lowest in the country. They've come up a bit from the report two weeks prior to that, and I welcome that. But also that the tracing capability will be able to move quickly. My observation is more a positive one about what I know is occurring in New South Wales. I know that that integration is hard-wired into their structure and their system. I have no doubt, of course, the Premier - as I would - would be talking to every element of their government every single day and all the time. But I think there is a lot to learn from what's happening in New South Wales, because they have, frankly, had the largest risks to deal with, and they have demonstrated the best capacity to deal with them and keep their state open at the same time. They are the direction I'm strongly urging the country to go in. Because Australia being shut is not success. Australia being open is success. And you're only going to achieve that, in our view, ultimately and over time, if you have a strong, integrated tracing capability and, ultimately, you set Australia up with the sovereign capability to deliver a vaccine.
Chris?
JOURNALIST: You seem to have a very good idea of how the New South Wales contact-tracing system works, and I ask you and everybody else here - do you have a clear idea of how the Victorian contact-tracing system works, right down to how many people there might be on the phones on any given day so that you can see the differences between the two? Do you have a clear idea of what's going on in Victoria?
PRIME MINISTER: I mean, Brendan might want to comment on this as well. When Commodore Hill became part of the ADF support to Victoria, there was an enormous amount of work done to build up their information systems. So you can have a lot of people who are ready to be on the phones but, if the workflow is not managed and the data systems don’t support that, well, you can have a lot of resource that’s sitting there idle. And so I think the Victorian government has done a lot of work over the last four weeks - of necessity, clearly as well - to ensure that those systems have been significantly improved. And of course they have. And so it isn't just about how many people for instance, just not about the resource that's thrown at it. It's how it's tasked and how it's integrated with its information systems, and then how that sits as part of the broader emergency management function of the government. Now, that's why I hold the New South Wales system out as a standard, and I have seen real improvements in the Victorian situation. But equally, this isn't just a message for states other than New South Wales to the south, and whether it be in Victoria or Tasmania - it's wherever you've got restrictions. Because the way to get rid of restrictions on your economy and on people's lives and their livelihoods - and to do that in a way that protects their health - is to have the protection of an integrated and very effective tracing regime.
Brendan?
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: Yeah so just briefly - New South Wales is the exemplar. They've had a proud history of many, many years of advanced investment in public health. They've had good systems. They've had embedded public health units in all their local health districts. They've had very good outbreak response teams. They've got a large group of people. It's not just about tracing. It's about the outbreak response. It's about the epidemiologist expertise. It's about that clinical leadership. And I would agree with the PM that Victoria has invested hugely over the last few months with large numbers of people, very welcome to taking in advice and expertise. And I think they are in a stronger position - a much, much stronger position now. And I hope that they can feel confident with the strength of their position to take a somewhat less conservative approach to their restrictions.
JOURNALIST: ...How can you assert Australia is ahead of the pack, given some 18 countries already have about 51 deals? The US first signed in March, the UK, May. Aren't we just playing catch-up on it?
PRIME MINISTER: Greg?
THE HON. GREG HUNT MP, MINISTER FOR HEALTH: No. And the reason is what we've always known is we have the sovereign manufacturing capability. If a country doesn't have full manufacturing capability, then it has to make decisions early on before there is evidence. We're in the fortunate position - because we have the manufacturing capability - to have been able to examine around the world to have what I think is the finest medical expert panel in the world for vaccines assess and then to provide their advice, and then for us to be able to choose the most prospective and the most available. And so that's the strength that Australia has, because of our investment in CSL and their investment in their manufacturing capability. And that's what's put us in the fortunate position of being able to choose the best-in-class, but to get it at the earliest possible time.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, business groups in Victoria have condemned the roadmap, saying it's a roadmap to ruin, it’s lacking clarity, it’s lacking hope for them. What more do you want to see from the Victorian government for businesses and for clarity around the roadmap? And what kind of impact are these restrictions going to have on the national economy?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, there's no doubt that the further restrictions that are in Victoria will have a requirement as we go into budget about a month away from now, just under that, to - or thereabouts - Treasury will obviously have to take that into account as they finalise their projections once again. As they had to do for the recent economic statement. So I think that is fairly obvious. It's certainly not going to have a positive impact. It's going to have a negative impact. It's actually going to impact on employment and on incomes, on revenues, and all of these things. Of course that is going to be the case. And Treasury will make those assessments, as will others, informing their view about how things go forward. The first step is - 'cause we received this plan yesterday - we will be now in a position to sit down with industry and businesses, particularly obviously in Victoria, but let's not forget that there are domino impacts because of the role that Victoria plays in our national economy through supply chains about how that can flow on into other states and territories. So, sure, the impact zone of what has been announced yesterday in Victoria is very much obviously - and terribly sadly, in Melbourne and Victoria more broadly. But there will be ripple effects of this announcement yesterday that will impact other parts of the country. So we will sit down with those industry partners and businesses and get a clear understanding of the issues that they see as most urgent. I've had meetings to that effect this morning with our team, and they've been tasked along those lines, and they'll be doing that over the course of this week, and they'll continue to do it. See, things constantly change, and we need to continue to provide that feedback to ensure that they can get their plans as close as to where we hope they can be. So we'll provide that constructive feedback, and we'll listen carefully to what business has been outlining.
Mark?
JOURNALIST: I think the Health Minister said that both these vaccines will require two doses? Then, why have we contracted 51 million from UQ, which would seem to be two doses, and only 33 million from the University of Oxford- Oxford University? And can you also explain, the contract seems to say taxpayers will pay for a capital improvement at CSL to give them the manufacturing capability to do this. How much of the contract is for those capital works?
THE HON. GREG HUNT MP, MINISTER FOR HEALTH: Sure. So all up, what we've done is look at a portfolio of vaccinations, and these may not be the last, as Professor Murphy said. By contracting just over 85 million doses, if you think of it as 42.5 million members of the population are covered, and so we've worked on the basis of what we think is the best available and the best balance for Australia. In particular, we've also contributed funds towards CSL doing the start-up capability. We're investing $300 million into research capabilities and the development capabilities of CSL through the University of Queensland process.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, officials told the Senate inquiry…
PRIME MINISTER: I think we're going to stay with the health of Victorians today.
JOURNALIST: Do you believe that Victoria's roadmap in its current form will mean Australia is in recession for longer? And have you, or will you, appeal directly to Dan Andrews to open up sooner?
PRIME MINISTER: We'll be providing the constructive feedback to the Victorian government once we've had the opportunity to fully look at the assumptions that sit behind this plan. One of those key assumptions, which not only are we asking about, is the assumptions that have been made about the efficacy of contact tracing. And whether improvements in contact tracing would enable that plan to be bettered and to see Victorians having their livelihoods and their lives restored sooner. I have no doubt that everybody would want to see us get back to as normal as you possibly can in a COVID world in Victoria as soon as we can. I have no doubt that's what Premier Andrews wants to achieve. I understand that we also want to avoid a relapse on the entry out in Victoria. That's understood too, let me be clear about that. That is very important. But this plan has some very severe impacts. Very severe impacts. And we also have to manage the ability to take people with these plans, and we cannot create a burden that is too great to bear, because that would see all the plans fail, if that were the case. And so this is calling on the Victorian public in a way that has never, I think, been done before, certainly for something like this. And also, I don't restrict that comment to those who live in Melbourne. To those right across regional Victoria as well. And the one-size-fits-all that the plan suggests right across regional Victoria is obviously an issue that's already been raised. And this only highlights the point I was making last week about the hot spot strategy. The hot spot strategy does not treat south-eastern regional Victoria the same as north-western regional Victoria. It doesn't. It actually treats the virus where it is and doesn't spread it through an assumption across all parts of Victoria. If you want to get the borders down between Victoria and New South Wales, if things are going really well up in the north-west corner of Victoria, well, we agreed last Friday that Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia would be working together straight away to see how that can get down. Now, it's important that the hot spot strategy is part of that because it enables different parts of the state to be treated appropriately and not carry a burden that may only exist in another part of the country.
Andrew, and then I'll come here.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, thanks. I want to direct my question to Brendan Murphy. One of the trigger points for the lifting of restrictions is that there's 14 days of, I think, zero community transmission. Is that consistent with an elimination strategy or a suppression strategy, as James Merlino was saying this morning?
PROFESSOR BRENDAN MURPHY, SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: I think Victoria's pretty clear that they are not pursuing an elimination strategy. The current strategy that AHPPC has endorsed is no community transmission and I think that is what they're aiming for. This does seem a very conservative approach. Some of the triggers seem, you know, 5 cases rather than 10, no cases rather than a few. There's no rule book for this virus but I think some of us feel that, if there were more confidence in the public health response capability, you could take some slightly more generous triggers. But I don't think they are genuinely pursuing an elimination strategy. They're still pursuing aggressive suppression.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, as it stands now, do you believe that Victoria's contact-tracing system can prevent a relapse? Maybe for Minister Hunt and Professor Murphy as well. Given that the Premier said yesterday at five cases a day, that's where Victoria thinks it can contain the virus, but the Premier also said he believes his contact-tracing system is better than New South Wales?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, New South Wales can cope with much higher levels and have. So, look, that's, I think, just a matter of record. I think those things speak for themselves. That's why I have highlighted the issue of how can we work together to boost the efficacy of contact tracing and integrate it into the overall response to the pandemic? Clearly, what New South Wales is doing is working better than other places because they have the biggest threats to their system and have had the best results in response to those threats. So that clearly indicates that that is the standard which we should be seeking to move towards. I mean, New South Wales is happy to drop borders because they're confident in their ability to contain the virus. Now, obviously where there are hot spots as we've seen in Melbourne, well, those borders become necessary in those acute circumstances. But no-one wants to get rid of those quicker than the New South Wales Premier, I can assure you, because she understands that with those comes further restrictions which impedes the economy and causes real disruption to people's lives and their livelihoods, and she wants to see that go. And I have no doubt the Victorian Premier and the South Australian Premier want the same thing. That's why they agreed to work together on this. So I think the plan and what it assumes and what is being achieved in New South Wales and the fact that New South Wales and Sydney is not in curfew and Victoria would plan to be, even if they were to achieve the same outcomes that New South Wales has right now, then I think that is just night following day in terms of the analysis and the assessment that you make.
Now, I missed - there was another question that was asked about in terms of the length of the economic impact. I just note again that Treasury will make its estimates about what the impact of this is, and those numbers will be and those forecasts and projections will be released in the Budget.
Now, very patient over here from the West.
JOURNALIST: We've seen a campaign from Facebook and Google against the Government's news bargaining code. Facebook most recently is threatening to remove articles from legitimate news sites from its feed. What do you make of this, particularly given the rise in misinformation relating to the pandemic we've seen on Facebook?
PRIME MINISTER: I've been supporting, obviously, the work that has been done by the ACCC to come up with the mandatory code. I have had engagement with very senior-level executives. I spoke to the CEO of Google just last week and continue to invite them to participate in that process. I remember Amazon said to me once, "Well, we're not going to pay this tax when it comes to the low value threshold.” And they threatened to pull Amazon, and they did, and they were back three months later. So, look, I think people from these companies understand that when I say something, I mean it, and that I intend to follow through with it. Therefore I would encourage them, very strongly, to work constructively and cooperatively with the process that is underway. And I'm quite certain we'll come to a sensible outcome on this and it won’t need coercion, wherever it comes from, it’s not something I respond very well to.
I can’t hear, you’re all yelling at once. So we’ll come over here to SBS. SBS thank you.
JOURNALIST: Thank you, Prime Minister. Just to Minister Hunt, we’ve seen some religious leaders express apprehension at the prospect of a vaccine. Given it won’t be mandatory, would this be complemented with some kind of national campaign, particularly focusing on some sort of multicultural areas that would perhaps be more prone to these views against a vaccine?
THE HON. GREG HUNT MP, MINISTER FOR HEALTH: Two things - firstly, we will certainly be encouraging Australians through an education campaign to take up the offer and the opportunity of vaccination and that will be widespread and it will cover both English language ad non-English speaking backgrounds. Secondly, in relation to religious concerns, I deeply and we profoundly respect those. Importantly, within the two vaccines today and this perhaps goes to an earlier question, the University of Oxford vaccine, to be honest, does come from I believe it was a 1970s foetal line cell culture which has been maintained over the course of more than four decades. But it is the basis for a series of current vaccines used both in Australia and around the world. But that is over four decades ago and there is some theology which is beyond my role to address but I know there are differing views within the theological community and they are moving on that. But I am also meeting with some of the church leaders this week. But also the University of Queensland molecular clamp does not have that basis, it doesn't have that origin, and so any concerns at all which have been raised are completely dealt with from the very basis of the University of Queensland molecular clamp and that also deals with some of the other issues.
JOURNALIST: You have spoken about the effect the restrictions in Victoria are going to continue having on the nation's economy. You have previously indicated there was going to be further announcements in aged care in the upcoming Budget. Would you consider raising the Medicare levy even by 1 percent to improve the sector?
PRIME MINISTER: The Budget is in October and I don't engage in speculation on these measures. The Aged Care Royal Commission will bring out their recommendations next year. I understand they have made some comments around this issue today. I will await their recommendations but the Australian Government, particularly in the middle of a pandemic, particularly when we are seeking to rebuild our economy, whether it is in what is the quite ravaged area of Victoria at the moment or in other parts of the country which have been able to remain largely COVID free, the one way you build your economy back is you don't hit it with higher taxes. And that is not our plan, it has never been our plan. Our plan to grow our economy has always been about getting people's backs, not getting on them. Thank you very much.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
4 September 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon. Australia is something we can never take for granted. And I'm not talking about Uluru or the Great Barrier Reef or the Opera House or the great wilderness across our country, I'm talking about us. I'm talking about our Federation. I'm talking about who we are as a nation. And in every generation, we must continue to define who we are, how we make Australia work, what we hope to achieve, how we protect it, how we make it stronger. And our Federation, some almost 120 years later, remains a happy work in progress. Sometimes it doesn't feel that happy, but I tell you, the goal is one that I think all Australians would share and that's what brings a smile to our face when we think of Australia. Not just the place, as wonderful it is, but how we make Australia work. And that is the task of all of those who come and meet in this place, in our Federal Parliament, but it is also the job of all of those who come together in our state parliaments, those who form governments and seek to work together in the ways that our Federation intended.
This year, the year of the COVID pandemic and the COVID recession, has tested us like we haven't been tested in many generations. And, you know, at times it has felt like Australia could break apart. But it's at those same times I have been encouraged by that all of us have understood just how important Australia is. At the times when sometimes our frustrations have been greatest, and the tensions have been at their peak, that has been exactly the same time when we have been reminded of just how important it is that we continue this great work of our Federation and how it has delivered for Australians for over a century. The National Cabinet began from a realisation that, if we each went and tried to go our own way, that in the face of something at the time we could barely imagine, that we wouldn't prevail, and that we would fall short. And so our Federation instincts kicked in. I remember the day vividly. There was no disagreement, there was no debate about it. We all looked at each other and said, "We've got to do this. And we've got to come together." Now, from time to time, those Federation instincts have grown a little faint, but I can tell you today, once again, as I find each and every time I bring this National Cabinet together, they find it again, and we find the way to work through. And this, I hope, is very reassuring to Australians that, despite the challenges - and it is hard, the Federation is hard, always has been. Anyone who's ever sat in my office has always known that, and we've all tried to find better ways to make it work and so we remain committed to that. And as we reflected today, on what has been achieved since that day in March, and as we reflected on the devastating news of the national accounts this week and we saw and reflected on the health outcomes that we've been able to achieve over these many months, I can only nominate to you quite honestly Taiwan and South Korea who could claim to have had a better combined outcome on the economy and on health than Australia. There may be others and I'm sure some will nominate. But what I can tell you is that the approach we've taken as a National Cabinet to focus on the health of the nation, and its economic wellbeing, and to see these as twin tasks, has meant that Australia has done extraordinarily well. That's not to say there has not been pain or suffering or hurt or disappointment or frustration. We've had all of that, and more, and there's more to come. But I'd rather be in Australia than anywhere else. And that's the same view of all of my colleagues who sit around that National Cabinet table, indeed, my own Federal Cabinet table. And we want to make sure that that continues to be the case and that's what we've done again today.
So, today we made a number of agreements. The first one, I think, was to acknowledge that how the National Cabinet worked also needed to evolve. One of the reasons COAG and its predecessors never worked was there was the unrealistic and, frankly, not very practical expectation that it could only ever operate on complete, 100 percent consensus. That sets the Federation up to fail. Australia is too diverse a place. The challenges are too disparate to think that, on every single issue, every state and territory is going to come to exactly the same point. That is not a realistic expectation. And as we've gone through the COVID pandemic, whereas back in March, as we looked forward, we all had a similar risk outlook as to what might happen, so we moved quickly to put in place the PPE capabilities and stockpiles, and to get the respirators, and build up our ICU capacity, and get the testing equipment in and have those arrangements put in place so we could build our defences, now, almost six months later, all the states and territories sit in a different position and they're coming from a different point of risk. And so it is not surprising that they all have different outlooks about what their challenges are right now, and what they might be in the months ahead. So, we've decided that this notion of 100 percent, absolute consensus on any issue is not a way that the National Cabinet can indeed work. And so what we will do is we will set out areas where we can come together, and get as many states and territories as possible to come around that agreement. Not everyone has to get on the bus for the bus to leave the station. But it is important the bus leaves the station, and we all agree on that. We all agree on that. Even when, on occasions, some might not want to get on, they know we need to keep moving forward and that is supported, and that's what we agreed to do today. And I think that is a change in the way our Federation works.
So, we agreed today seven out of eight states and territories, we agreed that before you know what you're going to do, you've got to agree about where you want to get to. And we agreed today with the objective that was set out in the May plan to be at the end of that step three process, which we will seek to ensure is even better defined. We said before we wanted to get there in July and the virus prevented us from achieving that. Seven out of eight states and territories want us to get back to that position in December of this year and I thank them for that commitment. And that, having that ambition is not enough, and that aspiration that we will now fashion a revised plan just like I outlined the last one to get us there, over these months that are ahead. And the componentry of that plan, there's things that need to go into it not its final form but the key areas of actions that need to take place. They will be brought up through both the AHPPC, the medical expert panel on the health measures that are necessary, and what's called the National Coordinating Mechanism, which is on the economic side of the things that need to be achieved. What's different about this plan from the last one is it just isn't about how many people you can have in a cafe, as important as that is. It's about how the testing regimes have to work, the availability of passenger manifests for people moving around the country, the sort of surveillance testing arrangements which can be, frankly, through the testing of sewerage or, more broadly, the specific testing arrangements and the sort of ratios you need to hit to ensure that you can have a confidence about the level of outbreak, if it were to occur in any place. In all of these areas, there's a necessity to put the protections in place so, as we open up, that we can be confident and states can look at each other and be more confident about how people can move between the various jurisdictions. It means that we need to have a good understanding and an open data room between states and territories to know what the incidence of outbreaks are or case numbers are, and the source of those things, so states can make decisions in confidence as part of a plan.
We agreed that moving to the hotspot model as a concept is what must be in that plan. This precise definition of that hotspot, well, the national definition which the Acting Chief Medical Officer, Professor Kelly, has provided, is a good starting point. But it's not the final point and there will be further discussion on how that can be more specifically defined and this will take some time to get that right. But the idea of ultimately moving beyond a situation where you have hard borders, but you move to a situation where you can have a workable hotspot concept, then that is something we are going to give it our best possible go to define and to make work. States, of course, will reserve ultimately the decisions they take, but all of those who have committed to this path have agreed that we should work hard to get that in its best possible form. The protections, the response capabilities, all of which forms the plan.
State bilateral and multilateral arrangements will also form part of this plan and I think that reflects the very different issues that you have, particularly when you're seeking to transition out of border arrangements we currently have. As you know, the New South Wales and Victorian Premiers are very keen to get their border down as soon as it's safe to do so. And so bilateral arrangements, which would become a trilateral arrangement and I welcome the participation of South Australia in joining in that same way to ensure that those issues around the Victorian border, with their neighbouring states in New South Wales and South Australia, South Australia will join that process with New South Wales and Victoria, which the Commonwealth is also a part of. But whatever that bilateral or multilateral arrangement might be to deal with specific issues in different parts of the country, that forms part of the plan. Tasmania, I note, in particular already has a goal of having its border down in December as well and I welcome their commitment to that, as I do all the states and territories who have committed to this today. Now, Western Australia has set out some very specific circumstances in their state as to why they won't be joining that aspiration at this time. That said, they wish us well, and they will participate in that process, where they've got things they believe that they can offer and I believe there are many things they can offer in that process. So, they are not standing completely separate for that process. They will continue to work with us. But, for them, they have got their path set, and we respect that. Western Australia has a very different border and a very different economy than most of the other states and territories where these decisions have been made. There are not large border towns. In fact, to the best of my knowledge, there are virtually none along the Western Australian border. Their economy is of a much greater scale than the South Australian and the Tasmanian economies. So, they will watch carefully, they will look on, and the thing about our new way of working in National Cabinet is the door always remains open and they are always able to join us at a subsequent time. But this, I believe, will give us a more sustainable way forward. Because it's not just about now until December. In the absence of a vaccine, we may have to live this way for years, and we need it to be as sustainable and workable for as long as possible. And so I need to encourage everyone that we need to look just beyond not just the now. No one is asking anyone to take anyone's borders down now. No one's asking that. It's about when we get to the next stage and what the next stage looks like, and then how that works not just for the next few months, but potentially years, but let's hope that that's not necessary.
The second thing that was agreed was the agricultural code has been adopted by five out of the eight states and territories. Those who didn't join were Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania, but they will look on, again, to see how that process works, and particularly South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria will begin immediately. And I think the Premier of Victoria may have indicated this in his press conference. They will begin immediately to put that prescriptive code in place to facilitate greater engagement of agricultural workers and other important workers in the agricultural sector, so as to not dislocate what is occurring in the ag sector between those three states and territories. Again, I thank them for their support.
On international arrivals, it was agreed that we needed to further boost the capacity for inbound arrivals into Australia, particularly for those Australians seeking to come home. We noted that New South Wales has been doing all the heavy lifting on this, and they really are at their capacity for the time being. And so, as I discussed with Cabinet during the course of this week, the Transport Minister will be working with others to see if we can get flights that currently all seek to come to Sydney, to see if we're in a position to try and get them to go into other ports, whether that be in Perth, in Adelaide, in Darwin, the ACT, or elsewhere, even Tasmania. Premier Gutwein was keen to be part of this, if that's possible. We want to get more Australians home and we need to do that safely as well, and not compromise the quarantine arrangements we have here as well. About almost 4,000 Australians are coming home every week, but we know there are many more who are trying to get home, and further support has been provided to DFAT to assist those Australians, particularly in hardship, overseas.
As part of that approach, I spoke to Prime Minister Ardern this morning, and what we, I advised her was that Australia will be looking to apply the same hotspot approach to New Zealand. So, that means, when we're in a position to do so, and when the Acting Chief Medical Officer has come to a set of arrangements with New Zealand, then we would be able to have New Zealanders come to Australia. That doesn't mean Australians can go to New Zealand. That's a matter for Prime Minister Ardern. But if there's no COVID in Christchurch, and there's no COVID in Queensland, then there's no reason both of them can't come to Sydney. And that will mean, I think, an important boost for our tourist economy, whether it's in New South Wales or anywhere else. And so Prime Minister Ardern was very happy to have further discussions on that, but ultimately that's a decision for our border and people coming in to Australia. But we would just need to ensure that the arrangements in place of identifying hotspots and things of that nature were well understood and were practical.
The treasurers, through the Treasurers' Subcommittee of National Cabinet, recommended today some great work that Treasurer Frydenberg and his counterparts had been working on. We have now reduced 82 existing agreements between all the states and territories to five core agreements. I never thought I would ever say that. There's still a lot of work to do, then, on consolidating the content of those agreements, but that was adopted by National Cabinet. We also agreed to the tasking of the National Cabinet Subcommittee on Energy. That will task them with some short and medium term priorities, and that does include the resetting of the gas market. We received, importantly, a briefing today from the Bureau of Meteorology, a briefing that I've received, along with other senior Cabinet ministers, regarding the upcoming summer season. And we agreed that the Emergency Management Australia would immediately be tasked to convene with the states and territories to ensure there was a seamless operational arrangement between states and territories that was COVID-safe. That would mean, given the prospect of bushfires, whether in particular in northern Australia and south west Western Australia, or indeed cyclones and floods in other places, that the movement of emergency services workers, bushfire firefighters, and Defence Force personnel could be done as quickly as possible. We obviously don't want firefighters doing two weeks in hotel quarantine when there's a fire burning in south western Australia. We need these arrangements to work first time, and so Emergency Management Australia has been tasked with that.
And we also noted again our benchmark report that has provided on the social impacts of what is occurring with COVID-19. The very real stressors that are on mental health, and we affirmed again our support to putting in place all the mental health supports we can, and domestic violence supports, to ensure that those issues are addressed as best as we all can, working together. I'm sorry, that was a very long introduction. It was a long meeting. As I said, it was a day again when National Cabinet understood just how important Australia was, and we found our way through, again, and I thank them for their cooperation and their commitment to what we're seeking to do.
Professor Kelly.
PROFESSOR PAUL KELLY, ACTING CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Thank you, PM. So, today, as the PM has said, we had a lot of discussion about COVID-19 here in Australia, and so just the outlook at the moment. The numbers of cases, 26,000, just over 26,000 cases now. 737 deaths, sadly. Putting that in a global context, we've reached a milestone overnight of 26 million cases. So, one thousandth of that is here in Australia. So, we have our issues. We've had our outbreak particularly in Victoria over the past few weeks, but, again, very good news in comparing last week with this week on a 7 day average, we've halved the number of cases in Victoria. That's been that sort of trend for the past few weeks. And so good news there. Also, the numbers of cases are contracting into Melbourne and into the hotspots that were originally identified there several weeks ago. Today we have less than a hundred new cases in Australia, and six out of eight jurisdictions have no cases at all. So, Victoria and New South Wales are there. Queensland on alert, as we've seen in the last few weeks in terms of cases, but no new cases today. That's all very good news. 67,000 tests yesterday. So, that's continuing. But that's something to think about what the PM has mentioned, about the different experiences we're having right now in Australia in relation to this pandemic. So, in some states, they haven't had cases for many weeks, and in some states the testing rates have dropped, partly because of that, and partly because of not having a flu season this year. But, still, we need to remain vigilant, even in places where there are no cases and have been no cases for some time. We've seen the New Zealand experience in relation to that. So, even after a hundred days, you can get cases. Similarly in Thailand overnight that was also reported, first cases for several months.
So, we need to remain vigilant. It's the reason why we have this proposed hotspots definition. And there are three potential uses for that. There is an in principle agreement that we will have a hotspot discussion in seven out of eight jurisdictions. That's been agreed. More than that and I can report from the Australian Health Protection Committee yesterday eight out of eight jurisdictions agreed that hotspots are to be used by the Commonwealth in relation to what we may offer in support to various states that are experiencing hotspots. That was agreed by all of the Chief Health Officers and myself. But, of course, hotspots also guide what happens locally in states, and that's absolutely their prerogative to work with that. And, indeed, what happens in terms of border restrictions, and as the PM's mentioned, that's a commitment that we've had to go forward and to look in more detail in that. The transparency of data across borders is absolutely crucial to that, as well as the clarity of what is being done and why, as well as, of course, the public health readiness if there was an outbreak to occur, particularly in places where there hasn't been a case for some time. We have to be absolutely ready and be committed to do that if it occurs.
So, I'll leave it there, PM.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. Mark?
JOURNALIST: An observation and a question, it seems today you’re accepting that the ‘we’re all in this together’ consensus that National Cabinet was established to achieve, is now not achievable, so you're changing the rules and lowering the expectations. That's an observation you might like to comment on. Secondly, you've stated a desire for all Australians to be able to travel across borders to be together as families at Christmas. Are you saying today that won't happen?
PRIME MINISTER: What I'm saying today is that 7 out of 8 states and territories has agreed with that ambition for Christmas. And whether that's achieved in Western Australia or not, well, that will be up to Western Australia. But what National Cabinet is, is practical. And we're not going to make the mistakes that previous Federation arrangements enabled to be made. And I'm not going to hold Australia back when one or two jurisdictions, at this point in time because of their own circumstances, don't wish to go along with the path that the country is seeking to go in. I think that's just common sense, Mark. I think that's just practical. I think that's what people would expect of me. That's what you try and do every day. It doesn't matter whether you're running a business or you are running a community organisation or you're a parent, you try and get all the kids in the car. And you try and do everybody at the same place at the same time. Particularly if they're teenagers, that gets a lot harder and they'll do their own thing every now and again. Now I know you were going to make the obvious comparisons, and I would encourage you not to, and to resist that temptation, Mark. What I'm saying is, is that we all seek, in each and every day, to try and get as many people going in the same direction as possible. And what we have achieved, I think, today is a common sense set of rules as to how we can take the Federation forward. I consider, you know, all of my partners as Premiers and Chief Ministers in the National Cabinet, we've come together all as the adults in the room on this, Mark. So, I can make that one really clear, to ensure that we're going forward and doing the best thing we believe is in the interests of the country.
Lanai?
JOURNALIST: You've conceded that, or you’ve accepted that WA is not on the bus right now, or not getting on the bus right now. When would you like them to get on the bus?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's a matter for them.
JOURNALIST: Do you accept that the border could be in place for years?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, only the Premier of Western Australia could answer that question.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the definition of a hotspot, could we get some clarity on that? Like what's been proposed? Are we talking about LGAs with 10 or 50 cases? It seems pretty nutty that we have a, basically a virtual COAG with the same parochialism, and it can't land on a definition of a hotspot?
PRIME MINISTER: I think that's a very cynical view, Andrew. What we agreed today is that, we first needed to agree where we wanted to get to, and that was to get to a sustainable set of arrangements where Australians could move around, using a hotspot model by Christmas. That's what we agreed today. And what we also have today is a commonwealth defined hotspot, which is the starting point for having one more broadly agreed by those states and territories, which are going to go down that path. And, you know, not everything is gonna turn up every time on the same day at the same time. What we're on is the path to get to that agreed position. We've set out, for the first time, a Commonwealth defined position. And for those who agree to go down the path of having a hotspot, well, we'll now work on the precise details with them now. Well, the hotspot decision of the commonwealth has been released. And so you can read that at your leisure.
JOURNALIST: That was the first part of my question. The second part, if in a few months' time, we're in the same situation we have been in the last few weeks, where we're hitting roadblocks with states and so forth. Is it an option for the Federal Government to start using its financial levers to ensure compliance, or, with the border openings and things?
PRIME MINISTER: No, that's not my approach. The idea that because a Premier or a Chief Minister might have a different view to me about how we should go forward is not a reason for me to punish through withholding funds to states and territories for essential services. I'm not about that. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to work together with people. And I think some have made those suggestions. I don't think they're practical suggestions. We will continue to guarantee the essential services that Australians rely on in every state and territory, and I will seek to bring states and territories together as best as I can to ensure we're all heading in the same direction. Many of you who stand in the courtyard now have been covering this place for a very long time. The idea that there are differences of view between states and territories will not come as an earth-shattering conclusion to you. I mean, that has been the mainstay of how states and the Commonwealth have been seeking to work together for 120 years almost. I think today we have arrived at an even more practical way of dealing with our differences. And to acknowledge that they occur. A system that doesn't think, or is designed around a principle that everyone will agree every time on everything, just, frankly, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't pass the pub test.
Brett?
JOURNALIST: You speak about not taking Australia for granted. What do you say to Australians who want to come home to Australia but can't? And can you elaborate a little bit more on what was agreed today in terms of international borders? We're seeing some quite distressing cases of Australians not being able to get home, they're becoming increasingly anxious about that closure.
PRIME MINISTER: We're doing everything we can, Brett, to help people get home as quickly as we can. We obviously have restrictions based on the requests made to us by the state about how many people can come in and be in quarantine at any one time. New South Wales have had to do the heavy lifting on that. What I got agreement out from those other states and territories today was that they would be open, and work with us to take further flights in those places if we can get the planes to fly there. I mean these are commercial flights, they're not flights run by the Australian Government. They're commercial flights, which aren't, I'd be surprised if they were running at anything near other than a massive loss on every single flight. And so to get them to go to places that would enable us to take, get more Australians back into the country, I think it would be very useful. The idea that New Zealanders would not have to go into quarantine because they're coming from COVID-free areas would also free up paces, places I should say, in quarantine. Equally, if states aren't requiring Australians coming from areas where there is no COVID cases, like the ACT, and that they don't have to go into hotel quarantine in places, well, that obviously frees up more capacity as well. And so I think the agreements we've made today to go down a hotspot path is a concept I think that will also free up some of that movement. As I said, we've given additional resources and support to DFAT to assist people in hardship. And our consular officers are doing everything they can to support people in those arrangements. But ultimately it means we need to have more arrivals coming back into Australia, and for that to happen, then we have to have confidence that the quarantine arrangements will be able to withstand that. Otherwise we open the country up to a different kind of risk.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Prime Minister, Prime Minister, to Professor Kelly first if I may. You have 30 years' experience as an epidemiologist, what, in your medical opinion, is the reason for a farmer in New South Wales not being able to go over the border into Queensland, where there's no COVID, and harvest a crop? And if I may, PM, if Premiers are telling you that they don't agree with the man to your right and all the experience that the committee he heads brings, will you demand that the Premiers present their own medical advice and show Australians that they are being led by the health advice and not by politics?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I might start. The Agricultural Workers' Code would enable us to overcome the problem you've outlined. And that's why I was pleased today that New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, the ACT, and the Northern Territory all agreed to that code. And, in particular, on that Victorian border with both South Australia and New South Wales, that will enable, I hope, to get over many of the problems just like the ones you've mentioned. Now, it was put to Queensland today that they should be part of that conversation, and they've said, "Not yet. No, we won't be doing that." Now, what I've always said about states that have made their own decisions about borders is that they obviously need to be transparent in my view, about the basis for those decisions. We have provided a clinically based, scientifically based, definition of what a "hotspot" is in Australia. And where states are moving to make different decisions on different criteria, I think it's only reasonable not just to me, I'm just another Australian it's important, I think, more broadly that people understand why they would be taking a different assessment and what medical advice that was based on. I’ve said that consistently for months.
Rosie?
JOURNALIST: There are businesses that are growing increasingly concerned about Victoria's road map that will be announced on Sunday. Is it too confusing for Victoria to go its own way with its traffic light system at this stage? Wouldn't it be better that they use the national plan that's already been set out, or the new one that you're going to agree to? And just on the New Zealand travel bubble, are you suggesting that that would likely, or could be in place by Christmas, if we've got Australians travelling around the country based on hotspots, we can also have New Zealanders coming in not from hotspots?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, first of all, I mean, Premier Andrews will outline his plan, I understand, on Sunday. That will be his plan, Victorian Government's plan. That is about reopening an economy from Stage 4 lockdown into its next phase. What we're talking about, and what we've talked about today, isn't about Stage 4 going forward. That is about how Australians can move around the country, how hotspots are defined, how information is shared. So, they're two different tasks. So, it's not like he has a very prescriptive plan from the commonwealth about how he opens up Victoria. We have engaged with him and the National Coordinating Mechanism has provided a lot of information and support, and potential ways that can be done. That is true. We have engaged with him on all of those. And I'll have further discussions with the Premier. But, ultimately, what the Premier does in Victoria will be a matter for him, and he will define how that works. Now, they have been engaging industry far more than I think happened on the way in, for the way out. I welcome that. I know there's been a lot of feedback, and issues raised with that system. I'm aware of elements of it, but I’m not aware, I haven't seen the full package myself. I'm sure that is still being worked on by the Victorian Government. But I do like it that they are talking to industry about how this can happen. I think in these situations it's always best, if it's as simple as possible, that it is a negative list based approach. What I mean by that is it's always talked about a black list and a white list, but what that means is that you have a number of things you can't do rather than specifying the things you can, and leaving the rest in a rather ambiguous state. That was a principle that we used in the early phases of the pandemic, when we said what you couldn't do, and therefore if that wasn't one of those things, then you could do everything else. We've always found that to be a more simple and clear approach, and avoids any ambiguity. The Premier is going to have to make decisions with his health advisers about the level of cases. I mean, the number of cases is still too high. And one of the things I know the Premier is keen to avoid and I believe Victorians, I think, would have some sympathy with this. Is they don't want to have gone through all of this terrible restriction that they've gone through, these many weeks and more weeks to come, only to seek to re-emerge and relapse. They would want to be confident that the way out was sustainable and built up the strength and the capabilities so they would never have to go back to this. And I know that's an issue that the Premier is considering very carefully. And they're the issues that the Premier will be working through, and I wish him well with doing that. And he and I, I'm sure, will speak further about that between now and then. Now, in terms of New Zealand, yes, that is very possible. But I wouldn't describe it as the "bubble". I wouldn't say necessarily it will be a two-way bubble. That will be up to the New Zealanders. But if we can get to a position where we understand how the hotspots can be identified in New Zealand, then that would mean, hopefully, between now and then we may well be in a position for New Zealanders to come to Australia and experience Australia, which will be great for our tourism industry, and we'd welcome that, and it would also take a lot of pressure off rooms in quarantine, which means more Australians can get home.
David?
JOURNALIST: Two days ago, where Annastacia Palaszczuk was complaining, basically, that some of her travel industry people were losing JobKeeper. She's the one with the border control that's depriving those travel industry people of customers. We're seeing that around the country. Should states that impose these restrictions on their own economy carry more of the burden of the economic help to their own people because of the costs of their decisions on state borders?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, JobKeeper is a national program, and it's transitioning. And it's extended and expanded out until the end of March. And JobKeeper has been a lifesaver for businesses, particularly tourism and hospitality businesses, not just in Queensland but many other places. But the best way for tourism businesses to revive is to have more tourists. It's pretty simple. That's what I know they want. And we need to do that in the best and safest way we can. And so I think many of the things we agreed today provide a plan to achieve that.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there are hundreds of Defence personnel posted around the country at the moment, away from their families. Many can't go home because they can't avoid quarantine on the way back. Now, should the states be looking at giving them exemptions?
PRIME MINISTER: Wherever you put a border up, and this is why I've been quite honest about this. It may be unintended, but the reality is you get some very cruel and get some very hard outcomes for people's lives. My primary concern, particularly at the moment, is to be ensuring that we can get people to medical treatment. And Australians should be able to access a hospital in whatever state it's in. Because they're Australian hospitals. And it's important that we facilitate that. And I want to thank, particularly, the New South Wales and South Australian Governments, and I want to particularly thank the Health Minister in New South Wales, Brad Hazzard. I've dealt with Brad on a number of these cases now, getting people in to surgery, getting people in to hospitals. Blasting through some of the bureaucracy that can occur, that inevitably arises because there are border arrangements in place. This is why I agree with the New South Wales Premier that the sooner you can get this down the better. And that must be the goal. So, whether it's Defence Force personnel looking to go home, whether it's kids at boarding school at the moment in COVID-free areas, wanting to go home to a COVID-free area for the holidays, and not have to spend two weeks in a hotel in a capital city and be away from their parents I find that heartbreaking too. So, these are the practical issues that need to be resolved. Now, I welcome the fact that the Queensland Government has set up this new unit, which I understand is operational from today, good a number of specialists there, particularly in the medical area that will be looking at particular cases to ensure that people can get from A to B to get their treatment. I welcome that. There's been a lot of discussion about this. There's been just some absolutely awful cases and so that as a first response I welcome that. But as long as you've got these borders like this particularly in the eastern states where there is a lot of movement for these purposes you are going to get these outcomes. That's why what seven out of the eight states and territories have agreed today is so important, to avoid that. That's the only way you will ultimately get to avoid it.
JOURNALIST: In the UK at the moment about Tony Abbott’s role, Nicola Sturgeon said he is a misogynist, do you share those views and what do you make of that debate?
PRIME MINISTER: I wish the former Prime Minister well. And as I’ve said before, he’s a good hire he knows a lot about trade and he did a lot of great work for Australia on trade when it came to the China free trade agreement and Japan and Korea. He set Australia up very well and the fact that we now have a current account surplus that we’ve had trade surpluses now for record periods of time I think speaks very well to his trade credentials so I wish Tony well.
Rosie?
JOURNALIST: When do you hope the Commonwealth's definition of a hotspot will be in place. And are you suggesting that Queensland has agreed to adopt the Commonwealth’s hotspot, so what seven of eight states…
PRIME MINISTER: Have agreed that the concept of using a hotspot approach to manage movement of people around the country is something we should pursue as part of our plan to realise the goal we set out in July to now be achieved in December. The national the Commonwealth definition of a hotspot is the starting point for defining that, and the Acting Chief Medical Officer will work with the states and territories now to get greater precision to that and when that is done well that’s when it can be announced but that definition is available for people to see, and its clinical basis.
Rosie?
JOURNALIST: I just wanted to check then, so Queensland will continue to use its definition of 28 days of no community transmission before it opens up to those states?
PRIME MINISTER: Queensland will use, sorry?
JOURNALIST: So what do you think of that definition, is it reasonable?
PRIME MINISTER: Well the Commonwealth definition is the one that I clearly believe, is backed by the clinical and scientific work that’s been done by the Acting Chief Medical Officer. That’s the view of the Commonwealth. The definition that we have provided is obviously the one that I think is appropriate. What states do is a matter for them ultimately but what we have agreed to do today is to actually move to a hotspot model. So we don’t have a hotspot model working necessarily in Queensland at the moment. We’ve got a very hard border which is operating in Queensland at the moment and so what we have agreed to do is to move towards and adopt a hotspot model with as far as possible a common definition and the Commonwealth definition provides the starting point for how that is defined.
JOURNALIST: Just a question on tax and then I think Clare’s going to follow up on farmers and Queensland. There’s obviously a discussion at the moment about bringing forward the stage 2 tax cuts but of course under the stage 3 tax cuts, high income earners such as yourself will get an $11,000 a year tax cut while low income people will get $255 dollars a year. Now as part of those discussions to bring forward the stage 2 tax cuts, do you think you should give up some of that tax cut and if not why should someone such as yourself get $11,000 in tax cuts while low income and part-time workers get $255 a year under those changes?
PRIME MINISTER: Well Sam you made a range of speculative... no I understand what the current legislative program is and that is the legislative programme, and any changes we might make to that will be announced in the Budget, and that’s in October.
Clare?
JOURNALIST: Professor Kelly, in your medical opinion, is it safe for a farmer in NSW to go over the border and work in Queensland? Is it ok?
PROFESSOR PAUL KELLY, ACTING CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: So as, several questions have come to this already and the Prime Minister has answered them really. We’ve got a start of a hotspot definition we’ve,
JOURNALIST: In your medical opinion though?
PROFESSOR PAUL KELLY, ACTING CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: So that is what we are working on so we can get that absolute clarity about these sort of particular matters. At this point, Queensland has made their decision about how they look at risk in terms of people coming across the border and that is their decision to make and we’ll continue to work on that.
PRIME MINISTER: Before you shout over the top of him, you might let him finish his answer. Professor Kelly?
PROFESSOR PAUL KELLY, ACTING CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Thank you, Prime Minister. So we look forward to the day where there can be transparency about these things and a risk-based approach to what should happen. And part of that is the hotspot definition but part of that is also an understanding across borders that we can be absolutely sure of the information that is held on one side of the border and can be shared with the other. That is absolutely crucial.
JOURNALIST: This was a year started with bushfires, a deadly pandemic and now you’re being briefed on La Niña. What is the Australian plan for dealing with those weather events and how much more can Australians take?
PRIME MINISTER: This is why Emergency Management Australian is pulling all the states and territories together. They have quite detailed plans, as do the states and territories and the La Niña event will see a much greater rainfall over the summer period and that will put a lot of stress, particularly with as the soil moisture increases, then that obviously creates the risk of flooding across south eastern Australia and in north eastern Australia. The risk of cyclones also. But we also learned today was that the bushfire risk in south west Western Australia and in northern Australia is also related to these events. Now, for things like cyclones and floods, most of that response, if not all is largely contained within those states and territories and they are well equipped to deal with those issues and they have the resources and they are the first responders both for dealing with those events and the immediate recovery and aftermath of those events. We have the DRFA arrangements for emergency support and so on and that will be rolled out as it always is. But they are making their own plans and already have those in place to ensure that they can respond to those quite specific events. Now, one of the challenges going into this season is ensuring they have COVID-safe emergency response measures and that’s why, particularly with a situation like bushfires in Western Australia, if we have to move people from one part of the country to another, ADF personnel or others then we need to have quite streamlined arrangements and that’s what the EMA is doing right now to make sure that is the case but these disasters, whether they are bushfires or whether they are floods or whether they are cyclones or indeed pandemics for that matter, they present challenges to us every year and I believe we have the best people to respond to those challenges. They’re very well aware of what’s coming up this year and the plans and preparations are already in place. Thanks, everyone.
Daily Telegraph Bush Summit - Cooma, NSW
28 August 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Well, thank you very much Ben. It’s tremendous to be here once again. And to the Daily Telegraph. Can I commend you are again on the initiative that you've taken. We've always known you're for Sydney. And what I think you've demonstrated here with this tremendous initiative is that you're not just for Sydney, you’re for the bush as well. And this is an important gathering together as we come together today. It's great to have Michael McCormack the Deputy Prime Minister here with us. A very good friend. And thank you, Michael, for the tremendous leadership you've shown to regional Australia and the passion for it. And that was on display this week, particularly in the parliament and with the many issues and challenges that we're facing. Can I acknowledge the Indigenous owners and I acknowledge the Indigenous people of our country and particularly the country around here the Ngarigo people and I acknowledge the their elders past and present and importantly for the future. Can I also acknowledge any veterans that are here with us here today and serving members of our defence forces and say thank you for your service.
Can I acknowledge the many other ministers and the Leader of the Opposition and others who'll be joining you over the course of these discussions. Can I particularly acknowledge Shane Stone who is here with me, who heads up the Drought and Flood Relief Agency. I've asked Shane to do many difficult jobs in my time, he's asked me to do a few hard jobs on occasion, too. And so we travelled here together and Shane I want to thank you and all of your team and we'll be talking a bit more about that today and your presentation from one end of the country. And it's tremendous to have you here with me here today. Shane Fitzsimmons will be here of course, a good friend and has done a tremendous. job, particularly the bushfires and now moving into new roles. Can I acknowledge the new member for Eden-Monaro. Can I also, I see there's also a former Eden-Monaro member here as well, it’s great to see you here as well.
So many people coming together today and if I was to go through the long list, Ben, I suspect there won't be much more time for questions or the presentation, but it's a tribute to you as to how many people you've been able to draw together here today. And I thank you very much for doing that.
It's a pleasure to be back of course, for the second Daily Telegraph Bush Summit and last year, we had a lot to deal with and that hasn't changed. Drought, floods, fire. And of course, there has been more and the drought that was strangling the life out of so many communities across Australia. And while it has abated, that's true in some respects, as Shane reminds me constantly when you go to the sub soil, when you get beneath the surface, we know that that's still a very real challenge that is being faced in rural and regional communities all around the country. As Michael also reminds me, and while you do see a bit of green, a bit of green, not a green Michael, but a bit of green about the place as you move around. And those of us like me who grew up in the suburbs, you can look at the surface and think it's all okay. It's just, it's good to know that we have the right advice that is helping us understand that these challenges continue. Here in Cooma you also missed much of the rains in March and April but last month and this month well, you've got a lot more. And that's good to see. It was great to see as we came along and driving along here, that things were better, but it's clearly got a long way to go.
This year, Australia, like the rest of the world, is enduring the most significant downturn in our lifetime. That's the challenge now. The COVID-19 pandemic has touched everyone anywhere in the world in some way, shape or form. And I'd like to take this opportunity to thank particularly regional Australians, as the Deputy Prime Minister was doing this, who have felt a heavy burden during this pandemic in a different way than people in Melbourne have been impacted, particularly at the moment. But a very heavy burden nonetheless. I know that state borders are putting enormous stress and strain on Australians, especially those in regional and border communities, including by limiting access to essential health care, keeping people from their work, restricting farmers’ accesses to their property and their markets. I've had hundreds of letters and emails from cross-border communities over the recent weeks and months, as have my colleagues. And they've shared those with me. And today we learnt of the just unthinkable and heartbreaking case where a young family had to take their daughter, I think it was, to Sydney and sadly passed away.
This is heartbreaking stuff. And I can understand people's frustration and indeed anger. This is one of a few other stories that have been raised. Andrea is a teacher from Serviceton in Victoria. I hope I've pronounced that correctly. 1.8km from the border, teachers in border-town South Australia. She was not deemed an essential worker. So a class is without their teacher. Les wrote to me about his 89-year-old dad who lives by himself. He and his wife Linda, visit every fortnight to care for him. And now they can't, and that worries them no end, understandably. Mark has a house and a cattle property on two sides, both sides of the Queensland, New South Wales border. He can't tend to the animals. He says this is harder than the drought when he had to truck water everywhere. I've got hundreds of stories like that and I have no doubt you have more. Real lives all a long way from capital cities. Some restrictions, they've been so difficult to navigate decision making hasn't always been clear nor timely, and that must be improved. And there has been an absence in some cases of due process rights of people as these arrangements have been put in place. Now through the National Cabinet, and what's known as the national coordinating mechanism which sits in the Department of Home Affairs, there has been some progress, but I'd like to tell you there's more because much more needs to be done to ensure that these border movements are made easier. But ultimately to ensure that we get the borders open again.
I do thank premiers, particularly in New South Wales and South Australia, who have engaged with the Commonwealth government to try and resolve many of these issues. And there has been resolution of some. And to address particular problems of particular cases, as I've been raising those and my colleagues have been raising those with Premiers. I thank them for that. And we need, though, to focus on getting to a place where we don't have borders and that they are unnecessary. Keeping Australia as open as possible while managing the twin health crises of economics and health.
So the next step is we've got to get these principles established to ease the impact of these restrictions. We've got to get this done. We've got to put aside the disagreements we've had so far about this. And we've got to get arrangements that can be workable, but also to protect people's health. I'm not suggesting for a second that there aren't health issues here to be managed and there aren’t risks on the health side of opening the borders. Of course there are. But there are risks on both sides that have to be weighted and assessed, and balanced. Living with the virus until there is a vaccine requires that balanced assessment. The risk of COVID-19 does not justify anything on its own. Everything always has to be measured in the relative impacts. On borders I've made this point consistently - that while the scale of the victory outbreak meant that border restrictions between New South Wales and Victoria were regrettably necessary, and they were and are and remain, this does not diminish the principle that border restrictions, especially where there are no, or very low cases in regional areas, they cannot and should not be sustained. Australia was not built to have internal borders. In fact, the very point of federation was not to have them. That was the point of Australia. That was plan A for Australia. I'm for plan A. And so was Alfred Deakin, a Victorian father of Federation, who said when he was referring – in fact to external affairs powers which has been topical of late: “The whole scope and spirit of the Constitution, require that say for the purposes of their domestic policies within their own domains the states should be blended and absorbed into one political entity. They may still appear in some respects as a body of allied states, but…to the world without it, they have become and must remain a nation, a commonwealth, one and indivisible.”
Now he puts it better than I do. But that is so true, we must be one and indivisible as a nation. Whether we're from the bush, whether we're from the city, whether we're from Queensland, the territory, Western Australia, we must be Australians first. And must not allow this crisis, this pandemic, to force us to retreat into provincialism. That's not the answer. And that's why I've tasked the Commonwealth chief medical officer to work with the medical expert panel to get a clear, clinical definition of a hot spot. Now, this will be essential for states and territories to establish containment strategies and move away from border restrictions.
Now, that work was tasked out of the last National Cabinet meeting and agreed by the National Cabinet that the medical expert panel should have such a definition. And we will have one. Whether it's the Commonwealth one, or one agreed by the states. But there will be. And that will be necessary, I think, with the transparency of arrangements that are put in place by states and territories. Now, clear and easily understandable hotspot definition has been used in overseas jurisdictions since the beginning of the pandemic. And they can be used in a similar way here in Australian states and territories. I was speaking only to the Danish prime minister this week about how they would do it. And it's instructive.
In many of the border communities, residents are simply trying to move from one COVID-free region to another COVID-free region. And so we need to get borders open based on a common set of fair simple principles taking in to account the advice of health professionals that is conveyed transparently. That doesn't mean there can't be borders. That doesn't mean there can't be border restrictions. And it doesn't mean the border restrictions in circumstances are not necessary. This is not a binary topic. It is one that has to be considered sensibly, reasonably and the balance right.
It is reasonable for Australians, particularly regional Australians, to have access to medical assistance, to get to work and to access their own properties. Where permits are required it is reasonable for Australians to expect that their applications would be dealt with quickly and that there is an appeal process. Borders cost communities and the economies they constrain. They must be proportionate these restrictions to the risk it presents. And like any restriction in a pandemic they must only be there where health evidence transparently supports that position and only for as long and as it is absolutely necessary. Borders are not substitutes as New South Wales, I believe, has demonstrated for the core defenses against the virus.
International quarantine, testing, tracing, COVIDSafe behaviours, the distancing, staying home if you're sick, getting tested and outbreak containment, particularly at that local level. We saw a tremendous result of that in north-western Tasmania early on in the pandemic. Local outbreak containment. Very effective. It protected Tasmania more broadly from what could have been a far more serious situation.
Now, the freight movement code which the DPM has put in place and congratulations for doing that, Michael. He knows there's still bugs and things. We've got to get out of that. Still bit too many bits of paper, but Big Mac will get it sorted. I've no doubt about that. We're seeing improvements in some areas, but there need to be more. And David Littleproud is leading the agriculture ministers, Deputy Leader of the Nationals, and finalising an agricultural workers code as a priority. We agreed that last Friday that will be taken forward and we'll be dealing with that next Friday at the National Cabinet. At the same time we're opening borders there needs to be a principle based approach to easing restrictions, particularly as, say, Melbourne comes up at a level four and back the level three and hopefully in the rest of Victoria, level three back into more eased restrictions. The principles for easing restrictions need to be simple, they need to be transparent. They've got to be driven by data, they've got to be location specific, they've got to be co-designed with industry where appropriate. You got to talk to the businesses and the industries that are involved. They've got to be well communicated. They've got to be based on a demonstrated preparedness, ensuring that the public risk management practices are all in place. We do not want to see a reversion take place when you're trying to come out. And so we have to do that safely. And our job, federal, state and territory governments is to achieve this. And I know there are frustrations, but I can assure you when we all get in the room again, we'll be working to try and sort this out. We are achieving this to save lives and livelihoods. And there are key things we need to do. A health strategy, an economic strategy and ongoing behaviour changes. And that is all but the Australia be part of the plan. We are still in the midst of this battle. And so we need to keep pushing on with our response and particularly on the fight to save jobs and build jobs and rebuild businesses and industries, which I will turn to now.
Regional and agriculture driven COVID recovery. That's what we want to see. And from my first days as prime minister, just over two years ago, when the DPM and I and Bridget McKenzie, I think at the time, and David Littleproud was there from memory as well. And Scotty Buchholz was with us. And we went up and through Longreach and we made it out to Quilpie. And I met the Tully family up there and I'll never forget that. And from there to more recently, being out in fire-affected Wingello north of Goulburn early this year after the fires. What remains with me to this day about all of these and there were certainly other visits up through North Queensland during the floods with Shane. I'm always struck by the positive outlook, despite the circumstances of regional and rural Australians. You're patient. You understand the longer game. You watch out for your neighbours. It's an earthy determination to outlast whatever hand you’re often dealt. That stoicism, that capacity to adapt, that strength that is required when faced with adversity as well as the untold costs and of the hidden and masked pain that you endure. That is an inspiration to all Australians, I think, as we face the challenges of this particular pandemic. And here at this bush summit I believe that that gives us the basis of taking a similar approach to the issues we're all facing.
So I want to talk about a few more things we are doing to invest in that capacity, to build on that plan, that resilience and support for regional Australia, and particularly the agricultural sector. Our Ag2030 plan a $100 billion industry by 2030. The government's backing the industry's bold plan to see agriculture in Australia grow to become a $100 billion sector by 2030. It's ambitious. It's especially given the many challenges we face of drought, floods, fire, COVID-19, facing another cyclone season this year. But we're not shying away from doing what we can to help the industry achieve. Last year at the Bush Summit, I announced there would be a national plan to support agriculture, fisheries and forestry achieve that goal. And while the pandemic is, as I'm sure you would understand, has delayed that formal plan, I can assure you that the Minister David Littleproud is working to ensure we get that plan in place and work towards achieving that goal.
What's guiding that plan is, first, the foundation of trade and growing trade. Trade grows the economy and it creates jobs. We don't get rich selling stuff to ourself. That's what we're about as an outward looking, externally faced trading nation. And when we came to government, preferential access to markets accounted for around 26 per cent for our two-way trade. That's now more than 70 per cent. People looking for more options for trade. All the 70 per cent of that trade is now covered by those agreements. We've recently completed the Indonesian agreement. There's a digital commerce agreement with Singapore. The EU agreement is the one we're working on now. The UK as well, they're the next cabs off the rank. Market access means more trade. It means more money in farming pockets and jobs in regional communities. And that's because the farm sector exports around two thirds of its output. Our trade strategy has meant that the farm sector is withstanding the blow of COVID-19, keeping supply chains open for our high value agricultural and fisheries exports, despite widespread disruption to the global air freight sector. And again, I commend the Deputy Prime Minister. Our International Freight Assistance Mechanism, which is designed with the Minister for Trade, is facilitating a one billion dollar support to exports by supporting nearly 4000 flights from nine Australian locations to 63 international destinations, maintaining thousands of regional jobs and regional food security in the process. What's known as the IFAM initiative has supported shipments of chilled lamb from western Victoria and the Middle East. Tuna shipments from Ulladulla to Japan. Shipments of abalone, lobster, oysters, lettuce and dairy from Tasmania to China, Taiwan and Singapore. And we will continue to defend the interests of our agricultural exports to see disruptions to any trade with Chinese consumers more recently.
We are disappointed about the actions against our barley exports and indeed with our beef processing. There's been a further announcement today, but these are not new, new initiatives. These have been happening for some months. And they don't just happen overnight. They come forward over a number of weeks. Also, the announcement investigation into our wine producers and we'll work with industry on those issues and address the facts of each case. And I'm optimistic that we will resolve those issues, not least because trade with China brings benefits to both countries.
Our high quality beef, lamb, seafood and wine exports to China have grown in recent years for a very simple reason. They're good. Chinese consumers like them and they've got reason to. Same reason we like it. We sell things that they want to buy. We buy things they want to sell. It's a two-way relationship. It's in both our interests for it to be maintained and that's what we'll continue to do. Just as imports from of manufactured goods assist us, particularly when it comes to important agricultural equipment on occasions which boost the productivity of our farmers.
Our AG 2030 plan is also guided by the principle of sustainability and I'm determined to get our farmers the tools to adapt to a changing climate, and build a sustainable agricultural base for the future. An essential part of that is understanding the centrality of soils to agricultural productivity. I mentioned this last year and we all owe a great debt to Major General Michael Jeffery for many things, many, many things as a former government and military leader. But as our first National Soils Advocate he was a champion for the sustainability and integrated management of our soils, water, vegetation and animals over many years. His passion on this is infectious. And this year it's with a heavy heart that I announce that General Jeffery has made a decision to step aside because of his ill health. However, the work continues and that's what always that matters to me. And so I'm pleased to announce that the Honourable Penny Wensley has been appointed Australia's new National Soils Advocate. And she will continue that great work. Penny grew up in Toowoomba and is a former diplomat and of course, a former and esteemed governor of Queensland. And I know she will continue to General Jeffrey's great work to protect, maintain and restore the health of our landscapes, and support sustainability of food security in our farming communities. And I look forward to working with Penny as we progress our national soils strategy which will be delivered as part of the 21-22 Budget. We don't just want better a approach to soils, as you all know we need a better approach to water and achieving that is fundamental to achieve in 2030. Our national water grid is about taking a national approach towards security and better protect Australia's farmers and regional communities against future droughts. That's what the Deputy Prime Minister has set out. Michael McCormack has set out in establishing this national water grid. His initiative. It's an authority in developing a future pipeline of projects so that regional communities and farmers get the water infrastructure they need. And establishing that grid as the Commonwealth water infrastructure delivery agent, it's time now for the states and territories to get cracking on with their part of the job or working with us to deliver that water infrastructure. Now four projects have been delivered and we have committed to 18 others. And it's now time to move on to critical projects from feasibility to construction.
We’ve had a lot of studies and need to build more water infrastructure, not just reports. We've invested in 55 such studies, we're focused on delivering the projects that stack up and delivering the water. It's essential work because our climate is becoming warmer and dryer. A direct consequence of climate change. We're grateful for the rains of recent times, of course. But we know that even in areas where there is a green veneer, that below the grass, as I've said, the soil is still very dry. And of course, we know, there are regions still in profound drought. I want to acknowledge the tremendous work of Major General Stephen Day when he was National Drought Coordinator and as I referred to it today, to Shane Stone, the coordinator general of the National Drought and North Queensland Flood Response and Recovery Agency. Now in that agency they're focused on three things.
First, responding to the immediate need of providing relief. Practical measures that help farmers and communities right now and help them hold on until the drought breaks. Second, to sustain communities so they were still there when the drought was over. And third, which is a longer term work, making our country more drought resilient.
And you can't ever make a country full drought-proof but you can make it more drought resilient. And so we are better prepared for the next drought when it comes. That means deepening our understanding better, integrating our management, soil vegetation, water, it means having and sharing better data and the latest technology. It means connecting industries and communities to make sure they have the information they need to make the decisions that will help them survive and flourish. All of our efforts were backed by substantive commitment of $10m for 26 separate measures to support our drought response. And I acknowledge particularly the work of David Littleproud, Minister for Drought, for his leadership in ensuring we were getting the funds to where it needed to get to. With the drought and indeed, the flood, bushfire recovery and even the pandemic, we have take an approach that listens first, identifies needs and gaps and then fills them. And if we have to make changes then we do. It's why in June we extended the farm household allowance payment for those who had exhausted their entitlements.
And that has helped more than 15,000 farmers and their partners. And we're making the investments in the longer term. The $5bn Future Drought Fund is an important part of the government's drought response, resilience and preparedness plan. That plan means sustainable investment will make, there will be sustainable investment of some $100 million out of that Future Fund available each year for projects that help our farmers and communities become more prepared for and resilience to the impacts of drought. The Future Drought Fund is not about responding to the current drought. It's about being better prepared for the next one. And just last month, the Minister for Agriculture, David Littleproud, announced the first suite of programmes under the fund. Together, they're worth almost $90 million. And they're designed to help with everything from business deals to climate data, research and innovation hubs and community resilience projects.
Now two of these programs open today. That's the $7.45m Drought Resilience Leaders Programme, and the $3.5m Networks to Build Drought Resilience Programme, which is open for applications today.
These projects are about supporting people, develop their leadership skills and put those skills to use in helping farmers and agricultural communities prepare for future droughts. And it's about helping establishing mentoring relationships so that the lessons and skills acquired over decades are passed on to the next generation. And as we respond to the drought, it's been clear to me that the people who know what's really needed are the people who live it every day.
And that's why today we're announcing the establishment of a Regional Recovery Officer Network across the country. A national drought and flood agency that Shane leads has put in place 19 regional recovery officers right across the country. A further four positions are being added to the team immediately. Many of them- a number of them are here with him today. These Regional Recovery Offices are our drought boots on the ground ensuring the governments understand the unique challenges farmers and communities in regions, that they're listening, that they're reporting, that they're working across government and across community to develop solutions and solutions that work.
Now, there are many other issues, Ben, that I wanted to raise today, but time's going to beat us today. And I can post those for people to read on a later occasion because I do want to get to questions. The announcements we've made today go further to our preparedness, to our resilience. But they also go to the immediate need. The comments I made today about addressing the challenges of a pandemic, but they're also intended to address the opportunities on the other side of the pandemic. And whether it's in the bush or whether it's in the cities. Wherever you are in Australia today, we will get through this. We are getting through this better than most and many of the countries in the world today. And there's a reason for that. And it's you. The way Australians respond to crisis. And so much of I think of the character of our nation in a crisis has been formed in the stories and livelihoods of rural and regional Australians. Even those of us from the city will look romantically and sentimentally out to those amazing stories of rural and regional Australia. And many of us these days who live in cities can speak of our own generations in times past, who came from rural and regional Australia like mine but many generations ago. That's where we draw our strength from. And those stories are being lived out today, as they were hundreds of years ago, and indeed in our Indigenous communities over thousands upon thousands of years. That's where we draw our strength from. And that is why we will prevail.
Additional speech extracts
Innovation is also a key element of our Ag2030 plan.
Australian farmers are amongst the most innovative and adaptive in the world.
Agriculture Minister, David Littleproud, has been the driver behind making sure Australian farmers continue to be the best in the world.
That means bridging the gaps in research, development and the adoption of new practices, tools and technologies - and bringing researchers and farmers and agricultural businesses closer together.
That’s why we’re investing $86 million to establish eight Adoption and Innovation Hubs around the country.
Hubs will be established in each of Australia’s key climatic and agricultural zones - and I am pleased that one of the zones will be here in Southern NSW.
Hubs will be coordinated by a lead regional university – a new National Centre for Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation.
We’ll establish the Hubs, and the new National Centre, though open competitive processes over the coming months.
As well, integral to our Ag-2030 Plan is building the economic capacity of our regions through infrastructure and stronger supply chains.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, and I want our regions and producers to be able to access the capital, infrastructure and connectivity they need to compete effectively.
As part of our response to COVID-19, we’re boosting and bringing forward investment in infrastructure to help communities weather the crisis and recover.
We have committed $1.5 billion to shovel-ready, priority transport infrastructure projects identified by states and territories and small, road safety projects across Australia, with many of these projects in our regions. This is an additional $4.2 billion of accelerated projects announced with the states at the end of 2019.
We've also provided a $1.8 billion boost across Australia for road and community projects delivered through local governments.
Since last November, my Government has brought forward or injected additional investment totalling nearly $9.3 billion in infrastructure construction activity.
We’re changing the way freight moves along the eastern seaboard by building the Inland Rail from Melbourne to Brisbane.
This project just doesn’t benefit producers - it benefits consumers - lowering the costs of transportation, and reducing the time it takes for produce to leave the market and reach the dinner table.
Nationals Leader, Michael McCormack is very much a leader in the Fischer and indeed Anderson mould. One of the great sons of Southern NSW was Tim Fischer - and he’d be delighted to know we are boosting railway networks - including making investments in regional railways in Victoria.
And integral to connecting our regional communities is 21st century telecommunications - and that’s why we have committed $380 million to the Mobile Black Spot Program where more than 1,200 new mobile towers have been funded to date, with 861 now on air.
We’re also connecting regional communities health care professionals through Medicare subsidised telehealth services, and via their local general practices, with thousands more doctors and nurses heading to rural practices over the next decade.
So we are putting in place a comprehensive plan: more trade; better water management; a soils plan; drought resilience; and investments in infrastructure and regional supply chains.
All of which are about building the long term capability of our regions and investing in their potential.
The Region
I now want to say a few words about this region.
It’s been a tough year following the Black Summer bushfires.
This region suffered terribly during summer – but there has been tremendous work since then.
I know Andrew Colvin and the National Bushfire Recovery Agency have been working closely with the community to drive recovery.
There’s been relief to the Snowy Monaro Regional Council to rebuild assets, and provide economic support and funding for wildlife rescue.
$65 million is being provided to help the forestry industry recover.
Bushfire recovery grants are also helping local communities and businesses get back on their feet - well over 600 local businesses benefiting from grants.
And looking to the future, this region will benefit enormously from the Snowy 2.0 project.
Snowy 2.0 will create thousands of new jobs, support investment in the local region and take pressure off power prices.
More than 500 people are already at work on Snowy 2.0 and we expect it will create around 4,000 direct jobs over the life of the project.
I am sure I will be here many more times as this project unfolds.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
27 August 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, everyone. Can I start today, before moving to the reason for today's press conference - and I'm joined by the Minister for Foreign Affairs - to thank Australians, whether they be in the hot spot of Melbourne or they be in regional parts of the country where they're dealing with the incredible frustration of border restrictions. Can I thank the small businesses of this country, the large businesses of this country, keeping people in work? This has been a very difficult time, a very frustrating time, a very anxious time. And Australians have just kept their determination up, their positivity, wherever they can. And I want to thank them. Just simply thank them and ask them to continue to demonstrate the goodwill and the good faith they have, despite the frustrations and the limitations and the anxieties that they have to cope with every day. As we gather here in this Parliament, under different circumstances to usual, the circumstances faced by many Australians, particularly in Victoria and in those border regions, is something quite different and I just want Australians to know that we get that. And we know that. And we very much appreciate what you are doing each and every day. I welcome the fact that we've seen again the continuation of lower numbers than we have seen in Victoria. Nowhere near what we'd like them to be and, of course, the fatalities we continue to see are devastating and particularly for the families directly involved and, of course, we know that we will continue to see that for some time yet as the impacts of the community transmission, as it's worked its way through the Victorian community, will continue to have those impacts. But that said, Victoria has turned the corner and we will continue to invest our efforts in assisting them to ensure that we can continue to get this outbreak under control and return life in Melbourne and across Victoria to as normal as you can in a COVID-safe world, as soon as we can and working with the state and territories to ensure that other restrictions, wherever they can be removed, be removed as soon as possible. The restrictions should be in only for as long as they are absolutely needed and they should only be placed in where they are absolutely needed, based on that medical advice.
But to the announcement that we're making today, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs has already had the opportunity to make comment on this earlier today in media appearances this morning. But protecting and promoting Australia's national interest is the primary job of the Federal Government. It is what Australians elect federal governments to do. And this has always been our primary focus for our Government. We need to ensure that Australia, not just at a federal level, but across all of our governments, speak with one voice, act in accordance with one plan, consistent with the national interest, as set out in Australia's foreign policy, as determined by the Federal Government. And the new Australian Foreign Relations Bill does just that. Drawing on the powers available to us in the constitution, it enshrines those powers and provides very clear directions to do a number of important things. To establish the power to cancel and prohibit arrangements, memoranda, partnerships, that are not consistent with Australia's foreign relations, that damage our foreign relations. It compels notification across all of those areas to ensure that we are aware when agreements, memoranda and other partnerships have been formed, to provide a transparency around all of those arrangements, which is important to assist the Federal Government to pursue our foreign policy, which is about protecting Australia's national interests and promoting those national interests, and to ensure ultimately a greater awareness of the federal foreign policy settings that we are seeking the alignment of and the support of and the cooperation with, of governments and government-related entities right across Australia. More than 130 agreements, from 30 countries - and that's just states and territories that we know of and that are in the public domain - so the combination of the notification process which, in some cases, could lead to the cancelling of those arrangements, or their prohibition as governments or local governments or, indeed, universities, in those circumstances that apply to them. In those circumstances, it may lead to that, but it also may assist us that, where there are partnerships with other governments at subnational level or otherwise, that can assist Australia in promoting our foreign affairs and national interests, as we pursue those around the word, be it in trade, or people-to-people relationships. Having knowledge of those arrangements can greatly assist us, with our posts overseas and the work we are doing. So this is an important day for sovereignty in Australia. It's an important day for ensuring that Australia's national interest is protected, is promoted. That is our responsibility and that is our pledge to the Australian people to follow through on that pledge.
Now, I want to turn to one other matter before moving to the Foreign Minister and that is this week we're also introducing landmark legislation that sees Australia take responsibility for our waste and establishes a national industry relationship framework for recycling. The Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill will phase in the end of 645,000 tonnes of processed plastic, paper, glass and tyres that Australia ships overseas every year. The Bill will implement the export ban on waste, plastic, paper, glass and tyres agreed by the then COAG in March of this year, one of its final agreements in that form of COAG. And the ban will commence in phases beginning with waste from the 1st of January next. At the same time, the reforms to the regulation of product stewardship will incentivise companies to take greater environmental responsibility for the products they manufacture and what happens to those products and materials at the end of their life. The Bill complements the recycling modernisation fund and national waste policy action plan, which will create 10,000 new jobs over the next 10 years. That's a 32 percent increase in jobs in the Australian waste and recycling sector and these reforms will drive a billion-dollar transformation of Australia's waste and recycling capacity. It's our waste. It's our responsibility. We've got to deal with it and recycle it and repurpose it and reuse it here to both drive jobs in the recycling sector and improve the quality of our environment. This has been a key issue I've been raising, not just in the Pacific Islands Forum and I only just spoke this morning to the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Manasseh Sogavare but it has also been an issue that I've been raising in the East Asian Summit and with our ASEAN friends and colleagues where waste plastics in oceans is destroying communities, it is destroying their livelihoods, it is destroying their health and this was a pledge that I said we would honour and follow through on. I think this is a great day for demonstrating Australia's leadership when it comes to an export ban on these waste products. When I talk to kids in schools, that's what they talk to me about. They talk to me about those plastic bottles and the things in the oceans, whether it's their rivers and oceans and streams, or those floating around in the Pacific or around the seas of South-East Asia. And so I'm very pleased that the Environment Minister will be introducing that Bill today, as I know the Minister for Foreign Affairs is also.
SENATOR THE HON. MARISE PAYNE, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Thank you very much, Prime Minister and you're right, that will be a particularly well received initiative in our region and is one which is a very important step forward.
If I could just make a few further remarks on the Foreign Relations Bill which, as the Prime Minister said I've already spoken about a couple of times this morning. I think, most importantly, this legislation is about ensuring that we are consistent as a nation with respect to how we deal with the world, that we are taking a national perspective in our national interest and we're all working on the world stage as a team. To date, there hasn't been a requirement, and not even a clear understanding, that the states and territories might consult with the Commonwealth when they make arrangements with foreign governments. And those arrangements often cover a wide range of issues, whether it's sister-city relations to trade and economic cooperation. We recognise the contribution these arrangements can and do make to Australia's international engagement. The Commonwealth, and particularly my Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has a deep and broad expertise to assess whether arrangements with foreign governments are in the national interest. When we don't have a process of consultation, the Commonwealth has no opportunity to review the proposed arrangements, nor to apply that expertise. We risk having an uncoordinated, patchwork approach to contracts or MoUs or relationships and collaborations that could have an adverse effect on our foreign policy. What the legislation will do is to give state and territory governments confidence when entering into arrangements that they are acting in a way that serves Australia's national interests, that it's aligned with our values and consistent with our foreign policy objectives. The legislation, as the Prime Minister has pointed out, will apply to existing and prospective arrangements between a state and territory government and foreign government. We're not looking to impinge on state and territory government’s proper functioning or to micromanage these dealings with the world. But it's appropriate and it’s necessary that the Commonwealth Government manage our foreign relations, protect our national interest, and importantly maintain our values as a nation in doing that. Consistency, consultation and doing the due diligence on undertakings and arrangements is, I think, what the Australian people expect of their national government.
JOURNALIST: If you’re prepared to assert your power over this, would you consider legislating in order to take over state borders, to prevent border closures where they're not necessary? Something that's really harming the national economy. And how many agreements do you see being cancelled as a result of this? Do those agreements include the Victorian Belt and Road Initiative?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, let me deal with the first part of the question. In relation to the border arrangements that have been put in place at a state level, as I said yesterday and I've said many times, Australia wasn't built to have internal borders. Having internal borders in Australia is an extreme response, which can be necessary in extreme circumstances and based on proper medical advice and a very transparent process for doing that. And we saw in relation to the New South Wales-Victorian border. What occurred there was cooperation between the neighbouring states and, indeed, the Commonwealth. The appointment of a border commissioner to try and resolve the many heart-breaking examples that we continue to work through today, and, you know, when borders get put up within a country like Australia, it is very difficult to try and avoid the sort of circumstances we've seen occur. Very, very difficult to do that. But obviously, when it comes to that particular border, and the very extreme situation we've seen in Melbourne, that it was agreed amongst both premiers and myself that that was a necessary action and one that I hope is one that won't have to remain, hopefully, for much longer. And particularly as the situation in regional Victoria confirms itself, hopefully it won't be needed much longer. But I am confident that in the relationship and the way we're working together within the federation between New South Wales, Victoria and the Commonwealth and those matters, I think, can be properly resolved. I've had similar discussions with the Western Australian Premier about how those arrangements can best operate. The constitutional issues around this are not as clear-cut as the constitutional issues when it comes to the Commonwealth's foreign affairs powers. I think they're very clear. So I think we're talking about a different area of grey and, you know, the National Cabinet has achieved many great things over these last six months and I can understand that Australians are frustrated that the border issues through that process are not being addressed as well as we'd hoped. That has not been through any lack of effort, I can assure you, on the Federal Government's part. But it does demonstrate that the constitutional powers that sit around internal borders are vague when it comes to dealing with specific circumstances. It's all about proportionality and when you're looking at a border between Victoria and New South Wales, that's one set of circumstances. In other places, it's different. So I will continue to work to ensure that we have a transparent process and a fair process, that there are appropriate appeal rights that are in place, for people who are affected by these decisions. Because it does affect their lives. I'll have a bit more to say about this tomorrow at the Bush Summit, not far from here in Cooma. But it is important that we continue to remove barriers where they're not necessary, and where there are barriers, we have the most sensible, practical and time-limited arrangements and people know when they can come off so they can get on with their lives. That's always been my very strong view. National Cabinet has never made one decision that supports the unilateral imposition of borders within Australia. There is no resolution of National Cabinet to that end. Where states have made those decisions, they've made them either, as I've said, with the Commonwealth in the case of the Victoria and New South Wales border, or they've made them unilaterally on their own behalf and they are the ones who have to explain how that works and how it is administered.
Now, in relation to the many agreements - as I've said, there's 130, I think, Marise, that we're aware of - I'm not going to prejudice the outcome of any decisions the Minister for Foreign Affairs might make. It's important that, A, the legislation is passed. I wrote to Premiers yesterday. I had already flagged with premiers and chief ministers at the national security briefing they had some weeks ago that we would have more to say in this area and flagged that they would be getting advice along these lines, and provided that to them yesterday. Once the legislation has been through our party room, we'll share that with the states and territories and we’ll work through that. But any individual arrangements, well, it's a pretty clear test - if they're inconsistent with federal foreign affairs policy, they'll go.
We’ll just do one at a time, I think, Andrew. Rosie?
JOURNALIST: On that, have you received any advice, or have you personally formed the view that the Victorian BRI deal is inconsistent with the national interest? And just on the borders, are you suggesting you will introduce a national appeal process so people can actually appeal when they get knocked back from exemptions?
PRIME MINISTER: It's important that, when you act in accordance with powers that are yet to be established, that you do not prejudice decisions and so I'm not going to say anything here and the Foreign Affairs Minister wouldn't be saying anything here that could potentially prejudice any decisions that we might make after properly reviewing any agreements that are currently in place, because if we were to take decisions that were to cancel those, they should be done according to the proper process set up under the legislation so it would be irresponsible of me or the Foreign Affairs Minister, I think, to go into the specifics of any one agreement at this point. There's been plenty of commentary on the ones that you referred to. There's plenty of commentary on that. And matters have been raised on those directly with Premiers where that's been necessary, but we will act in accordance with powers that are established by the Parliament and my job right now, and the Foreign Affairs Minister, is to get the support of this, of these powers through the Parliament and then we'll deal with individual instances. In relation to how any sort of a proper appeal mechanism works, well, in some states they do have them and what I'd be seeking is more of a harmonisation and a consistency in how states apply those. It is not, they're not federal borders. They are state borders, for states to administer, and they need to do so in a way which minimises the pain and the hardship and the inconvenience that is not necessary and that Australians, wherever they live, have the appropriate review mechanisms in place for any administrative decision that can impact on them and their livelihoods and, indeed, their health.
Brett?
JOURNALIST: To the Foreign Minister first of all, this is a pretty big constitutional flex. Are you expecting any pushback from states and territories who are worried about their sovereignty when it comes to making these agreements? And, Prime Minister, there's been some comments in New Zealand about the Christchurch mosque terrorist potentially serving any sentence here in Australia. Are you open to some sort of an arrangement about that sentencing with New Zealand?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I might deal with that one first, Marise, and pass to you on the other matter. This is not a matter which the Prime Minister Ardern has raised with me. It's normal practice that criminals convicted of these offences serve their sentences in that jurisdiction, and that's my understanding of what the arrangements are and no request has been made to Australia for that to be any different. And I remember these events, as we all do, terribly and, once again, as New Zealanders in particular are brought to remembrance of that, just, unthinkable day, my heart goes out to them and, it brings it all back, even as we stand here, it's bringing it back for me. Jenny and I were incredibly touched by meeting the survivors of that attack, and the incredible grace that they showed afterwards was astounding, and inspiring. And so, to all those affected by that, including the Muslim community here in Australia, for whom it's brought remembrance, still thinking, still thinking of you.
On the other matter, there is only one sovereignty in Australia and it's Australian. I mean we are sovereign Australians. We are all Australians and that's where our sovereignty rests, and that's how I’d respond.
MINISTER PAYNE: I don't have anything to add to that.
JOURNALIST: The legislation includes the formation of a public register for all of the deals to have more transparency. Will you also be making it public every time a deal is vetoed or removed? What's the process for transparency for the details that don’t make that register?
MINISTER PAYNE: We’ll establish the register, the details of those will be covered under the legislation and that will all be public as the legislation comes forward in the next week, but the intention is to make the arrangements transparent.
JOURNALIST: Just on federal borders, earlier this week, the Federal Court ruled that WA's hard border was protecting the public health of the state. Do you now accept that WA's border has protected the state's public health and do you accept that the court decision has vindicated the WA Government's decision on the hard border?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I haven't disputed the first point that you've made. I didn't dispute it at the time the Premier put it in place and didn't oppose it then. So that's been our position. The Federal Court has found on facts, the High Court will now consider those facts and make a decision on the broader issues, so we'll just have to wait to see what the High Court says on the other matter. As you know, we withdrew from the case at the request of the Premier in full compliance with his request, and we undertook to work with him to find a constitutionally effective way of continuing to protect the health of Western Australians and that's exactly what I've been doing, and I’ve been in engagements with the Premier on that over the past week. And so we continue to work together on that.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, without going to any individual agreements, is it your concern, then, that foreign governments have been seeking to divide Australia by using the states and territories against the Commonwealth?
PRIME MINISTER: Let me answer this way - where any foreign government seeks to undermine the sovereignty of Australia's foreign policy by seeking to do deals with subnational governments, Australia needs to protect itself from that. And importantly, that's why, probably, I'd argue, more than anyone previously, although I know there were briefings provided, but not at this level of detail - I arranged for all premiers and chief ministers to know what I know - about Australia's national security issues and interests. And that was a useful briefing we held some weeks ago and I think what we've announced today is therefore not unsurprising or unexpected on their part and I particularly welcome the comments by the South Australian Premier today. We need to all work together to protect Australia's national interests and I think this bill, these laws, will aid us in doing that.
Phil?
JOURNALIST: A few years ago, you changed…
PRIME MINISTER: Katherine always gets a question.
JOURNALIST: In terms of speaking with one voice…
PRIME MINISTER: I'm not sure about Andrew. Not you.
JOURNALIST: Back to speaking with one voice, a few years ago, you changed the FIRB regime to include state asset sales after the Port of Darwin lease and now you've done this, this measure you're announcing today. Are there any other areas of leakage in terms of foreign interference through the states or the territories that, beyond this measure, that you're looking at?
PRIME MINISTER: You're right to say, Phil, as I think you wrote today, after the Port of Darwin issue which, as you know, was a problem in that that was not a matter which the federal laws enabled to be brought for Federal Government approval, and that's why I had those fixed with the cooperation, full cooperation of the states and territories, which I very much welcomed at the time, to ensure that that was dealt with, so that those circumstances wouldn't be repeated and, of course, you're aware of the very significant announcements the Treasurer has made, here with me, about a month or so ago, which has further addressed issues that particularly were raised by the FIRB board, to ensure that we address those and here we have, again, today, some further announcements. So this is a pretty comprehensive response I think is the best way to answer that, Phil. But obviously if we identify other things that are necessary to protect Australia's national interest, you'll never find me hesitating.
Katherine?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, traditionally the Liberal Party is the party of state rights. That's your history. How does what you're announcing today in terms of the unilateral termination of state agreements sit with the party's history? And also, if I may, is it the advice - is it the Commonwealth's advice that the external affairs power provides absolute coverage for you to do this, down to the termination of contracts?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, one, these contracts don't deal with private companies and those issues. It involves government-to-government, government entity to government entity type arrangements. In terms of our history of federalism, well I'm a passionate federalist. That's why I moved to establish the National Cabinet. Because I know we get a lot more done together and the responsibilities of the states are very significant, whether it be on health care or on schools or on planning approvals and all of these sorts of things - there are many things that we can't achieve in protecting the lives of Australians and the livelihoods of Australians if we don't work together. And I'm not seeking to change any of the powers here. I'm seeking to ensure that the powers that we have, and we're responsible for, that we deal to, and that is external affairs, that is foreign affairs. That's what the constitution invests in the Federal Government. So I think honouring the constitution sits very much alongside the federalist tradition of certainly our party and I think this is a very important affirmation of that. I mean, I remember - I said this in my maiden speech in the Parliament - you know, states are responsible for some things, federal governments are responsible for others and the best way to get along is for everyone to do their job and to do it as well as possible and not try and do others' jobs and that's what is certainly the way I've sought to approach this pandemic and the many other issues that are there. We all just need to do our jobs and that's certainly what we're doing and, in many cases, those jobs combined, as we've seen around aged care - we have very clear responsibilities in relation to aged care, and the state governments have very clear responsibilities for public health, and in a pandemic, they come together and they overlap, so you have to work together.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the report that was released this week into the Newmarch House outbreak, earlier this year, revealed that there were mistakes that was made in that house that were repeated, repeatedly, in Victoria, especially at St Basil's, issues with food, issues with staff being furloughed - given that this was months later and you've repeatedly said, and Richard Colbeck has repeatedly said lesson would be learned, given that we are now seeing dozens of people dying in Victorian aged care facilities, why weren't these lessons learned? Why were these mistakes repeated? And who is to be held accountable?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I don't share your analysis completely on that. And I responded to a question on this in the House yesterday, where I set out the key findings and learnings of the Newmarch report, and how they had been specifically applied, including in the case of St Basil's, as well as Kalyna and a whole range of other facilities, and the events that unfolded with the COVID pandemic in Victoria, which had moved to a level we had not yet seen in Australia, and, as we know, have impacted health care facilities in Victoria and many other facilities in Victoria, that all of, whether it's the aged care providers themselves who had been made aware of what was necessary in these circumstances, or the responsibilities of the Federal Government and the actions of the public health agencies, these lessons were certainly sought to be implemented in all of these cases, and the fact that, as I've reminded you all on a number of occasions now, in the UK, 56 per cent of aged care facilities have had resident and staff infections. That figure in Australia is 8 per cent. 8 per cent. And the number of facilities that have been acutely affected in Victoria has been 4, out of over 700 facilities in that state. Now, those 4 circumstances were unacceptable outcomes. And we've been very clear about that. My fear when the COVID pandemic hit in Victoria was that we could have potentially seen far more. Because of the scale of that outbreak. And as horrific as those four cases were, I'm so pleased that it did not extend to so many more and the fact that we've reduced it down from 13 that we were watching very carefully, that didn't all escalate to the levels we saw at Epping Gardens and St Basil's and others. That has come down to 3 again, and has remained at 3, but there are still real issues in those 3 facilities and we're monitoring them closely every single day. So we will continue to apply those lessons. We are dealing with a global pandemic where there's no guarantees. The only guarantee we can give you is of our complete effort in dealing with every situation that presents.
JOURNALIST: On the BRI, what's the nature of the 2017 MoU between the Australian and Chinese governments, and secondly, on the Mengniu decision from Josh Frydenberg, what were the reasons… the Mengniu decision, not to allow the sale to proceed? If national security, I understand. But what were the reasons - or national interest - given that the ACCC, Treasury, and we read the FIRB also said - or cleared the sale?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the first question in relation to the arrangement with Minister Ciobo in 2017 was about cooperating in third party markets. It did not sign up to or endorse BRI. So that was not an arrangement that endorsed the BRI. It's not, it’s never been our government's policy, under either myself or the previous Prime Minister, that we signed up to or endorsed the BRI. So that was not such an agreement in those terms. In relation to the other matter, well, decisions on foreign investment are matters entirely and solely for the Treasurer, having served as a Treasurer, I understand that. They're done on a national interest basis and he's made that decision in accordance with the national interest as he's seen it, in relation to the advice he has received.
JOURNALIST: … in the June quarter it collapsed - business investment fell in the June quarter as largely forecast. How do you think all these issues and changes with China on trade, on foreign investment, how do you think that chips away at business confidence to re-invest?
PRIME MINISTER: What is important in relations with any country and our trade with China, as we speak, has never been at a higher level in terms of volumes or value. And I think that demonstrates, I think, the resilience of the mutual benefit that exists in the relationship between China and Australia. They make things and sell things that we want and we make things and sell things that they want. We've got a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that enables that trade to take place and to reach the record levels it has. But what is also important in that relationship is that we're all very clear about what our interests are and that we're consistent about it. And Australia has always been, under our Government, very clear and very consistent about where we stand on important issues regarding our interests and our sovereignty, as have China, and I think that clarity creates certainty.
JOURNALIST: You’ve made five or six announcements or speeches this year which could be seen as attacking China.
PRIME MINISTER: I reject that.
JOURNALIST: You reject it?
PRIME MINISTER: I do.
JOURNALIST: Well, all these laws are about China, are they not?
PRIME MINISTER: No. These laws are about Australia's national sovereign interests.
JOURNALIST: Yet your biggest concern is China, is it not?
PRIME MINISTER: My biggest concern is Australia's national sovereign interest.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Dan Andrews, it looks like Daniel Andrews will extend his emergency powers for six months, not a year as initially flagged. Is six months still too long? What do you think the ultimate timeframe is?
PRIME MINISTER: Ultimately, it's a call he has to make. And the nature of those laws in Victoria are different to how the laws work in New South Wales, which I understand are sort of open ended arrangements to how their legislation is set up. I think the concern the other day was the shock and the surprise to Victorians who were already in a pretty fragile and sensitive state. And I'm pleased there's been greater clarity that has been put around what the Premier announced. I wasn't the only person asking for that. I certainly communicated that to him as a concern, as I indicated to you yesterday. So I'm sure Victorians are relieved and pleased to know that there's not just not another 12 months of lockdown, but there's not enough six months of lockdown. And that's a matter for the Premier to deal with through his Parliament and what they agreed to provide. We have had our arrangements on a rolling three month review and we deal with that and review it regularly. This is why I was pleased to come to an agreement with the New South Wales Premier that, particularly when it comes on the issue the Foreign Minister and I have been working on, in terms of residents returning to Australia, that the Premier and I are reviewing those caps on a fortnightly basis, based on the most recent information. I think one of the key lessons in the pandemic is you’ve got to take things as they come. You’ve got to deal with the information in front of you, because it changes rapidly. Lock yourself in too far out and you can find circumstances change. Sure, you've got to give as much certainty as you can, and you've got to show the direction, and that’s why the direction I want to clearly set is to reopen Australia again, just like we did back in June, and we were on a great track. And sure, we've had a huge setback in Victoria, but we need to get back on that horse and we’ve got to go forward.
JOURNALIST: How will a National Commissioner prevent veterans from committing suicide and when will you appoint that person?
PRIME MINISTER: We're getting very close on that. The legislation, as you know, is coming through this week. And it has been a difficult task to find someone to take on those responsibilities because it needs to carefully combine the empathy, the sensitivity, the professional skills, to deal with looking at every single occasion where this has occurred and, regrettably, fear will occur in the future. The role of this Commissioner is to ensure that in each of these cases and the legislation that supports it is that in every case, we understand fully what has occurred. And so that can constantly inform the policies and supports that we put in place to support veterans. This has been a consistent area of action for my government. It's an area that I'm pleased to see us getting this in place, but you need to get the right people to implement it so it works effectively and that's what we've been working hard to try to achieve. I wish there was something that could be done that you could give a guarantee it prevents these things happening. I know people like Phil Thompson, the Member for Herbert, would love to see that happen. We all would. And we'll strive to find what it is. But I think this quite unique power, which treats these circumstances, these particular cases, with such personal attention, to understand every case, and why, because there are many factors. There are many factors when it comes to suicide in this country and it's not a simple linear process that has led people to take their own lives. Whether it's a young person, and this morning on the daily call that we have, Ruth Vine and Christine Morgan, each and every day, give me an update on the work they're doing, particularly at the moment to help young people in school and in university and other places of training, who are very anxious about their future. So whether it's young people dealing with that, and I know parents are worried about that. Whether it's our veterans, those who are going under quite significant economic hardship, particularly those suffering through the lockdown in Melbourne. I want to assure Australians that mental health was, from memory, the first thing we announced funding for, when it came to addressing the pandemic and we've continued to act on that all the way through. As important as it is for the pandemic, my mind has not also not left the plight of veterans. As you know, I acknowledge them every opportunity I have. And in acknowledging them, I hope that is a reminder to them that when it comes to their mental health, the supports that they need, that is something this Government considers each and every day. Thank you very much.
Statement On Indulgence - New Zealand
27 August 2020
On indulgence, Mr Speaker.
Justice today was delivered in New Zealand to the terrorist and murderer for his cowardly and horrific crimes and attacks on a Christchurch mosque. The world must never see from, of him, or hear from him ever again.
All Australians were and remain horrified and devastated by his despicable terrorist act. New Zealand is family to us in Australia. Today, we send our love across the ditch. And I had the opportunity to pass on those wishes directly to the New Zealand Prime Minister earlier today.
But out of the horror of this event, I simply want to refer to what emerged as an incredible grace and beauty in the form of Farid Ahmed, who I met with Jenny, at the memorial service in Christchurch at the time, and again when he came to visit me in Sydney in March of this year. Farid lost his wife that day, and his message in response was not one of hate, but one of hope and of love. He is truly one of the most inspirational people I have ever met. Incredibly humbling just to be in his presence.
I pay tribute to the Muslim community of New Zealand and also of Australia who have supported each other in these very difficult times, and today will be a time when it all comes back. And it hurts again. In a way just that bit more than it ordinarily does.
But the way they have done that reflects the goodness of their faith. You have been a light answering a terrible darkness.
God bless you, New Zealand, our whanau this day.
May it be another day of healing for everyone affected by this terrible terrorist atrocity.
Address and Q&A - Youth Futures Summit
24 August 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Well, thank you very much, Sophie. And thanks for everyone who is joining us here on this call today. I'm so glad we've had the opportunity to do this, and I particularly look forward to getting to the questions as soon as we can. But before I go any further, can I just acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, at least that’s where I am today in Canberra, and acknowledge their elders past and present and, of course, the future elders of young indigenous Australians who are coming through the ranks, who just give me so much hope in the way they are, sort of seeking to take forward the many important issues in indigenous communities right across the country. Can I also acknowledge the many young people who are serving in our defence forces and many young people who are already veterans of that service. They’ve made an incredible sacrifice for our country.
Last Saturday, week, I was down at the War Memorial and I was there to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. And it was quite a sobering time for those of us who did not live through that period and I'm assuming that everyone who is on this call, I suspect. To think back what it was like in those times is hard to get your head around. I used to talk to my grandparents about it. My grandfather fought the Second World War and I met three fellows there who had served in the Army and the Navy and the Air Force. All now in their late 90s, they joined up when they were 16, 17 and 18, and they've gone off to fight in that terrible conflict. And I think of the life that they've led since then and their experience and when I've talked to particularly veterans and those, in all conflicts we've been in one of the things I've learnt and I think I hope one of the things that you're learning as you go through a generational challenge like you're facing now is that you're stronger than you think. These experiences test us all. And we find out how strong we are as individuals. We find out how strong our relationships are. We find out how much we depend on each other in these times. And I think this is a time for us to reflect on that and how we can support each other and help each other through what is a very difficult time. Young people are feeling the blow of this economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 recession that it has caused, more than arguably any other part of our community.
Now, when I came out of university, and it seems like a very long time ago now, and it was because it was almost 30 years ago that Australia experienced its last recession. And I left university, like many of you are now, who are going through university or worrying about what does it mean next year when you get out of school? And that was the case for many of my friends too, back at that time. There was a lot of uncertainty. There were a million people out of work. There were there were hard economic times. Unemployment was high. But then, as now, there was also hope. There was still opportunity and those opportunities were realised. And that will be the case also for young Australians today, because I want to assure you, as difficult as it is at the moment, there is another side to this. There is another side where Australia emerges once again, where we actually do go back to the life that we loved and we’re working so hard to achieve again.
Now, hopefully that occurs with a vaccine, but if a vaccine doesn't come soon, we will find a way to ensure that we can get things as back to normal as we possibly can. And we've all got a role to play in achieving that. It begins with ensuring that we beat this virus as best as we possibly can and we suppress it so we can just continue to go to school, to go to university, to get trained, to get into jobs, to spend time with our friends, to enjoy family, enjoy the wonderful country and move around as we like. And that means we need to continue to be diligent when it comes to our social distancing, when it comes to dealing with, if you're crook don’t go to work, make sure you get tested. Testing, tracing, containing the outbreaks, making sure that we manage all of the important social distancing. Because while young people specifically are often not the ones most impacted in a health sense by Covid-19, we do know that young people also can be one of the most significant spreaders of the virus in terms of social interactions. And that puts the most vulnerable in our community at risk, not just, and I'm not just talking about older Australians, I'm talking about those who are undergoing chemotherapy treatments, and have immune deficiencies, and are coping with those, that could be young children. It's remote indigenous communities. It's those with disabilities. It's right across our community and all of us I know have a responsibility to do the best we possibly can and I now you are to ensure that we can protect all all Australians in our community. That means we can open up our economy again. And I'm so keen to see us do that.
You know, we're turning this corner in Victoria. I know it's really hard for people in Victoria, but you're turning the corner. The sacrifices that you're making, the terrible events of having a curfew in Melbourne, something I thought unimaginable in this country. We've never had one before. Even in the war, we didn't have one. And here we are. A curfew in our, one of our most, large and most significant cities in the country. These are historic times. They are confronting times. They are anxious times. They can be scary times. But at the same time, what I do know is that Australia is doing better than almost every other developed country in the world today, both from a health perspective as well as from an economic perspective. And if we keep on the path of working together and keeping the virus suppressed, even when we have outbreaks like in Victoria getting back on top of it, then we will continue to chart our way out of this.
I know that young people have lost jobs, but I know 150,000 young people have found jobs again in the last few months. And there will be more. The way our economy has been impacted by the shutdowns means that it's actually young people, while being the first to be impacted, will also be the first to find jobs again. But we know we have to do more than that to ensure that young people get opportunities again. And that's why I've put $2 billion dollars into a JobTrainer fund and it’s supporting 180,000 apprentices and it’s creating 340,000 additional training places for people who will be looking for those opportunities as they come out of school or they lose employment. We're putting a lot of effort into skills training in this country and we'll be ensuring that those university places are maintained and kept up to ensure those who will be looking for university options when they leave school. But we can make sure that those places are there as well for you to rely on and so you can study and prepare yourself for your future.
The other point I wanted to make is I know the mental stress and the anxiety that comes with the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. I know that's particularly tough. And I was with Pat McGorry. Many of you might know him, who was the instigator of HeadSpace many years ago with the Howard government and Pat was raising with me the concerns particularly faced by young people in Victoria. So we put more resources into HeadSpace, into Lifeline, into Kid’s Helpline all of these important mental health supports, and the Victorian government has done the same thing, in New South Wales they’ve put an extra $80 million dollars into mental health supports. There is a complete open door in getting further mental health resources, particularly for young people, in to the community. When I was speaking with some young people that Pat introduced me to though, they were university students, and people still in year 12. They also told me that they weren't just worried about themselves. They worried about their families, they were worried about their grandparents, they were worried about their parents going through difficult economic times. And my message to you is simply this, the resources and the help is there. And I'd encourage you to reach out to it. And we will keep putting more resources into these mental health supports as much as is necessary to ensure that that is there to help people. And so reach out to each other, look out for each other, reach out to the support services that are available. They are there for you and they are intentionally designed to help you get through these times of anxiety. I know what it was like 30 years ago, and this is much worse. And I know the anxieties that you will feel. And I know the care and love that you have for your families and your friends and how that also impacts on you.
But you know, Australia's an amazing place, just like those three old diggers that I met last Saturday week down at the War Memorial. They got through it. Australians have come through everything. And you know what? Every time we’ve come out of it, we’ve come out of it stronger. And this is your generation's challenge. This is my generation's challenge, who are in leadership now. It is our challenge together to demonstrate that we are up to the inspiration that our grandparents, my grandparent’s generation went through during that Second World War and the Depression. We are up to this. You’re up to this. I'm counting on you. You're counting on me. And so let's make a deal. Let's let's live up to that promise to each other and help each other. And we will get through this together.
Thank you very much.
SOPHIE JOHNSTON, YOUTH COMMISSIONER, NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION AUSTRALIA: Thank you Mr Prime Minister, we might come in to some questions now, and this is why we run Summits like this to bring together, to hear from start putting those forward plans in and you acknowledge that young people have been in some of [inaudible] but young people were struggling in insecure work even before the crisis. We were experiencing low wage growth, struggling to get into work that was relevant to what we studied. And this has all been really exacerbated by the crisis. We saw that of the total job losses between March and May 44 per cent of them were young people aged 15 to 25, you know for the past 18 months, the National Youth Commission has been going around the country preparing this discussion paper on a youth futures guarantee, you know, a national strategy for young people. My question to you today is, will your government commit to working towards a national strategy that deals- encompasses this broader set of issues that young people are facing today?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, of course we’ll engage with that. I mean, the one of my most important priorities is to get young people into jobs, because I know I've worked in many different portfolios. I've worked as an Immigration Minister, a Social Services Minister, a Treasurer. And I know that if I can't get a young person into a job by their early 20s, mid 20s, then I know they will face even greater challenges over the course of their life and become dependent on welfare, which is not what I want for any Australian, not because it costs money, of course it does, but the greater loss, the greater cost to the country is an Australian that hasn't been able to realise their potential. And that's why I'm so committed to getting young people into work. That's why I'm so committed to working with the Premiers, and we've recently- that JobTrainer agreement we had put an extra billion dollars into training support and an agreement to reform how skills training is delivered in this country, so young people can get trained for jobs that are actually there with skills that businesses actually need. That's how young people get into jobs. But to get young people into jobs, we've got to have businesses that are successful and that are growing and we've got to get things out of the way so businesses can actually take people on and put them in more secure work. Governments can't create more secure work, economies, businesses that employ people, they create secure work. And it's important that we get the changes in place so businesses can employ more young people. One of the programmes I was involved in when I was Treasurer was the Youth PaTH programme to ensure that, particularly young, longer term, disadvantaged young people could get the skills they need to even get to an interview, let alone be successful in that interview, to be able to get themselves in a position where they were getting many of the skills needed to be able to get a job that for whatever reason, through no fault of their own. I'm quite certain the vast majority of cases I mean, I was fortunate. I had wonderful parents. I lost my father earlier this year, but I had wonderful parents that taught me many things. So many young people sadly these days don’t have that and we need to ensure that they get the supports now that make up for that. Where they’ve been let down in those circumstances and so they can succeed in life. So it's a, it's a huge priority for me and COVID, no COVID, it remains a huge priority.
SOPHIE JOHNSTON, YOUTH COMMISSIONER, NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION AUSTRALIA: Sorry Mr Prime Minister. I just want to get to the crux of the question there, because it is really about a national strategy. You know, we can talk as much as we want about you know, foreseeing a future where young people are able to get into jobs. But you are the Prime Minister and you have the capacity to put forward a plan to address these issues and I just want to go back to that question, which is, will you look to a national youth strategy? Because we haven't seen something like that since 2010 and we're seeing now that the effects of the system is that it's not working for young people, so will your government look to a national strategy for young people?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we'll continue to follow a national strategy and where that strategy needs to be continually updated, improved, that's exactly what we’ll do. That's why getting young people in jobs, that is our strategy. That is our plan. And for that, they need the training, they need the skills and they need the jobs that they can go into, that realises their economic opportunities and gives them that start in life. So whether it's the investment in education, record investments in education over the next decade, schools funding is locked in for a decade. That's what we've been able to achieve. The skills training reforms that we're taking through the Premiers. I mean, that's what matters. Getting stuff actually changed and getting stuff done. So the Youth Minister will continue to work on those issues with those in the sector and we’ll listen carefully. A youth strategy has to bring into place the economic side of things, the social dimension of things. I mean, youth suicide prevention, we've made it a national priority for this country and we've still got much more work to do. So there's no shortage of attention on the issues that are impacting young people. And my government will continue to address those in every single budget. As we have.
SOPHIE JOHNSTON, YOUTH COMMISSIONER, NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION AUSTRALIA: You mentioned access to university, but the education Minister Dan Tehan recently announced some pretty concerning policies that will increase the barriers to university access. Is this not in conflict with a commitment to making them more accessible?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I don't agree with what you've put forward. What we're actually doing is creating more places and more opportunities, particularly in regional areas. You know, again, I grew up in Sydney. I grew up not far from the University of New South Wales. I could run home from university it was so close. But if you're living in a regional centre, if you're not in one of those cities where those facilities are more accessible, it's much tougher. And what Dan Tehan is doing, I mean, he comes from regional Victoria. He understands what's going on with young people in regional areas. And he knows that we need to get more places and more support to people living in those communities. So, look, I'd only suggest to you that that's not what Dan is doing as you outlined, Dan's actually doing the opposite. He's trying to get more opportunities and particularly for young people in regional areas who so often have to leave their homes, leave their communities, leave the life that they want to have in regional areas and have to go to other places. We want to give them those opportunities where they are.
SOPHIE JOHNSTON, YOUTH COMMISSIONER, NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION AUSTRALIA: I appreciate that you mentioned mental health in your introduction. And this is such a critical issue particularly for young people today. We know are seeing increasing rates of mental illness and suicide, particularly amongst young people and this has really been exacerbated by the health crisis. But we know that it's really critical not to be talking about mental in silos as so many other factors come into play in this space, which is why we sort of talk about this holistic approach around jobs and education and training. And one of the other factors there is the social safety net. And we know that this was increased, the JobSeeker payment, increased at the beginning of the crisis. And that was really, really critical. And I know so many people appreciated that increase. Will the government commit to maintaining that higher level of Social Security beyond the March 2020, 2021? Given that so many reports say that it’s not plausible to live on such a low rate?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you're right to note that we did double the payment through the COVID supplement, not just for JobSeeker, but for Youth Allowance, other, as well, which many people would be accessing as well. And not just for new people who are coming on it, but those who were already on it. And we've currently got arrangements in place for those supplements to be extended out to the end of December. And I said at the time that it's my expectation that given where things are at, that things would be extended out beyond that. Right now, whether it's JobSeeker or JobKeeper, we're just very focussed on dealing with the economic supports we have to do through the pandemic. And we are waiting until we get to a better position in the pandemic before we make longer term commitments on this. Now we're aware, and have done a lot of work on the adequacy of these payments and how they go forward. But we also have done a lot of work on how they impact on how the jobs market works and how sometimes these things can work against actually getting people into jobs. So right now, you can expect that those those supports to continue to be in place throughout the pandemic, we will look precisely at what we do post December in the not too distant future. And then beyond that, we'll make further decisions. But for now, it's about getting through the pandemic and and what can be done in the pandemic, because we're literally trying to help people in these situations get from day to day.
SOPHIE JOHNSTON, YOUTH COMMISSIONER, NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION AUSTRALIA: There are a lot of anxieties though for people, particularly young people we know are really hard hit by economic downturns, and the reason for that is we are usually at the start of our working lives. There's little to no savings in the bank. And for today’s young people we are really in casualised and insecure work, and so regardless of whether we're not in stage one or two or three of the pandemic, we’re always going to need to pay rent and put food on the table. And these expiry dates of the JobKeeper and the JobSeeker payments really do place a lot of uncertainty on young people, and so what we’re really asking is, do young people, can young people have faith that should the pandemic continue beyond March should we, um, we remain in a position where jobs are few and far between? Or underemployment continues to affect young people. Will we be able to rely on the government so that we can continue to live and put food on the table?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, just look at what we've done. I mean, JobKeeper and JobSeeker, JobKeeper is a programme now, with what we're putting in the parliament this week, of more than $100 billion dollars. This is the single largest income support measure any government in this country has ever introduced. And I hope there won't be a need for one of that size again. But you can obviously never rule that out. And so the government moved quickly. And we did also, in fact, we moved on JobSeeker even more quickly. And so where the economic circumstances demanded, we have already demonstrated quickly and decisively and comprehensively to put those supports in place. So my commitment is what we've done. And I think young people can look at what we did and how quickly we did it to know that if people are needing help, they're going to get it.
SOPHIE JOHNSTON, YOUTH COMMISSIONER, NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION AUSTRALIA: I just have two final questions before we’ll run out of time, the next question’s about climate change, and as you know, this is a huge issue, not just for young people, but people of you know, all walks of life. And my question is, what role will jobs in the renewable energy space play in regards to employment policies?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they already are. I mean, Australia has one of the highest rates of, if not one of the highest rates of renewable energy investment anywhere in the world today. We have had record years of investments going into renewable energy technologies. And that's been supported by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, renewable energy targets, all of these measures that have been successfully put in place and has been getting those outcomes. Now, one of the great outcomes has been that renewable energy now is standing strongly on its own two feet and is attracting investment because it actually delivers a return. And we would expect to continue to see strong investment into those areas, not just because of Australia's natural advantages in this area, but it makes good sense for the investors, not just here in Australia, the big institutional funds, but overseas investors, as well, are seeing those opportunities. So I expect to continue to see a strong investment in renewable energy technologies going into the future. What I'd also add to that, though, is to make renewable energies, particularly as part of the energy grid, more effective, you need greater firming power. That means that when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow, the demands of reliable energy, which intermittent renewables can't provide, I mean, that's just a fact, you need the support of things like pumped hydro, we have the biggest investment in the southern hemisphere of pumped hydro in the Snowy Hydro scheme, not far from where I am right now. Billions of dollars going into that investment. And on top of that, what we're seeking to do with gas investments is ensure that those intermittent sources of renewables, the wind and other power, solar power and so on, is firmed by those gas fired arrangements, which makes the renewable technologies usable and viable for the longer term. So you've got to have the two working together. So gas will provide a transition fuel support to our grid as the technology improves. But beyond that, we're investing significant amounts of public money into things like hydrogen and that technology and other forms of technology which will, over time, ensure that we have a full transition occurring in our energy sector. But at the same time, we'll keep generating the jobs. And because without those jobs, as we started, jobs are so essential for young Australians. And whether that's in the renewable energy sector or anywhere else.
SOPHIE JOHNSTON, YOUTH COMMISSIONER, NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION AUSTRALIA: Thank you Prime Minister, and I know you have to go in a minute but I just have one final question, it hopefully will take a yes or a no, but in going forward young people, as this conference has shown, really want a seat at the table to be able to contribute to these discussions as we will be affected long into the future about decisions that are made today. Will you commit to genuinely engaging and consulting with young people on decisions moving forward that will affect our lives?
PRIME MINISTER: Always have, always will.
SOPHIE JOHNSTON, YOUTH COMMISSIONER, NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION AUSTRALIA: Thanks for your time Mr Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, thanks for yours.
Statement On Indulgence - Member for Eden-Monaro
24 August 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I join with the Leader of the Opposition in welcoming the Member for Eden-Monaro as well and to her family, I welcome you also here to this place today.
Mr Speaker, today, like the rest of our country, our Parliament meets with rules and restrictions and innovations that were unthinkable months ago.
It's important that we meet to assert our hope for the future.
To take further action needed to protect the lives and livelihoods of Australians.
And to affirm that whatever we face as a nation, our parliamentary democracy will function. And demonstrate our shared commitment across this chamber to the welfare of the Australian people.
COVID-19, a highly contagious, relentless virus unlike anything we have seen in roughly a century has taken a terrible toll since we last met here in this place.
Around the world, there have been over 23 million confirmed cases and more than 800,000 confirmed fatalities from COVID-19. But we know the figure is likely far higher than that.
In Australia, there have now been almost 25,000 cases of COVID-19, and very sadly, more than 500 deaths. More than 400 of those in Victoria alone.
This is a heavy toll.
Millions of Victorians are now enduring a winter of isolation, anxiety, and too often, terrible personal loss.
But while they are isolated, Mr Speaker, we gather to say to your fellow Victorians, you are not alone.
We have deployed more than 1,700 Defence Force personnel to assist on the ground in Victoria. A further 1,700 ADF personnel are deployed across our nation as part of Operation COVID Assist.
We have sent hundreds of Commonwealth officials and other public health experts to Victoria. Together they are leading efforts to support aged care facilities, support testing and tracing, help out with control points, doorknocking and assist with planning and logistical tasks.
We have also injected on top of other supports an extra $33 million to the Victorian childcare sector to secure places for families, to protect jobs in the sector and keep these centres viable,
And we have made supporting the mental health of Victorians a priority. Especially young Victorians, who are finishing school, or at university or out of work and are concerned about their future.
And there's a further $50 million package of support that is now under way.
I'm pleased other states and territories have also stepped up too, and I thank the premiers and chief ministers of those states for their prompt assistance, sending nurses, testing, and tracing support, and other help to our friends in Victoria.
Despite our many challenges, especially in Victoria, we can take heart from the unswerving commitment of so many Australians from all walks of life, waging this daily war to suppress and ultimately defeat this virus.
Nurses, doctors, care workers and other front-line health professionals. Cleaners and truck drivers, police officers, farmers, shearers, retail staff.
All keeping our country running.
Public servants, I thank also. Including health officials, border officers and other army of staff, processing benefit payments to give their fellow Australians support and hope.
Every day and all day we make decisions and we take actions necessary to keep Australians safe.
We do so in an environment unprecedented in our lifetimes.
We do not claim infallibility. We do not pretend to perfect information, foresight or results in this pandemic, nor do we deny the high expectations that are rightly set for us as Australians.
But we openly acknowledge the honest truth that on some days, the virus does and will get the better of us and we fall short. Not a unique experience in Australia in these times.
And on those days, we're asked for patience and understanding, and I have been overwhelmed by the encouragement received from a generous Australian people, who quietly understand the challenges and difficulties of these times.
And I'm thankful to all of them, for their messages of support. Indeed, for their prayers, from the youngest to the most senior in our communities.
All who are engaged in this great effort in government are giving it their all.
Whether they be prime ministers, premiers, or ministers, making decisions, or public officials giving the best advice they possibly can in a constantly changing and challenging environment.
Our efforts seek to match those being made by the Australian people, impacted by these twin crises of the pandemic and its recession.
On those days, when our efforts fall short, none are more sorry than I as Prime Minister.
We do not let those days, however, dampen our hope, nor distract nor discourage us from the task that remains at hand. We learn from those days, we lift our heads, and we get back at it the next morning, and each and every day.
That's why our nation, Australia, has done and continues to do better than most of the developed nations in the world today.
The United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, Ireland, Israel, all experiencing case and fatality rates well in excess of Australia, and in some cases, more than 30 times per head of population.
And importantly, we maintain a strident hope for the future as recent days of disappointment are once again beginning to turn in our nation's favour.
In seven states and territories, we have continued to be highly successful in suppressing community transmission, especially in New South Wales.
And in Victoria, we have turned the corner once again. The daily sacrifices and efforts of Victorians are making a difference each and every day.
Australia will only succeed when Victoria succeeds as well.
Yet the outbreak in Victoria, its re-emergence in countries like New Zealand, and second waves across Europe, the United States, and Asia, including Japan, have clearly shown this virus is patient and it continues to stalk.
It's an enemy that will continue to probe for weakness. To live alongside this virus, to reopen our economies and bring down our internal borders and return our lives to as normal as possible, we must keep to the staples of successful containment and suppression of the virus.
Strong international border protection and quarantine measures.
Rigorous testing and tracing capabilities.
An ability to respond decisively to localised outbreaks and isolate hot spots appropriately defined, without shutting down our economy.
And consistent hygiene and social distancing behaviours, including wear a mask when required, and if you're sick, stay at home, and get tested.
We must also continue to focus on protecting the most vulnerable, and we are doing so.
Sadly, there have been 335 deaths, 335 deaths in residential and in-home aged care.
Where loved ones have succumbed to the virus in Australia. Once again, we send our sincere sympathies and condolences to the families of all those bereaved in this way.
There are 2,706 residential aged care facilities in Australia. In 92 per cent of these facilities, there's been no infections among residents [and staff]. This compares sharply to many countries around the world, such as the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain. In Victoria, where there has been high levels of community transmission, 126 of the 766 residential aged care facilities have outbreaks among residents and staff.
Of those facilities that have experienced infections across Australia, the impact has been significant in 16 cases. And in 4 cases, the impact has been severe, and completely unacceptable. Again, I offer my apologies to the residents and families of those affected in those facilities. It was not good enough.
Investigations and reviews are under way as is appropriate, including by the Royal Commission into Aged Care that I established. As of this morning, the number of significantly impacted facilities has been reduced to 3. The situation in these facilities remains fragile as I'm advised, as early this morning, but stable.
We will continue on with the task, having so far committed more than $1 billion in aged care supports. We'll continue working to address the many challenging issues in aged care, from waste management, to infection control, staff support, communications with families, the issues are many.
We are learning and applying the lessons of our experiences. We are continually updating our plans, working with our partners, the states, and territory health systems and aged care providers, such as through the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre. We're on the ground, not just in Victoria, but across other states and territories, bolstering preparedness and to put in place even stronger arrangements in the event that our response needs to be scaled up to counter any new threat that presents.
Mr Speaker, we are also facing a concurrent economic crisis as I’ve reminded the house on many occasions as a result of this pandemic. Between February and May, more than 2 million Australians either lost their jobs or saw their hours reduced.
The national measured unemployment rate is now expected to peak at close to 10 per cent in the December quarter of this year. But the effective unemployment rate is expected to reach over 13 per cent.
Our job is to protect jobs.
Wherever we can get as many Australians back into jobs as possible, we will. Wherever we can protect those jobs, we will. And we're making our way back. As the Treasurer has reminded us today, more than half of the 1.3 million Australians who had lost their jobs or been stood down to zero hours have found their way back in to work. This is a great start.
Through our collective health and economic actions we have avoided the scale of economic pain experienced elsewhere around the world, the decline in our economy at the start of the year in the March quarter was smaller than most of the developed world. Subsequent forecasts by the OECD and the IMF have suggested that Australia's economy will be less affected than almost any developed economy in the world.
In the June quarter, we've already seen falls of 10 per cent in the United States and Germany, 14 per cent in France, and more than 20 per cent in the United Kingdom. We'll receive our data for Australia's economic performance next week. Our contraction will be substantial and heart breaking, of course. But we're confident it will be much lower than the countries that I have mentioned.
Alleviating this pain, our government is providing an unprecedented level of economic support to Australians, at more than $300 billion and more than 15.3 per cent of Australia's economy. It is support that is being updated and adapted as circumstances require.
Last month, we announced the extension of the JobKeeper programme until the end of March. The single largest economic measure any Australian government has ever undertaken at a cost of more than $100 billion alone. This week, we will legislate those changes. This will keep more businesses in business and more Australians in jobs.
As well, last month we announced the extension of the JobSeeker coronavirus supplement until the end of 2020. Many other supports and reforms are being rolled out as we both cushion the economic blow from COVID-19 and prepare the ground for economic recovery through the JobMaker plan I announced several months ago. They include the bringing forward of infrastructure investments, a major skills and training package through JobTrainer, together with the states and territories, faster approval processes and further steps to reduce barriers to job creation and investment, and initiatives to lower gas and electricity prices to support, in particular, our manufacturers.
We'll have more to say on those issues as the Treasurer brings down the budget in October, when he'll give further details on our JobMaker plan to take Australia out of the COVID-19 recession.
Mr Speaker, there's still a long road ahead when it comes to this COVID-19 crisis, but the key to a post-COVID world has always been a vaccine. And there is hope. Our arrangements with AstraZeneca are working towards securing a COVID-19 vaccine for 25 million Australians. The vaccine is being developed by the University of Oxford and is currently in an advanced stage of development. If trials prove successful, safe, and effective it could be available next year.
We welcome that development, Mr Speaker. Every single Australian would be able to receive the vaccine for free. And it will be rolled out in accordance with expert medical advice.
We're also in advanced discussions with other vaccine candidates and these include our very own CSL - University of Queensland molecular clamp vaccine amongst others, and we're backing our brightest and best to find a vaccine. In total our government is investing $250 million in vaccine medical research.
Mr Speaker, in conclusion, early this year I said that for many, this would be our toughest year ever. And sadly, this has proven true. But together, we have also proven our strength, and we're staring down this challenge, right across our generations. And together, we will see better days ahead.
So today, let us now claim the hope, Mr Speaker, let's lay hold of that hope and press forward together, stronger and safer and always together.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
21 August 2020
Prime Minister: Good afternoon everyone. Today's meeting of the National Cabinet came during a week of what I'd describe of increased hope. This was a week of hope. We were able to speak of the progress being made on vaccines, a week of hope where we've seen the instances of cases in Victoria turn the corner and head in the right direction again. A week where today, in particular, we saw the outcomes in New South Wales, which are demonstrating how we live alongside the virus and that through strong testing, tracing and outbreak containment practises that we get through this. We stay open, we keep people in jobs, and we keep investing in the things that can enable us to go forward. And in all the other states and territories where we continue to see positive news. Hearing today from the Western Australian and Tasmanian Premiers about the positive things they're seeing in their economies, particularly in the building and construction sectors, despite COVID. And so as the Premiers and Chief Ministers and I came together with Professor Kelly, we could reflect on a week where there was increased hope after many weeks which have been incredibly difficult. Most difficult, of course, for those in Melbourne and across Victoria, for those living in border regions who've had to deal with the inconveniences and the difficult challenges of border restrictions, particularly on the eastern coast where there are so many living in proximity and accessing services and employment across those borders.
Of course, there are issues that are still difficult to work through as a National Cabinet but what I can assure you after today's meeting is that the National Cabinet continues to focus on where it can agree. Where there are issues, where it can't reach agreement, well, we move on and keep dealing with the things we need to do where we can reach agreement. Very pleasing to report today that Western Australia has joined the JobTrainer program and that means we now have a billion dollars. 340,000 training places fully funded, secured in the arrangement between all the states and territories and the Commonwealth. And I thank the Western Australian Premier and Western Australian Government for coming on board.
The issues which we address today commenced with the economy. Dr Lowe and Dr Kennedy joined the National Cabinet. Dr Lowe, in particular, but also supported in the remarks by Dr Kennedy and Premiers and Chief Ministers, have asked me to rely quite specifically what they raised today. That is Dr Lowe and Dr Kennedy. The biggest challenge, which is shared by our governments is unemployment. It's jobs. It's about getting Australians back into jobs. It's about keeping Australians in jobs. It's about training Australians to get into jobs that will be there in the future. With unemployment expected to be at a measured rate of over seven percent over the next two years, jobs is the issue. The number one economic issue. And with rates low and expected to be low and financial markets performing well and rates being in the position where we could expect them to be for at least three years, if not more, which is what Dr Lowe told us this morning. It was important for governments to focus on three key areas, three areas that I must say match exactly the economic policy of our Government.
Firstly, income support, JobKeeper, JobSeeker, other payments and support of persons across the country of which is predominantly and overwhelmingly done by the Commonwealth. But state and territory governments are also engaging in that area and we welcome that. Secondly, in the area of infrastructure programs and capital works programs, training and skills programs across energy, transport, housing, schools and hospitals. Thirdly, to ensure there is a greater ease of doing business and investment through areas like taxes and regulation, ensuring there is a dynamism that will be in our economy as it seeks to recover in the years ahead. It was very much an outlook that Dr Lowe and Dr Kennedy spoke of not just for today, but for tomorrow and in the years ahead. And these are three critical areas.
Now, particularly in relation to the second of these points - that is infrastructure and programmes - these were areas that Dr Lowe was addressing specifically and directly to the states. As I've noted before, the level of Commonwealth investment in fiscal intervention in this crisis is well over 15 percent of our economy. As a share of state domestic product of the states, in total around two and a half percent. Now, that ranges across the states and territories. But the Reserve Bank Governor called on the states and territories today to lift their fiscal investment over the next two years in programs of the nature that I've outlined, which didn't lead to permanent increases in public spending to the tune of two per cent of GDP or $40 billion over the next two years. Right now, currently, all of the announced measures of the states and territories are currently sitting in the vicinity of just shy of $48 billion. So the Governor is saying there needs to be an additional $40 billion dollars on top of that by the states and territories over the next two years. But this needs to be done in a coordinated way. Don't expect states and territories to be making announcements tomorrow morning about where that will be done. That will need to be done in a careful and purposeful way, in a way that builds and works off existing programmes to get the maximum efficiency that extends capital programs that are already in place, training programs like JobTrainer itself, which are incredibly important for supporting that adjustment. The debt that will be required to fund that is one that the Reserve Bank Governor said can be absorbed by the states and territories with their existing areas of exposure and I would support that view. State debt to GDP to GSP, I should say, is far less than what it is for the Commonwealth and they are in position to raise those funds. And as you know, the Reserve Bank is active in the markets to ensure that the rights of the borrower are maintained at low levels for many years to come. And so there is an opportunity for them to do that. But the expenditure, of course, needs to be purposeful. It needs to be targeted. It needs to go where it's going to have the best effect. We had a very good discussion about that, about how state governments can be supporting local governments with their works and their measures, particularly as they reach out beyond metropolitan areas into regional communities as well and we welcome that discussion. We spoke of things like water infrastructure and the like.
Currently, as I said, it's around two point four per cent of GDP where the states in total, that's all of them together, currently have their measures. And that ranges from about 1.3 per cent here in the ACT, that is the state product, to 3.7 per cent of gross state product in Tasmania. So it's important that we do this together to make sure what the Commonwealth is doing while we would be doing things in 100 per cent capacity in our own right. Equally, state governments on things like housing and local government expenditure, which are contained completely in their bailiwick. They would do that, but we would seek to synchronise it wherever possible and where there are infrastructure projects and other programs like JobTrainer, then we're doing them with each other and giving good forward plans to give confidence to the economy.
Now, the second area that we spent quite a bit of time on today was aged care and the work that we reported to you last time will be coming back to the National Cabinet and the further work that has been done on preparedness. There was an agreement to how an emergency response operation centre would be established in other jurisdictions, a model on what is being done with the experience in Victoria. It was noted that there are existing arrangements with states and territories currently, which are dealing with the demands as they're currently presenting in the states and territories. And there was no need at this point to move any of those other states and territories to the footing we have in Victoria with the scale of those operations. So that is acknowledged. And I particularly acknowledge the work that has been done in Queensland in that respect and in New South Wales, where we've been working closely with them and those programs are good. But if either the Commonwealth or the state or territory believes that we need to initiate taking that level of co-operation to a whole new level through an aged care response centre then either jurisdiction can initiate that process, and that will be done on a bilateral basis.
Now, to support those plans today, I'm announcing that the Commonwealth will be investing a further $171 million dollars to extend our aged care response package and support the announcement that we have made, that takes our total investment in aged care throughout this pandemic to more than a billion dollars. The government will be providing $9.1 million in particular for funding to support the operation of, the further operations of the Victorian aged care response centre, we’ll be investing an additional $103.4 million in the already announced aged care COVID-19 preparedness measures. That includes workforce measures, activating national emergency call centres, search capabilities, for communications particularly with families, funding and compressed training programmes for new workers, covering quarantine costs for interstate staff deployed and strengthening the capacity to support aged care residents and their families with the grief and trauma associated with the COVID-19 outbreak.
Now these are all things that we've already been doing. We're going to need to be doing them for much longer and further resource and support will be necessary. There's also a further $50.6 million that will be provided to extend funding for the second instalment of the aged care workforce retention payment that is due to be paid in September. And we are also providing an additional $9 million dollars to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to support their ongoing regulation of aged care. And Professor Kelly will talk a bit more about issues regarding assessments being made in aged care facilities. I was pleased to learn this morning, getting my report from Joe Buffone who heads up the Aged Care Response Centre, from today 40 facilities being visited each and every day in Victoria. And then that will progress into other states and territories.
On the borders, we made further progress today. On the borders I welcome the decision by the Queensland Government made as we went into this meeting and overnight, which has eased the restrictions for accessing health services for people who are coming out of hotspots and also expanding the border zones and additional postcode areas. These are matters that have been raised and I think is evidence of the working relationship that is there to deal with the practical issues on the ground of borders being put in place. Equally, New South Wales and Victoria have been able to come to agreements assisted by the Commonwealth, particularly in relation to the movement of agricultural workers. And as issues are being raised, particularly for access to medical services, then they are also being addressed. We also agreed today that in a fortnight's time we'll be coming back from Agricultural Ministers, an agricultural workers code along similar lines to the freight code that we agreed two weeks ago, which just deals with the practical issues of how those in the agricultural workforce are managing their activities across these borders where they are in place. I will continue to interact directly with Premiers, particularly in South Australia, New South Wales and in Queensland on individual cases. And I thank them for their cooperation as we've been working through those individual instances.
We also agreed, the medical expert panel, the AHPPC we are referring to them, again, the issue of identifying what a hot spot is, because when you have restrictions that are being placed on people’s movement in the country based on what is and what is not a hot spot, there needs to be a clear medical and scientific definition of what that is. These decisions cannot be made on an arbitrary basis. I'm not suggesting they are. I'm just saying and it was agreed today that we are going to ask once again, it’s a very difficult topic, for us to get a clear definition of what constitutes a hotspot. And so people who are living in those areas will know when they're in one and when they're not, when they can go and access health services or where that might be a problem and they might have to have other arrangements. We need to get more clarity. The agreement today, the work today was about practically working together to resolve issues, often, if not entirely unintended how the borders are put in place. But the other point I'd make about borders is this, of course it's necessary for where they're put in place but there needs to be a careful balance weighed up about the disruption and the cost and impact of those borders, weighed up against of the health benefits that are achieved by those borders. Now they are decisions for Premiers, they are decisions for state governments, and it's entirely reasonable that they would be speaking to that balance that they are seeking to achieve in the arrangements they're putting in place.
Borders, though, are no substitute for testing, tracing, and outbreak containment. You can get outbreaks in states that have borders. Now, the case in New Zealand at the moment is still at a very modest level. But you can pretty much say they had fairly secure borders when it came to how they were dealing with the virus. Outbreaks can occur in states that have borders. Quarantine arrangements won't always be perfect. They are human processes and they can be subject to vulnerability. The issue is not just if quarantine doesn't hold, but what happens if quarantine doesn't hold. What happens next? How does the tracing capacity kick in? How do you maintain the testing regime? And today we reinforce the need for testing regimes to remain up to the mark. I think New South Wales had 32,000 tests yesterday. Victoria is running at about 20,000 tests. Other states are running at much less. And even where you've had no cases, it's very important that you maintain a very substantial testing regime. Borders are no substitute for not having an adequate testing regime. I'm not suggesting any states and territories don't. I'm just reinforcing that that was agreed to be a key factor.
Now, we also agreed an arrangement regarding seasonal workers that largely deals with those who are already here, but where there is a need to have seasonal workers, particularly under the Pacific Labour Scheme and things of that nature, that was agreed amongst states.
You'll also be pleased to know that there was agreement to the common operating picture, which I undertook to raise last week, last, I think it was last week, states and territories have agreed that that common operating picture will be released on a weekly basis. That will start next Friday and it will be the average seven day running results of the week. Just one-point-in-time figure once a week is a bit meaningless in isolation, it would be much better assisted, we are certainly, by having the average results of the week.
Finally, you would have noted the announcement today by Premier Andrews that we are upgrading the disability sector, a joint response centre, the performance in the disability sector we agree has been one of the better stories in the management and containment of this outbreak. And that's good news and we want to keep it that way. So we are upgrading the activities of that group that has been meeting now together for some time. And we've agreed to share the costs of a further $15 million dollars in workforce support in the disability care sector, whether they’re NDIS participants or not, that is not a matter that we’re haggling over. We know this needs to happen. And I was pleased to reach that agreement with the Premier this week. And I thank him for his work on that issue.
And with that, I’ll hand you over to Professor Kelly.
Professor Paul Kelly, Acting Chief Medical Officer: Thank you PM. So firstly on the numbers. So we continue, I firstly, I agree with the PM that this has been a week of hope, but we do continue in a global pandemic. There were 272,000 new cases recorded across the world yesterday and over 6,000 deaths. So that is the reality. The international situation remains uncertain.
Here in Australia, we're now at 24,407 cases with very sadly, 472 deaths and my condolences to all the families and friends of those people that have died. The very good news and here is the hope, is that we are now down into the one hundreds in terms of new cases today. That is mainly still driven from Victoria and particularly Melbourne, 180 new cases and 9 new deaths. So when I reported today to the National Cabinet about the picture since I last reported to them two weeks ago, there was that definite sense and driven by the data, of an improved situation particularly in Melbourne and other parts of Victoria. So if we look two weeks ago, the weekly average, average daily number for that week was 512. For last week it was 364. And this week is 269. So a very strong and quite rapid response to the stage 4 and stage 3 restrictions and other matters that have been dealt with in Victoria. The other very positive component to that, and this relates specifically to the border discussions that the PM has mentioned, is that there has definitely been a contraction of cases into the greater Melbourne area, Geelong, and Ballarat, and Bendigo being two other parts of regional Victoria. But at the borders, both north and to the west, very few, if any, cases active there now. So that's the good news on the epidemiology.
On aged care, the PM has mentioned, I would just say that that the role of that of that centre in Melbourne that has been set up for the specific cases in Melbourne, we all hope will not have to be replicated. But it was very reassuring to me that the discussions we've had at AHPPC over the last couple of weeks have been taken on board by the Premiers and First Ministers, Chief Ministers. And so we now have a blueprint, if it was needed and it would be obviously in discussion with the individual states and territories if it was needed for that for the response. But a renewed commitment from the Commonwealth as well as states and territories to work very closely together on preparation and prevention right now, not to wait, but right now to redouble our efforts to make sure that the sector is absolutely prepared in case of that.
The hotspots work, we will work on. That's really about the movement restrictions in relation to borders. It is, it is a piece of work we have had an attempt at before. And we'll continue to try to get consensus there in AHPPC about a definition of a hotspot. It really is about movement restrictions from one jurisdiction where there are cases to another where there are less. And that's an important component to be both proportionate and transparent.
The vaccines we've talked about, the PM and I were in Sydney two days ago and talked at length about that. We have our advisory group now. We'll meet again to look at those issues over the coming days, but a great pace of many pieces of parallel work to make sure that Australia is very well placed and prepared if and when a vaccine is available.
I'll leave it there PM.
Prime Minister: Thank you. Yeah, Phil?
Journalist: Just on the states, a couple of things. The $40 billion that Dr. Lowe recommended is that in addition to projects they may have already on the books?
Prime Minister: Yes.
Journalist: And secondly, is AHPPC advice on what constitutes a hotspot, would that be in any way binding? So, for example, once they couldn't declare say the ACT a hotspot, even though there's no cases in the ACT, would the Premiers be bound by that?
Prime Minister: I’d say that as a process of transparency, letting the sunshine in, if there was a clear definition of what a hotspot is, then it would be odd to operate outside of that. And if people were operating outside of that, then that would be very clear.
Journalist: Prime Minister, shouldn’t the Aged Care Minister be sacked for incompetence after his appearance before the Senate this morning? And if not, can you say you have full confidence in his ability to be across his brief?
Prime Minister: I do have confidence. And over the last four months, and particularly in Victoria, in response to one of the worst outbreaks we've seen, where there was some 350 aged care facilities in Melbourne alone, all of which were potentially vulnerable to the worst circumstances that we saw occur in just a handful, terrible as it was in each of those. The actions that the Minister has taken, the more than a billion dollars that I have annotated to you today that he's been directly responsible for ensuring has been committed into this sector, the work that he's done with the operators themselves, the work that he has done with the states and territories, all of this has ensured that what we have seen has not extended far worse than might otherwise have been the case and certainly has occurred in other like countries like the United Kingdom and other places where these results were just absolutely horrific, even beyond the belief of what we've seen. So, look, this is a very demanding environment in which to be working, Mark. I'm sure you'd agree with that. People are working 24/7 on these issues and on occasion and as important as these figures are, 258 people have passed away, I mean, they are tragic stories for every single one of those families. And I know that those issues are not far from the Minister's mind on a minute by minute basis. And but, look, what's necessary is the actions that he has taken. And I'm sure the Minister regrets not being able to call those figures to mind. On occasion, I can't call every figure to mind. But what I can do and what I know he does, is keeps the importance of addressing the needs of every single one of those families each and every day. So I think it's important to play the issue, not the man here in this particular case. And I know Minister Colbeck will get right back about his job.
Journalist: [Inaudible] balance between economic risk,
Prime Minister: I'm just finding it a little hard to hear in this room?
Journalist: On borders, just regarding the balance between economic risk and health benefits. Do you think WA has got that benefit right? And what was WA’s response to this call for such balance to be considered?
Prime Minister: Well, again, I mean, they are questions you have to put to the WA Premier. I have not asked the WA Premier to adjust his border arrangements, but it’s for the WA Premier to talk about that balance and I'm not here to be an adjudicator on that.
Journalist: [Inaudible] Prime Minister, what is the, does the Federal Government believe there is a medical basis for border closures with the exception of Victoria and states where there are, there’s low community transmission?
Prime Minister: Well, again, they are decisions that states make, where they are making borders and where they're doing that acting independently. And it is for them to set out what that medical advice is and what the medical benefits of that are versus the other impacts that are there. We're all accountable for our own decisions. I'm accountable for the decisions that I make. And you're at liberty to ask me about them each and every time I appear here. But for decisions that are made by others and that are in the jurisdiction of others, then I'll let them speak for their own decisions. But I want to make it clear I have not asked the Western Australian Government to change any aspects of their borders. I wish them well with the rather unhelpful proceedings against them in the courts. And as you know, I've made it public my view that those proceedings shouldn't continue. We've got a pandemic to deal with here. And I think those issues are unnecessarily distracting the Western Australian Government and indeed the Commonwealth Government. And I'd be very pleased to see if we can just get back to helping people each and every day and spending less time in court.
Yep, John.
Journalist: Thanks Prime Minister, France today has announced a record 3,800 new virus cases, not deaths, cases. The French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron, says ‘we can't shut down the country because the collateral damage of lockdown is considerable, zero risk never exists in any society’. My question is, do Australia’s political leaders, including particularly the state Premiers, need to level with the Australian public that it's inevitable that we have to live with some degree of risk with this virus and that the quasi suppression or rather eradication strategies, quasi eradication strategies in states like Queensland and Western Australia is not sustainable over the long run?
Prime Minister: Well the National Cabinet position is a suppression strategy. That's, that's the position of my Government, and that's the position of the National Cabinet. You've characterised individual state’s responses to that in a different way. But it, the suppression strategy accepts the point that you have made and the one that President Macron has made. And if you want a good demonstration of how you do that well, go to New South Wales. I mean, that is a state that has built its testing, tracing and outbreak capability to deal with shocks to the system and keep its economy open. And I think they have set, as I think Professor Murphy said today, the gold standard on how, on how that works. They are the state which frankly, has been under the most pressure of any state and territory in the Commonwealth. And they have, their results today are simply magnificent. In terms of the hope it gives to Australians, that the suppression strategy can be successfully pursued. And I think they demonstrate the way forward as to how these things can be managed. Now, as you know, New South Wales has a border with Victoria at the moment. It was one that was put in place by the, both Premiers and myself some time ago. And we work daily, literally daily, to deal with any disruption, needless disruption, that is occurring because of those borders. But they are not permanent borders. And I'm sure both Premiers, like I, look forward to the time when they can be removed and life can go back to normal. But this is why I say, disruption that occurs from those things has to be fully considered. The real strength of our ability to live alongside COVID is testing, tracing, and outbreak containment. And that's where I think you've seen the New South Wales Government have some great success. But I can tell you, I've known Gladys for a long time. And she's never someone to take anything complacently, and she does not take those results for granted one day. And I know they will continue with their strong application. I'd make another point about the French situation you referred to. And we've seen similar rather alarming results in Germany and in the UK, and that has occurred because people left, went to areas on leave on holiday where the virus was moving again and now they're bringing it back. The Australian Government hasn't done that. We’ve, with some real hardship, I acknowledge, have had restrictions on people leaving and indeed the number of people that can return. But it's, as we've just seen in Europe, I think the wisdom of that approach has been borne out, that that is not one problem that we have at the moment, we have a few others and we'll deal with those. But I think, yes, we have to live alongside the virus. And I think New South Wales has demonstrated a great way to do that.
Andrew?
Journalist: [Inaudible] and your aged care Minister have both said that you couldn't have anticipated an entire workforce in an aged care centre being wiped during an outbreak when in fact, the Department of Health was saying precisely this, 80 to 100 per cent of the workforce may need to be isolated. Did you not get that advice? Or you know, why the difference?
Prime Minister: Well, Andrew, I think it's important to quote me in context and what I was referring to there was the immediate and without notice full removal of a workforce. And that was not a scenario that had been contemplated. That was not a scenario. The immediate, within hours, the entire workforce gone, no one there. And that was the situation that presented in a number of cases. And they were very distressing cases. But I can tell you what they did is they moved heaven and earth to get people there as quickly as possible. And that has meant that in the last several weeks, particularly when I returned to Canberra, that we have seen the number of facilities in what we call our acute category 1 list remain at less than half a dozen. And the fact that one or two cases didn't turn into 20 or 30 or 50 cases, I think is to the great credit of the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre and the arrangements that have been put in place. But I know I know Paul would make a few comments on that if you wanted to Paul?
Professor Kelly: Yes, PM so that was an unprecedented event that happened at one one particular one. And I remember the night very clearly, and and what we needed to do, as the PM has said, to move heaven and earth to get staff in there so when something moves that quickly, all of the planning that can be done and was done has been done from the very beginning of the of the pandemic here in Australia from February and in March, when the when CDNA guidelines were published and have been republished three times, there's been a lot of planning that's gone into these sort of things. But that was an unprecedented event, even at the places where we've looked at very closely in New South Wales outbreaks early on in the first wave of the pandemic. It was a much more gradual approach in terms of staff being affected and residents being affected.
Journalist: $171 million for aged care, is that an admission that you weren't fully prepared for the speed and scale of what's happened in aged care? And you've indicated previously that there could be more money in the October budget for aged care. Is there still room for more to be done in the October budget. Or is this what we're seeing today?
Prime Minister: No no, yes there will be more, in two areas. But no I don't think it is what you suggest. Not at all. I mean, this is a continuation of programs that we're already running and that we now anticipate will be running longer. And so that's providing for that continued support over a longer period. So we’ve gone from $850 million, to over a billion. So I wouldn't say $850 million up until this point has been an under investment, in fact I'd say it's been a very significant investment. And the fact without hesitation, as the Aged Care Minister, Minister Colbeck, has brought that to us, we have been very quick to respond, and myself, the Treasurer, and the Finance Minister. In addition to that, there are two, there are two challenges going forward with aged care that we will be addressing further in the budget. But obviously, ultimately, when the royal commission makes its report next year, and then the budget that follows that. There are other issues that regardless of a pandemic, that we would need to continue to address. And then there are the COVID additional measures that will be further undoubtedly required. If there's one thing I've learnt during this pandemic is it ain’t over until it's over. And it's, it ain’t over yet. And that means we will continue to provide the resource and the support and meet the needs that need to be met. And as they're presented, as the demands are there, then we have not flinched. We have, we have not baulked, not on one occasion. This is an unprecedented level of federal Government support, whether it's in the health sector, the aged care sector, the disability sector, for income support for JobKeeper, employment, wage subsidy support. We've got a billion dollars invested directly in everything from feeding animals in zoos, to ensuring that we're supporting entertainment businesses to be able to put on performances to keep people in work. So the Federal Government is more than meeting, at 15.6 per cent I think of GDP of our obligations.
Journalist: Prime Minister [inaudible] the states and territories to shoulder more of the economic burden of COVID-19 if they keep their state borders shut for longer than necessary? And just a second, quick one. Have you asked the states and territories to consider expanding their capacity for hotel quarantine? We know we’ve got 18,000 Australians trying to get home?
Prime Minister: Let me deal with the first question. Governor Lowe asked for $40 billion from the states and territories today. And that's over and above all their existing commitments and over the next two years. It's important, I stress again, and Governor Lowe made the point that these should not be programmes that have a tail on them that lift the overall level of government spending on an ongoing basis. So they are quite targeted measures that support aggregate demand through the period of the pandemic to address the issues of unemployment as the economy gets back on its feet. When it comes to the impacts of border controls on what's happening, and a very good example is what's happening with flight network subsidies, aviation network subsidies. Now, we've been supporting those now for many, many months. But I have been fairly candid and open with the states and territories that where there is a need for further subsidies to support aviation networks in place, that is as a consequence of state borders, then obviously we would be raising that with the states to to share that load, given the decisions they’ve made and I'm sure weighing up the economic costs of that in making the decisions they have on health issues, that they would be more than prepared to meet the costs of dealing with some of the impacts of those decisions.
On the many Australians, and it's around about the number that you've mentioned, some of those in a much more urgent state. Right now, when you're looking to manage the risk in quarantine, I agree, and that's why I am not lifting the caps currently as they exist on airports at the moment in our major capital city centres. It has been the New South Wales Government, particularly in Sydney at Sydney Airport, that bears the biggest load when it comes to inbound arrivals. I want to stress that 4,000 Australians are still returning every week, every single week, and we've got tens of thousands of people who've been going through quarantine as well from overseas. And that is particularly being done by the New South Wales Government. And right now, as they've been seeking to get on top of that outbreak, it is in our view and of course, the other state governments that are affected, that right now it is not the wise decision to lift those caps. What I have asked for from the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Minister for Home Affairs and the Defence Minister is they bring forward measures to me and the Treasurer to see how we can better support those who are still overseas and we acknowledge that some of them are in some difficult circumstances. Our consular teams are doing a great job to help them in those circumstances and we'll be doing more to help them in those circumstances and to assist them to get home within those caps. But we'll be reviewing those caps every fortnight. So we will review them again in a fortnight from now, and once the Victorian, I think, and we can be even more confident of the New South Wales situation, which is very good, then I'm hoping that we'll be able to make further room there. But right now, on the balance of risk, on the balance of risk, we need to keep those caps where they are.
Journalist: Professor Kelly, you were speaking about what needs to be done right now by the states and praising that in relation to aged care. This week the Australian Medical Association, in its latest submission to the Royal Commission, said that there should be a look at every facility in Australia to see their preparations. Do you support that? Do you think it's necessary? And is it possible?
Professor Paul Kelly, Acting Chief Medical Officer: So there's a couple of elements to that, that question. The first thing is there have been a couple of rounds of audit in relation to that from the regulator, the aged care regulator, during this year and during the pandemic. What we've learnt really in the Melbourne situation is that there are some places, at least, that should be visited and looked through much more carefully. And so... let me just finish. So the PM mentioned earlier about what's happening in Victoria right now. One of the key components of the response centres is to look at an emergency from the full spectrum. So prevention, preparation, the response itself, of course, and recovery. And so whilst they've been dealing with those really difficult situations of the response in in the early weeks, they're now moving very rapidly to having specific staff that are going specifically to every... that they're planning to do every single aged care facility in Melbourne first and then the rest of Victoria, and then moving into New South Wales to do exactly what the AMA is calling for. To go there not only to look at what the preparations are and what the particular facilities say that they're doing, but to actually check.
Journalist: And other states as well eventually?
Professor Paul Kelly, Acting Chief Medical Officer: Yes. So they're starting in those two because that's, at the moment, that's where the active cases mainly are. But they're first starting with those ones that are at the moment doing well, but still within a community transmission event in Melbourne of some great proportion they want to make sure firstly at that point that they are ready. And that's looking at all of the plans, the training of staff, the PPE use, actually watching people use that PPE et cetera. So in great detail, working through all that. And what we've called upon was agreed at National Cabinet today is that all states and territories work with the Commonwealth in this endeavour over the coming weeks, because we hope that this won't happen again anywhere else. But we can't know that for certain. So the AMA is spot on on that approach.
Prime Minister: The answer to the question is yes, we agree.
Professor Paul Kelly, Acting Chief Medical Officer: Yes.
Prime Minister: That’s exactly what we’re doing and I was pleased to hear this morning it's taken a couple of weeks to ramp up particularly with the training of those who are doing that work. But we're, from today, 40 facilities a day they're able to do and there'll be they will be going crackerjack on that.
Yeah, Sam?
Journalist: You say that you have an open mind about delaying or scrapping the increase in the superannuation guarantee. That that's something the Government is considering. Is that something that you think you would need to put to another election? Are you prepared to cop it as a broken promise on the grounds of COVID? And if you were to proceed with that, why would that not be putting your hand in the pockets of workers given that it is, in effect, a legislated pay increase?
Prime Minister: Well, it’s not a decision the Government has taken. I'm aware of the commentary by everybody from the Reserve Bank Governor, who's said that continuing with those arrangements would be bad for employment. And it is the circumstances that has occurred since the election which has made that the case and prior to the election it was certainly my view and I articulated that that those were legislated changes and increases and we had no plans to change any of those and that was certainly our view. COVID-19 has occurred, people's jobs are at risk and I note, whether it's Ross Gittins or any number of others who've spoken on this issue, normally those you wouldn't necessarily put in the same group as being agreeing on everything. They seem to be agreeing a lot on that. But that said, it's something the Government has to carefully consider for the reasons that you've said. But I also note that this doesn't come into effect until July of next year. So I don't think there's any undue haste that is needed here to consider these issues. I mean, I hope, I would certainly hope, and I am an optimist, that by May of next year that we're looking at a very different situation. I hope we are.
Sorry, I’ll go to Paul.
Journalist: Prime Minister and through to Dr Kelly, you said that the total and sudden withdrawal of the aged care workforce is unprecedented, but was it really unforeseeable given we're talking about a highly infectious disease that requires all close contacts of someone to self isolate? Was it unforeseeable?
Professor Paul Kelly, Acting Chief Medical Officer: I think that’s getting into pedantics of words at the moment, but certainly it was unprecedented. Could we have foreseen that? That's a matter of debate. But the issue is that this was an enormous thing that happened within hours, within hours, in a setting where there had been delay as has been well talked about in the public domain about testing results being notified to the Commonwealth, which was a part of the plan and part of the commitment of all residential aged care facilities to do.
Prime Minister: I just want to go back to Sam’s question, because I know Sam likes precision. I will do and the Government will do what is in the best interests of people getting jobs and staying in jobs. That's what this Budget will be about. That's what the next Budget will be about. You've got to look at the situation as you find it. The situation today is different to what it was previously, but that doesn't necessarily mean you go down that path. But we have to deal with the situation as we find it, not as we'd like it to be.
Greg?
Journalist: [Inaudible]
Prime Minister: Well, I can't really add any more than that. I've told you when it comes to the effect, which is July of next year and what I've learnt and in a pandemic, you have to be learning every single day because things change constantly, is that you've got to be careful not to make some decisions too early because circumstances can change dramatically. And you need to be able to make those decisions when you've got the best possible information. And at the moment, how things sit today, where things are in Victoria and what the impact is. We've got the retail figures which show what's happening in Victoria. But in the rest of the states and territory, we're seeing much better results. So I think we have to continue to observe how the situation unfolds and make decisions at the right time in the national interest, which is what we'll do.
Journalist: You mention the retail figures there so it’s a nice segue, at the very beginning of the pandemic, you were driving the commercial tendency code of conduct for negotiations over rent reductions and things like that. That's obviously an onus that’s put on the states to impose those code of conducts. A lot of them are coming up to be expired in the next few weeks. Victoria's already rolled over theirs. Would you like to see the other states extend that rent relief and things like that?
Prime Minister: We considered this a few weeks ago, I can't remember which meeting of the National Cabinet it was, I think about a month ago, actually. And what we agreed is that states and territories now would make decisions based on the circumstances in each of their states or territory. And you go to Western Australia at the moment, It's a very different economic scene to what's happening in Victoria. And so I think with the spread of experience now, those types of arrangements would be not wise to do on a national basis. So it's got to be what's right for what's happening in the economy in that part of Australia. I have every confidence the states will make the right decisions.
Journalist: What have you learned from how New South Wales has attacked this outbreak?
Prime Minister: Keep New South Wales open. Keep Australia open and deal with the fight against the virus each and every day with your key weapons being testing, tracing and outbreak containment. They have backed the weapons that they have built and formed to combat this virus and they've done it each and every day. And they haven't been intimidated when things haven't always gone the way they would like. Where there'd be an outbreak here or a breach here or breach there. That doesn't mean you have to fold your tent and walk away. No, they keep going and they have built the capacity to deal with that and I think that's really important. We spoke this week of a vaccine and let's all pray that's the case. But in the absence of one, we will live with this virus and we will live with it, not behind walls, but we will live with it by having the capacity to deal with outbreaks and to deal with the virus as we live with it each and every day. Now, what National Cabinet sought to do today, particularly in referring, again, this matter of outbreak areas to the AHHPC, was, I think, get some greater transparency and understanding of where there are hotspots and where restrictions would particularly need to be in place. It wasn't a hard decision about the New South Wales Victorian border, although it is hard to implement and there have been hard implications for people who have had to deal with that. But the need to have that isolation of Victoria was self-evident. And that, I think, has been very important in constraining it spreads to other parts of the country. And so all of these measures have roles to play. But I do commend the New South Wales government for keeping New South Wales open, always leaning forward to keep New South Wales open. That's my approach. I want to keep Australia as open as we possibly can. And we've got to keep managing this twin challenge of a health pandemic and a COVID recession. But I can tell you this, we're doing better than most and many of the developed world in this situation. I mean, when you compare what is happening in our economy to the economies of Europe and America, when you compare us on our health situation to what is occurring in the developed economies of the world, I would rather be in Australia than anywhere else in the world because we have this optimistic way of looking to let's keep this place open. Let's continue to strive for the life we want to live in Australia, but doing it in a responsible way that deals with the challenges and keeps that spirit of the fight up each and every day. Thank you all very much.
Press Conference - Macquarie Park, NSW
19 August 2020
JOHN ALEXANDER MP, MEMBER FOR BENNELONG: ...And so, without further ado, I'd like to, I don’t why you’d introduce the Prime Minister, everybody knows who he is, welcome Scott.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, thank you, JA. It's good to be here in North Ryde. It’s good to be here at AstraZeneca. Liz, and to Bill, some $200 million invested announced earlier this year in these facilities, which I think further goes to demonstrate the wonderful precinct we have up here JA. Medical technology, it's one of the key sectors for Australia going forward and we have great expertise, great skill, great reputation and an ability to venture into markets from this platform here in the Indo-Pacific and the Asia-Pacific and it's tremendous to be here partnering with AstraZeneca today.
We're here today to announce that we've signed a letter of intent with AstraZeneca, which will enable Australia to access - should it be successful - the vaccine for COVID-19 here in Australia, manufactured here in Australia, distributed free to 25 million Australians, in the event that those trials prove successful. There are around 160 different vaccine projects around the world today, some of those are well advanced like the AstraZeneca proposal and they're teaming up with the University of Oxford. Others are still on their way and looking good too like in the University of Queensland. There are many others, Professor Brendan Murphy is heading up an expert panel, which is advising the government on the other programs and the other projects that we can take positions on to ensure that Australia is incredibly well placed to ensure that Australians can emerge quickly in the event that a vaccine is developed. This would have to be - as I'm sure Paul Kelly will tell you, who will speak after me - this would have to be one of the biggest worldwide efforts to find a vaccine that we've ever seen in a concentrated period of time. And that concentrated effort fills me with greater hope and what we've been able to reach today to put Australia in the leading pack when it comes to vaccines being made available to our citizens, also gives me hope.
In Victoria and Melbourne at the moment, they're doing it the toughest of all, businesses and people who have been laid off and having their livelihoods disrupted and those who have lost loved ones - over 430 Australians, also hoping that others won't fall victim to this terrible virus, and so the search for the vaccine is one thing but its rapid deployment, should one be found, has also been a key focus of the government and will continue to be. At the same time, we'll continue to do everything in every area of activity, working with our state and territory partners to ensure that we are combatting this virus each and every day and keeping Australians as safe as we possibly can to save lives and to save livelihoods, has always been our approach. The next step in these arrangements is to see how those trials go, to complete the manufacturing agreements, and they're well advanced and I feel positive about those and then to identify as I said, other potential vaccine prospects that Australia can partner with. I also want to note that of all the issues I've discussed with Prime Ministers and Presidents around the world, the vaccine has been the most constant of those discussions. Of course, we talk about how we're dealing with the virus in our own country - our testing, our tracing, our outbreak containment, swapping notes, sharing experiences - but the other discussion that happens in parallel is finding this vaccine and ensuring we can mobilise to produce the vaccine and so while what we're announcing today is important for Australia. Australia will also play an important role in supporting our Pacific family. We've had those discussions with the Prime Ministers of Papua New Guinea and Fiji most recently, but also when I last spoke to President Widodo, this was also an important topic of discussion. We have a regional role to play here as well as a domestic role to play here and we will be living up to all of those responsibilities as we progress this day.
But today is a day of hope, and Australia needs hope, the world needs hope, when it comes to this coronavirus. And should we be in a position for the trials to be successful, we would hope that this would be made available early next year. If it can be done sooner than that, great. But we are very much in the hands of people wearing white coats, and there's plenty around here today, and they've been doing tremendous work, not just here but all around the world and we're putting our hope in their science, in their work, and to ensure that they can bring these trials to a conclusion.
The vaccine will need to satisfy all the same standards that all vaccines are expected to live up to here in Australia before they're made available to the public. There won't be any cutting corners, there won't be undue haste here. There will be the appropriate controls and protections that are put in place. I'm advised that we'll need about a 95% vaccination rate across the country, that is the normal target range for when you're having a vaccination program and we'll be seeking to ensure that that is widely implemented with our partners around the country to ensure that should the vaccine be available then we will be able to move quickly, get it out across Australia and that we can get Australia back to normal as quickly as we possibly can. But there's a lot of work to do yet and the people who are doing that work are with me here today.
I'll hand you over to Professor Kelly the Acting Chief Medical Officer and then Liz will have a few words to say. And then we'll come and take questions then. Let's keep those questions first to the announcements today and then of course very happy to cover other issues, as I'm sure you would like to.
Paul?
PROFESSOR PAUL KELLY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Thank you, PM. It certainly is a fantastic day and great news that we are now partnering with AstraZeneca for the Oxford vaccine. It's one of the several vaccines that are in development. As the PM said, over 160 different types, different vaccine candidates are currently in development and in trials and almost 30 of those in trials in humans now.
So this particular vaccine it is an unproven technology so far, but the initial results are very positive in terms of both efficacy, so the effectiveness of the vaccine will be trialled in larger groups of human trials over the coming months, but the efficacy in terms of developing antibodies against coronavirus has been shown to be true, as well as the safety in the phase 1 and phase 2 trials. So they've been published in peer review journals. They've been checked by other scientists and they have been found to be valid. So, that amongst a number of other vaccines that are being developed by other companies and research groups around the world are showing great promise.
So this is an important step. It's the first step in terms of this particular company and this particular vaccine but there will be others in the coming weeks and months. We have a strategy to work through this. These so-called pre-purchase agreements, as well as looking at funding our own research and development here in Australia, particularly in the University of Queensland vaccine candidate, but also others, partnering with other vaccine potential throughout the world. That's part of our strategy. Other components of course is being prepared for the vaccine rollout and the work that has been guided by our expert committee as the PM has mentioned, chaired by Professor Murphy. I'm the deputy chair of that committee. The Australian Health Protection Committee are also having regular discussions about this particular issue of vaccines and our other advisory groups we have on vaccines. We're used to rolling out large vaccine programs here in Australia. This will be an extremely important one and will be, I'm sure, welcomed by all Australians when that is available.
I'll leave it there, PM.
LIZ CHATWIN, COUNTRY PRESIDENT OF ASTRAZENECA: Hello everybody. I'm Liz Chatwin, a formal welcome to AstraZeneca manufacturing facility. On behalf of all our team, welcome, Prime Minister, welcome, Professor Kelly. A couple of words about our site, this is our, this is the largest manufacturing facility in Australia, but we don't make vaccines here. We make a product called Pulmicort Respules which is exported to Asia-Pacific and predominantly to China, $1.2 billion of exports last year. As a company, we've been partnering with Oxford University, one of the leading vaccine candidates and our ambition is to provide broad and equitable access to this vaccine around the globe at no profit during the pandemic. We're delighted that we've signed this letter of intent with the Australian Government. It's the first step, as the Prime Minister and Professor Kelly have said, to secure the Australian people with a vaccine. The next steps, of course, are getting down into the details of contractual agreements, the numbers, the timelines, the doses, the pricing, and securing an agreement with our selected Australian manufacturers so we can manufacture the vaccine here locally, should it prove successful. There's no guarantee that this vaccine will protect against COVID-19. We don't even know whether, how long that protection may last or at what dosage. So the science and the data is the priority, is the priority for us over the next few months.
So I'll hand back to the PM for any questions.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. Let's deal with the vaccine announcement today and then we can deal with the other matters. So on the vaccine?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, how will you go about making this mandatory? How exactly will that work?
PRIME MINISTER: I'll ask Paul to comment on this as well. This is like any vaccine and, as you know, I have a pretty strong view on vaccines, being the Social Services Minister that introduced ‘no jab, no play’. What is important to understand with any of these vaccines is it does protect you, it does protect your family, but it also protects the community and, as is the case with any vaccine, there will be some individuals who, for quite precise medical reasons, there can be issues with a particular vaccine. They and their safety and their health depends on the vaccine's take-up more broadly in the community. That's how they get protected. And this is an important part of our vaccine strategy, not just on COVID-19, but more broadly. So we will be seeking its most widespread application, as we do with all important vaccines. But Paul you may want to talk about how those practices are followed and we'll be doing that of course in partnership with states and territories.
PROFESSOR KELLY: Thank you PM. So of course, the first will be a voluntary call for people and I'm sure there will be long queues - socially distanced, of course - for this vaccine. It will be incredibly welcomed by many. It will be the absolute ticket to get back to some sort of normal society and the things we all love and enjoy. So I think there will be a very strong take-up of this vaccine. Of course there will be some who, for medical reasons, as the PM said, may not be able to take the vaccine, but there will be very strong campaigns to encourage people and we've had experience before of linking vaccination with other programs and all of those things will be looked at over time. The first thing we have to have is a vaccine that works, that is safe, and can be rolled out in large numbers. That's the key point.
JOURNALIST: Obviously ‘no jab, no pay’ was about childhood vaccines and you had a very specific incentive there. What will you do with adults?
PRIME MINISTER: We are going to take this one step at a time, I don't think offering jelly beans is going to be the way you do that as you do with kids. But we'll take those issues as they present and consider what steps are necessary at that time. But I would, in the first instance I’d be encouraging people to take it on. I'll certainly be taking it on, my family will be taking it on. And I’d be encouraging all others to do the responsible thing, for the sake of not only their own health but the community’s health. Particularly for the most vulnerable. Now the rollout of this will depend on the clinical advice as well. We have to wait for the clinical trials to identify whether there are any potential side effects, but particularly vulnerable communities. That is not known yet. But the obvious priority is around health workers and people like that. I think is fairly apparent. But we'll be guided, of course, by Professor Kelly and our other specialists to roll out that program. But I'm, I'm open to all options. I want to be very clear about that, I’m open to all options to ensure we get the strongest possible take-up. Paul?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister is this the silver bullet the country needs?
PRIME MINISTER: I would like to say there is a silver bullet when it comes to the pandemic and a vaccine is about as close as you can get to one. I think that’s recognised around the world. But it isn’t something that takes immediate effect. I mean you have to get up to those levels of vaccination. You also have to consider how far the vaccine is spread around the world and what that means for other countries, particularly I talked about Indonesia and the South Pacific, but also other countries in our region. And how quickly a vaccine might spread into those countries will depend how much interaction we have. So I wouldn't want to suggest that it's an overnight silver bullet, no I would not want suggest that at all. It will need a concerted rollout not just in Australia, in our own region, but globally to have its full effect.
JOURNALIST: What was the reason that we’re stockpiling the Oxford vaccine first rather than for example the UQ one?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, there are different stages and I might let Paul speak further to that. And we are taking advice on what should be at the front of the queue for us and certainly UQ, we’re very involved in that, we provide funds to that. And the strategy, which is being pursued by the expert panel, which Professor Murphy is leading, Professor Kelly sits on that as well, will be identifying the others of the 160 that are out there and the positions we'll take on others as well. We're certainly not putting all our eggs in one basket here. It's part of a more diversified approach. But this one is well advanced. And as Professor Kelly said its early progress is very encouraging and we want to be here on the ground floor. But Paul did you want to add to that?
PROFESSOR KELLY: Thanks PM. So this is one of a range of vaccines that we're looking at, the Oxford vaccine and they've partnered with AstraZeneca, is one of the ones that published their early results. And as I said, they're looking very positive. But this is at an early stage. I think we should recognise that we're doing many things in parallel here. We're looking at a range of different products, different types of vaccine. There are at least four very hopeful, completely different ways of creating the immune response. A vaccine is in development right now right around the world, and almost 100, over 160 different candidates. So we're looking at all of those. We're looking at the ones that are most most positive, where we're talking to our international partners and seeing who, what what they're finding, we have our regulators talking as well to make sure that there's no barriers to that. But we're also not rushing the process. So that this is absolutely safe and effective. And we're doing that all in parallel. It's normally a one after the other. And so we're looking at all of these things.
JOURNALIST: We’ve never manufactured this type of [inaudible] virus vaccine before, is it an easy manufacturing process and what does it actually involve in the manufacture, do you have to use different types of technologies?
PROFESSOR KELLY: Ah yes, there will be different technology, so the adenovirus vaccines, also the mRNA and the DNA vaccines they are our first in human vaccines. So this is really sort of groundbreaking stuff that we're involved with here. Some of the other vaccine candidates are much more traditional in their processes. And we're familiar with those things. Wholesale vaccines, for example, and protein vaccines like the UQ candidate. So there are some we're very familiar with. Others are new types of vaccine technology. And so, again, when we think about these things that we usually do in series, we're doing it all in parallel. We're doing the first test to see whether it's safe and effective. We're doing the large clinical trials to look at what that looks like on a population basis. We're looking at manufacturing facilities. We're making these types of pre-purchase agreements all at the same time as, whilst looking at those regulatory hurdles and making sure that that's all lined up. Plus, also pre-purchasing the syringes, needles and so forth that we would need to roll out such a large new vaccine programme.
JOURNALIST: Professor Kelly, a couple of weeks ago after a National Cabinet meeting you were saying there's been no vaccine ever to treat Coronavirus. Isn’t it the case, or are you, have you become more optimistic in two weeks that there might not be a vaccine?
PROFESSOR KELLY: Well, two weeks ago, I said I was cautiously optimistic and I remain cautiously optimistic. There are so many candidates, so many of the best minds in this type of science involved with this and going so quickly that every day, at least every week, is a new component to this. So I'm cautiously optimistic. You're quite right that as of now, we've not had a successful vaccine against the coronavirus, but there are, the Oxford AstraZeneca is one is one that's showing great promise, in that two week period there've been other papers in very high ranking journals, In Nature, and so forth, looking at trials in non-human primates. Again, very positive. So things are developing every day.
JOURNALIST: Professor Kelly, is there a particular number of vaccine programmes the government will support, and how many are we supporting currently, besides AstraZeneca?
PROFESSOR KELLY: So this is the first. But we’ve of course, as the PM has said, given funding to the UQ vaccine directly for their development, $5 million dollars. And that's been matched by the U- the Queensland government as well as philanthropy. And so we're looking at a range, this is really about diversifying the portfolio, I think would be the way to look at it if we were thinking of it as a, as a future investment, which in fact, this is, it's an investment in our future, not only of our health, but also in the recovery of the economy and going back to a normal society. So we're taking best advice on that, but we're certainly picking the best candidates first. And the Oxford AstraZeneca one is the, is the first of others that we'll be announcing.
JOURNALIST: This is probably more of a question for the Prime Minister, is the pre-purchase agreement, iron clad? There's no way for anyone to kind of wriggle out of it?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, at this stage, we are at a letter of intent with AstraZeneca and that will proceed to an agreement that also goes to supply and pricing all the things as Liz has said, and Minister Hunt is progressing those discussions very well. And I particularly want to acknowledge the tremendous work that Greg Hunt has been playing in preparing for this day and getting us to this day. And indeed, we'll be driving the process to get us to the next day, which goes to the issues you're talking about. These would be, you know, contracts that we will be entering into. And so they'll have the effect of contracts.
JOURNALIST: Other countries have several agreements, they're further than the letter of intent stage aren’t they?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, that's right.
JOURNALIST: Can I ask on another issue?
PRIME MINISTER: I just want to be sure before, Liz and Bill here with us and so while there still with us, happy to go to those other issues, but,
JOURNALIST: How much does this deal cost us?
PRIME MINISTER: At this stage that's something that's commercial in confidence.
JOURNALIST: Has money changed hands at this point?
PRIME MINISTER: Again, these are commercial in confidence issues.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, is there a risk that we pay more because we’re kind of coming out publicly now before it’s all completely finalised and saying we’re all in so the company that we are doing business with has us where they want us?
PRIME MINISTER: These are good faith discussions, and I'm not concerned about that. As you heard from AstraZeneca themselves, they're not not looking to profiteer here. And this has been a point that I've made at many international fora. History will judge those who find the cure here, find the vaccine here very, very poorly if they don't take the approach which we’ve seen from AstraZeneca here. And we've seen from the UK and Sweden and other countries that have been involved in all of this. And this is, this is certainly an issue that I raise regularly on those international calls. And I've only had anything but support for that proposition. Certainly if UQ cracks it, then what a wonderful day that would be. And the whole world would rejoice. See this isn't about, frankly, who wins the prize of getting there first. We just need to get there. And whoever is going to get there, we need to help them to get to that point and to make it as widely available as possible, not just in developed countries like Australia, but importantly in the developing nations of the world. And that is also a key item of discussion that is held amongst international leaders.
Sorry? I can't quite hear you?
JOURNALIST: What commitment have we given to those Pacific nations that you’ve been discussing like Indonesia?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, as I indicated in my statement today that we would be looking through our development assistance agreements to be able to roll these, this sort of support out certainly to our Pacific neighbours, and we would, should they wish, we'd be engaging also with countries like Indonesia. I have had discussions with both President Widodo and a number of prime ministers in the region about this. And look, to be honest, in the Pacific that's expected. It’s a vuvale, our partnership with our family in the Pacific and we and the rest of the world really does look on Australia as providing that support to those developing countries in our own region. And that is specifically in relation to the Pacific countries. I had a very good interaction with the Prime Minister of Norway the other day, and she was very interested to know how the Pacific nations were doing and they had some involvement as well as many European countries do. But they recognised that Australia, together with New Zealand, has the primary role in managing that support and those relationships.
JOURNALIST: In terms of access to syringes and needles, where are we getting those supplies from?
PRIME MINISTER: Becton Dickinson is the company we’ve engaged with on those, and that is a public arrangement, that's about 25 million.
JOURNALIST: Is that an Australian company?
PRIME MINISTER: I haven’t heard, Becton Dickinson, is it? No.
JOURNALIST: Is it possible to ask you Liz a question please?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, sure.
JOURNALIST: Just about the manufacturing of this vaccine, I know with protein-based vaccines, they are kind of grown in eggs. Can you talk us through the nitty gritty of the manufacturing? Are you going to do that and is a vaccine that is easy to scale up?
LIZ CHATWIN, PRESIDENT ASTRAZENECA: So thanks for the question. And I'm probably not the expert here to talk to you about it. But as the PM and Professor Kelly said, this is an adenovirus vector vaccine, so it hasn't ever been produced in Australia. We're talking to selected a Australian manufacturing partner on the feasibility and technical details of that right now. We have a technical team globally that are talking them through the process steps. And as we've said before, this is a massive scale-up activity. We haven't done it before. We're entering into a number of parallel supply agreements around the world with vaccine manufacturers and we're doing this at no profit during the pandemic. As you can imagine, this is a huge effort from us as a global company.
PRIME MINISTER: I think we might have covered, unless there are other questions of people. Yeah.
JOURNALIST: With the Pacific stuff, do you see our supply of that through the development being free to those Pacific nations?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, everything we provide through development assistance, that that's how it's done. And so I would see that. I mean, what we've done with our development assistance in the Pacific and in Southeast Asia, because COVID has largely disrupted many of the other programmes that we've running, for months now we've repurposed those development budgets throughout those countries we most directly assist to support the COVID effort in each of those countries and this would be part of that process. And it is pleasing, although the situation in Papua New Guinea is getting more challenging. But to have come this far, I think in the Pacific, I think the Pacific family nations have done incredibly well to protect their citizens and their populations to date. But the risk continues. And I had a great chat with my friend, Frank Bainimarama the other day, and they're very appreciative of the support they get. But they're doing their best. Their tourism industry is struggling like ours is. And so there's a lot of hardship there. But their health situation is doing a lot better than many other developed countries around the world today.
JOURNALIST: PM, just one more if I can.
PRIME MINISTER: Yep.
JOURNALIST: There’s been some reporting that there might be an expectation for the need for a yearly top-up of it. Would you anticipate that being likely to be free as well? I know that’s a fair way off, but.
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, look, we'll do what needs to be done. I mean, we all know the cost of this, frankly, is not my primary consideration. It's the cost of it not being present now, that is devastating our economy and jobs across the country. And so I think what Australians rightly would expect is that we just do what is necessary to get this done and to get it available and that is definitely what we have been doing. And Minister Hunt has been doing a tremendous job leading that effort, and there's still a long way to go.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you said this morning, we regulate aged care, but when there is a public health…
PRIME MINISTER: Liz and others, if you want to stay, or…
JOURNALIST: When there is a public health pandemic, if it gets into aged care, then they are things that are for Victoria. Just excuse my confusion on this one. We've got a national Royal Commission into aged care. It's viewed as a federal responsibility. Daniel Andrews keeps saying it's a federal responsibility. Is there an element here of you being happy to own the successes when it comes to dealing with the pandemic, but not the failures?
PRIME MINISTER: I think that's an unkind assessment, Andrew, and doesn't bear out the facts. There is a combination of challenges we have with the pandemic. There is a public health issue and there is a specific aged care issue and that's where responsibilities merge. And when you have a community outbreak like we've had in Victoria, that's where those responsibilities do overlap. Certainly, we have had to lead the response and in responding to the community outbreak in Victoria. But I think the best demonstration that this as a shared responsibility is the formation of the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre. It is a combined effort of both Victorian and Commonwealth officials. We understand what our responsibilities are and we will be responsible for those. But when you have a community pandemic, then the virus will find its way into many places. It can find its way into shopping centres. It can find its way into workplaces. It can find its way, potentially, into schools. But thankfully, that hasn't been a significant issue here in Australia and many other places. And so it's the overlapping of public health responsibilities, which would sit with states, and federal aged care regulation responsibilities which sit with the federal government. So, yes, it is a complex set of responsibilities and they are shared and that's why we're working together. I've kept stressing - working together, not against each other, is the way we manage these impacts. And so all I said this morning, I think, to take a very binary approach to this I think is overly simplistic and really doesn't let Australians know the complexity of responsibilities that are here.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, do you believe, in terms of Victoria’s second wave, do you think that could have been prevented if Daniel Andrews had taken up the offer of ADF personnel back in March?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm focused on what needs to happen now, what needs to happen tomorrow. There will be plenty, including the media appropriately and Parliamentary enquiries and others that will go into those issues of causation, issues around quarantine and tracing are well known. And there's no profit in me going over those and raking over those issues. My job, the Premier's job today, is just to keep working together to deal with what is in front of us, what the needs are right now, and to keep focusing on that task. That's what National Cabinet will focus again on this Friday. The Premier and I are in regular contact. We are not getting caught up in those issues. We're just focused on; what do we need to agree today? What do we need to do today to mitigate the risk and the impact, particularly on Victorians and Melburnians? But I would say with the numbers that we're seeing out of Melbourne and Victoria, that I am encouraged. I think the sacrifice that has had to be made by Melburnians and Victorians and more broadly is paying off. And we are seeing, we have seen, I think, that corner turn and that I hope is of some great encouragement to Victorians. There is still a way to go yet, and there is still some difficult news as we continue to see the most vulnerable in our community fall victim to that virus and there will still be more of that needs to come, as we've warned. But I am encouraged by the progress that's being made and the partnership efforts that are in place, whether it's the ADF, whether it's Emergency Management Australia, whether it's nurses from Townsville and Western Australia and South Australia, contact tracers and testing equipment in Tasmania. The national resources, state and federal, have been turned to support Victoria and that's our approach.
JOURNALIST: Do you feel like Victoria has let down the rest of the country?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm just focused on what we need to do to ensure that we get on top of this thing every day.
JOURNALIST: Just back on the topic of aged care, so would you say now that you’re confident that the aged care centres are in the best possible position should they be exposed to COVID-19?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, there are two things that are happening here. The first one is what's happening in Victoria and in Victoria, particularly in Melbourne, which are the most exposed facilities. There are over 340 in Melbourne. We've got less than half a dozen that are on our acute watch list. There's around 20 or so that sit on the next Category Two list and these change regularly. We review them each and every day and the response that's needed. Through the ADF and the training that has been provided there we expect to be, by the end of this month, having visited every single one of the non-COVID affected aged care facilities to ensure that they've had further reinforcement of their PPE training and in the state of readiness and preparedness. A lot of those 61 facilities have already had ADF and AUSMAT visits to shore up what's occurring in those places. It's a challenging environment and there's a mixture of issues in each and every facility and they have to be treated on a case-by-case basis. The situation that has been explained to me each and every day for weeks now is increasingly stabilised, but still fragile in particular a handful of facilities. And that remains the case. So we continue to work through those practical issues every day from how waste is managed and stored and removed from facilities and ensuring we had another incinerator come up online recently in Victoria. That's helping dispose of what you can understand is a large volume of PPE material that's being used in Victoria. Staffing issues continue to be a daily challenge for the centre and Joe Buffone and the great work he's doing there. The leadership and management facilities often needs reinforcement, and that's when you see Defence and AUSMAT teams providing that specialist support. In many cases, that has meant a complete takeover of the management of those facilities based on the advice of the aged care regulator. The transfers that are taking place have been an important part of the response. I think about 750, I think that number was this morning, Paul, of transfers there has been from residential aged care facilities predominantly over, in the majority case to private hospitals, using the private hospital agreement that Minister Hunt was able to put in place many months ago. That has been important. I mean, every case is different. The answer is just not to line up a team of ambulances out of an aged care, aged care facility. That's not always the answer. In fact, in that way, it isn't the answer. It is a case-by-case response and to work together with the Victorian health officials because as I said in my answer to Andrew, there is a shared responsibility between managing public health and the specifics in those facilities.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister on another topic,
PRIME MINISTER: Sure.
JOURNALIST: Can you give us a bit of an explainer on the reasoning behind the aged pension and other pension being frozen in September?
PRIME MINISTER: That goes to how they're indexed. And this is one of those issues that comes in a pandemic, you don't expect those indexes to go negative. And as a result, budgets and others haven't been prepared on the basis of them going negative. This is new information that has come through yesterday. You'll know that some $1,500 dollars in additional payments have been made to pensioners this year on top of their base pension as part of the pandemic response. And that was done in July and in April. So already pensioners have received two bonus payments so far this year. But the Treasurer and I will work through those issues. But that wasn't, it was not intended and nor will it be the case that you'd see those payments reduced. And we'll work out the exact response to the circumstances and will announce that when a decision has been made.
JOURNALIST: Given your statements rejecting the assertion of the counsel assisting the Royal Commission. Do you still have faith in that Royal Commission? And after this answer, can I just ask a quick one on the Northern Territory election?
PRIME MINISTER: Sure. Look, I do have faith in the Aged Care Royal Commission. I called it. I called it, and I called it because I wasn't happy with what was happening in aged care. And I wasn't getting the answers that I needed to get as a Prime Minister so I could look Australians in the eye about what was happening in aged care facilities, and the Aged Care Royal Commission is a key element of how we're responding. Now, it's not the only thing that is occurring and we won't wait to the final report with the actions that we're taking. Already we’ve announced significant funding, particularly for in-home aged care support places. We've been doing that for many years now. The budget will do that again, on top of that issues about how medications are administered in aged care facilities, there's been responses that have been provided to that. And equally, that has become very relevant in the management of the pandemic response as well. And so actions will continue to be taken to address issues. But the broader structural issues, I would hope the Aged Care Royal Commission will be able to give us some important insight into that. And that Aged Care Royal Commission will be handed down before next year's budget, which will give us the opportunity, I think, to provide a comprehensive response at that time. So, yes, I do. But, you know, the royal commission, people will appear before it, people will make assertions before it, before people will tell stories, their own stories. And those stories will be heartbreaking. And they'll be hard for Australians to accept and hard for Prime Ministers to accept as well. Both current and former.
JOURNALIST: But that was the Royal Commissioner though who said that about there not being a plan, not a witness or someone like that?
PRIME MINISTER: It was the counsel assisting, and what we will continue to is provide the facts to the royal commission about these issues. Of course there was a plan, a plan that had been refreshed and there is no complacency on the government's part. And I think the fact that we increase funding for aged care every year by a billion dollars and in fact more now every single year goes to our acknowledgement of the real needs here. Solving the issues in aged care is a very difficult problem, because as I've said to you many times, the challenges have changed, when people are going into aged care facilities now, I know this from personal experience. Families are making a decision about pre-palliative care. That wasn't the case really 10 years ago. There was a much longer period of time that people would be in those facilities before they suffered acute needs. And so the clinical support that is provided in aged care facilities has changed quite a lot. And that goes to the, the sort of staffing that's required and it goes to the models that are put in place for how facilities can operate, both in the not for profit sector, the public sector, the private sector. But I'd make this point, public, private, non-profit they have all had their very significant problems in aged care. All of them have. And that's why I think it's not the time to be getting into some sort of ideological debate about aged care. It's about what the residents need and how government can better support the needs of our elderly residents, residents and to ensure they are treated with a culture of respect. They need our respect and that respect needs to be shown in the way that we care for them in those facilities.
Now, the Northern Territory?
JOURNALIST: Yes, the Chief Minister he says in a Sky News debate that will air this afternoon,
PRIME MINISTER: Sorry, a debate he’s in this afternoon?
JOURNALIST: Well, it was on this morning, a pre-recorded,
PRIME MINISTER: You have many talents Andrew but I didn’t know prophecy was one of them.
JOURNALIST: Yeah, if you open borders, so he’s saying it to his counterpart right, he’s saying if you open borders on June 22, like Canberra wanted you to. You would have brought the virus in the Top End. How do you react to that statement and the fact that in a number of state and territory elections now, what the leaders are promising seems to indicate the longer the state border closures?
PRIME MINISTER: Well look, on borders, of course, there's the international borders and the position there is uncontroversial, the position on the border between New South Wales and Victoria and indeed South Australia and Victoria is fairly obvious. I mean, the approach the Commonwealth has always taken is you contain where the outbreaks are. What Premiers want to do with their borders, which are further removed from that, they've made unilateral decisions on those issues. What I continue to ask is when they do that, that they seek to work with their neighbouring states, that they work with the Commonwealth and the communities that are impacted to ensure that; a) the medical advice they're basing on that is transparent, and secondly, the practical issues are in place to ensure that people who are living along borders and that can be as much as 100 kilometres away, in areas that are substantially almost virus - if not completely virus free - are able to get agricultural machinery serviced or that kids can get medical treatment, or that parents can go with their kids when they're receiving medical treatment. I've been raising a number of these issues. We will be raising more today.
I'm finding dealing directly with states, because their border arrangements are different, is proving to be a more practical way to get outcomes. I acknowledge particularly Premiers Marshall and Berejiklian, who just most recently I've been working with on those issues. The New South Wales government has issued a new public health directive on agricultural workers, which is far more practical than the one that was in place before. We welcome that. But when you put a border in place, it's going to raise a lot of issues. It's going to impose a lot of costs. It's going to impose a lot of disruption. And as Premiers put those things in place, obviously those things need to be thought through and arrangements need to be put in place to mitigate the damage that is done by that. Clearly, we understand why people are doing it and getting the balance right on that is, is the explanation I think that Premiers obviously need to provide.
JOURNALIST: In the context of the election though, weaponising you, in a sense, against the CLP on that. What do you think of that?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm not interested in the politics of the pandemic. I'll leave that for others. We're here to get people vaccinated and to get people through this pandemic,
Yep? Yeah, okay.
JOURNALIST: Just on China, they’ve taken action against barley, beef, now wine. Why is this happening and do you think it’s politically motivated?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Australia has not changed its position towards China on all of the issues that are so important to our sovereignty, whether it's our national security issues, whether it's the integrity of our telecommunications networks, the sovereignty of our foreign investment arrangements. These have been all clear and consistent positions that the Australian government has taken, and there's been no change to that. And indeed, the relationship we have with China is a mutually beneficial one. It's not a one-way street. It's not Australia benefits only, China benefits from the high quality products and services that we provide. And equally, Australia benefits in return. And we have the best wine in the world. In fact, it's the second highest priced wine in China and it's the best quality in our view. And we totally don't accept any suggestion that there's been any dumping of Australian wine in China, whatsoever. And we don't believe there's any evidence to support that. So we will engage that process, that will take we’re advised and the public statements have been, about 18 months. So there's no initial impact that flows from that. I do acknowledge that there was some activity on the share market yesterday with Treasury [Wine Estates]. But that said, that is a process that’ll work through. I applaud the Australian wine industry for the diversification that they've put in place. And you can't put all your eggs in one basket, but you've always got to provide a top quality product and look after your customers. And that's what our wine industry does. And that's why I believe they have every right to be confident that there's absolutely no basis to the claims that are being made against the Australian wine industry, with regard to subsidies or anything of that nature. So, you know, we will never trade away our sovereignty in Australia on any issue. We will be consistent. We will be clear. We will be respectful and we will get on with the business. Thank you all very much.
Commemorative Address - Australian War Memorial, ACT
15 August 2020
Today, in suburbs and towns across this land, the last of a great generation are remembering a different time.
A time when the joy of their youth was denied and forced to give way to the responsibility of nation, of adulthood.
A time of sacrifice and struggle.
Of ration books, blackouts, heartfelt farewells on shipping docks.
Penciled notes from battlefields, tear soaked telegrams.
And of a great victory that changed the course of human history.
During the Second World War, one million Australians wore our uniform and made the silent promise to give their lives for their country, if need be. Their tomorrows for our today.
The names of almost 40,000 Australians upon whom that sacrifice was called are inscribed here in their home at the Australian War Memorial. They are among 102,000 Australians who have given their lives for Australia in so many theatres.
This memorial, located on Ngunnawal land and in direct line of sight of the Parliament, is Australia’s most sacred place.
Here I am joined by three incredible Australians - themselves once part of a generation of young men and women who pledged their service to our country.
To defeat Hitler and the evils of Nazism.
To stop the aggression and conquest of militaristic Japan.
To defend our sovereignty, freedom and our way of life.
And to defend an attack on Australia.
Derek Holyoake, Lance Cooke, Les Cook thank you. Thank you. And thank you for joining us today. We were also going to be joined today by Terri Lessels but she is unwell and is watching from home.
Terri was part of the Australian Army Medical Women’s Service, we just heard of. She nursed men in traction, cared for emaciated Prisoners of War and tended to burn victims. Difficult work.
Derek was 16 when he joined the Navy. He pretended to be 17. He was on the HMAS Hobart when it was hit by a torpedo.
Lance was a flight mechanic. He kept our Beaufighters in the air. He checked every spark plug to keep our pilots and navigators safe. And as he said “They were my mates”.
And Les, like Derek, tried to enlist at 16 - except the enlisting officer told him to “try the scouts!”
Les wasn't perturbed. He returned at 17 and his Dad signed up too.
Why did Les join up? He put it simply…”it was the thing to do… you didn't give it a second thought”
There was another reason too, he said: “to stop the bully”.
No truer words have been spoken.
For that’s what happened. That’s what they did.
A country of seven million Australians united and became one in a mighty national effort to defend human civilisation from the bullies who sought to destroy it.
Derek, Lance and Les - there you were.
Boys who helped free a world. And be great men.
You marched. You sailed. You flew in planes like the KittyHawk ‘’Polly’ behind me.
You peered through binoculars and pored over maps.
You washed the mud off your rifles in rivers and swotted mosquitos in jungles.
You said prayers on ships as the bodies of dead friends were committed to the deep.
You battled sun storms, snow-storms and torrential rain, while carrying the heavy load of your packs.
This generation, you did all this with your nation behind you and always in your mind.
Everyone played their part.
Living up to the call of the then Prime Minister Curtin who said ‘no one else can do your share’. True then. True today.
Australia wasn’t alone. We stood with our allies and our friends.
This was a global fight - all understood that if tyranny was not confronted together, eventually it would be confronted alone.
True then, true today.
Today we remember those we stood with.
The airmen of Bomber Command, Fighter Command and Coastal Command - the Brits, the Canadians, the South Africans, the Poles, the Czechs, the Kiwis, the French and our many other allies.
The Russians who withstood and turned back the Nazi war machine.
The Indians who stood alongside us in Tobruk, in Singapore and elsewhere.
The villagers and local people in Thailand, in Burma, in Borneo, and even Japan who defied the authorities and smuggled food to our PoWs.
The local Chinese communities in Singapore, Malaya and elsewhere who showed their own kindnesses.
And how can we ever forget, as I constantly relay to Prime Minister Marape of Papua New Guinea, the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels of New Guinea, the wonderful Solomon Islanders, and all of our Pacific Island family and friends.
The Dutch, the Kiwis, and the ally who led the fight to free the Pacific, our great friend the United States of America.
Today we call to mind all who stood with us - and all we stand with.
The names, the places, the battles are part of our national story.
The Rats of Tobruk.
The HMAS Sydney.
Sir Roden Cutler, the campaign for Syria where Gunner Leslie Smith was also, my Grandfather.
Vivian Bullwinkel and the nurses of Banka Island.
Weary Dunlop and the Thai-Burma Railway.
Teddy Sheean and the HMAS Armidale.
The Aussie Rules flying ace Bluey Truscott and the defence of Milne Bay.
The stretcher bearer ‘Bull’ Allen and the wounded he carried to safety up Mount Tambu.
Nancy Wake, ‘the White Mouse’ who outwitted the Gestapo.
Mebai Warusam, Awati Mau and the Torres Strait Islander Light Infantry Battalion.
The sailors of the Coral Sea, Midway, the Bismarck Sea and Guadalcanal.
The battles and campaigns: mainland Greece and Crete, El Alamein, Rabaul, Timor, Ambon, and Singapore - and so many more places where Australian blood was shed.
All of which was part of one great national effort.
So Ben Chifley declared 75 years ago; Fellow citizens, the War is over.
On that day Australians spilled into the streets.
Laughter, dancing, and thanksgiving.
Joy overflowed our nation.
Derek was in Adelaide that day. He said everyone went mad with joy. Everyone was kissed: the police were kissed, the horses were kissed. He said everyone got kissed but him.
And from that victory, the most remarkable thing happened.
From the ruins of war, sworn enemies became our devoted friends.
As I think of the peace that emerged - I think of Darwin today.
The walk from war to peace to friendship has taken many steps.
Small and big they have all mattered.
About fifteen years after the end of the war, a Japanese salvage company was given the contract to salvage the wreckages that lay in Darwin Harbour.
Amongst the metal salvaged was bronze from the Australian merchant vessel Zealandia.
The Zealandia had been sunk in February 1942.
After the salvage crew returned to Japan, they melted the bronze and made it into 77 Christian crosses.
The crosses were then given to a church in Darwin as a gift, that had been built on what was the site of a United States military headquarters.
That headquarters had suffered a direct hit during a wartime bombing raid.
The crosses reflected the answer to a question asked in the gospels. How many times must I forgive? The answer: seventy seven times.
From war came peace.
From peace came rebuilding.
From rebuilding came reflection.
From reflection, forgiveness.
And eventually friendship.
One of the most moving experiences I’ve had as Prime Minister was to lay a wreath with my friend, and Australia’s friend, Prime Minister Abe of Japan at the Cenotaph in Darwin. A complete journey.
The Prime Minister of Australia and the Prime Minister of Japan standing side by side honouring Australia’s fallen in Darwin. Now true partners.
So Derek, Lance, and Les - and the veterans like Terri who are watching elsewhere that is the world you fought for, that is the world you created.
Now in your sunset we honour you.
We honour your generation, in my view Australia’s greatest, and we say: thank you.
You won a war, you secured the peace, and along with so many more, saved civilisation.
Your deeds will never be forgotten.
And we pledge this day to always be a country as good and always to be as courageous as you.
Courage, mateship, endurance, sacrifice.
May God bless you and may God bless Australia.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
14 August 2020
Prime Minister: I’m joined by Professor Kelly, today obviously there has not been a meeting of the National Cabinet. But I thought it would be a good opportunity, I said to my team this morning, that as the week rounds out it’s been an incredibly busy week, but it has also been, further very difficult news for the nation over the course of this week. I was here on Monday and we addressed a number of those issues, and I thought it would be an important opportunity to deal with any further matters, but also to update you on a lot of the actions that have taken place over the course of this past week.
Before I do that, I think its important to note a couple of things. There are thousands upon thousands of people around the country right now, each and every day, doing the very best they can to look after Australians. There are millions of Australians at home every day trying to get through, particularly in Victoria and in Melbourne, looking after their kids, looking after loved ones, trying to keep businesses open and trying to keep people employed. But for those directly dealing with the health challenges around the COVID-19 pandemic, and particularly in Melbourne and Victoria, there is an army of people, and there is literally an army in Victoria, with the support of the ADF. And each and every day, whether it’s myself here or Paul and his team, Minister Hunt, Minister Colbeck, as we gather around every single morning and work through the issues that need to be addressed each day, right through to the Aged Care worker who gets to work and goes through the very difficult task, often in a facility they may not have worked in before because of the disruptions to the workforce in those places, those attending at emergency wards, those working on contact tracing, those sitting behind desks working on logistics and support, Joe Buffone, who's doing just an incredible job heading up the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre.
Each and every day, they are all just doing their best to ensure that Australians are not let down during this period. And the sad truth is, some days, we fall short. And other days, we don't. On some days, the pandemic gets the better of us, and on other days, it doesn't. And I think we've got to have a reality check about this. There are no absolute guarantees in a global pandemic. There are no absolute assurances that can be provided. I think it’s great that Australians have high expectations of the services and standards and facilities, whether it's in a school or a hospital, an aged care facility - anywhere. That's what Australia should aspire to. And that's what everybody seeks to do each and every single day, just as you do, as members of the gallery here, and others seek to do exactly the same thing. But it's tough. And the challenges are complex. And no-one has had to ever deal with this before, in this way. The combination of a global recession, a global pandemic, and how that impacts particularly on the most vulnerable in our community. It's tough. And it's going to continue to be tough. I said that back in March of this year and even earlier, 2020 was going to be the hardest year of our lives. And so it is proving to be. But Australians, I said would be tested, and we measure up. Some days, we wish better than has occurred. But I tell you what we do the next day - where there are lessons, where there are things to be acknowledged, you do that, and you set about the task the next morning and you get about what you need to do over the course of that next 24 hours, until the next time - you're back in the same place, working the same issues. That is the attitude that my government is taking and I believe that is the attitude that is being taken right across the country as people honestly seek to deal with the incredibly complex and often life-threatening challenges that are being faced around the country.
So I want to thank all of them for that work. And I want to thank them for the attitude in which they're engaging in their work and their dedication to it. We are, indeed, all in this together. Over the course of this past week, we've got the news that there are now 188 aged care recipients who have passed away this week [since the pandemic began]. A further 12 today in actual aged care facilities. There's been active cases of over 1,000 residents and over 1,000 staff. But in response, the work that is being done in Victoria - over 400 residents in aged care facilities have been transferred to hospitals now, with the Aged Care Response Centre playing an active role in more than 300 of those cases. And this includes the transfer of a further 14 residents this week. The response centre has facilitated communications support for 7 aged care facilities, with 859 outbound calls conducted to families of residents, including 682 inbound calls received since the 23rd of July. AUSMAT has deployed 24 members into Victoria who have made 61 visits across 41 aged care facilities to date. They have been assessing existing procedures and boosting infection prevention and control measures, including the use of PPE. 61 facilities have been clinically screened by the Australian Defence Force and Westin Health, with an additional 10 being visited today, making 71 COVID-free facilities that had their infection control bolstered. In addition to two existing teams already assisting Victoria from South Australia, a further two teams of six personnel from Queensland - I understand from Townsville, thank you, Townsville, and Western Australia were deployed this week to support the workforce in aged care facilities. These teams of nurses, personal care workers, hotel services. 30 staff from allied Health Services were trained yesterday at Monash University, as residential aged care safety officers to support staff in higher risk facilities in safety, facility operations, and PPE compliance. 20 Australian Defence Force staff are today being trained in PPE usage and compliance, and will be deployed to facilities next week. More training sessions will continue in the coming weeks with the support of the ADF. Overall now, we have more than 1,700 Australian Defence Force personnel on the ground in Victoria supporting testing, supporting police control points, supporting contact tracing and community engagement and doorknocking, supporting planning logistics and supporting aged care response. And a team from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is on the ground making daily visits and delivering unannounced on-the-spot checks on appropriate PPE usage and infection-control procedures. There'll be more. This will continue. New things will be added. There'll be additional activities, no doubt.
And I fear that we will still see things that will occur that we will find absolutely unacceptable, and they are unacceptable. They don't meet those standards. And they're not tolerated by anybody. But the struggles we face and the complexity that is there means that those things have occurred, and we're doing everything we can to prevent them from occurring wherever we can. There'll be no lack of commitment or effort. But guarantees in a global pandemic, if someone's offering them to you, then they're not being straight with you. So I'm going to be straight with you. That's where we're at. We're moving heaven and earth, as a country, at the moment, to ensure that we can deal with this. And we're in the fight. And we're going to win it. It's just going to take a lot of time and a lot of effort.
Paul?
Professor Paul Kelly, Acting Chief Medical Officer: Thank you, PM. So, the latest numbers, I'll just share with you today. So we're up to 22,739 cases of COVID-19 now in Australia since the beginning of this pandemic, those first cases in January. And really sadly, 375 deaths. As I always do at every press conference, I just give my condolences to those people that have lost loved ones. These are just numbers to some, but they're not to me, and they're not to the PM, and all of the people working on this understand what that means, losing a loved one. We've all been there. So, 375 deaths to date. 680 in hospital. Many of those, most of those are in Victoria, and many of those are related to exactly the response that the PM has outlined there in terms of what we're doing with our aged care residents. There's 47 in ICU. 31 ventilated.
I just really want to stress today, as the PM has done, that we are learning as we go through this process. It doesn't mean we haven't got a plan, we do have plans. We have very detailed plans for aged care, in particular. And since the very beginning of this issue - even before it started in Australia, we've been meeting virtually daily and we've had over 170 meetings now of the AHPPC on almost every occasion, we've talked about aged care and the particular issues of vulnerable people, and particularly in the case of our aged members of our community. There have been plans in place, specific plans, very detailed, specific operational plans for dealing with aged-care outbreaks and preparing for those and ways to prevent them since the middle of March and those plans are working in many ways. And I would just like to point out the huge challenges that are in Victoria are related to the scale of this problem. The PM has said the numbers - I won't repeat them. But there are a large number of outbreaks, there are a large number of staff that have been affected and that has made it difficult throughout. Let's look at the example of Queensland. For example, recently when they had those small number of cases last week or the week before, there was the link to an aged care worker that was recognised immediately and immediately that aged care resident followed... residential aged-care facility followed the plan as been outlined and has prevented any further spread. That is the majority of our experience so far in relation to aged care. Mostly we have seen very small outbreaks either with a single or couple of staff, a single or a couple of residents, and that has been it. There have, however, with the situation we are facing in Melbourne with large community outbreaks, that has been a very different situation, and we are learning to work through that, including the setting up of very early in that outbreak of the Victorian aged-care response centre, which is working incredibly well in relation to that in collaboration with all the partners and specifically with the Victorian authorities. So I might leave it there, PM.
Prime Minister: Thanks Paul. Happy to go to questions.
Journalist: Prime Minister, when you established this Royal Commission, you said that it would uncover some uncomfortable truths. It has now found that there was no plan for the aged care sector in this pandemic, that none of the challenges were unforeseeable, and yesterday it said the sector is still not prepared to handle the pandemic. Isn't this a gross failure of governance on behalf of your Government?
Prime Minister: Well, Mark, I would make a couple of points in response. First, I would reflect what I said in my opening statement and that is every day, every effort is being made and on those days that we fall short, we're sorry, and the next day we get up and we seek to make it right the next day. The Royal Commission has not found what you've just said. That is not a Royal Commission finding. That is a statement that has been made by the Counsel Assisting. So that is not a finding of the Royal Commission. That is a position that has been asserted. People can make those assertions. I think that's fair enough. I called the Royal Commission because I want all these issues and I remember some time ago in this very courtyard when we were dealing with very difficult issues around aged care that related to the pandemic and I said it was important for the aged care Royal Commission to deal with this. So I welcome that. But assertions will be tested. The Government has provided its response to those assertions and the Government maintains very strongly that the plan was in place. The plan was in place from March, and indeed, going back to January, preparations had been made and the plan had been updated twice. That's all on the record. I won't delay the press conference by going into the Government's very strong refuting of the points that you have made. Assertions can be made, Mark, but that doesn't make them right.
Journalist: But I mean, say you won't take up the time, but it is a very important point, isn't it? That the Royal Commission says that plan...
Prime Minister: There has been a plan, Mark, and it has been updated and so we completely reject the assertion that there was not a plan because there was a plan. So I think we have addressed that issue, Mark. There was a plan. That has been given in evidence to the Royal Commission and we will continue to provide the facts to the Royal Commission. But what we need to do every day is to ensure that we put that plan into action. I will tell you one of the things we have learnt during this pandemic; you can have a plan, you can do the training, you can provide the funding - all of this has been done. Then you've got to go back and reinforce the plan and you've got to reinforce the learnings, and you've got to reinforce the training, and that's what is happening, and that has been our process the entire time. So, my focus is what I need to do now and going forward, to learn from where there have been things, where on days the system has fallen short, and to ensure that we provide against that in the future. But there are no guarantees and anyone seeking them in a pandemic, I think, that will be not something they will be able to find. It is something that we would all dearly like to provide. But I think you've got to be realistic in a pandemic and you've got to deal with the situations as you find them, not as you would like them to be. That has always been our approach. But I want to be very clear here: the Government has made it absolutely crystal clear, the plan was in place, the plan was not only in place, but it was refreshed. The plan was funded. The training modules were delivered and they are now all being reinforced again. People will make these claims and assertions and they can, but they must also be subject to the facts and we will point out the fathers.
Michelle?
Journalist: While the Royal Commission didn't make any recommendations, something that the Royal Commissioner said he thought should be done and should be done now was to set up this expert unit which you will be familiar with the details and components of what has been proposed. Are you willing to do that now?
Prime Minister: Well, what has been proposed effectively is what the Government has been doing, and Paul may wish to speak to that. The matters that were raised that needed to be addressed very much mirrored the actions that the Government has indeed been taking. I know that there are proponents of particular methods and particular ways of doing things, or particular groups that should be established. What matters to me is simply the action, and the action that has been taken is very consistent, I believe, with what was set out yesterday as a proposal.
Paul, did you want to add to that?
Professor Paul Kelly, Acting Chief Medical Officer: Yes, I haven't seen the details of what was discussed in the Royal Commission, but...
Journalist: You haven't seen those?
Professor Paul Kelly, Acting Chief Medical Officer: The recent ones that you are referring to. Yesterday's evidence. I've seen some of it, yes, but not the details. The issue is that what we have set up, in fact, in Melbourne is this Victorian Aged Care Response Centre in fact goes to that exact point. What are the issues?
Journalist: Talking about a national unit with emergency response with aged-care specialty and other components.
Professor Paul Kelly, Acting Chief Medical Officer: So, let's look at the facts though, about what is happening. Where are the aged care outbreaks? They are in Melbourne, and so we have put together a team along those similar lines, as I understand, has been called for with expertise in aged care and emergency response, in infection control, in epidemiology, in nursing care, in geriatric care, communications, etcetera, to exactly look at the issues that we are facing right now in Melbourne. And the PM has asked and it was discussed at National Cabinet last week, that we look at how we would develop that if it was to occur elsewhere. So at the moment, rather than looking at a national one well away from the action, we are going straight to where the action is required and dealing with those matters.
Prime Minister: There has been no shortage of experts in this area. Geriatricians have been central to the role played by the AHPPC, central to the decisions the Government has been taking, central to the decisions that the Victorian Government has been taking in relation to public health, infection control experts. They are the ones who have been deploying and advising on the implementation of the measures that have been put in place in aged care facilities. Even now, as we prepare for next week's National Cabinet, the mirroring of those arrangements in Victoria being able to be applied in all other states and territories. I expect we will have that plan in place by next Friday to report to the National Cabinet. I think it’s very important that we remain focused on what the outcome that we are seeking here and that is to get the best of quality support and services into a system that is very fragile. Why is it fragile? Because there is a community outbreak of the coronavirus in Melbourne. That is why we have the challenges in that system and indeed more broadly throughout the public health system in Victoria, where that has impacted workforces and impacted the way that services can be delivered. In the rest of the country, thankfully, seven states and territories, we are not seeing what's happening in Victoria because there is not a community outbreak in all of those other states and territories. That is the cause.
Journalist: Prime Minister, you said a minute ago that you intended to be straight. You said that some days the pandemic gets the better of us. So just for perfect clarity, are you saying that the pandemic got the better of the Commonwealth's response in aged care facilities? And if the answer to that is yes, then do the residents in those facilities and their families, are they owed an apology by the Commonwealth?
Prime Minister: Well, I've already made such a statement from this very podium once, I'm happy to do it again. On the days that the system falls short, on the days that expectations are not met, I'm deeply sorry about that, of course I am. And I know that everyone who is involved in the process who is trying to meet those expectations is equally sorry. On days where workforces are completely stripped from facilities and there is nobody there and you scramble for a workforce to try to put them in place and you have ADF officers who go there at 11:00pm at night to try to clean up the mess, that's not good enough. But they are the actions we had to take to stabilise those facilities in those situations. So, each and every day there are going to be challenges and on many days, the success in how they are able to deal with these challenges has been significant. And so they are the good days, but other days are not as good, and that's the simple honesty that I'm offering to the Australian people on that. Of course we're sorry about that. Of course we're devastated by it. Of course it is something that motivates to try to ensure that those issues don't arise again. In so many cases, these are unforeseen consequences and unforeseen issues and people do the best they can in the circumstances they find themselves.
Journalist: On the lessons then from Newmarch and Dorothy Henderson Lodge, what were the failings that allowed what has happened in Melbourne to take place?
Prime Minister: I’d make a couple of points on this and I've answered this question on another occasion but I think it's important to answer it again today. The key takeouts for Newmarch, I think, that we were seeking to apply as we were dealing with the crisis in Victoria, which arose from a very different context. We had broad-based community transmission occurring in Victoria. In New South Wales, that's not what was occurring at that time. The infection was able to get into those facilities and that was dealt with. There are a couple of points. The first one is that the way of handling the workforce was really important, and that was that you didn't completely denude the workforce, so you could keep a continuity of care. Now, that broke down with the way that this issue began in Victoria, and I'm pleased that that has been remedied between the state and the Commonwealth Government about when there are public health officers going and telling people to stand down that there is a coordination that takes place with the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre so that they can manage as best they can within a limited workforce and a strained workforce, because a lot of people have COVID who work in this, there and many other parts of the health sector, that you have to manage the transition of your workforce when you have a facility.
The other point that had to be learnt from that is how you transfer people out of aged care into public or private hospital facilities. Now, that was an issue that came up as part of the discussion at the Aged Care Royal Commission and there were challenges and issues and a bit of lack of clarity around those matters and they have been openly discussed. And it was important, that's why we were saying when this was really escalating, it was vital that elective surgery be cancelled. It was vital that we were able to conduct transfers and transfer people out of those facilities so we could bring them back to a manageable level so a quality of care could be maintained. That was another important lesson out of Newmarch. The other important one, and there are many more, was communications and right from the outset, Minister Colbeck was tasked with ensuring that we got those communications into families as best we could. Now, we had some facilities there who it wasn't just the nurses and the nurses' assistants and others who got sent home, it was the receptionist, it was the manager, the book keeper, the back office staff - all gone. And families are ringing to phones that don't answer. And so we used Services Australia in those facilities that suffered that, to ensure that we were getting outgoing calls to families, to ensure there was contact being made and we bolstered the call receiving in those particular facilities that were most acute so people could get a response. Communications in those situations is incredibly important. I think that is, while it has been a very challenging task in a lot of these cases, that has been a priority that we put into our response. So they were some of the very important lessons out of that process.
Journalist: [Inaudible]
Prime Minister: In Melbourne?
Journalist: You said 188 aged care deaths over the last week.
Prime Minister: Yeah, there is a community outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in Melbourne. That's where the system received the greatest challenge. We can't ignore that fact. I mean, COVID-19 broke out in Melbourne. It has got into meat packing plants, it has got into pharmacies, it has got into distribution centres, it has got into hospitals, it has got into aged care facilities. That's what happens with a pandemic. There is not some special force field around aged care facilities that can ultimately protect in that environment, and that's what occurred, and that has caused an enormous disruption in the continuity of care in those aged care facilities. So the Aged Care Response Centre has been vital and it has been, as each day has gone on, the partnership between - and I should stress this - this is an emergency services-led initiative. It is important for this reason: You have to pull together the health response, the ADF response, the logistical responses and all of that and deal with the acute crises in specific facilities. There are more than 350 aged care facilities in Melbourne. We have been dealing with acute responses in about half a dozen. There are many more facilities that actually have COVID cases but the overwhelming majority, almost entirely, of those cases, of those facilities, are managing. They are managing. It is difficult, but they're managing. So we keep, every day, I have a list of the acute facilities and the actions at every single one of those facilities. Then there is a broader watch list of those which are on a watching brief. Then there are others that are managing well and then there are those with no COVID and that's where we've been sending people to check on PPE compliance to make sure we are not getting a spread across those other facilities. But I've got to tell you, it is a battle every day. So lessons applied, but this is a very complex and challenging situation.
Journalist: Prime Minister, last night in WA, emergency legislation was passed to block arbitration by Clive Palmer, that was pretty unprecedented. Given some of the concerns about the constitution and legality of some of WA’s actions in the past, what's your response to that? Do you take issue with it?
Prime Minister: No.
Journalist: You don't take issue with it? Was it necessary given $30 billion?
Prime Minister: I wish them well in dealing with it and as I said, I believe Mr Palmer should drop his other case.
Journalist: Thanks Prime Minister, a question for you, and separately for Professor Kelly, the RBA Governor today said that increasing superannuation to 12 per cent will lower wages, cut spending and possibly cost jobs. Now you are sitting on a retirement income review at the moment, do you agree with his assessment, and when will you release that report and your response to it?
And Professor Kelly, if I could ask you, cancer diagnosis has dropped about 30% during the lockdowns and I'm hearing similar stories from heart disease specialists, stroke specialists as well. Healthscope's Chief Medical Officer says that people are being terrified into believing that the only safe place to lie is in their homes, so they are not going out for other medical treatments. Medical professionals are saying this could cost hundreds, possibly thousands of other lives in the future. So my question is: is our singular, narrow, at times hysterical focus on the virus costing many other unintended consequences, many other lives? Why aren't our health professionals at the federal and state level talking more publicly about this? And could you in the future, when you do your briefings on the coronavirus cases and deaths, which are very sad, but could you provide a more holistic view of the other consequences of our policy responses as well - the suicides, the mental health issues, the family violence, the cancer deaths, the heart disease deaths, the job losses as well, to give people a full picture of our policy responses to the coronavirus?
Prime Minister: Do you want to start with that one, Paul?
Professor Paul Kelly, Acting Chief Medical Officer: It is a rather comprehensive question, thank you. Firstly, we, of course, and have many times, and in fact my colleague, Professor Kidd has had - I think his 50th webinar with GPs, primary care and other health professionals this week, and at each of those, he has stressed the need to not ignore those other things. You are quite correct. So, to our colleagues in the professions, absolutely make sure that people who do have chronic disease, who are at risk of cancer, who are due for immunisations or for cancer screening or whatever it is, that routine care must continue. And we have put out those communications before as well to the wider public. Maybe we need to reinforce that, about that importance of not neglecting those other things. It is absolutely important. In terms of the consequences of our actions, there have been some actually quite positive consequences outside of COVID. We've talked before about the fact that we haven't had a flu season. Normally this time of year our hospitals are full of flu, our aged-care facilities often having flu outbreaks at this point. We've had virtually no flu at all since April, so there is a positive side there. Some of the other infectious diseases have also decreased from their normal levels. But you're right, those other consequences and particularly in Melbourne, it is very difficult, the situation that people are in now in lockdown. That does take a toll - the things you mentioned - mental health, domestic violence, all of those things are of concern, absolutely, and we need to have a balance there, as well as with the economic disruption. That’s why we've always gone for our suppression strategy, rather than an elimination one, and we can see what's happened in New Zealand. Sorry to hear their cases, but no-one is immune to this. We need to take that balance of what we need to do, but including the economic and social disruption that can occur.
Prime Minister: Thank you, look I’d add to that by noting that the advice consistently through that the government has received previously by Professor Murphy, now Professor Kelly. I remember early on when there were issues around the reagents involved in the testing material and how that might impact on doing things like bowel screening tests and those types of tests, I remember Brendan being very adamant with strong support, I can assure you from his Prime Minister that we needed to make sure we continue to do those screenings. That there were many other health challenges that just couldn’t be set to one side so I don’t accept the hypothesis which says that this has been pursued in the narrow way that is suggested. The Chief Medical Officer is the Chief Medical Officer, not the chief COVID-19 officer, and both Paul and Brendan have undertaken their tasks looking to the health of the entire population and the many other challenges that are faced. But we can’t pretend that COVID-19 is not there and go on our own merry way on other matters. Of course we have to manage all of this together, there are so many moving parts in all of this. And on mental health, I’ve just come from a zoom call that I was doing with a number of young people who, working with Headspace and with Pat McGorry who was on the call and discussing the challenge being faced by a young school captain from Melbourne and what he’s doing in his school. And the message is the same, the services are there, the services are there if you need help that’s why we’ve surged that support, whether it’s in tele-health. I welcome the announcement by the Victorian government last weekend following the announcements we made last Friday, suring mental health support, it’s so incredibly difficult. And on the call they were talking about not just the young people themselves dealing with the anxieties of what does next year bring when they may be completing university or completing school, or just getting to the end of school as I’m sure Mark understands in his household? It’s tough. But they also talk about the pressures on their parents and as parents, we’ll be going through our own issues as we are trying to manage this pandemic and you’re kids are worried about you too. And they’re worried about your worries and they’re worried about your anxieties, they love you, you love them. And families are really doing it tough to come through this and that’s why we put those supports in place.
On the issue of the superannuation guarantee we’re very aware of those issues and, you’d also be aware of the statements that I and the Finance Minister and the Treasurer have made during the course of the election campaign as well, there’s been a rather significant event since then, but nevertheless, they are matters we are aware of, and they have to be considered in the balance of all the other things the government is doing in this space.
Andrew, you’ve been very patient.
Journalist: Thank you, Prime Minister. You have talked today about federal shortcomings. Let me ask you about the Ruby Princess. Putting aside the mistakes that were made by border force officers, by a department of agriculture biosecurity officer, one thing that has emerged is that there was an inability or a refusal of Border Force and the Federal Health Department in sharing the passenger manifest to allow the airlines to stop passengers who were potentially infected passengers, travelling Australia and travelling the world. Can you pledge here that you will ensure at least a protocol is established so that cruise ship manifests are shared with those who need it, including airlines?
Prime Minister: Well, Andrew, I will put the assertions in the start of your question to one side, because I don't share those assertions.
Journalist: The Commonwealth concedes it?
Prime Minister: No, I'm talking about the earlier points you made. In terms of the issue you’ve raised about the sharing of manifests, you would be aware of the privacy restrictions that apply to the sharing of those details. And so, it is appropriate, I'm advised, for the ABF to have alerted and shared information with the relevant state health authorities who provide that interface. Paul may want to add more to this because I know he has had some briefings on this as well. So the handling of people's personal information in other circumstances, I'm sure you would be asking me questions about if that sort of personal information was shared contrary to the restrictions that are placed on that by governments, you would rightly take me to task over that. So the ABF has to operate within those guidelines, like any other government agency and any other government department. In this case, it worked through that channel, as I'm told, and if there are improvements as to how that can be done more swiftly, then certainly I would expect the ABF and any agency of government to do things as efficiently as possible, but they, as I'm advised, they were following the protocol that was there. Paul, anything to add to that?
Professor Paul Kelly, Acting Chief Medical Officer: Not really, PM. The Ruby Princess inquiry decision will be handed down I believe this afternoon, we’ll look at those matters very carefully. Only just to reiterate the PM's comments about privacy and the importance of that. We have very good and well-oiled and many times practised procedures for sharing data with our state and Territory colleagues and that was done at the appropriate time and we work very closely with Virgin and Qantas in other ways, but not in this one.
Prime Minister: Okay, yep thank you, welcome back!
Journalist: Prime Minister you spoke to Indonesian President Joko Widodo last night,
Prime Minister: I did.
Journalist: About the coronavirus pandemic, some of that country's most eminent epidemiologists have said there may be up to a million cases in the country which is 10 times the official figure of around 128,000. Does the Australian Government share those concerns that the infection rates could be higher and that low testing isn't picking up really what is going on there? Secondly did the Australian Government offer any additional assistance above and beyond what we've already offered?
Prime Minister: Well, last night's call was an opportunity to catch up, as we often do, as close neighbours and friends, around a whole range of issues. We obviously discussed in some detail how both countries were travelling in relation to COVID-19, not just the health impacts but also the economic impacts on both countries and those impacts in Indonesia are very serious, as well, as you would know. We will continue to support Indonesia in every way we can. There were no additional measures that I advised the President of last night, but this is an ongoing conversation, and we have already provided a range of supports in the tens of millions to Indonesia, and we've also been reframing, not just with Indonesia, but many other countries, our existing development support aid packages to be very focused on their COVID response. In many countries that don't have the same health systems as ours, then obviously the ability to have as close a read on the extent of the infection and the spread, there is a clear gap. Now, that is not a criticism, that is just a reality, and so one has to take that into account when you're considering what the scale of the pandemic is in any of those countries. Now, that is as true as when I was having the same discussion while very different countries at very different scale and nature, with Prime Minister Marape who neighbours Indonesia, and James was very, I think, aware of the limitations of how their data might be able to reflect what is occurring. But the responses are the same. You assume that it is having a devastating impact, and it clearly is, and that means how we can support them with their health response and otherwise is very important and we will continue to do that.
Phil?
Journalist: Just on the pandemic response, yourself and your ministers have been urging the states to borrow more and help pick up the cost of the response. Phil Lowe said this morning said they should not be worried about their credit ratings, just borrow what they should and spend. Is that a sentiment you would share? And just separately, back to aged care, for years there has been controversies to do with federal managed aged care facilities, I can remember the kerosene baths I’m that old- but it there a cause, or is it too simplistic to consider a tighter restructure where you just remove the Commonwealth from the aged case sector altogether and give it to the states who by and large have done a better job of administering that sector?
Prime Minister: Of the aged-care sector?
Journalist: Yes.
Prime Minister: Well let me come to that point second, in terms of, I mean the Reserve Bank Governor today did issue a call to the states. He also acknowledged that the Commonwealth Government, the Federal Government had done some very serious heavy lifting when it came to fiscal support for the economy which I remember back in the meeting we held in mid-March out in Western Sydney where Phil Lowe joined the last meeting of COAG and the first meeting, effectively of what became National CabinetZ And he made this exact point when the pandemic at that stage had not moved to anywhere near what we've seen since then. And that advice hasn’t changed and the Commonwealth certainly has responded to that in a way that no federal government in this country ever has ever before. And the states have equally, I think it’s around about $45 billion in both balance sheet and direct fiscal support. The Commonwealth is well over it’s about $316 billion, and about 15, just over 15 per cent of GDP. So where the states are in a position to go and provide further fiscal support into their economies, then that is clearly what the Reserve Bank Governor has advised and it is certainly what the Treasury Secretary has advised our government. But it is not a blank cheque. It is not a licence to make whoopee with taxpayer’s funds. That is not what that is. The projects have got to be good projects. The spending must always be good spending. Spending always must adhere to the principles of fiscal responsibility. For example, we would love to do more water infrastructure projects in Queensland. That would be a very good thing to work together on, and that would be a very good way to apply state debt to those projects. I mean, in Queensland there is a view about asset recycling and I respect and understand that. It is actually a bipartisan view in Queensland going into this election, so were they to be applying those sorts of debt funds to those types of projects which had an enduring value. Equally, I acknowledge what the Queensland Government have done in terms of their loan support for Dreamworld. That is an entirely an operation sitting within Queensland and it was for the Queensland Government, I think, to respond there and they have and good for them. Equally in Victoria, they moved on short-term visa holders and we've supported payments to those in that type of work who are Australian citizens and residents. So that is a good balancing, I think, of the government at a federal and state level, doing the bits that they are responsible for. But spending should always be done carefully because it is not their money, it is the taxpayers' money, and it needs to be well purposed and have a clear objective and it needs to be delivered in a way which achieves that objective. There is no doubt that the Commonwealth Government cannot do all the fiscal heavy lifting on its own. Even with our much greater revenue-raising capacities, even when you take that into account, we are a long way out in front. But I know the Treasurer is having similar discussions with his counterparts today.
The Aged Care Royal Commission I called for the reasons I think you've set out, Phil, that this has been a long-running complicated issue for governments. And I remember those days, too, as well, that you referred to. There is a generation of problems that each government has sought to try and deal with, and for much of that time, I remember when we were in opposition we were very supportive of changes that the then Labor government made. We saw it as a problem that we had to deal with on a bipartisan basis and there were some very unpopular things that they did and we supported them because we thought they were making a good, genuine effort to fix this problem, and I have the same approach now and welcome any support we would get to pursue what we would be important changes. But I want to see the Royal Commission do its job. I'm looking forward to receiving their recommendations. That doesn't mean we will be standing still in the meantime. We continue to deliver more than a billion dollars extra every single year into aged care. We will continue to increase the number of in-home aged care places that we can provide. We will continue to look at the resourcing necessary for the compliance work that needs to be done. The pandemic exposes weaknesses and that is in some ways, in many ways unforeseen, and in other ways is very disappointing, but we are dealing with a system that is now dealing with a very different demand than it had even in the times you are talking about. People, when going into aged care now, it's hard because we make the decisions when we make decisions about loved ones going into aged care these days. It is very much at a stage of pre-palliative care, and that is a very different proposition in terms of the facilities, the workforce, the clinical needs to what it was 10 years ago, five years ago, 20 years ago. And the system needs to be adjusted to be able to meet that at a clinical level. And where delivery models need to be changed to ensure that it can do that, that's what we want to do.
Journalist: Prime Minister, on March 15, just before the Ruby Princess docked, you said that you wanted the Australian Border Force to be in command of the arrangements for cruise ships. Since then we've seen a long debate about responsibilities. We’ve even seen the Australia Border Force put out a statement that I will read to you. ‘Human health is not the responsibility of the ABF.' Was that your understanding when you put them in command and it is true that the ABF is not responsible for human health?
Prime Minister: Well, if you are looking for a doctor at the ABF, you won't find one. That's not their job. In the same way that I have someone down at the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre who comes out of Emergency Management Australia, they are not a geriatrician. There is a mixture of leadership responsibilities and capacities that exist. That doesn't change the fundamental responsibilities of the agency and their tasking. So, I think...
Journalist: They have a Surgeon General.
Prime Minister: Sorry?
Journalist: They have a Surgeon General.
Prime Minister: Well, if you go down to the Border Force office at the airport, you’re not going to find someone doing medical checks. That's not their job. That's not their job.
Journalist: They’re responsible for human health.
Prime Minister: That's not their job. Health, public health, is a responsibility of the state jurisdictions. That is very clearly set out. That’s who is responsible for delivering public health in those state and territory jurisdictions.
Journalist: So no responsibility when those passengers were getting off the Ruby Princess to consider human health in that situation?
Prime Minister: As the Home Affairs Minister has made very clear and as the Border Force Commissioner has made very clear, that exactly sets out what their responsibilities are. Now, the special commission will hand down its report later today and we will deal with that and take the opportunity to review that and see what they have to say. I'm sure they will touch on all of those issues.
Journalist: On state border closures, Australians living in regional areas have been disproportionately impacted by these. They can't get to medical care, they can’t get to work. There was a woman I spoke to in Canberra today, she can’t get down to see her daughter who she needs to look after after having a caesarean section. Do we need some more compassion and common sense about the way these border closures are being managed?
Prime Minister: Look, I know this is causing a lot of difficulty, particularly in the border towns along the Victorian and New South Wales border and the New South Wales-South Australian border and the New South Wales-Queensland border. Now, the circumstances of how those border places were put in place are all different. In the case of New South Wales and Victoria, that was done in agreement between both of those states and the Commonwealth was involved as well. I had a discussion with the New South Wales Premier earlier today about this, and a very positive discussion, and I know that the Premier is very aware of the sorts of issues that you are talking about, particularly in border towns as they relate to accessing medical services from those areas, as well as agricultural workforce issues, shearers needing to get in. The Premier is very aware of this and I'm very confident that we will be able to get a practical resolution to those issues. We had a good work-through on those. I will be looking forward, when next I can speak to the Queensland Premier. There are some real issues about people in northern New South Wales being able to access medical services. Now, that circumstance is a bit different because the Queensland Government placed that border and so it was a very different way of doing that. What I'm keen to do - I mean, these are matters for the states but where I can assist and the Federal Government can assist in trying to resolve some of those issues for people in those areas, then we will seek to do that. And I think it is important that there is a practical approach. I mean, the risks are very different, too. When you are looking at what is occurring in Victoria, then obviously the outbreak there is far more severe than any other part of the country. And I'm sure those living in border towns would completely agree that if someone had gone from one of those towns and gone to Melbourne and come back, well, they shouldn't be going into New South Wales or something like that. But those who have been in an area that is largely COVID-free, and the testing regime in a lot of those areas has not been as extensive because the risk has been a lot lower, you would expect it to be higher in areas where there has been bigger outbreaks. Now, in those areas which are largely COVID-free, obviously the risk is less, but if measures can be taken together with the New South Wales and Victorian governments that can give a greater degree of confidence of people moving through in accessing medical services and work, then I think commonsense would prevail, and I would hope that commonsense can prevail whether it is on the South Australian border or the Queensland border. But I stress, the only border that the Commonwealth has been involved in, in setting, has been with the New South Wales and Victorian government. Where other governments have put arrangements in, I understand that, not taking any issue with that but it's important when they do so, they work through the practical issues that it can mean for people who need to move across borders. Now, one area that we are going to have to address, given the way the pandemic continues to, who knows where we will be in November or December of this year. But you know that during bushfire season, we have to move bushfire fighters between jurisdictions. There are ADF movements that occur across jurisdictions. There are a range of quite complicated issues that could be experienced if those issues aren’t resolved. Look, I’m sure we can resolve them, I'm very mindful of them and I will seek to ensure that the states work together to resolve some of these problems that have come about as a result of those borders.
Journalist: Following up on aged care, the Counsel Assisting also suggested there was a degree of self congratulation and possibly complacency that crept into the Commonwealth response on aged care a couple of months ago when it looked like the virus was under control. Do you accept that, and take responsibility for that complacency in dealing with aged care that was suggested may have crept in a couple of months ago? And second, last week at the National Cabinet there was the audit flagged for state and territory preparedness for aged care all around the country. A lot of people probably would have been confused that that hadn't been done sooner. Why is this only being done now?
Prime Minister: Well, firstly, no, I don't accept that assertion that was made. Where there have been failings, where things have fallen short, I can assure you it wasn't as a result of complacency. Those who are doing a professional job each and every day are doing the best job they possibly can, and so, no, I don't accept that reflection that was made against all of those hard-working people. That has not been the attitude of our Government and will not be when it comes to the very serious issue of protecting the lives of elder Australians in the places where they receive care. That is someone else's opinion. It is not a finding and it is not an opinion that I share. Quite the contrary. On the broader issue, the plan was put in place back in March. The plan was updated. In the well over 100 meetings of the AHPPC and many meetings of the National Cabinet, the aged care issues have been regularly, regularly gone over, and sometimes in great detail and improvements have been made and there has been discussions about the prepared of other states and territories and we saw a very good example of that recently in Queensland, and I commend the Queensland Government with the way they dealt with the recent prospect of an outbreak there and how they dealt with the aged care response in Queensland. And so there has been a higher level of confidence in those jurisdictions and that has been evidenced when they have been tested. Similarly, it has been the case in New South Wales, despite the many outbreaks they've had to face in recent times, we've been able to contain that situation there in New South Wales and they've done a great job to date on that. But, you know, you can't be complacent about it, you never can, and we never are and we never will be.
Journalist: A very brief question. The RBA Governor this morning said that he didn't...
Prime Minister: Who was it?
Journalist: The RBA Governor. He said he didn't have a problem with the very profitable companies using JobKeeper and then passing on dividends to shareholders. Do you care about that?
Prime Minister: Well, we obviously want the income support that we have been providing through companies to be there for the benefit of those workers. It is called JobKeeper for a reason, to keep people in jobs. That's what its primary purpose was and we believe that's what its primary purpose should be both for the recipient and those who have worked with us to achieve that. I don't really have any further comment to make on that more broadly. Our purpose about it was very clear and I think that should be the shared purpose.
Journalist: Prime Minister, just on the border closures, industry has been crying out for some clarity as to when a border should close and when a border should open, especially when there is no community transmission. Would you consider taking the leadership on this and setting up some sort of national agreement or principle so that we know when borders will open and close? And just on aged care, are there any learnings on what has happened in Victoria so far to warrant it being the case that any aged care patient or resident who contracts COVID-19 should automatically be transferred to hospital, not on a case-by-case basis?
Prime Minister: Well, there is a clinical decision that involves the transfer of any person from aged care to a public or private hospital and clinicians do make these decisions and it is based on the circumstances in those facilities. There is a broader principle that would say that when facilities come under great stress, then you would seek to make a number of transfers. But which residents are transferred and in what circumstances and their degree of frailty and the wishes of the family and what arrangements can be put in place in the aged care facility, I think it is very difficult to have a one size fits all approach to that. I will allow Paul to make a further comment on that. Now, just remind me on the other matter.
Journalist: On borders...
Prime Minister: On borders. Look, I have to raise this with premiers and chief ministers and, indeed, if you look at the letter I wrote to Mark McGowan, I set out some very clear principles about what I believe would be a way of ensuring there was a way of ensuring there was greater certainty about how that could be done in the future and I appreciate what I believe was a positive response from Premier McGowan about how that could be done, and I think it's quite reasonable that people would expect that there is some certainty or at least some process about how premiers are making decisions about when they close and open borders. Now, personally, I think the way that New South Wales and Victoria went about that process provided the best model. I’ve made it very clear to Premiers and Chief Ministers that what we should be focusing on is the containment of the virus and where there are hotspots - and I have been saying this since early March - the three areas you had to foe cause on: the testing, tracing, containment of outbreaks, defining those outbreaks, where they are and ringing them off and it is just as important to stop someone from moving out of an outbreak area within a state to go to another part of the state as it is for them to go to any other state. So focusing on the containment of where the outbreak has always been, we think, the priority. States and territories, I can assure you, though, have been very adamant about their sovereignty when it comes to who sets their borders and that is a very strong view held by all. I would say pretty much all Premiers and Chief Ministers. So I can only tell you that there is some resistance to that idea, but constructive suggestions have been made in the spirit of partnership. Thank you all very much.
Journalist: Did you make the offer to Daniel Andrews...
Prime Minister: I’ve already covered that off. That's all been covered off. Thanks.
Remarks, Launch of IBM & Soldier On's 'Skills Build Program'
14 August 2020
Can I also acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, elders past, present and future. As I always do, and there are quite a number here today. We thank the many veterans who are here today, thank them for their service and serving members of our defence forces, particularly, as we come to mark the 75th anniversary. And looking forward to the special ceremony will be at the War Memorial tomorrow. I think that will be a very important mark and event. It might be a little different to what we had anticipated in other times and as it was on that rather eerie day on ANZAC Day. But a very special day this year, one that I'm sure will be remembered for many reasons. But I think even though people had to keep distance, there was a sense of connection which probably surpassed many other occasions prior to that. And so we'll do that tomorrow.
So to Lieutenant General Professor Peter Leahy, it's great to be here with you again. We’ve partnered on many projects with Soldier On and Soldier On does such a tremendous job. And to Ivan, congratulations on the role you’re taking on. It's an incredibly important partner in so many areas, not just in supporting veterans as they move through that transition and their many challenges of life, but also an important partner for the Government on really exciting projects like this. The key message that I know Darren Chester and I always try to stress is while, of course, we must stand with our veterans, as they deal with so many challenges, we also must stress just how amazing veterans are and what an asset veterans are to Australia in their own right, but particularly when it comes to the contributions they can make in businesses all around the country, running businesses, recruiting others. And every time I talk to employers, I haven't heard a bad story about their experience in employing veterans. The values that are brought to that organisation and the focus and direction of the teamwork they are able to instil and, of course, the very skills that they have as well. To Jeff, Christopher, Jody, Tonia and Ben, it's great to meet you and thank you for joining us here today. And all the family members who make the service possible with so many of our veterans and serving members today. And to Katrina, thank you for your initiative and in pulling this all together.
A small secret of this building - from my office to this little Cabinet anteroom and through the Cabinet Room and to the marble expanse, which is just on the other side there of the Great Hall and the vestibule. You open all the doors up from here all the way through, you can look straight to the War Memorial. And it was designed that way because as we sit in that Cabinet Office and I take decisions that we need to take there, is a constant reminder and memory looking through the Great Hall of the sacrifice that made all of that possible for us to do that today. And that's as it should be. A line of sight to the 102,000 names of those who made the ultimate sacrifice and we've already mentioned that tomorrow is the 75th Anniversary of VP Day. One million wore the uniform. Almost 40,000 of them did not return. Fortunately, my grandfather was one who did and I hope that was the case of your family as well. But tens of thousands with injuries, seen and unseen. And I recall when, I was only a young boy, but I remember when my grandfather was alive, he wouldn't talk about these things. He talked to his mates about them. But many of them suffered as well in silence. And today, many do still suffer. But I'm pleased to say at least the services and supports that are available to veterans, and particularly through organisations like Soldier On themselves and the corporate support that is provided today, is so different to what all those returning vets went through. Not only in the Second World War but as we know, in particular, returning from Vietnam, especially. Every area of conflict, field of conflict, that our servicemen and women have been engaged in have had to face different trials and struggles as they've come back.
The challenges of supporting veterans that have returned from Afghanistan and the Middle East, most recently, are different to those who have been in Vietnam, Korea or Malaysia or places like that. And then, of course, back to the Second and First World Wars. Every generation that has passed through that period of service has presented new challenges for them. And one of the most interesting challenges, which is a positive one, is what we're here to talk about today, and that is as part of the Veterans Employment Programme, the programme that I believe we're seen to be really connecting veterans to workplaces, to jobs, and that requires the skills and the skills investment that has been made here by IBM to ensure that we can equip today's veterans to be successful in a digital economy. It's great for them. It’s great for IBM. It's great for the Australian economy. It's great for jobs. COVID or no COVID, the challenge is the same of equipping our veterans with skills. The challenge is the same for our workforce more broadly. We know that the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting particularly on young people in a way that is devastating for them. And we hope that when we can particularly deal with issues that we're currently confronting in Victoria that we'll be able to get ourselves back on that path and we'll see those jobs come back and we'll see those jobs come back for young people. But at the same time, we need to be equipping people for those jobs. And digital skills are absolutely central that for all of us to be successful in the decade that is ahead.
So to see those who are joining us today taking up those opportunities, we're very pleased about that. Christopher, a commissioned naval officer. You've had experience in leadership adapting to change and demonstrating that that leadership. And we celebrate that with you, the values that you live. Ben, you've had several senior positions, including as CEO of Outward Bound Australia. And along the way, you won gold at the last Invictus Games, we celebrate it and that's tremendous. Jeff’s picked up a trade in his case as an electronic technician. Like many of our servicemen and women do right now, what you offer is exactly what we need. And Jody, you've made a decision to move away, as we were just discussing, from the Air Force after 25 years of service back in June. And, Tonia, you've had it tough lately, particularly being in Virgin, and we understand that. And that's a real difficulty. And you've been living through that and I want to extend to all of your former work colleagues and those who are still there, please, with that in mind being able to go forward. But you've been able to, you’ve had the opportunity to work through those skills changes. And that's what this is all about. The Skills Build programme is about jobs. And we're about jobs. And anyone who wants to create jobs is a partner of mine. That's who I'm working with, people who want to create jobs and soldier on and IBM are certainly doing that. A programme available to more than 3000 Australian veterans and their families focussing on areas like, well, development, cyber security of course, and this is a big focus for us as well. So Christopher, Jody, Jeff and Tonia, working in a digital world course which covers AI, the cloud, the Internet of Things and so much more. So they'll be very interesting. And best of all, the programme will connect participants with employers through internships and project assignments with non-government organisations. So thanks to Soldier On and to IBM who've made this happen. We appreciate that, our veterans and their families, that they have so much to offer. Tomorrow, we will give thanks to those who offered everything and the peace that we enjoy today, 75 years on, is as precious today as it was when it was first realised 75 years ago today. And I want to thank all those veterans who’ve ensured that that peace continues to be our experience today.
Thank you very much.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
10 August 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, everyone. I'm joined by the Honourable Brendan Nelson to make an important announcement about the expert panel that Brendan has taken on over this recent six week period, reported to me at the end of July.
I will come to those matters shortly, but I just wanted to start by expressing my sincere condolences to the families of the 19 Australians in Victoria who have passed away because of their COVID infection. More than 300 Australians now have fallen victim to the coronavirus. This news is devastating no matter what age, COVID affects people and we just want to reaffirm our support through every channel we can provide it. Sadly, when it comes to the fatalities that result from COVID, that reflects a situation of several weeks ago now as the virus has taken its course with these particular individuals. The work continues. We look for better news when it comes to the stabilising of cases in Victoria. I'm more hopeful of that today than I was in the course of the past week over the briefings I've received over the course of the weekend and again this morning. And of course, the Premier will be on his feet again shortly in Victoria and will be updating on the situation there.
There are a number of other important matters which I'm happy to address. But in the first case, if you’d allow me to address this matter that Brendan has been working on and Dr Nelson's been working on and, and then we can make comment on those matters and take any questions on that, and then I'll thank Brendan for his time and allow him to get out of the cold. And then I would like to address a couple of other issues that are out there today.
The Victoria Cross is the highest award that can be provided to any Australian serviceman or woman for their valour. It is a very serious award. And as Prime Minister and as a government, we have a very special responsibility to ensure that the integrity of the Victoria Cross is upheld for all of those who've been honoured by being bestowed, having bestowed upon them that award and all the others that will. And so it is not done lightly that a recommendation would be made for a Victoria Cross contemporaneously. Which of the hundred VC’s that have been awarded to Australians, that has been the case in all of those circumstances. The service, the actions undertaken by that individual has been the subject of recommendations that have come from those who were there at the time and those commanders who made the relevant recommendations and this was done contemporaneously.
Our system, though, does provide in exceptional circumstances where there have been instances of maladministration or where new evidence has been brought forward for higher awards to be considered in those circumstances. And it has certainly been the case in relation to Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean, that this has been a case that issues have arisen now over some time. And it is also the case that these, this case has been the subject of a series of reviews and panels. And the challenge that the government was faced with was that we had two findings of equal standing from two reviews, neither related to each other, that had concluded different results. And so the government was presented with conflicting evidence. Now, you don't go around handing out VCs on the basis of popularity or sentiment, certainly in cases that involve events of many, many years ago and in this case, the 1st of December 1942, we must be careful to guard against arrogance that we today, can stand in the shoes of those of all those years ago and pretend to know that we know those events better than those who were dealing with acts of bravery that today's generation, except for those who've served, could not imagine.
That said, the opportunity we have, is the process we have, to uphold the integrity and ensure that justice is done to these incredibly brave actions. So when presented with the findings of the tribunal review, we had to address this matter of conflict between that review and the one, the comprehensive one done in 2013 that had come to a different conclusion. And the responsibility of making a recommendation to Her Majesty in order for that to be successful would need to be able to demonstrate the highest bar being set for such a recognition in the case of Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean. And so I asked Dr Nelson, given his extensive experience, not just most recently as the most outstanding head of the War Memorial that we've seen since its founder, but also because of his role as a former Defence Minister, a longstanding member of Cabinet, to draw together an expert panel comprising Mr Bennett, who, as a former Solicitor General of the Commonwealth, together with the former head of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Dr Shergold. And Brad Minera, an outstanding historian from New South Wales, military historian. I tasked them to tell us to reconcile the conflicts in these two positions that had come forward and in particular to determine the issue of whether new evidence had been established that would enable a recommendation to be made to that end.
And I received that report at the end of July, and the report found as follows, that there is compelling new evidence in support of higher recognition for Sheean, that Sheean was done a substantial injustice in consideration of his actions in the original decision making period in 1942 to 1943. And Sheean's courageous sacrifice of his life to save his shipmates makes him eligible for the Victoria Cross for Australia, and the highest level of recognition should be accorded in this exceptional case.
I have accepted these findings and I have so written to the Governor-General on the basis of the recommendation received to me from the Minister for Defence on the basis of this review. And these matters are now before Her Majesty, and we would be hopeful of what would come back as a contented response from Her Majesty. It is incredibly important we hold this to the highest bar. I am very pleased that the process that we have followed removes any doubt, certainly in my mind, and any doubt I believe in terms of our knowledge of these events and what should be done. Any ambiguity that existed before, if that had been allowed to prevail by acting hastily, that could have undermined the recommendation that we had made. So I can now make this recommendation confidently on the basis of the process that we have followed.
I wanted to thank two people in particular. Apart from, of course, Dr Nelson and the members of his expert panel. I want to thank Gavin Pearce, who as the member for Braddon and also an ex-serviceman, provided important advice about getting the balance right of protecting the integrity of the VC, but also to ensure that these issues were dealt with by a proper process and that there could be no doubt either on any potential recommendation of an award of the VC for Teddy Sheean or indeed anyone else who had been awarded with the VC. He provided important advice as particularly an ex-servicemen. I also want to thank the many others who have been involved in this important process over a long period of time. I want to thank the family of Teddy Sheean for their patience and their forbearance, and I'm sure they'll be very pleased about this result today. I also want to thank a good friend and a former colleague here in the federal parliament Guy Barnett, for the way that he engaged with this process. Guy has never pursued this issue as a matter of popular sentiment. He has pursued it as a matter of justice. And I want to thank him for the way he engaged with me to ensure that we could properly address the outstanding issues that needed to be addressed in order to make this recommendation possible. But I'm very thankful to Dr Nelson, and his full panel, and I'd asked him to make some comments on these matters.
THE HON. DR BRENDAN NELSON AO, HISTORIC VICTORIA CROSS EXPERT PANEL CHAIR: Well, thank you very much, Prime Minister. It has been a privilege to oversee the examination of the Teddy Sheean issue. And I certainly came to it with an open mind, but with a disposition not to support retrospective awards, particularly a Victoria Cross. As the Prime Minister said, awarding a Victoria Cross eight decades after the events is something that should not be entered into lightly and only when the evidence is compelling and the case for doing so is exceptional. And that is precisely the case here. This young man, this young Tasmanian Ordinary seaman, Edward or Teddy Sheean, was the youngest, lowest-ranked sailor on HMAS Armidale. The ship was attacked just after 3:00pm on the 1st of December 1942. The report of proceedings from the commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander David Richards, was written only the day after he arrived in Darwin, six days after the sinking of the ship. And in relation to Sheean, he said that Ordinary Seaman Teddy Edward Sheehan remained at his post at the aft Oerlikon and through his actions, downed one enemy bomber and remained at his gun until he was killed. The board of enquiry was held the following day and then the report of proceedings, which included that reference to Sheean, went forward to the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board and subsequently on to the Lords of Admiralty.
It is an uncontested fact that Lieutenant Commander David Richards' report was both incomplete and inaccurate in relation to the description of Sheean's actions. It's also the case the Australian station of the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board did not use the Royal Navy form 57 used everywhere else in the world, as was its practise. Nor did it use the Australian equivalent form 58. It also did not fully comply with its own instructions in CNO order 43/42 to precisely, in detail, explain whatever action was being awarded. In 1945 one of the survivors, Russell Caro, wrote a lengthy report about what had happened during the sinking, which accords largely with the facts as they are known today.
The evidence emerged in the decades following the end of the war. The 2013 inquiry, to which the Prime Minister refers, of unresolved recognition of naval and military acts of courage and valour from the past, examined in detail all 14 cases referred to it, including the Sheean case. But in the case of looking at these, examined these cases under a different part of the Defence Act, where it was required to be mindful of government policy not to retrospectively award such awards, and also to uphold the integrity of both the Australian and the Imperial honours system. Its very comprehensive collection of evidence, however, was, in our opinion, flawed in its analysis. And then in 2019, under a different section of the Act, considering an appeal by Veterans Minister from Tasmania, Guy Barnett, against the decision of the Department of Defence not to award the Victoria Cross to Sheean, it then examined all of the evidence available, had two pieces of new evidence, including from the chief of Navy and recommended the Victoria Cross be given.
I can also advise you that the expert panel has found new evidence. And that is for the first time we actually went and had a look at the Japanese aviation military records and the National Institute for Defence Studies in Tokyo. And we are very thankful to the Australian War Memorial and Dr Steven Bullard for the assistance he gave us in this regard. And what the Japanese records show in meticulous detail is that the ship was attacked at the precise location, the precise time by seven so-called Betty bombers, Japanese bombers and three Japanese Zeros. The Japanese records accord with the Royal Australian Navy official history in terms of the torpedo and then the bomb landing on the ship. It records the six minutes from the first attack to the sinking of the ship, which gave Sheean to do what he did. And also further to that, that as the ship sank, the aircraft took enemy fire from the ship and two aircraft were damaged. It's also the case that the Japanese Zeros expended 15 per cent of the machine gun ammunition in the only contact they had that day, which was against Armidale, consistent with the strafing of men in the water.
The uncontested facts are that Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean, when the ship was listing 50 degrees to the port side, obeyed the order to abandon ship. He went to the port side of the doomed and listing ship and then alongside Able Seaman Ted Pellet, who was chopping the ropes from the motorboat, Pellet got into the boat but Sheean was seen to move as if to get into the boat, and then, instead of doing so, turned unwounded and made his way up to the back of the ship with the stern rising. He was wounded on the way to the gun. He was not the gunner, at the aft Oerlikon, he was the loader. But he strapped himself into that gun, into the harness and then he began firing at the attacking Japanese aircraft that was strafing his shipmates and killing them in the water. He was wounded again while firing the gun and then was killed at the gun. Whether he was killed as a consequence of wounds or drowned attached to the gun as the ship sank, remains unclear.
So, in summary, this man deserves the Victoria Cross for Australia. The decision is made on the basis of maladministration, by omission and also by testing his conspicuous gallantry and pre-eminent valour against the eligibility criteria in the letters patent for the Victoria Cross and the regulations. And I would say to all Australians, as we live through the most significant adversity in our lifetimes, approaching the 75th anniversary of the Second World War, let Teddy Sheean inspire us to be a people that are selfless, caring and brave. And I thank the Prime Minister for having the foresight to put together a group of people that were able to consider all of the evidence that is available and give us the opportunity to find more. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: We’ll take some questions on this matter, yep?
JOURNALIST: Now the position’s been resolved, would it be a good idea to try and resolve the issue too about John Monash, whether he should get a Field Marshal? Maybe have a look at that in a similar process?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, there are, there are many other cases that have come before us. This one was very pressing, given the more recent review that I received from the tribunal. I think the circumstances around these two things are very different. That is about a commissioning, not the, a valour award. And they are two very different exercises. So I'm not proposing to go any further on that matter. But on this issue, Teddy Sheean's valour has never been in question, I want to stress that, it's never been in question. What has been important is to ensure that the process has been of the highest standard and there can be no ambiguity about it. So a fulsome recommendation can be confidently made and that is now the case. It wasn't the case for me some time ago. It is now that case.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister is this something that’s supported by all military top brass, and is it somewhat embarrassing that we've had to wait 80 years for this?
PRIME MINISTER: This is an exceptional case and it has taken, it took many years for this case to first emerge after the Second World War in terms of whether the award that was provided was sufficient for the gallantry on that day. And sometimes justice takes a long time, but I'm pleased that it is now being addressed. And I have had no recommendation from Defence that is inconsistent now with the recommendations I have from the panel. I welcome that. And I thank the Minister for Defence for her recommendation.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, I’ve got a Defence related question I'd like Dr Nelson to answer as well,
PRIME MINISTER: I've invited Dr Nelson to be here today on the basis of his, of his role on this expert panel. I'm happy to deal with matters of Defence, which I'll come to, and I expect I'm aware of the matter you want to raise and I'll be happy to address that. Thank you.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, do you expect this case to create a flood of new cases with revisions of other military awards?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'll ask Dr Nelson to speak to this as well. I think that's unlikely. I mean, the Sheean case was quite exceptional. And it does stand out from the many others that have been considered in the past. And I think that's why it's been able to get past what has been a very high threshold that we've established. And so that may be the case. I think it's unlikely to be the case in any significant number. But if it were to be the case, then it would be pursued in the same way and it would have to meet the very high standard that I've insisted upon. But Brendan?
DR NELSON: Prime Minister, yes, those cases that are likely to be brought forward have already been brought forward, in my opinion, and been considered. Mark Sullivan, who's the incumbent chair of the Defence Honours and Awards Tribunal, said to me in the enquiry, he said, I personally have been involved in consideration of 11 applications for retrospective Victoria Crosses. He said, I have not supported any of them except this one. My view also is, as a person whose natural disposition, as I said, is not to support retrospectivity, is that if there are other cases like Sheean to which we are currently not yet introduced, then if injustices have been done, then let us consider them. Personally, I think it is most unlikely that there will be any case like Sheean that will come forward. And I should have said, it's in our report, but I should have said Lieutenant Commander David Richards, his ship is sunk on the 1st of December 1942, the day after he gets back to Darwin, having been at sea with 22 survivors for 6 days, he writes his report, not all of the survivors or witnesses have even returned to Darwin. And those that did were told not to speak about anything in relation to the sinking. He describes Sheean as having remained at his post. His post was not the gunner. He was the loader. And then he went on to describe him shooting down one plane. We now know that Sheean actually damaged two planes, but survivors in the water could be forgiven with their short horizon for thinking that a plane trailing smoke had gone down into the water. Importantly, Lieutenant Commander Richards did not describe Sheean as having left the gun, gone to the side of the ship and then, looking into a boat into which if he'd got, he'd almost certainly have survived and certainly had a much greater chance. Instead of that, he turns away from the opportunity to save his life, to literally give his life up, to do what he could to save men in the water by going back to the gun and shooting it. So this is, an injustice has been done to Sheean by a series of missteps, missed opportunities, and at times some mistakes that have been made in examination of the facts in relation to his actions. He, as the Prime Minister said, he's a man of whom we've always been proud. But now, if you like, we put him amongst those other 100 Victoria Cross recipients as literally the bravest of the brave.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, if I may ask you about Lebanon, what were the biggest-
PRIME MINISTER: I’m happy to move to other issues now, so I might thank Dr. Nelson, for his service and appreciate your being here with us today Brendan, thanks very much.
DR NELSON: Thanks very much.
JOURNALIST: You were part of that virtual conference last night with some 30 other world leaders. What were your biggest takeaways? And could you maybe expand a little bit as to how that $3 million in additional funding will be distributed between NGOs?
PRIME MINISTER: Sure. We've upped our commitment to $5 million now, and it will be distributed through the same channels that we've talked of before. The World Food Programme and the Red Cross are the agencies through which we'll be providing that support. And that's to support the most urgent of humanitarian supplies that are needed in these circumstances. Australia will use its agency through those vehicles to lend that support.
We also made the comment last night that it was important that these global organisations work well together to deliver the assistance that's needed on the ground. We stressed there was a need for there to be a creditable and independent investigation as to the causes of this horrific explosion, which my advice is, was just a horrific accident, nothing other than that. But importantly, there needs to be a credible investigation into that. And we're also all very aware - on the call last night - of the many challenges that Lebanon currently faces and the need to have stability there and the importance of, I noted, of them re-engaging with the IMF and putting in place the necessary economic reforms that can help Lebanon.
There are 230,000 Australians of Lebanese descent at any one time. I made the point last night, there are around 5,000 Australians in Beirut is our normal estimate. And so, of course, we've had the one terrible death of a two-year old young boy, which I spoke of last night. But with the number of casualties and the amount of uncertainty there, we obviously can't rule out anything further. And if there is any further information than we have, then will obviously disclose that.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER: I'll come to that.
JOURNALIST: The world leaders have made that pledge of the $420 million on the basis that protesters get the reforms that they’re after. For you, what does that look like? Because the government there is pledging an early election, but protesters want systemic change.
PRIME MINISTER: Look, Australia is not going to pretend to have a role in this issue that we don't have. I mean, of course, we want to see Lebanon as a functional, prosperous state. I think all Australians of Lebanese heritage would certainly want that. And I know that there is a keen level of interest in those issues. But at the same time, I don't want to suggest that Australia is playing some sort of direct interventionist role in terms of seeking those types of outcomes. We've made our comments known and been very supportive of economic reforms that are necessary, I think, to advance the wellbeing of people in Lebanon and will continue to do that as part of a global community. I got in touch, I reached out to President Macron on Saturday when I became aware that he was moving in a number of areas. And I got a very swift response. And he was very pleased to hear that Australia was so concerned about what was happening in Beirut in particular, but Lebanon more broadly and we’ll continue to support President Macron in his efforts there.
I'm just going to move across, so I promise you we'll get to your question.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Dr Nelson has remade the case for the expansion of the War Memorial, $500 million. Are you at all concerned about the risk to the heritage of that institution, you know, one of the great places of Australia? Are you aware of community concern about the size and scope of the work that you support?
PRIME MINISTER: I think it's a tremendous project and I think it honours all of those who've served Australia and will serve Australia. And particularly those who have served Australia in more recent conflicts, which was the passion of the project that was brought to me by the War Memorial Board at the time that Dr Nelson was its director.
We do need to tell all the stories of Australia's service. And there needs to be room and space and appropriate facilities there to recognise and reflect that. And I think the designs and the project that has been put together achieves that. And that's why the government supports it. We’ll continue to work through if there are any other issues there as we consult, as you always do with a project of great sensitivity. But this will be the most significant improvement to the War Memorial since it was first built.
And that is not at the expense of resources being available for veterans, I hasten to add. Not one cent will be spent on that memorial that would otherwise be spent on support for veterans. The best memorial we can provide to our veterans is to ensure they're well supported with their daily struggles. And that's certainly what we're seeking to do.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Royal Commission into Aged Care has heard that 68 per cent of COVID deaths have been in nursing homes. That's 213 deaths. It makes us one of the worst performers in the world in this sector. So what do you have to say to the families who have lost loved ones, given aged care is ultimately a responsibility of your government?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'd make two points. The first one is to stress again our condolences to the families of those who've lost loved ones. We've always known that the most vulnerable in our community are the elderly, as well as others who have other comorbidities and health issues, receiving treatment for cancer and so on, those in indigenous communities. And so it is sadly not surprising that we would see the highest proportion of those who've been fatally affected by the COVID-19 virus to be those in aged care facilities, because they are the most vulnerable in our community. And I think it says something about the fact that there has been greater success more broadly in the community about preventing fatalities more widely, as we saw in other places, and that the fatalities have been more restricted to those who have been the most vulnerable in aged care facilities.
So I don't think either I'd agree with the assessment or the implications of the figures that you've referred to. It is a terrible tragedy that we've seen over 300 people pass away as a result of their infection with COVID-19. And I've been keen to stress right from the outset, there've been some suggestions, I've read it in pieces that have been written in the outlets that you represent, that somehow our elderly should in some way have been offered up in relation to this virus. That is just a hideous thought. An absolutely amoral, hideous thought, one that I have had no countenance with from the very first time it was suggested.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what can you tell us about the negotiations which are currently underway in Afghanistan that might see Hekmatullah freed, a man who murdered three Australian soldiers, and how would you feel if that happened?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I suspect this is the same point you wanted to raise, Greg. Did you want to add to that so I can deal with it?
JOURNALIST: I wanted to ask if you made a personal request to Donald Trump?
PRIME MINISTER: The answer to that is yes.
And this has been a matter of very regular and persistent petitioning on our behalf. And it was also raised at the recent AUSMIN talks between our Foreign Minister and Defence Minister. It is a matter that I've written to the President about. It is a matter of keen interest to Australia, and we've reminded them of that.
Hekmatullah was responsible for murdering three Australians, and our position is that he should never be released. We do not believe that his release adds to peace in this region. And that is the position that we will continue to maintain and we’ll maintain it strongly. I can't promise you the outcome we all want here, but it's certainly the outcome that we will continue to press for as hard as we can.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there's a situation unfolding at the New South Wales/Victoria border at the moment where 100 Canberrans are stranded because they are no longer permitted to pass through the site.
PRIME MINISTER: I just can't quite hear you.
JOURNALIST: That’s alright. There's 100 Canberrans stranded at the New South Wales/Victorian border at the moment because New South Wales made a last-minute decision late at night to revoke their permission to drive through the state to get to the ACT. Should New South Wales reverse this decision? Is it fair that they're stuck there after a last-minute decision was made?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, these are one of the challenges of when borders are put in place between state jurisdictions. At least in the case of New South Wales and Victoria, there's been quite a lot of cooperation, certainly between New South Wales and Victoria. And I think it's important for the ACT administration to be engaging with New South Wales to try and resolve those issues. When it has come to my responsibilities in this, particularly in relation to those members of Parliament have been journeying through New South Wales to the ACT, I've been able to get a favourable outcome on those issues. They're quite unique circumstances, the convening of the Parliament, but more broadly, I mean, I understand that the New South Wales Premier will be anxious in these circumstances. We certainly don't want to see people stranded. But I would hope between the ACT Chief Minister and the New South Wales Premier, they might be able to resolve those matters.
JOURNALIST: Mark McGowan on the weekend said the border might be closed to the end of this year, middle of next year. Now, what is your response to that? Do you have any concerns about what something like that might mean for Australia as a whole?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have no quarrel with Mr McGowan on these matters. I mean, we think any of these border arrangements, as I've written to him, should be done collaboratively. We should work together on these things. We should continue to assess what the medical situation is and make very transparent decisions about those matters and I think that aids its constitutionality. And we're working with the McGowan government to that end. But I've been very careful not to get too far ahead on what might happen in December or March. Of course, we've extended out JobKeeper out to the end of March, but I think we have to take these issues one step at a time. And if circumstances change and certainly if they change in the way we hoped they would, well, I would welcome it if by Christmas, if it were possible. But I think it's unlikely that we were able to move back to a restriction-free society. But I doubt that is going to happen. I doubt the medical position will enable that. And so you've just got to follow the medical evidence on all of these, whether it's borders or whether it's the restrictions on trade or of local businesses or whatever it happens to be. It's important that we just, you know, look and test, interrogate the medical evidence and make decisions based on that and nothing else and be transparent about it.
Katharine?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, over the weekend, Josh Frydenberg, some of your other Victorian ministers, are becoming much more pointed in their criticisms against Daniel Andrews and the Victorian government's record in managing COVID. Also over the weekend. Mike Baird, another Liberal, former Liberal premier of New South Wales, went out of his way to praise Dan Andrews, saying that we're all in this together, we all need to rally. So which is it? Are we all in this together or are we criticising Victoria for their record on…
PRIME MINISTER: I don't know, Katharine, if I share your binary analysis of that. I think that's a little simplistic, with great respect. What my colleagues have done has simply said that there must be accountability for decisions that are made and a transparency in explaining what has occurred. I don't find that an extraordinary position to take. Equally, it is important that as the Treasurer also said, that there is nothing to be gained in slanging matches between levels of government and I don't believe he is engaged in that at all. And so we will continue to work constructively and positively with the Victorian government. But that does not provide me or the Victorian Premier or any other Premier or Chief Minister with a leave pass to scrutiny. That's entirely appropriate. You'll do your job. We'll do ours. And I think the country's stronger for that.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister on accountability, the Ruby Princess enquiry is still going on and it has not heard directly from two federal officials who were there that morning when the passengers disembarked. You promised full cooperation with that enquiry. Shouldn't you want those two federal officials to actually speak directly to the enquiry, not just in emails being released or documents being released and submissions made, but in actually answering questions either online or face to face about what happened that morning? Why don’t you encourage them to come forward and actually testify?
PRIME MINISTER: I said we would cooperate with the enquiry as we have with other enquiries, and that's exactly what we've done. And so that's what we continue to do.
JOURNALIST: They have not answered direct questions?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, this morning Aged Care and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson revealed that she'd found out that her, sorry that the commission had been made aware of the outbreak at St Basil’s 4 days earlier than she'd previously said. Given how deadly this virus is and we know how bad that outbreak’s been and given that that bungle caused a massive delay in the federal government response, can we be confident that the federal government is now dealing with outbreaks properly? When did you become aware of this bungle?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that was brought to my attention in the last, today, over the last little while, yesterday- late yesterday, I think it was. And you must, you will know that the Aged Care Commissioner is an independent statutory office and operates separate formally from the Australian government. And I am concerned about that breakdown in the communications. My understanding is that the survey had been conducted and those conducting the survey had formed the view that given the facility was aware of the processes that were required to advise the public health unit in Victoria, that they had indeed done that. It turns out that that had not been done. And so there'd been a breakdown in that communication. And that's not good. I understand the processes that led to that have been changed, and I'm undertaking further enquiries into this. And as I know that the Minister for Aged Care is also. The operation of an independent statutory officer and the government obviously means that the government can't instruct that officer as to what they do, and nor are we privy to the information that they have. That's the purpose of having an independent statutory office. But that said, I welcome the role of the enquiry that has been undertaken in the Senate that has drawn attention to this issue. I want to be really clear, where there are breakdowns, where there are issues, I want to know about them and I want to fix them. And so we'll be very open about that when that is occurring. And that's what we're seeking to do here on this matter. So there was still, you know, the delays that occurred back through the system in terms of the advice back to, our federal direct government authorities that could take action on this. But I can tell you one of the most important things that's been done through the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre is bringing all of this into the one room. They're all in there in that one room and now we are actually getting advance notice that we actually know in aged care centres when people are even doing tests, not when we find out whether they get a positive or not. Even at the stage for both staff and for residents, because of the integration of those activities, we're finding out now even before the test results come back, which enables us to move to ensure we can plan for workforce disruptions, should they occur, or the appropriate cohorting of people in the aged care facilities. So to the question of confidence, then, there have been issues here that have been identified and should be and there have been very significant changes to the procedures we've put in place to guard against what could otherwise occur. But in the case you referred to, we will be following that through with the Commissioner. And at the end of the day, they're an independent statutory office and they know their responsibilities and they need to live up to them.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, today Palaszczuk threatened to end the Tweed travel bubble if Sydney continued to have coronavirus cases. You've consistently said that Premiers need to explain the medical reasons for their border closures. Is the government satisfied with Queensland’s excuse of Sydney for shutting off New South Wales, ACT and now possibly even that border community as well? Or would you like to see further explanation, given the economic impact it will have?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm just simply saying that premiers need to explain the decisions that they make and they need to explain the advice upon which they're acting. And it's for others to judge whether they're doing that sufficiently or not. I'm not the arbiter of that. These are things that states are conducting and I just encourage them to do it on that basis. If there are issues to be sorted out between states and territories when it comes to borders, well, they need to sort them out. And if they need our assistance to do that, I assure you they will ask them for us. The New South Wales and Victorian government have sought our assistance when it comes to the management of border towns and things of that nature and we have provided significant assistance. So where they require our intervention, then we will certainly provide it. At the moment, we're not being invited to comment on those things or play a role. But if we were, then we would seek to do so very constructively.
Thank you all very much.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
7 August 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon, everyone. We have completed what has been the 25th meeting of National Cabinet, earlier today. That's an indication of just how often and how regularly Premiers and Chief Ministers and I have been working together now over these many months to just to deal with the many practical issues in responding to this pandemic. In a normal case, that would take over a dozen years for Premiers and Chief Ministers and the Prime Minister to meet together. And I can assure you that the familiarity of meeting together is really helping the way we deal with these challenges at a very practical level, not just just between leaders. But I must say, between the officials of our governments, our Ministers, it is producing the type of environment that I think Australians should expect of us all in how we work together. Sure, there's disagreements on this and that from time to time, I can assure you those working relationships under, often great stress, are working very productively.
I also want to start today by acknowledging our aged care workforce, its aged care employee day today, and I want to thank all of them for the amazing job that they're doing. Many of us across the country know from personal experience just how amazing people are who look after our elderly in our community. They are a true inspiration. And at a time like this, and particularly where they're working under particularly extreme pressures, as we've been seeing in Victoria recently, they've showed that what is a tough job, is a tough job that they do with great care, great love and great compassion. And I want to thank them for the tremendous job they do, whether they're doing it incredibly hard in Victoria today or or other parts of the country where it is the job they do every day under more routine circumstances, a terribly important job. And we acknowledge the great contribution they make to our country and to the care of our elderly.
Earlier today, the Treasurer made the announcement regarding the extension of JobKeeper arrangements, the changes in the eligibility rules. I was able to brief the National Cabinet on that today. That additional investment of some $15 billion dollars, which brings the total investment in JobKeeper now to over $100 billion dollars on the part of the Commonwealth. This is the largest program of this nature the country has ever undertaken. It is at a scale, which is unprecedented and it stands well in comparison when we look around the world at the various forms of support that have been provided during this crisis, JobKeeper has been a lifeline to people's livelihoods. It's been a lifeline to businesses. It's been a lifeline for the certainty and assurance that it's provided Australians that I know they've been relying upon on these very difficult months and as we've seen at the outbreak of the Victorian wave and the impact that that's had specifically on Victoria. Knowing that JobKeeper is there, knowing that JobKeeper is supporting them, their families, their businesses, their communities I think comes of great assurance.
This has been a week where there have been many, many challenges to deal with. Victorians more than anyone know that. As a Government we’ve responded to the changes that have taken place in Victoria, we've moved to provide the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment, that is progressing extremely well. And those payments are being processed and they're being progressed through Services Australia, who've stood up those services very quickly. The changes that we've moved to put in place for childcare and the changes that we've made to JobKeeper as we've considered and looked at the evidence and the likely impacts on the ground and making sure that JobKeeper can do that job that people are looking for it to do. This is a national program. This is not an arrangement that has been put in place specifically for Victoria. It's a national program. And I was able to remark to the other leaders today at the meeting there'll be many people in their states and territories who will also benefit from the changes that have been made for eligibility to make sure that JobKeeper reaches to those parts of the country where they're also continuing to do it tough. Quite understandably and rightly, we're all very focussed on the hardships being experienced in Melbourne and across Victoria. But let's not forget, in the rest of the country, there are many businesses that are still doing it tough. There are many households that are also doing it tough. The pandemic is still there. Many restrictions still in place. I look forward to standing behind this podium again in hopefully not the too distant future where we can plan out another road map out. And I believe we will be able to do that. And we're making great progress towards that. But for now, there are very serious challenges we need to address.
The overall commitment of the Commonwealth now in the various measures, both on balance sheet, particularly in direct fiscal measures is well over $300 billion now at a state level and territory level combined, that that investment is just over $40 billion dollars. We spoke today about the importance of continuing to work together to provide the necessary supports to the economy. We noted the measures the Western Australian government has released just this past week. Measures also that have been put in place in other states and territories. And we're going to continue to work together to ensure that we're providing that support into the economy, that businesses, employees that the country needs and at the next meeting we will be welcoming Dr Lowe from the Reserve Bank, together with Dr Kennedy, who will meet with the National Cabinet again.
More broadly, while it has been a week for solving problems, putting solutions in place quickly but in a considered way at a Federal level, it is also a time to remember that there is the strong plan to ensure that the economy comes out of this strongly. The measures that we've already put in place, whether it's been in the homebuilding sector, the entertainment sector, the many other specific parts of the economy, but also the need to address critical issues in our economy, whether it be on skills, we had a very long discussion today about skills, and I'll come back to that. But whether it's that on a workplace in industrial relations, work in the energy sector, the work that is needed in the manufacturing sector, to see that there is both an enablement of scale in that sector, but as well as having a security of of sovereign supply within Australia. All of these issues are part of our plan. And I want Australians to have that assurance that while we are in these, again, very dark times, places we're not unfamiliar with through this pandemic, that the governments are working together. And I can assure you the Federal Government has a very clear and strong plan for the road out to ensure that Australia will emerge strongly from this. And I believe we will emerge strongly, than many and most, if not all, developing- developed nations in the world. And that is because of the resilience and spirit of the Australian people and the capacity of our economy as it's been demonstrated on so many occasions.
Specifically today, there was quite a discussion from the Victorian Premier updating his colleagues about the nature of things in Victoria, and there was an appreciation to the strong support provided by the Commonwealth and the other states and territories to assist in Victoria. We've got nurses coming from WA, from South Australia, we've got support out of the Northern Territory, more coming from Queensland, testing and tracing being supported in New South Wales, and Tasmania. This is a truly national effort to support what is occurring in Victoria. And I know the premier was very grateful for that. And the support continued to flow from Premiers and Chief Ministers to assist those efforts. And I'm also appreciative of that support. There was also a very strong focus today on stress testing our our national preparedness more broadly, specifically in the area of quarantine, as well as in aged care preparedness. And Professor Kelly will speak more to those issues when he follows me in a few minutes’ time. There was a report from Jane Halton who's been undertaking that quarantine, a review. She's been in two states now in New South Wales and up in Queensland. And there were some very good lessons and experience that she was able to pass on the need to ensure we conduct quality and assurance testings at the state level over these quarantine arrangements. The training arrangements are there and in place. But she was particularly complimentary of the hospitality workers and the hospitality teams at the facilities that were providing the accommodation as part of the quarantine program, and that the way that the hospitality and hotel sector in Australia have gone out of their way to ensure that people who are in quarantine are treated as guests, guests that like to see the meals menu rotate every couple of days. So they're not the same choices every night. The attention to detail from our hospitality professionals, she particularly pointed out, and I think that's worth acknowledging here today, those, those facilities have been under a lot of pressure and they've been going to a lot of effort to make that quarantine experience as as positive as it possibly can be, we have a world class hospitality sector. And I was very pleased to hear that report, right down to making sure that an 8 year old had a birthday cake as they departed quarantine one day. They didn’t know that the hotel knew it was their birthday. Little things like that make a big difference in a pandemic like this. And those sorts of stories greatly encourage me. There will be an ongoing auditing of aged care preparedness around the country, learning from what has occurred in other jurisdictions. A key part of that is how workforce is managed, how the integration of public health units and broader aged care response is delivered, and also being in a position to put in place quite quickly an aged care response unit similar to that which we've been able to stand up in Victoria, which has aided greatly in our ability to stabilise that situation.
We also agreed that international travel constraints on inbound arrivals to Australia should be continued in their current form. We look forward to, at some point, that that might be able to be altered. But at this point, we are not going to put any further strain on the quarantine arrangements around the country and they will remain in place now for some months. We also agreed the freight code. I mentioned that to you a fortnight ago. That was a protocol a fortnight ago. It's a code today and it will now be implemented with enforceability by the states and territories through their channels and it's important that we get as much consistency for transport operators on things like that. And finally, there was a very good discussion with the Skills Commissioner, Adam Boyton, joining us to talk about the skill's task that we have and working particularly through the JobTrainer agreement that we've been able to bring together, which, as you know, is a billion dollars of investments between the states and the Commonwealth that will see 340,000 training places made available this year, this year. We also agreed the tasking of the National Cabinet Sub-committee on Skills and their program of work, which will go over the next month or two as they're finalising those arrangements around the JobTrainer initiative.
So with that, I'll pass it over to Professor Kelly to speak to a number of items. In particular, we updated on the vaccine progress today to National Cabinet. Look, I want to encourage people. We can't, we won't know when a vaccine will come. But as Professor Kelly will tell you, there's never been a global effort like this and there are some positive signs there that we can be hopeful about. Australia is positioning itself well to take advantage and be in a position to be able to manufacture and supply vaccines should they be developed. There are many projects that are underway around the world and we have a process for identifying those that we believe we can take an early position on. But the other thing Australia has been saying and supported strongly by the Premiers and Chief Ministers, and I made this point earlier in the week at the Aspen Forum, and that is whoever finds this vaccine must share it. Any country that were to find this vaccine and not make it available around the world without restraint, I think would be judged terribly by history. And that's certainly Australia's view and we'll continue to advocate that view in every conversation we have as I certainly have.
Professor Kelly?
PROFESSOR PAUL KELLY, ACTING CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Thank you, PM. So my role today was to update on the epidemiology of the COVID-19 issue and particularly the Victorian wave that's dominating the numbers that we're seeing each day and the trends that have happened since our last time we met as National Cabinet. Of course, Victoria is not alone in this. There are small numbers of cases, many of them related to Victoria, in neighbouring states, in South Australia and Queensland, and particularly in New South Wales. There are only two jurisdictions without active cases at the moment, ACT and Tasmania. So those increasing numbers, what can we see from those? I shared that with the Premiers and Chief Ministers in our hook up. We can see an increase in the elderly, particularly those over the age of 80 and 90, and that reflects what we are seeing in aged care outbreaks in Melbourne in particular. But still, the vast majority of cases are in that young age group and this is really an important issue for us to consider in our community engagement strategies right across Australia. What are we doing to engage with our youth to make sure that they know that this is not just a disease for elderly people? That might be where we're seeing the deaths and that that's very tragic. But young people are getting infected, young people are transmitting the virus and young people sometimes are also experiencing the severe end of the spectrum of the disease. We talked a little about the Victorian measures and our confidence that we have that what is happening in Victoria, particularly in relation to movement and mixing restrictions. So the lockdown measures will be effective. We saw that that was effective during the first wave. And now with even stronger measures that have been introduced over the last week, they will also be effective, but not immediately. There is always a lag time of one or two weeks for any of these things to show what is happening. That's the nature of this virus.
As the PM mentioned, we talked at some length about aged care, and I was very happy to see the commitment from all of the first ministers to work very strongly and closely with the Commonwealth in relation to aged care, particularly in preparation and prevention in states outside of Victoria. So as the PM has mentioned, there's a lot of assistance going to Victoria right now. That's a major issue for them and we have this new concept of the Aged Care Response Centre that has been set up so that literally we have people in a large room, but together, from all of the agencies that are working on that issue right now. From the Commonwealth, the emergency management area of the Commonwealth, as well as health officials, the ADF, our AUSMAT teams, nurses and other workforce surge capacity that's come from other states, crucially and very importantly and very good engagement from the Department of Health and Human Services in Melbourne, as well as their emergency management Victoria. So the sector itself and concentrating on communications, on workforce and particularly the surging workforce and on infection control. And so we talked through that at National Cabinet. What would it be like if that was to happen in each of the states? And a really strong commitment to audit where we are now everywhere through the aged care sector so that we can be preparing for that, look at preventive activities, further training that may need to be required, for example, and particularly that response, that acute response phase, so that that would be ready to go if this happened. Preparing for the worst, hoping for the best.
In terms of vaccines, I think as the PM has said, there is really strong optimism here. We can't promise that there will be a vaccine or when that may occur. We've never had a vaccine for a coronavirus in the world before. But the very best minds in the world are concentrating on this. Many companies, well over 100 different types of vaccine that are in development, and many of those are already in clinical trials in what has been described by some as warp speed. So these things normally take years. This is taking months, even weeks to get through this. In Australia, we're very prepared. And as the PM has mentioned, those prongs, the things that we're looking at very specifically in relation to research and development and support, they're not only for researchers here in Australia, but also through international, bilateral and multilateral relationships. We're looking very, very clearly and carefully about purchasing, advanced purchasing options as well as local manufacturing options. We're looking, of course, at the regulatory aspects to make sure that whatever does become available it works, as well as being of high quality and, of course, being safe. And all of these things are very important in the coming months. But I'm very optimistic that we are well-placed here in Australia not only to contribute to that worldwide effort, but also to benefit from it.
And it just strikes me, too, that whilst we are concerned, of course, about what's happening in Victoria right now and in other parts of the country in relation to COVID-19, I think it's worthwhile remembering where we've come from in these few months. So in January, this was a new virus. We didn't know anything about how we might develop a vaccine. Now we have vaccines in clinical trials and developing well, showing that they work and that they're safe. We've had rapid development of testing capability in our laboratories here in Australia and around the world. Our public health capacity has been increased and improved and we've seen, particularly, a very well-developed plan to know when things are needing to be further developed or responded to. Huge amounts of stock coming into our national medical stockpile, not only personal protective equipment, but also lifesaving drugs that we now know can work against this virus. We've had an increase in our hospital capacity through the private health hospitals in particular, but also through training and purchase of ventilators, for example, in intensive care. We've got telehealth that's available right throughout Australia. And so there is a lot that we can be confident about that we are prepared and indeed using those capabilities right now in Victoria and, particularly, in aged care in a very coordinated and supportive and responsive way.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Professor Kelly. Happy to have questions. Michelle?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there's been an increasing feeling within some sections of the Liberal Party that measures are going too far, particularly in Victoria. David Kemp, a former Howard government minister and party elder, wrote about this this week. He said the federal government should call out the situation in Victoria. What is your message to those Liberals who think that the health response is putting the economy too much at risk?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I've said from the outset that we're managing two crises here. We're managing a health crisis with the pandemic and we're managing the economic recession that has flowed from that and I've always addressed them as twin crises and it has always been a very difficult task to balance out those two issues. We see quite clearly that if the virus and the pandemic moves into community transmission, the havoc that it causes. We can't just pretend that that's not the case. It is the case. It is a serious pandemic. It has a death rate in Australia more than five times the flu. We've got hundreds of Australians who passed away. So it's a very serious health issue. And so that's important to recognise. But we support health measures and we support restrictions that meet health objectives. And it has always been the Commonwealth's position to follow the medical advice in these areas. That advice is interrogated. That advice is worked through. That advice, we seek to understand it and what's behind it. We understand that medical experts are not experts when it comes to the economy and in industrial practises and things of that nature. And they're not the ones we look to on those matters. At the end of the day, the system we have in this country is a federation and states have complete and total control over those types of restrictions. Now, as a Commonwealth, we seek to influence that and we provided significant input over the course of the last week and particularly recent days. And I'm pleased that there have been some changes to the implementation of those measures and where further changes are needed, people can be assured that the Commonwealth would be pushing those issues quite strongly. But the way we're doing that is by working in to the government in Victoria and seeking to do it that way. I don't see a great advantage of engaging in that process in some sort of public spectacle. I don't think that would be good for public confidence. I don't think that would be good for public assurance. I think what, regardless of which way you vote, it doesn't matter whether you're a Liberal supporter or a Labor supporter, that the virus certainly doesn't discriminate and it is seeking to cause its havoc wherever it can. And so we need to continue to have a balanced response that looks at the economic and health issues. But the health issues in Victoria, I have to stress, are very, very serious. Our own both Professor Kelly and Professor Murphy were involved at my request in a very high level dialogue with the Chief Health Officer in Victoria last Friday night, it was. I wanted to be assured that the health advice that was going to the Premier was understood by our health officials and they could advise me and our Cabinet and our Health Minister about where Victoria was heading and their advice concurred. Now, when it comes down to the precise description of those measures, that's a job for the Victorian government. They are their restrictions. They will have to be accountable for them. They will have to explain them. They will have to manage them. But it's my job to try and make them work. It's the job of the media, it's the job of oppositions, it's the job of others to do what their job is. My job is to make this work as best as it possibly can and that's what people elected me to do.
Phil? I’ll come over the other side.
JOURNALIST: PM, on the JobKeeper extension, the Treasurer said this morning that if JobKeeper 2.0, if that is to go, if anyone wants to keep the original rate of $1,500, then the states should contribute. He said the Commonwealth is not going to change those two tier payments. Did any of the states today raise the level of the payment in the National Cabinet post-September 28? Is there any push now?
PRIME MINISTER: No, no, there was, I think, well, there was an appreciation of the steps that the Commonwealth has taken. I don't know if I'd describe it as 2.0. I think it's still very much 1.0. JobKeeper is JobKeeper. And what we've done all along is, as we've worked through the pandemic, is seek to adjust it as we need it to deal with the circumstances on the ground. Now, for seven states and territories around the country, the circumstances are largely as they were when we announced the changes for post-September arrangements not that long ago. Obviously, in Victoria, it's changed quite dramatically. And I've said consistently that JobKeeper needs to be a national programme. It will find the need wherever it happens to be, whether that's in Bunbury or Brunswick, it will find it. And that's how it's designed to be delivered. And that's what it is doing and I'm pleased about that. With the scale of the Victorian wave, then that necessitated us to look at a more recent experience to ensure people qualified. And, look, we take a very open mind to these things. We're not lodged in particular positions from any ideological viewpoint at all. Quite the contrary. I think the Government has demonstrated, month after month. Practical problem, practical solution, practical problem, practical solution. Don't get involved in the politics. Don't get involved in all the other nonsense that can go on and the noise and various things. Just sort it and work with people and get on with it.
Katharine? Katharine, then Andrew for a change.
JOURNALIST: I'm not clear. Just on the aged care staff. I'm not. There's obviously been a discussion at the National Cabinet today about the desirability of rolling out the rapid response capability that you've established in Victoria. Has the National Cabinet agreed to do that nationally or have you just had a conversation about it? And also, if I may, just on the vaccines. You said a number of times, Prime Minister, that any country that successfully develops a vaccine or brings it to the stage of development must not sit on it, must not hoard it or whatever adjective you want to use.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah.
JOURNALIST: Who are you talking about?
PRIME MINISTER: Anyone who develops it. I mean, Australia, we pledge that if we find the vaccine, we'll share it. I think every country's leaders should say that.
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] somebody will not do that?
PRIME MINISTER: That's not what I’ve said.
JOURNALIST: No, no, no, I know, that's that's why I’m asking you the question?
PRIME MINISTER: That's not what I've said. So I think that's the answer to the question. On aged care, we are moving forward with preparedness plans in all of the states and territories. They move to an agreement to do that, not just a discussion and I think that's very important as as Professor Kelly said, quite an enthusiastic agreement across all the jurisdictions, very keen to get in place and to do the stress testing of their own systems. And that's already underway by the Aged Care and Quality Commissioner now, at one level and I think this will take it to another level. But already we saw, I think, what was a very good response in Queensland with their preparedness plan up in Queensland recently. They're working through at the moment. That was a good outcome. We've seen it in other jurisdictions. So I think states and territories are very mindful of this and keen to adapt and apply the lessons that have been picked up in Victoria. But I'd stress the Aged Care Response Centre is critical to that because it brings, it's actually emergency management led, through the pandemic I think a key lesson that we've all learnt is it's not just about health. There is a health response, but there is a broader response. And when you have emergency management, you're thinking about communications with the local community. You're talking about supplies and logistics. You're talking about a whole range of other needs that might pop up, whether it's a community in Colac or or anywhere else. And so it's not just about a nurse or a doctor. It is about many of these other supports that are necessary. And the hardest task, I've got to say, of the last couple of days, the previous week’s hard task was stabilising aged care.
The hard task this week following the Victorian government's announcement of restrictions, which I understand there are many criticisms of, and there's confusion, so, but I understand that, has been how to work drawing together the industry feedback, which I particularly acknowledge the Treasurer, Josh, has done a tremendous job just drawing that industry feedback in and the national coordinating mechanism through the Department of Home Affairs, drawing that in and getting that to the Victorian government. And I think that's had some some good success this week and a good example of what the partnership is. But ultimately, they'll make the restrictions. They'll enforce them. And they're their calls.
Yeah, Andrew.
JOURNALIST: Thanks, Prime Minister. Professor Kelly, something like 1,100 health care workers have got COVID-19. What's the discussion inside the AHPPC and elsewhere, maybe national cabinet about the appropriateness of of mask use and whether P2 and N-95 masks need to be deployed to stop this happening elsewhere? And secondly, every death is tragic, but the death of a 30 year old being somewhat of an outlier, what can you tell us about the circumstances there, whether they were co-morbidities or the like?
PROFESSOR KELLY: So firstly, masks, this is an ongoing discussion. And like everything that we've done in this pandemic in terms of our health advice to government, it's based on the best data and the emerging evidence as we see it. So in terms of the health care workers, any health care worker that gets sick whilst they're at work is, you know, that's we need to deal with that and work through how to prevent that. I'm absolutely committed to it. We need, though, to be led by the data that we have and the information we have. What we do know about many of the health care worker cases in Victoria that's come from the community rather than at work, it appears. And we're seeking more information from our Victorian colleagues on that aspect. But in terms of the specific question about P2 or N-95 masks, those so-called respirators, there's a live discussion in AHPPC at the moment, they're meeting now and they're looking to finalise some, an update to that to that advice. In terms of the individual, of course, I'm not going to talk about an individual case, but only to say that, as you say, all deaths are tragic and a death of a young person, a young male in this case is also tragic. There were some comorbidities, but it does actually stress what I said before, this is not only an old person's disease. This is a disease for all of us. And whilst most people only have asymptomatic or mild cases, occasionally they are severe and occasionally it can lead to death.
JOURNALIST: Can I ask about pandemic leave, first in residential aged care. Has the Commonwealth decided to tip more money in to fund paid pandemic leave outside hotspots as ordered by the Fair Work Commission? And second, more generally. Have any states other than Victoria signalled that they want to take part in the pandemic disaster payment or for that programme to be expanded?
PRIME MINISTER: On the second question, no. And I've written to all the states and territories making that offer, and none have indicated that they'd like to take that up. And the Commonwealth will support the decisions of the Fair Work Commission, as they've made those orders.
Brett?
JOURNALIST: Thanks PM, Professor Kelly, this week the World Health Organisation has said that we can't bank on there being a silver bullet to combating COVID-19. Is it more a question of if there's a vaccine? Not when? And if there isn't. What does that mean for the virus? How long will it linger? And Prime Minister, what does that mean for the economy and Australia's response to suring up businesses if there isn't a vaccine?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I might start and hand to Paul, whether there's a vaccine or whether there's not a vaccine, time will tell. And I'm also encouraged by the reports that Paul has provided to us today and provided to federal cabinet with the health minister earlier this week. So we look forward to that. But you can't count on that. That's why the economic plan that we're putting in place and have been now for many months is so important. You have to address the health issues and perhaps it will be a treatment first as opposed to a vaccine that will mitigate the impact and enable broader restrictions to be eased. But it is the income supports, it is the aggregate demand supports that are put in place into the economy. And so whether that's HomeBuilder or the various other things we've put in place, I mean, the announcements we've made on JobKeeper, I mean, the Commonwealth has come to the rescue when it comes to JobKeeper. That's what it's been doing now for some time. And in relation to the Victorian wave. The Commonwealth has come to the rescue with JobKeeper for those who will be most significantly impacted. But beyond dealing with the immediate aggregate demand issues and income support issues, there is the changes, as I've said many times, for the economy to make, whether it's in industrial relations, whether it's in skills training. And that's why today, again, another great step forward in agreement amongst the states and territories to progress that skills agenda with already a billion dollars into that programme, the supports we've put into apprentices, of $1.5 billion dollars to keep 180,000 apprentice's in jobs. Looking beyond that, there's the energy challenges. I've talked a lot of times about what we need to do in the gas sector, and I'll have a lot more to say about that in the months ahead. What we're doing in our manufacturing sector, what we're doing to get infrastructure, almost $10 billion dollars brought forward. That's the plan that that can give the confidence and the assurance because that plan goes in place, vaccine or no vaccine and operating in a COVIDSafe economy is then the challenge. And that has training elements, that has workplace practise elements, and it has how we adjust supply chains and how we change how we do business.
The digital economy gives us great opportunities to move. In any crisis, there are always opportunities for businesses. And making sure Australian businesses are in a position to achieve that I think is very important. So there is a broader plan when it comes to the economy and that continues to be rolled out vaccine or no vaccine. But we're also putting the effort into the vaccine because obviously our economic plans are accelerated significantly by that being in place. We can't allow our economy to atrophy during this period. JobKeeper has been, and the cash flow supports, have been so important to that end, ensuring that we can keep our economy ticking over even at very low levels. And in this last week in particular, the discussions the Premier and I have had have been about trying to keep the economy, even in Victoria, at a level of operation, which will mean on the other side, when we come out the other side, we're not making it harder on ourselves to see it re-emerge.
But, Paul?
PROFESSOR KELLY: So silver bullets and crystal balls, I don't have either. So what's going to happen into the future? Will be the future. What we have got in front of us and a very detailed plan about how we can get in the game, if you like, in terms of vaccines and making sure that we are, well, ready to have one if it comes. So that's that's on vaccines. And as I said, I'm much more hopeful than I was even a few weeks ago in relation to that, in the last couple of weeks there have been published papers, so not just speculation or or announcements by certain companies or universities, but actual published papers demonstrating that there are there are several different types of vaccine that are now absolutely developed and appear to be effective, at least in terms of making antibodies against this virus. And and they remain for at least a few months. We don't know about the long term yet, and that will be something we'll find out as time goes by. We know that those initial trials at least show that there is a good safety signal. So there's much more work to do. But that's, that is a it will be part of a plan going forward. But just as the PM has said about the economy, we don't have all of our eggs in the basket of a vaccine. We have, we have our suppression strategy it has served us well until recently in one state and enforced, in four jurisdictions, we still have no community transmission, which is our aim of that suppression strategy and and in the other ones other than Victoria, the control is remaining very strong. So we have all of those things, not just a silver bullet.
PRIME MINISTER: Sam?
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] that you were concerned about the speed with which Victoria was handing over data in recent weeks, the speed of contact tracing and reports that some federal authorities thought that it was bordering on obstruction, that they got much more information when Alan Cheng came on board. Is there any truth to that? And how important is it that all states share that data in a transparent manner?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, there's a lot of speculation in that report, and I'm not about to comment on things that people speculate about, we established the the national dashboard to ensure that we were getting the data that was necessary to look at this issue from a national perspective. And that process was worked up by the medical expert panel. And I'm pleased that that dashboard has been fully populated by all states and territories, including Victoria, as the Premier was able to advise us this morning. So that's welcome. Data management is a key part of the process of combating this virus. And there are key indicators that are necessary to manage that process. I know that the Defence Force is one of the things the Defence Forces have been doing. They are a new type of keyboard warrior. Not the, not the one that most of us don't take any satisfaction from out there on Twitter and Facebook. These are good, these are good keyboard warriors. They're in there, data entering in command centres down there in Melbourne to ensure that the data that it's feeding up to those making decisions are much more tighter, and much more reliable than it would have been happening before.
So when you have a scale of, and a volume of things that are happening in Victoria, the data systems have to keep up. Now, you know, it's not that hard to enter that data when you've got no cases, zero, type it in. But when you've got a lot of cases, your data management systems have to grow and build to cope with that. And that's a key thing that Commodore Hill has been involved in in Victoria, is helping the Victorian government build up their data management capabilities.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on that and then a question on aged care. You mentioned the data coming into the dashboard. Can that dashboard be publicly available so Australians can see what's happening across the state and have transparency about that data? And on aged care, I just want to drill down a little bit on what's happening and what happens next? Are you confident that you've got commitments from states to learn the lessons from Victoria? We saw that in Victoria, St Basils didn't notify federal regulators for five days. We saw that there was they were too slow to act on elective surgery to free up a workforce. Have you actually got commitments from states that they will notify immediately of any cases in aged care and make a workforce available if there are outbreaks?
PRIME MINISTER: I’d give two responses. One is there's certainly today, was an acknowledgement of all of those factors. And we were able to report that to National Cabinet today these key learnings. And there was certainly an acknowledgement, Paul wasn't there? Of those factors. And what we agreed to do today is over the next fortnight, translate that into a codified national preparedness plan that sort of brings all that to a head and ensures that those commitments are in place. But I've got to say, I'm not doubting that those commitments will be there at all. The keenness to move to that from premiers and chief ministers today didn't need any, it didn't need any encouragement. I can assure you. And that's that's very welcome.
JOURNALIST: And the data?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, look, that's a matter that I'll raise with the other premiers and chief ministers. I mean, much of what's in there is you already do get, there is already quite a lot of data that's published in relation to this. In fact, premiers and chief ministers stand up almost every day going through that information. I think there's been a wealth of information that is being provided and I've got to say transparency, particularly from the work done by the chief health officers and indeed our great CMO team federally, who have been very open and very accessible to respond to those sorts of things. But that's a matter I'm happy to take up with the other premiers and chief ministers.
Lanai?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you've mentioned that you had a good working relationship with state and territory leaders, notwithstanding a few points of contention. One of those has been the WA border closure. The West Australian government wants the Commonwealth to ask the court to strike out evidence that has been put before it in the Palmer case. Will you do that?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I have an outstanding relationship with the Western Australian government and we’ve pulled out of the case as they asked us to pull out. And so one quarrel I don't have is with Mark McGowan. Mark McGowan's quarrel is with Mr Palmer. And I believe Mr Palmer, and I'd be very encouraged because this is the only way out, I think is for Mr Palmer not to proceed with the case. He's the only one who can prevent that case from going forward and I think that would be a good decision. And Senator Cormann has made similar comments today, and I support those comments.
I've written to the Premier in exactly the terms I said I would yesterday. And we do and have provided support for the outcomes that the Western Australian government is seeking to achieve and I noted there was some reporting that was different to that this morning and that reporting wasn't correct. But anyway, we're going to keep working with the Western Australian government. That's the commitment we've made. We've set out important constitutional principles that I think will assist with that process and I look forward to that being supported. So that's why. It's all set out in my letter, Lanai.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, business leaders have been critical of Victoria's handling of the COVID-19 crisis. Are you disappointed in how the Victorian government handled the hotel quarantine process and should they be more upfront about what happened? And Professor Kelly, if I may, are you concerned that COVID might leave young sufferers with permanent health conditions, whether that be heart and lung? And is this being discussed by senior health officials?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, firstly, let me say our government wasn't elected to be disappointed, frustrated, angry, upset or any of these things. We were elected to get things done and to work with others to get things done. There are appropriate accountabilities that all leaders, including myself and my government, state and territory governments, there are appropriate accountabilities. And they'll have to face those accountabilities and they'll have to answer those questions, indeed, as you put them to me. And they need to be transparent about that and they'll need to be able to talk of the consequences of the decisions that they've made and that's all entirely appropriate and how they've gone about that. That is a job for, indeed, the media and the other channels of our democracy to be able to do that and I fully support that. My job, though, is to actually make things work and to provide whatever support I can as Prime Minister in my government to make things work on the ground because people are depending on me to do that when it comes to their job, their health, their business, indeed, their city and their town, their farm, their factory, their futures. And so that's why I've adopted the approach that I have and I think that's the approach Australians would expect of me.
I'll leave disappointment, frustration, anger, all entirely understandable in circumstances to others. But I don't think, as Prime Minister, I can indulge those feelings for myself. I totally understand and I don't consider it an indulgence on others that they may feel this way. These are tough times and they are really straining and testing people. So particularly in the area that you mentioned in terms of engagement with industry and business, this is why the Treasurer took action. He convened roundtables with industry and business leaders. He listened. He collected their input. We provided that through to the Victorian government. And we've made an impact. We've made a difference. And that's what we need to continue to do and that's how we'll continue to play it. That's what we’ll continue to do.
Was there anything Paul, did you want to add on that?
PROFESSOR PAUL KELLY, ACTING CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Just on there on the second question about young people and permanent damage to hearts and lungs and other parts of the body. Yes, it relates to my previous comment that this is not just a disease of old people, and whilst it's mostly mild illness, about 80 percent of people get through this quite well, there are about 20 percent of people that do have either more serious acute infection, or indeed, long-term effects. Things like chronic fatigue, as has been noted from this virus. Some, we don't know about permanent because it hasn't been around for too many months yet, but certainly long-term issues with lung damage and damage of the vessels, the blood vessels around the body in various parts, including the heart. So, yes, this can be a very severe illness and it's something to remember. Don't take it lightly. And when there are suggestions that people should take note of protecting themselves and those personal protective issues that we've talked about a lot, you should take that really seriously, whoever you are.
JOURNALIST: Questions for Professor Kelly. In the ACT, the Chief of Police has said that contact tracing is being threatened by people leaving fake names like Mickey Mouse on sheets at cafes and other venues. Should but at the same time, people are saying they have privacy concerns about leaving their name and their phone number where anyone who walks up to the counter can see it. Should venues be made to use something like QR codes to be a little bit more secure? And on the advice for MPs to isolate before they come to Canberra, some of the Victorian MPs are reportedly not happy about the idea about having to quarantine for two weeks. What was, why was the decision made that they couldn't, say, abide by the same rules that were in place for the Treasurer? And how many MPs have registered that they're going to quarantine before they come?
PROFESSOR PAUL KELLY, ACTING CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: So several questions there. The first one about QR codes, there are places around Canberra. I know the swimming pool I go to has a QR code. And so people, if they want to use that, they can. I understand people's privacy concerns, but we're in a pandemic. And I can absolutely say that the quicker people can do that contact tracing, the better the outcome, not only for individuals, but for the society in general. So please think about putting down those false dresses and false numbers is not going to help you and it doesn't help anybody. The second question was…
JOURNALIST: Coming in to Canberra.
PROFESSOR PAUL KELLY, ACTING CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Ah, yes. So Parliament returning. The last time I stood up with the Prime Minister those questions came about whether it was safe. And we've done a lot of work with the Presiding Officers in how to make the Australian Parliament House safe. And the PM himself asked for my advice last week, I think it was, in relation to what should happen in terms of people coming from Victoria, in particular, and that was a two week quarantine period was what my medical advice was that that was necessary to absolutely protect people within Parliament House, people in the ACT and the whole of Australia. When you consider how the Parliament House works, everyone. People come from every state. We don't want to be seeding cases to other places.
PRIME MINISTER: And in relation to the point you make about the Treasurer, those arrangements were some weeks ago and a lot's changed since then and the Treasurer himself will be abiding by those two week arrangements, as will the Health Minister. And look, I understand that can be a frustration. I mean, for many of these members, that means they'll be away from their family for a month. As a father of two young children, I understand that. I don't see them that regularly either these days either. But I'm sure all Members of Parliament will understand their responsibilities here. I'm pleased that the advice has been that there's an option to do that quarantine in Victoria before heading up to Canberra. But that also has some strict arrangements around it. And I'm sure that that will be adhered to. The Parliament will meet. I said it was always my intention that it should meet on the 24th and it will and it won't look the same, but it will meet and going forward there are some very constructive ways that we continue to manage the meeting of the Parliament as we go through to the rest of the year.
Andrew?
JOURNALIST: You mentioned in your opening remarks about stress testing quarantining. Can I just clarify what you actually sort of meant by that, those comments? What that entails? And to Professor Kelly, you talked about your growing optimism of getting a vaccine. Do you think we'll have it by year's end? And how do you think, if we do get it, it will be rolled out? Will priority be given to the elderly and the most vulnerable? If you want to go overseas will you have to have a jab before you're allowed out of the country? Things like that?
PRIME MINISTER: Do you want to deal with that one first, Paul?
PROFESSOR PAUL KELLY, ACTING CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Yeah, so in terms of timing that goes near the crystal ball territory, which I don't have. But, look, there are now, right now, right today, several vaccines that are in clinical trials whilst they're also looking as how to scale up massive manufacturing. So that, you know, we'll know more about that in coming weeks and months about how fast that will be. In terms of the prioritisation piece, that's certainly a very key component of the vaccine strategy and will depend a lot about what type of vaccine comes, where it's going to be most effective, how much there is. All of these things will be taken into account as we go forward with that planning.
PRIME MINISTER: On the stress testing, I mean, Jane Halton is conducting that review and that's informing how that can be done. One of her observations today was the need for auditing and assurance of what is being done by states and territories with the management of their quarantine. And that will go to issues of the security, of the training, of the performance on PPE and all of those types of procedures. I mean, Jane has done some great work already and that will inform how states are able to follow through on those things. This week, in Western Australia, the ADF are now providing that support at the request of Premier McGowan to assist with the hotel quarantining in Western Australia. That has been available to all states and territories and we've been pleased to provide it wherever that offer has been taken up.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Queensland Premier ahead of National Cabinet today flagged that she'd be pushing for no exemptions to international travellers being able to not do the mandatory quarantine after that mix up that happened with the consular case. Is that something that was agreed to by the National Cabinet today? And Professor Kelly, is there a reason why Sydney MPs will not be forced to do quarantine if they've come from a hotspot, given what Canberra’s position is on Sydney visitors?
PRIME MINISTER: Do you want to deal with that one?
PROFESSOR PAUL KELLY, ACTING CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: So I'll take that first one first. So our definition of a hotspot is the definition used by the ACT Chief Health Officer. Sydney is not a hotspot according to that definition.
PRIME MINISTER: And on the other matter. No, I wouldn't say it was raised in that way or addressed in that way today and that actually wasn't a consular case. That was the movement of an individual who wasn't even travelling on a diplomatic passport and that individual had been given authorisation for travel by the Queensland Chief Health Officer. So I think those issues are quite separate. But in terms of how consular issues are managed, and I've made that point earlier in the week.
Time for one more.
JOURNALIST: Thanks, PM. Will you consider Labor's proposal for digital participation for Victorian MPs? And Professor Kelly, should Queensland MPs, federal MPs, self isolate when they return to Queensland after Parliament, given Queensland has declared Canberra as part of the hotspot?
PROFESSOR PAUL KELLY, ACTING CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: The second one is a matter for the Queensland Chief Health Officer.
PRIME MINISTER: There have been border arrangements in Western Australia and other places for parliamentarians when they've attended Parliament before and there have been arrangements put in place for those members. And that really is, though, a matter for the Queensland government. On the other issue, I spoke about this with the Leader of the Opposition the other day. The Government had very similar thoughts along these lines and I expressed to him the other day when we discussed it that we had no objection to that at all. One of the points that the Leader of the Opposition and I very much agree on, and that is that if you're voting in the Parliament, then you've got to be here. We can't have a situation where people are sort of phoning in votes into our Parliament. I mean, you can have no confidence that you haven't got, you know, 14 people standing next to them when they make those votes. That’s just not on. That's not how our democracy works. And the pairing arrangements can provide for the flexibility needed to enable those votes to be done in the normal and the appropriate way. We have no objection to moving to participation by those means, including, if it were necessary, if I had to be isolated for whatever reason I would hope to participate in Question Time and be able to do that if I had to do it remotely, fine. Equally, if others had to ask questions or if others wanted to participate in debates. I mean, these are not unique ideas. They are sensible ideas and they're ones that the Government had already been contemplating. So we welcome working together on that. Whether that is in a position where it's at a standard, technologically and otherwise, with procedures to be in place for when Parliament meets next, well, we'll see. But there is certainly no policy objective or objection, I should say, or any other resistance on the Government's part. But we'd obviously want it to work. I don't think you're going to fly blind on something like that. There has been some participation of members and other parliamentary procedures, committees in the Senate. Some of that has gone well. There have been some criticisms of that. I'm sure the Manager of Government Business would want to be confident that any procedures that were put into the House and any opportunity for people to participate in that way could actually be done. I don't think it would reflect well on the Parliament to the citizens if they saw that not working well. And so we would share that objective and I think that's a sensible contribution and I'm happy to agree with it and work together to see when we can achieve it. With that, thank you all very much.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
6 August 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning everyone. I’m joined by the Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton today because we're making an announcement about the launch of Australia's cybersecurity strategy. But before we come to that I'm sure you'll understand there are a range of issues I'd like to address firstly regarding the situation in Victoria. I'd also like to touch on the issues in Beirut as well before making some comments on the cybersecurity strategy and handing over to Peter to address those issues in more detail with you.
I know there'll be many Victorians at home today and they will have joined us now, and I extend my greetings to you and my appreciation to all of you, what you're going through is tough. We're here to help you push through this in every single way that we possibly can. Over the course of this week we've been responding to the changes that have been put in place by the Victorian government to support them, to ensure that we can make this work as best as we possibly can. Changes have been announced to the pandemic leave disaster payments and there were over about 2,000 calls that were received yesterday and those payments are for Australian citizens and residents being made today and the balance of those to short-term residents will be made later this evening and into tomorrow morning. We've acted on the childcare changes and are pleased with the response we've had from the childcare sector. There are obviously still issues regarding those who can access childcare, that's obviously a decision for the Victorian Premier and we will continue to make our representations on those issues. But the viability of childcare, the guarantee to the parents for their places, for the jobs in those facilities and, of course, to ensure those facilities themselves continue in the services they provide, will continue to be supported.
Another very important area, though, is the mental health of Victorians as they're going through this very difficult period. Already the Health Minister, Greg Hunt, on the weekend announced that we'd be providing additional mental health support. As I often do, I have had the occasion to talk to Professor Pat McGorry as well, well-known to Peter Dutton during his time as Health Minister and have listened carefully to his views which I always find extremely helpful. Today, I have asked the National Mental Health Commissioner, Christine Morgan, working together with Dr Ruth Vine, who's the deputy chief medical officer for mental health, to work closely with our Victorian counterparts on additional measures that may be needed to support Australians particularly in Victoria as they are working through the stress, and anxiety and strain and the pressures that are upon them and their communities and in their households as they deal with these issues. I believe there'll be further announcements made by the Victorian government at some point regarding their support and we strongly encourage that and welcome that and appreciate the engagement we've already had with the Victorian government on those issues.
But today, mental health and suicide prevention is one of my government's highest priorities. For Victorians these last few weeks have been devastating and the loss of freedom that comes from the first lockdown now combined with the second one with the Victorian wave, not being able to connect with friends and loved ones, concerns about employment, all of this takes a toll. Young mums who won't be able to have access to childcare or have just gone through a long haul of homeschooling now having to face another long haul of it. This will put incredible pressure on families and particularly for families with children with disabilities, and it's important that we play our role to support each other. It's why I said the other day, anyone around the country who knows a Victorian, get on the phone and encourage them and support them during this time of their need.
I want to encourage people that help is available, and I encourage people to seek out that support through the many mechanisms that are there and I'll come to those in a second. But this morning I'm announcing a further $5 million to support Headspace, $2 million to support kids helpline, $2.5 million to support Lifeline, and $2.5 million to support BeyondBlue. Specifically in Headspace, that is to increase outreach services to young people in the community who are in severe distress. This will particularly focus on Year 11 and Year 12 students, young people who have lost their jobs, and tertiary students, the funding will be used to recruit and train additional outreach workers who will connect with young people in the community under supervision of the experienced Headspace staff. For those young people who are already connected to Headspace, the services have been there to support them but there are many more who are seeking that and the advice I have had is we need to build that capability to support more and more young people as they go through this time of stress. For BeyondBlue, that funding is to expand capacity, extend counsellor webchat hours to operate 24/7 and boost the ability to refer people with severe and complex needs for 5 additional sessions. At Lifeline the money will be used to deal with increased call volumes from Victoria, and for Kids Helpline, $2 million for Kids Helpline, to increase their call answer rate and service responsibilities and to deal with additional demand for services and links to further support.
If more is needed to be done more will be done, and the report that will come back to me I am expecting tomorrow from Christine Morgan and the deputy CMO will, I anticipate, identify further areas for us to do further work. Now, tomorrow the 10 additional individual psychological therapy sessions for Victorians that will commence tomorrow. That's under Medicare for people in areas impacted by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic who have used their 10 sessions already in a calendar year and this applies to all in Victoria.
Telehealth has been an important mechanism for health services delivery throughout the pandemic not just in Victoria but all around the country. And indeed for mental health, as Dr - sorry, I should say Christine Morgan has said from this very platform here before you, we've got about half of those mental health counselling services and the last data I saw a little while back was actually now being delivered through telehealth. So the overall total number of support services provided under those telehealth arrangements means that we were meeting the same level of service provision prior to the pandemic. And telehealth has been very important. So if you need help, your GP is the best place to start. Telehealth is available to you there. So you can have an appointment from home via telephone or video. Your GP can provide medicare subsidised mental health services or can refer you to other Medicare-supported services provided by psychologists, psychiatrists or other eligible allied health workers. So from tomorrow in Victoria I have mentioned those additional Medicare subsidised therapy sessions. On the web, beyond blue's coronavirus wellbeing support line which was originally established through the $10 million funding in our first mental health package is available at coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au and that service is available in 63 languages other than English. Head to health is another site, headtohealth.gov.au is a central repository of useful tools and resources for maintaining wellbeing and accessing a range of evidence-based free or low cost mental health services. Young people can log on to Headspace at Headspace.org.au and in addition to mental health support, including through E-Health space, Headspace has a digital work and study service which we supported through the $6.8 million investment we made in our first mental health package.
If you are a health worker there is a dedicated tailor made mental health and wellbeing program for front-line health workers led by the Black Dog institute. And we have provided $3 million to establish this earlier on, and that's available through the Apple store and Google Play Store and is online at the blackdoginstitute.org.au. The Beyond Blue on telephone, Coronavirus wellbeing support line is available to you at 1800 512 348. Anyone expressing distress can seek immediate advice support through lifeline on 131 114 and kids helpline 1800 551 800. These organisations are receiving additional support. Lastly, if you're concerned about suicide, living with someone who is considering suicide, or bereaved by suicide, the suicide call back service is available at 1300 659 467 or www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au.
Now they are sensitive issues for us to discuss in the middle of this pandemic, but important. If you need help, reach out. Help is there, support is there. Additional support is being provided. If you're aware of someone who may need help, talk to them about that. Show them the app. If you're in a position to do so, tell them about it, tell them about these numbers. Australians, we've got to talk about these issues openly in the middle of this pandemic crisis, and I encourage all Australians to have those open conversations. Be clear, if you're feeling vulnerable. Let people know. We're all there to help. They're there to help you also.
I also can confirm that families will be able to use their NDIS plans flexibly to support access workers in their homes, particularly in instances where children with a disability can no longer attend education or other day programs. Families should discuss their needs with their provider or contact the NDIA to seek assistance. What this means is if a family normally had a child attend a day program or special school and those facilities are not open, the family can use their existing plans flexibly to get disability support workers into their home to assist. Disability support workers are considered essential workers in Victoria.
Having addressed those issues, I want to turn to advise which if he were able to be here in Canberra the Treasurer would be joining me for this. We discussed it this morning and in the spirit of being very open and transparent with people we thought it important to share this information as soon as we had been advised. I'm sure the Treasurer will be available for further discussion with you later in the day. We received further advice from the Treasury on the impact on the economy of additional Victorian restrictions. The additional restrictions announced by the Victorian government on the 2nd and 3rd of August are tighter and extend for a longer period than assumed in the earlier estimates that were provided. Treasury has assessed the impact of these new restrictions and notes there is a high degree of uncertainty in relation to any of these estimates, and these estimates will be further updated in the October budget. The additional restrictions in Victoria in August and September is estimated to reduce the size of the real economy, real GDP in the September quarter by between $7 billion and $9 billion dollars. This is a heavy blow, a heavy blow. 80 per cent of this economic cost is expected to be in the affected areas of Victoria, of around $6 billion to $7 billion dollars in that state. The remainder represents a preliminary estimate, and I underline that, of the broader impact on confidence in other states and supply chain impacts from the shutdown of certain industries in Victoria. The combined effect on GDP of the stage 3 and 4 Victorian restrictions through the September quarter is expected to be in the order of $10 billion to $12 billion dollars detracting some 2.5 percentage points from quarterly real GDP growth. The national unemployment rate is now expected to exceed the forecast peak of 9.25 per cent and may instead peak closer to 10 per cent which I note is in line with what the governor of the Reserve Bank was also indicating. But of greater concern, as I have said to you before is the effective unemployment rate. We know the measured headline rate of unemployment rate does not tell the full story about what's happening with people's jobs and I have been very candid with people about that. And it is estimated the increase in effective unemployment to be between 250,000 and 400,000. Now, that isn't necessarily people who have lost their employment but it also includes those whose employment has been reduced to zero hours. But as I said, the effective unemployment rate is the one we're watching. This should see, we estimate, it is estimated, that we would see that effective rate of unemployment which had fallen in the most recent numbers down to just over 11 per cent head north again back to where it had come down from which is in the high 13’s. So, that is very concerning. That is very troubling but it is not unexpected in the circumstances these measures will have a very significant cost, and it will impact the recovery path, but the task doesn't change. We get on top of this issue in Victoria and we band together and we make this work. And we work together across the country to do the things we need to do, to boost that demand, to encourage that investment, to rebuild our economy, and to go forward. I know this news is upsetting and disappointing. But, Australians, we have to keep our heads up. Let's keep our heads up together. Let's look out for each other and let's get through this and I know we will.
The work of government though, continues, Peter, and importantly today there are many other issues as a government we must address. The digital economy is our economic future as it is for nations all around the world and it brings such extraordinary opportunities. We have seen the opportunities of that even in the matters I have just been talking about with how we're dealing with the delivery of mental health services and other important services not just the economic impacts. But those opportunities, while they have many positive outcomes, the crooks and those who may not always share our interests, they see opportunities, too. And that means to realise the success of the digital economy, and the prosperity that comes for all Australians, there are things we need to do.
And now, the first cybersecurity strategy was launched by my predecessor, I was there with him back in 2016, and now today's strategy builds on that approach. And there are three key things we're seeking to do here. We need to protect the essential infrastructure and services that makes Australia run. We need to protect our economy, working with all the businesses in our economy who share in that responsibility, and we need to protect you and your family from the dark web and the trolls and those who would seek to take advantage of the most vulnerable in our community, the elderly and others. And our secret weapon in this fight is you. By having the awareness, by having the understanding, the tools available to you to ensure that you can take the protections you need to take based on the support we're providing to assist you to do that. We'll ensure that we focus on those big issues of the infrastructure, the energy systems, the banking systems, all of that, and this strategy ensures that we have the tools to do that, to increase our intelligence and awareness of these issues, to support small business, to build our cybersecurity workforce and to make sure they've got the tools, but at the end of the day we need you. And what we've seen most recently when I alerted the country to the cybersecurity attacks in recent times, the response from business was fantastic. And that built our resilience. We've got to keep Australia strong, we’ve got to keep Australia safe and we've got to keep Australia together. That's what we're doing.
Peter.
THE HON. PETER DUTTON MP, MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS: Prime Minister, thank you very much. Look, I'm really pleased that we've been able to build on the 2016 strategy, and the government's really been dedicated to trying to keep our families and our communities safe everyday since we've been elected, and for a number of years obviously the Prime Minister and I have worked very closely together to keep our country safe, our borders secure, but the threat now online is as real as it's ever been. So if you're at home with your kids today, you're worried about who they're chatting to online, and if you are in a small business you're worried that the next email that you click on may have a link to some ransomware, or if you're in government if you're running an energy retailer, you're worried about the threat of a state-based actor or you're worried about somebody who may have malicious intent, and the reality is that all of us are spending more and more time online. So we need to have a strategy as a country to deal effectively with the threat. We wouldn't allow our kids to go down to the park knowing that they were talking to a paedophile in that local park. Why would we allow our kids to do that online? And we know now that the dark web is essentially the sewer of the internet, where paedophiles and other criminal syndicates hang out, exchange images of children, and we are going after those people and we want to make sure that people hear a very clear message that the government is determined to keep our kids safe, to keep small businesses safe, to make sure that if there is an attack on our telecommunications, or our banking or our energy sector that we have the ability to deal with that threat.
We have seen here and elsewhere attacks on all sorts of institutions, overseas attacks on democratic election processes and many more examples of the way in which criminal syndicates, particularly during the COVID period, have ramped up their activity to try and target online, kids, families, businesses, and so I want to thank very much Andy Penn for the work that he's done, his leadership in the industry body that we brought together to advise and inform this strategy. It was a collective of probably the smartest minds that we could bring together to assist us in putting the strategy together. There's obviously been an enormous amount of work done by the Department of Defence and I thank the Minister, Linda Reynolds very sincerely and similarly with Paul Fletcher, the Minister for Communications but across government we've really worked hard day and night to come up with this strategy. It's a $1.67 billion strategy over the course of the next decade that will help keep Australians safe online.
Importantly today, we're announcing we're going to have an extra hundred cyber detectives hunting these down these criminal syndicates that are targeting our children online. The stories that we hear from our investigators are quite overwhelming, and the attacks now that we're seeing on all sorts of businesses, but families as well, what should be a safe environment is not for many families. We want to make that safe through this investment strategy, through this cyber strategy and I'm very pleased that we're able to launch it today.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Peter. I want to come back to the issue of Lebanon as well but I just might ask one of my staff there, if you could just provide me with that briefing that is on my desk, that would be great. I have a lot of things going on today. I had that pack there with me. I can say though, there's $2 million support we're putting in to support the relief effort. That's an initial support that we're providing to Lebanon and the international assistances being in place. I particularly want to thank those other embassies that have assisted us and Australians in these circumstances, particularly the British, they've been tremendous and we thank them very much. I also want to thank our consular staff - sorry, our embassy staff and those working on consular issues in these last 24 hours. They always do an absolutely incredible job in these terrible circumstances. I want to thank Minister Hawke yesterday and Minister Payne. We reached out directly to members of the Australian Lebanese community yesterday and we had engagements with them and to both express our sincere sympathies for the terrible events in Beirut but also to let them know what we were doing to assist. We are considering a further round of other ways that we can support in this terrible incident in Beirut. But I also want to stress our advice is this is a terrible accident. An absolutely terrible accident. I'm sure there'll be inquiries into how that occurred and I note that there is, actions already are under way to that end in Lebanon now. This is a terrible accident. I know many in Australia, in the Lebanese-Australian community, will be feeling it very deeply and I was pleased to be able to talk to a number of those yesterday.
So why don't we go to questions?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, for Mr Dutton, can I please ask what powers are you seeking to direct the Australian Signals Directorate and for ASD to identify, conduct operations against Australians who can be a target of those? And what are the limits on those proposed powers?
MINISTER DUTTON: So if you're a paedophile, you should be worried about these powers. If you're a terrorist, you should be worried about these powers. If you are committing a serious offence in relation to trafficking of drugs, of ice, for example, that's being peddled to children, you should be worried about these powers as well. If you're part of the Australian community, the 99 per cent of people that aren't involved in those activities, then I don't think you have anything to concern yourself with. This is a power that enables the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission to help stop paedophile networks online, for example, operating in the dark web on encrypted devices. And that's the reality of the modern world. We should have, as the Prime Minister has said regularly, the same laws applying in the real world as they do online. And we're asking for nothing more, nothing less than that. But the fact is at the moment that we have seen a massive spike in the number of paedophiles online during the COVID-19 period. They are targeting kids because they know kids are at home. And as the parent of a teenager, as a parent of teenage children, perhaps your girls are more well behaved online than mine Prime Minister, but whilst they're telling you that they're studying, if Fortnite is on in the background or TikTok, don't be surprised. And the reality is that people are trying their best to groom kids online and terrorists are swapping information, people are trading gun parts on the dark web and it cannot be a lawless space. And so this law applies to those people and those people only.
JOURNALIST: Minister, what’s your simple message then to parents with kids of that age to keep them safe? And Prime Minister on China and the cyber threat how much of this strategy is about China?
PRIME MINISTER: It's about Australia. It's about protecting Australia. And it's about protecting Australians from wherever potential threats come and whatever form those threats might take. And those threats emerge in all sorts of different circumstances and Peter Dutton I think has set out those very clearly. Some weeks ago when I outlined the defence capability plan and the defence strategic update on the strategy, indicated there were there were a range of threats there and state actors that we had to deal with and we'll continue to do that. But that, you know, wherever the threat comes from, we've got to be able to deal with it. And there are many state actors who are active in this space. And we have to be able to come to terms and deal with that. And are.
Peter?
MINISTER DUTTON: Look Kieran, as a parent, I’d say the best tool is to to educate your children to be realistic about the threat. There's no sense as a parent sticking your head in the sand, believing that you kids aren't going to be online, the devices are a big part of our lives as adults and they're a massive part of the lives of our children. And we just need to be very careful though, when you're using basic passwords, date of birth or your surname, whatever it might be in a password it's very easy for that to be exploited. If you’re, as I say, at a park you're not going to allow your child to go and sit on a park bench beside some known paedophile in your community. But online, for some reason, we're allowing kids to hang out in chat rooms, to be groomed, to be asked for pieces of information. And as parents, as leaders in the community, we want to make sure that we can help parents educate their kids. So I think protection is very important, so online and being realistic about the threat and getting the information from trusted sources, the e-safety commissioner. Have a look at that website to see what you can do to download the protections to protect not just families, but businesses as well.
JOURNALIST: Minister, you’ve spoken before about your concern about Facebook moving to end to end encryption. And it sounds like they're going to continue with that plan. Do these new capabilities for the AFP address that, to give law enforcement that kind of access at that initial stage, or do we potentially need more?
MINISTER DUTTON: No, they don't. And. I mean, Attorney-General Barr, the home affairs minister in- the Home Secretary in the United Kingdom, Priti Patel has spoken about this as well and many others. So we're worried about where police can't see information in an environment where a warrant issued by a court has no enforcement. So we wouldn't allow somebody to have information or evidence of a crime that they were about to commit, say a terrorist attack, and for a warrant to issue from a court yet the police weren't able to pick up that notebook or that phone with that information on. And yet somehow we allow end to end encryption where an exchange of this information can take place. But even with a warrant, the police can't recover that information or stop a terrorist attack from taking place. So that's what we're trying to do with Facebook and the other companies. And this gives the police an extra tool in the encrypted world, in the dark web to make sure that we can help try and keep families safe.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister on June 20, you held a news conference here where you issued a nationwide warning about an extraordinary threat to- cyber threat in Australia. What's the status of that threat now, what's happened subsequent to your announcement, your warning, has the threat increased, has it decreased, what's the status?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, people still try it on. But what I've been pleased about is by bringing that to the attention of the public, we have had an extraordinary response from the corporate sector and we've engaged heavily with our state and territory partners as well. And what that has resulted in is a greatest position of resilience of Australia against these attempts. And so Australia is stronger today than we were then. And that is principally because of the tremendous response we've had from people engaging and understanding that cyber security isn't just about what the government does, it's about what you do. I think Peter just made a really good point. When I often talk about, you know, the laws of the real world having to apply in the digital world, that applies to us, too. The rules of common sense about where you let your kids go and how you operate your business and how you who you let in to your shop, and all of these things that- this is the rules apply in the digital world as they apply in the real world. And that is a message for each of us individually as business owners or as individuals, as parents, as grandparents or kids, as much it is for governments protecting key energy installations and things of that nature and banking systems. So the response to that, Mark, has, I've been very encouraged by the way Australians, corporate, really reacted and responded and took it really seriously. We have to take it seriously, but we can't let it hold us back.
Yeah, Chris?
JOURNALIST: PM can I first of all check, this $1.6 billion dollars, is that over and above the $1.3 billion that you announced when you were doing the defence update?
PRIME MINISTER: No it’s inclusive of that amount, I’ll let you finish.
JOURNALIST: Then Minister, if I could just go back to the powers of ASD, ASD is not allowed to operate inside Australia. So when you talk about the way they'll cooperate with the AFP, is that for looking at activity that's happening overseas on servers overseas?
PRIME MINISTER: It’s inclusive of the amount, but when I announced that amount, I said the details of how that was to be acquitted would be contained in the cyber security strategy, which is what we're doing today. But there are some additional measures that are contained in today's announcement and with new funding attached to that. And they range from one of the most practical, which was to ensure that there are additional AFP officers to actually then go and follow through on what this capability has provided us to identify people. I mean, that's a very practical thing. At the end of the day, someone has still got to slap the cuffs on, and that's what this does.
Peter?
MINISTER DUTTON: So Chris, ASD obviously has a very unique set of powers. They're the best in the business. And I think we should be very proud of the work that they do. They are involved in military operations where they stop terrorist attacks taking place. They prevent all sorts of crimes being committed against Australian citizens. And even recently in relation to COVID-19, the ASD was able to step in and block some of those scam attacks where Australians were being targeted financially and are being asked to give passwords, etc. So we could have built that capacity within the Australian Federal Police, that technical capacity, the decision that we took was that that would just be a duplication of that effort. It would take years to ramp up. And the threat from these cyber actors is here and now. So what we're proposing here is that the Australian Federal Police or the ACIC, with a warrant from a court knowing that somebody operating a server, whether it was in Seattle or Sydney, if they're targeting Australian citizens, that the Australian Federal Police or the ACIC, with that warrant from a court, would be able to target that paedophile network regardless of where they are in the world. Predominantly, though, as you're well aware, most of these servers and these syndicates operate offshore, but our desire is to protect Australians here and abroad, if that's appropriate. So that's the skill that we're tapping into, the power only applies to, as I say, the two agencies, the Australian Federal Police, the ACIC, not the ASD. And they can only be exercised in relation to those people who are alleged to be committing very serious offences. There's more detail that we will provide in time. But we are talking about terrorists. We are talking about people involved in very significant drug operations. We're worried about those paedophile networks in particular. And that's the target. And that's the logic behind what we're proposing today.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, if I may ask a question about WA’s border trial, WA Premier Mark McGowan has requested that the Commonwealth support WA’s request for the border court trial brought on by Clive Palmer be vacated and a fresh trial be ordered. WA says this will be important as it means the evidence given by experts called by the Commonwealth last week will be struck out. What's your response to this? Our understanding is Mark McGowan spoke to you on this yesterday?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I haven't had any discussion with Premier McGowan on this. I have a letter from him and I received that yesterday. And I'll be writing back to him in a way that I believe will assist the WA government with what they're seeking to achieve. The WA government asked us to withdraw from the case with no other requests. We did that on Monday. We did it fulsomely and comprehensively. But I'll be writing back to him today. And our response, I believe, will assist what they're seeking to do. The WA Premier, he has a quarrel not with me on this at all. His quarrel is elsewhere.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on the pandemic, back in April you stood there and then and you said that the Commonwealth would give cooperation for the Ruby Princess special commission. Why is it then that the Commonwealth has resisted a summons from Brett Walker for an official from the federal government to give evidence to that commission, especially when mistakes have been made by Border Force and also the Department of Agriculture staff? And Minister Dutton do you believe that the Border Force officer who misinterpreted this document as being negative for COVID-19 would have allowed 11 isolated passengers to leave the Ruby Princess if he had properly understood the documents?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I’ll let Peter, you go.
MINISTER DUTTON: I'm happy to deal with the whole thing. So we have cooperated. We've provided a submission to the inquiry and there's precedent in history in relation to Commonwealth and state inquiries, you're aware of all of that Andrew, so we have provided that information. The suggestion by you that there's been wrongdoing by the Australian Border Force is completely wrong. Now, the Australian Border Force does not have a role in relation to clearing people on health grounds. We do not employ doctors and nurses at airports or at sea ports. My- people within the Australian Border Force, who again have gone above and beyond in this response, have really worked day and night to keep Australians safe, I'm not going to have them besmirched on a regular basis by anybody. And well, it is actually-
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]
MINISTER DUTTON: Because, I'm sorry it is. Because in your question, you put that there was wrongdoing and there's not. Now, those officers have done their job in relation to this incident and others, but they do not provide clearances. They are not, they don't have the technical capacity to do that. They are, they are involved in customs and migration clearances of people.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Andrew. I'm going to go, to I'm gonna go over here to Phil.
JOURNALIST: Olivia firstly.
JOURNALIST: The list of businesses allowed to remain open under Victoria’s stage 4 restrictions. Sorry, the list of businesses allowed to remain open under Victoria’s stage four restrictions wasn't released until the middle of last night. So a lot of workers woke up this morning unsure whether they were going to be able to go into work or not. When were you advised of what businesses would be allowed to remain open?
PRIME MINISTER: I was, I received the final list personally a few moments before the Premier made the final announcement. Now, there had been consultations going on between Commonwealth officials and input I should probably better describe it as, from Commonwealth departments and agencies. And quite a lot of departments, of infrastructure, industry and others were providing input to the Victorian government over the course of those several days leading up to that announcement.
But the final list was circulated to me not long before the Premier made his announcement.
JOURNALIST: The list released last night about which workers can continue to go into work?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that wasn't a list that was provided to me.
Phil?
JOURNALIST: The Victorian situation has obviously deteriorated-
PRIME MINISTER: [Inaudible] the Commonwealth, by the way, it was just not a list that was directly provided to me.
JOURNALIST: The Vic situation has obviously put a spanner in the works, the three stage re-opening of the economy. But on top of that, we're now seeing Premiers like Annastacia Palaszczuk say, you know, new border closures. South Australia putting up restrictions, the business in WA that Annabel just referred to. How confident then are you that you can salvage that that plan to open a COVIDSafe economy to get all the states back on board and work towards a COVIDSafe economy? Do you still think that's realistic?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, I do. But it will take some time. I mean, the setbacks in Victoria are serious and significant, and that is devastating for the Victorian economy. But as I indicated before, also for the national economy. And while the majority of those impacts are within Victoria, the supply chain impacts, the confidence impacts. These things are obviously impacting other states and territories. But let's remember, seven out of eight states and territories are in a fantastic position, an actually tremendous position. Zero cases in Queensland today, but still in New South Wales, only about a dozen cases. And they've been able to keep that down for several weeks now. Just a handful of cases, dozen or so cases, certainly under 20. And that's been an extraordinary effort under the pressures that that system has been under in New South Wales. See New South Wales’ result, the results in other states do fill me with confidence. I mean, yes, the virus has given us a terrible beating down there in Victoria, but in New South Wales and Queensland and many other states and territories, well, they've been serving it back. And that shows that I think we can come through it. But obviously, the ability to do that starts with ensuring that we have the health situation in a stronger position than certainly we have it now in Victoria. Now, you'll recall many months ago, I mean, interstate travel was one of the restrictions that was in place right across the country at the outset. So I'm not surprised that states will be hesitant, even where they have no cases about those, that potential movement of the virus, that doesn't surprise me. That's why I'm not offering any commentary or response to that. All I've simply said is that in these circumstances, let's work together, as Victoria and New South Wales did, together with the Commonwealth very constructively on the New South Wales border closure and with WA that's why I've recommended the way forward as to how we can work constructively on those border issues. And I look forward to the Premier of Western Australia accepting those key principles that I set out to guide that. So yes, Phil, I think we can get there again, but we've got to push through this first and we've got to push through it together.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister yesterday you flagged some issues in the Victorian supply chain, how confident are you that these issues have been dealt with? Have you heard from Daniel Andrews on that issue today? And are you concerned at all that Victorians are going to go without any important goods over this lockdown period?
PRIME MINISTER: The Premier, I understand will be making some further announcements on this today. He may well have already done so while we've been standing here and we have been, as I've indicated, very determined to ensure that they have been fully aware of the feedback we've been getting from industry. Now, there are, this occurs at a number of levels around critical supplies, and particularly when it comes to food and not just in Victoria, but the knock on effects of that for supply chains in other parts of the country. I can say that we've passed on that advice very frankly and very fully. And so I'll await to see what the announcements have been from the Premier. Ultimately, he has to make those calls and he has got to- and I'm sure and I know he is seeking to appreciate all the dimensions of this. That is certainly my view. But ultimately, he has to make judgements about weighing these things up. And he'll, he will make those calls. And then we will just have to do our best to make that work.
JOURNALIST: Minister, just one for you. Hylton King deported overnight, a part of another wave of New Zealanders. What do you make of his actions? But also, are you not worried that sending more Kiwis back to New Zealand could anger the New Zealand government?
MINISTER DUTTON: Well, I think this is a crime that really shocked Queenslanders. So this individual strangled a young policewoman and it was a vicious crime. It was a cowardly act. And my decision to cancel his visa and deport him from our country I think reflects the values of most Australians. 99 per cent of people who come to our country do the right thing. But in this case, clearly he's done the wrong thing. And we just don't want people of that very poor character in our country. So I think good riddance to him. I'm glad that he's gone. And I'm sorry that the young police officer will live for the rest of her life with, scarred with the memory of that incident, because it was a very, very cowardly attack and he deserved to be deported.
PRIME MINISTER: Back to Lebanon, just on the other points. I mean, most of them, I covered off before, but the aid we're providing is both to the World Food Programme and to the Red Cross for food, medical care and essential items. There were, as I indicated yesterday, staff who were injured in the explosions. But they are safe and accounted for and we wish them a speedy recovery. I also want to thank the US officials in their embassies in Beirut for their support. And just to remind people of the consular emergency centre line, +61 2 6261 3305.
I'll take one more and then I think we'll leave it there, John?
JOURNALIST: Thanks Prime Minister, just with an effective unemployment rate of 13 per cent and a significant hit from the Victorian situation. Will you be considering significant new discretionary aggregate demand stimulus to stop that jobless rate becoming entrenched? And can we afford to wait to the October 6 budget if you are prepared to do that?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the ERC is meeting constantly, and the Treasurer and I are considering some further issues around JobKeeper, as I said we would be and the Treasurer will make more announcements about that. We are making announcements constantly about this. The Budget will be in October and that will be another significant, arguably the most significant instalment in these announcements in addition to those that have already been made over these many months, I mean, right now, let's not forget, we've got a billion dollars going into skills which we've announced between the states and the Commonwealth. We've got $1.5 billion dollars going to support 180,000 apprentices. We've got a $600 million dollar plus HomeBuilder programme. We've got a $250 million dollar entertainment industry programme. We've got new incentives going into the film industry. There has been a significant amount of aggregate demand stimulus and support work. And that's on top of JobKeeper and JobSeeker and the $750 dollar support payments that have gone in twice now in both quarters to welfare beneficiaries. The cash flow assistance support. So there is a significant investment, unprecedented in this country that is continuing to be made and that will continue to roll out. And if there are measures that need to be brought forward, they will be brought forward. But the budget also provides the important platform to actually pursue even longer term reforms. And I've said, been talking about those now for some time. The skills issues, the industrial relations issues, the energy supply issues, the manufacturing industry strategies, all of this, critically important infrastructure, which has been such a huge part of our economic plan. The budget will address all of these things, but on top of that, there will continue to be supports, like the measures I announced just today to help with the mental health situation in Victoria. So the expenditure review committee of Cabinet is meeting again this afternoon, and we meet very regularly to deal with these issues. The news about the economic impact is devastating. But I can tell you in terms of Australia, even with these hits, even with these hits, we are doing better than many and most. I mean, you only have to look at the information we receive about what has happened in Spain, in France, what's happening in the United Kingdom. All these very large developed economies, Sweden as well, which had very few restrictions but has experienced a significant fall in their GDP in the June quarter. Australia is doing better and we will keep doing better if we keep sticking together.
Thanks very much.
Address, Aspen Security Forum - 'Tomorrow in the Indo-Pacific'
5 August 2020
Thank you, Margaret, and again, g’day from Australia to everyone who is joining us this morning. I want to thank you for the opportunity to talk to you this morning.
In my remarks before opening up to questions, there are three things I wanted to cover.
Firstly, Australia’s assessment of the strategic outlook in the COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 environment.
Secondly, Australia’s response to this challenge.
And third, how our two countries, Australia and the United States, such wonderful friends and allies, can work together to advance our shared goals of free societies, open markets and sovereign independence, particularly in our part of the world.
In examining the international environment, I want to start from two first principles, from some first principles.
And to reference the work of an Australian thinker who saw the world more clearly than almost anyone in his era or since, I believe.
I am referring to Hedley Bull, whose 1977 work, The Anarchical Society, remains one of the most influential works on global politics of the last half century. I’ve got a copy on my bookshelf behind me.
Bull coined the notion of ‘a society of states’ or ‘international society’ – said to exist when sovereign nations consider themselves to be ‘bound by a common set of rules in their relations and share in the working of common institutions.’
So what is the state of today’s ‘international society’, particularly in our shared Indo-Pacific region?
Today, the Indo-Pacific is the epicentre of strategic competition.
Tensions over territorial claims are growing.
The pace of military modernisation is unprecedented.
Democratic nations face new threats from foreign interference.
Cyber-attacks are increasing in frequency and sophistication.
Disinformation is being used to manipulate free societies.
The trade rules that have allowed us to prosper have not evolved to meet new challenges.
And economic coercion is increasingly employed as a tool of statecraft.
It’s fair to say that in 2020, our ‘international society’ is under strain.
The reaction of some has been to fret about the weakening of the rules-based international order. Fair enough.
We want to see international engagement framed by agreed rules and norms, not crude economic or political coercion.
But nor do we practically think longing for the past amounts to a strategy.
The configuration of power in global politics has changed.
We have to deal with the world as it is, not as we’d like it to be.
The liberal rules and norms of what has been known as the American Century are under assault.
‘The jungle is growing back’, as Robert Kagan has observed.
And we need to tend to the gardening.
A critical priority is to build a durable strategic balance in the Indo-Pacific.
For more like-minded nations to act more cohesively, more consistently, more often. To align.
I assure you that Australia is not being passive - we’re acting to shape that tomorrow right now.
Australia’s approach is summed up by a quote in the Aspen Institute publication, A Struggle for Power, launched earlier this year.
It was in the chapter contributed by Robert Blackwill, and the quote came from someone not usually cited in foreign policy analyses - Leonardo da Vinci, of all people. The quote reads:
I have been impressed by the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.
Now, we are doing in Australia.
Last month, I launched Australia’s 2020 Defence Strategic Update.
That description doesn’t do the policy commitment justice. This is a major strengthening of our force posture. This has been a major development.
We are building the capability and potency of our defence force, sharpening our focus on our immediate region, and increasing our capabilities to deter actions against our interests.
We will increase our ability to respond to actions and operations in the ‘grey zone’ — falling below the threshold of traditional armed conflict.
Australia already spends more on our defence than most of the United States’ alliance partners.
2 per cent of our GDP is no longer a target, it is a floor for us and we will spend even more – a commitment of $270 billion over the next decade.
We pull our weight.
And we are continuing to invest in the relationships in the Indo-Pacific to pursue common interests in peace, stability, openness and prosperity.
Just last month, a landmark economic partnership agreement between Australia and Indonesia came into force.
In June, our close friend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and I announced the elevation of our ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
In a virtual summit with my good friend Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last month, we added to our Special Strategic Partnership through an agreement on space co-operation.
And we’re both taking concrete action to support our Pacific and Southeast Asian friends and family.
My visit to Vietnam last year was the first stand-alone bilateral visit by an Australian leader in 25 years.
We agreed to increase the depth and breadth of the security, economic and education components of our relationship.
And as its first Dialogue Partner, Australia is working more closely than ever with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN.
These new networks of co-operation are absolutely vital. They are crucial.
For trade.
For science and technology.
For defence and security.
For people-to-people exchange.
Again, to reinforce what Hedley Bull called the ‘international society’.
It’s the same for our family in the islands of the South West Pacific, where we have a special responsibility.
We all want a region that’s strategically secure, economically stable and politically sovereign.
That’s what Australia’s Pacific Step-Up, which we have initiated, is all about.
As we face the challenges of COVID-19, it’s never been more important.
We’ve provided PPE, testing equipment and medical expertise.
And we’re maintaining essential services and humanitarian corridor so overseas experts and critical supplies can get where they’re needed most.
This is happening despite the increasing uncertainty in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
Australia is not being a bystander. We are not leaving it to others.
Not in our region. That is not in our interest. And not in the multilateral system either.
Not in the wake of the greatest health and economic twin crisis of our lifetimes.
We are using all elements of statecraft to shape the world we want to see.
I emphasise that we are not, though, uncritical participants in multilateral fora.
We will call it as we see it.
International institutions are most effective when they are driven by, and responsive to, the society of sovereign states that form them.
As Hedley Bull argued, they are symptoms of a well-functioning society of states, not the cause.
When global institutions and their bureaucracies become unaccountable, when they become vulnerable to manipulation or coercion, when they lose the confidence of their membership, they fail in their task to help the sovereign nations that establish them agree a common sets of rules to guide their relationships.
In my Lowy Institute speech nearly a year ago, I described that trend as negative globalism.
And my view hasn’t changed.
As I said and repeat now, we believe in a positive globalism, where nations like Australia engage directly with others, as equal, sovereign nations, in the pursuit of common objectives through these fora.
This is a cornerstone of our approach to the Indo-Pacific region, and to our engagement with nations, large and small.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have welcomed China’s rise as a major economic partner.
It has been great for our economy and the global economy and the Indo-Pacific region.
But with the economic rise does come economic and broader strategic responsibility.
China has a role to enhance regional and global stability, commensurate with its new status.
Such a role is about the broader global and regional interest, rather than a narrow national or aspirational interest.
Because global expectations of China are now higher, and they always have been so for the United States.
Together, China and the United States have a special responsibility to uphold what Bull described as ‘the common set of rules’ that build an international society.
Now, that means respecting international law and the peaceful resolution of disputes, including trade disputes.
It means a commitment to rules-based economic interaction.
Neither coercion nor abdication from the international system is the way forward.
Finally, I want to make this point to some of the lessons that we’ve learnt during COVID-19, and we’re all going through this as a global community.
COVID-19 has been an unmitigated calamity for the world.
I won’t dwell on these issues now because we’re living them and experiencing them.
But COVID-19 has also created new opportunities, including for new groupings of like-minded countries now working together like never before, sharing information, supporting each other.
Many new friendships have been made with foreign leaders, including from Australia, and we’re re-energising old ones.
This enhanced pathway we’re working down is making a more dynamic system.
This is a development that our nations must build on.
We must expand the scope and scale of co-operation by like-minded economies.
And we must do this thoughtfully as we build the network of like-minded economies, we need to build a greater sense of unity across all elements of our engagement.
Now, that means taking a more pragmatic, which is a very Australian way, and rounded approach to our global and regional relationships.
We’ve got to do what works.
The sense of unity necessary amongst like-minded partners can be undermined if positive political and security relationships are accompanied by abrasive or confrontational trade relationships.
We should avoid cases where we build closer strategic co-operation, only to see the cohesiveness of those relationships undermined by trade disputes. The two have got to go together.
I am not suggesting we should dull or seek to constrain the national instinct of our businesspeople and exporters to compete in global markets. God forbid.
And I do not argue that any of us should turn a blind eye to unfair trading measures imposed by our friends.
Security and trade policy approaches must be well integrated, they cannot work against each other and in isolation from each other.
A solely transactional approach to trading relationships can undo so many of the gains made in other parts of relationships amongst like-minded partners.
Australia’s foreign policy is not simply transactional.
As we work with new global partners, our alliances with fellow liberal democracies will endure and strengthen.
It’s important to have secure and trusted supply chains, particularly in these times.
Australia is resolutely committed to our Five-Eyes partnership, and our ever‑closer ties with our friends in Europe.
And we look to, and share a belief in, the values and institutions that the United States has championed and we share.
We respect each other as equal partners with the United States.
We do our fair share of the heavy lifting.
We’ve got each other’s back.
As I said on the South Lawn with the President last year: we look to the United States, as I said to President Trump, but we don’t leave it to the United States. That’s not who we are.
Providing the ballast that underpins an international society depends greatly on the leadership of the United States.
America has long been a major stabilising factor in the Indo-Pacific region, and its continued focus here and engagement is absolutely vital to the world.
So the Australian way is clear.
We will play our part in maintaining the strategic balance so necessary in the Indo-Pacific.
We will invest in regional relationships because we all have a stake in the future.
We will strengthen our ties with fellow liberal democracies and like-mindeds, working with all partners in the region as well.
Ladies and gentlemen, this month marks 75 years since Victory in the Pacific.
1945 was a defining year in human history.
The year the Second World War ended.
The year the United Nations was founded.
The year that a Chicago businessman visited Colorado and decided to found the Aspen Institute.
It was a year of ‘doing’.
Actions that built new friendships, including with old enemies.
Actions that laid the foundation for unprecedented peace and prosperity over recent generations.
Actions that sought to ensure a global strategic balance.
Today’s task is no different.
We must tend that garden and we must rebuild Bull’s ‘international society’ anew.
Press Conference - Canberra, ACT
3 August 2020
PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon everyone, I am joined by Professor Kelly who will be speaking of the ongoing work that has been done by the medical expert panel, the AHPPC, on the scale and the terribly devastating situation in Victoria. This has been another heartbreaking day for Victorians, which means it’s a heartbreaking day for all Australians. I know that across Victoria, many today, frankly, would have reached breaking point trying to come to terms with what has happened in their state, what it means for them, what it means for their family, what it means for their businesses. They've worked so hard for their jobs, for their livelihoods, for the care of their children and their education. It's heartbreaking. This pandemic, this virus, is taking a heavy toll. And now is the time, as it has been throughout this pandemic, that we continue to provide support to one and other, that we look out for each other, we offer an elbow of support. I wish it was a hug, but we know that's not going to help. But that offer of support being there for each other at this time is incredibly important. If you've got friends in Victoria, call them. Cheer them up. Encourage them. Let them know you're there for them if you're in a state in a much better situation which, thankfully, all other states and territories are. Offer whatever support you can. We've asked so much of Australians over these many months and we've asked even more of Victorians. And now we're asking, through the Victorian Premier, even more. We know that we have to help them push through because Australia's future depends on these weeks and months ahead.
So today, I'm here to do nothing more than encourage people. You've heard what the announcements are from the Victorian Premier. You've heard what the additional restrictions are that the Victorian government has decided to put in place with the additional workforce measures that have been announced today. And I expect there will be some frustration and some further clarity that will be needed to be provided in the days ahead on the list that have been provided by the Victorian government today. And we will need to work through that together, the Commonwealth government, similarly, we'll have to do that on important issues like childcare and the like, and we're doing that right now. But, right now, here, today, it is a matter of just helping each other absorb what is another devastating blow.
As we work to come to terms with how we respond to the list which has been provided today, and I do want to thank Premier Andrews over the weekend, in particular, there's been a lot of consultation that's been going on as our agencies and departments, particularly the economic departments, the industry departments and so on, Prime Minister and Cabinet have been working with the Victorian government to provide our input as to where they went to from here. The Victorian government has considered all that and sent out the list that they have today. But we will need some further clarity on a number of matters and I'm sure that will be forthcoming. The Commonwealth Government has been providing considerable support to Victoria, as the Treasurer said this morning, some $14 billion of support already there. The additional mental health support advised by the Health Minister yesterday is particularly important at this time.
The JobKeeper program, the JobSeeker program, is all there and available now. Businesses affected by today's announcements that previously may not have been on JobKeeper can apply now, based on the prospective impact of these announcements on their business in the months ahead. They can apply for JobKeeper now. People can apply who are affected, potentially, by loss of employment, can apply for JobSeeker now. And those payments run at their current level, as you know, out until the end of September, which is beyond even the period of restrictions that the Premier has announced and that will continue. Mutual obligation arrangements for JobSeeker for Victoria have been suspended in the way that they have been done previously to ensure that people can continue to access those payments.
Now, last week, I indicated to you that we were working on a plan and consulting and discussing these issues of pandemic leave and we've been able to come to a conclusion on that today, which I was awaiting the Premier's press conference before announcing. And so, for that reason, that explains the lateness of the hour as to why we're here making those announcements this afternoon. What we will be doing is establishing a pandemic leave disaster payment. Earlier this year, when we were confronting the bushfires, we made a number of additional disaster payments, particularly for children and families affected by bushfires. What we're dealing with here is a disaster and we need to respond on the basis of the way we provide support in the midst of disasters. This pandemic is a disaster and we need a disaster payment when it comes for people who have to isolate for a period of 14 days through no fault of their own, regardless of what job they're in or employment they're in. They need that support. Those who are already receiving JobSeeker, they are already getting income support. Those who are already getting JobKeeper, they are already receiving income support if they're in those circumstances. So what we'll be putting in place is for those who have no more sick leave available to them, that they will be eligible for a $1,500 payment for the fortnight. That payment will be modelled on exactly the same set of criteria that the Victorian government has put in place, those payments will be principally made to those on short-term visas, so those who are not permanent residents or citizens of Australia who otherwise wouldn't have accessed Commonwealth payments, the Victorian government will continue to provide that support, we will make sure that everyone else who finds themselves in this situation and they don't have that leave available to them through their sick leave because it's been exhausted will get a $1,500 payment for that fortnight. That payment will be made in the same way that Disaster Recovery Payments are made. People would only need to ring the number 180-22-66, I'm advised from Wednesday, and will be able to update that between now and then if there are any changes to that time frame and they'll be able to make applications over the phone, which they can do for other disaster-type payments, and that should be turned around fairly quickly. That means that those who need to self-isolate as a result of an instruction by a public health officer, there is no economic reason for you to go to work. We are also encouraging the Victorian government to ensure that there are appropriate penalties in place for those who do break those public health notices and they're told to self-isolate and do go to work. They're putting their workmates at risk. They're putting their employer's business at risk. They're putting the broader health at risk.
But today is not the day for those types of instructions. Today is a day for letting Victorians know that we are there to support you. And we will be there to support you with a $1,500 payment in the same way that others receive JobKeeper that, if you're put in that situation, you can have that support for that two week period. So that has gone through the Expenditure Review Committee of Cabinet today after formulating this proposal over recent days and we're very pleased to be able to do that. The cost for this, obviously, will be shared on the basis that it is currently being done between payments by the Commonwealth and the state. The state will be proposing, and I've already discussed this with the Premier, will continue to pick up the costs for those who are short-term visa holders, and the Commonwealth will pick up the costs for Australian residents and citizens as a result of this payment. People can actually access the payment multiple times if, unfortunately, they're in a position where they have to self-isolate as a direct requirement on multiple times and hopefully, that won't be too often, and hopefully people will only have to go through that on the single occasion but we know that isn't always the case.
So that's where we got to today. Before I hand you over to Professor Kelly, I just want to assure Victorians, again, that I know it's a really tough day for you and I know you've had some really heartbreaking news. The idea that, in this country, we'd be living at a time where there would be a night curfew on an entire city of the size of Melbourne was unthinkable. But, frankly, as we've moved through this pandemic, we've had to deal with a lot of unthinkable things. But I'll tell you what - we will deal with it. Victorians, I know, are up to it. I know they will support each other. And I know that other Australians will support Victorians. I just want all Victorians to know that, here, your Australian Government will continue to stand with you with all the support we can provide because you will get through this and we will get through it together once again.
Thank you, Professor Kelly.
PROFESSOR PAUL KELLY, ACTING CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Thank you, Prime Minister. This pandemic continues to reverberate around the world, not only here in Australia and not only in Victoria, but particularly today, our hearts are with our Victorian families, friends and colleagues. So globally, almost 18 million cases now, close to 700,000 deaths. This is a huge, huge thing in terms of a health disaster or health emergency. Here in Australia, 18,318 cases now, including, sadly, 221 deaths. So, 444 new cases since yesterday and 13 deaths, most of those related to aged care. We continue to have, therefore, almost 7,000 active cases, most of those, almost all of those, are in Melbourne, and other parts of Victoria - mostly in Melbourne - and a growing number of unlinked cases. So these ones that we can't make clear connections to known clusters or outbreaks. These are the reasons why these new restrictions have been announced today. I can say that I had a very good and fruitful conversation with my colleague, Professor Sutton, on Friday night, together with Professor Murphy and also Professor Alan Cheng from Victoria, the Deputy Chief Health Officer down there. In that conversation, they laid out exactly what they were seeing from the first three weeks of the lockdown in Melbourne and considering what we knew from the modelling, particularly that R effective number that we've talked about many times before. That’s hovering around about 1. It shows that Stage 3 lockdowns have been effective to a point but, if we were to continue in the way we're continuing in Melbourne at the moment, those large numbers we're seeing at the moment would continue. On average, every person that has the infection infecting one other person. Because that would mean that this would prolong those Stage 3 lockdowns, it would prolong the issues of large numbers of cases and what we're seeing there in terms of unacceptable illness and even deaths, as well as the seeding into other jurisdictions and the rural areas of Victoria, there was a need to do something else.
And so what was announced today was very proportionate and based on the general principle that the virus does not move by itself. It moves with people. So if you decrease the movement around a city like Melbourne, you will get on top of this virus spread. Decreasing that mixing of people and that close interaction, that is the way we stop the spread, we flatten that curve by decreasing that R effective number. And I'm really convinced that this will happen. It will take time. These things always take about two weeks or so, sometimes longer, to show that they are effective. But this will be effective. And so it has to be, of course, related to all those other things we've talked about in terms of personal issues of hygiene, cough etiquette, if you're sick, stay at home, everyone should be staying at home, particularly those who have tested positive. Seek a test if you are sick. Make sure that isolation is really taken into account. That, together with the ongoing engagement with the community, I'm sure that the Victorian authorities have done the right thing today, and the Australian Health Protection Committee is absolutely behind that.
I'll leave it there, PM.
JOURNALIST: On the pandemic leave payment, is this something you're prepared to make available to other states, even though they're not in crisis like Victoria?
PRIME MINISTER: No, this is a disaster payment. So if another state were to be in a position and God forbid they were that there was a disaster of the scale that we're seeing in Victoria, then a disaster payment of this nature, of Pandemic leave, would be entered into, but that would be done on the same basis of what’s been, will be established with Victoria. So this is to deal with a disaster.
JOURNALIST: There wouldn't be a pre-emptive element to make it available to other states?
PRIME MINISTER: Sorry?
JOURNALIST: Wouldn't it be a pre-emptive element, you could head off outbreaks in other states by making this available?
PRIME MINISTER: The advice we have - and Paul can come in on this as well the number of cases in other states, and the way that's being handled and remember, there are other payments available under the JobSeeker program already to persons who find themselves in this situation. I should also note, this dates from the time of them getting the notification that they need to self-isolate. There is already a payment the Victorian Government makes in relation to the period, waiting between when you take your test and when you get your test results back. That's already in place. So what we're seeking to do is supplement and support. I'll be proposing to the Premier it's up to them whether they wish to take this up that we can consolidate what the Victorian Government is doing and what we propose to do into one single-payment process but the first step is to ensure that we roll this out as well and so those two systems will run in parallel at first, but I imagine that we can move fairly quickly to streamlining those as quickly as possible.
Lanai?
JOURNALIST: Will this payment only be available for six weeks of the Stage 4 lockdowns? And also given the devastating situation in Victoria, do you concede that it is correct for the WA border to remain closed given 96% of Western Australians want it to remain closed?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I addressed it on the weekend Lanai so I've got nothing further to add to the letter that I've put in writing to the Premier. But in relation to the other matter, you'll just have to remind me of the first part of the question?
JOURNALIST: Will this be only be available for six weeks?
PRIME MINISTER: It'll be there for as long as the Government says it is there as a disaster - we've left it open-ended at this point. Once the pandemic disaster is, has we hope, returned to the sort of situation you're seeing in other states currently, then that's when disaster payments traditionally are no longer applied. But we anticipate that this payment will be needed for some time, and it will be made available until for as long as it's necessary.
Andrew?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there's been a steady rise in the unlinked cases. Have you got a stronger handle on what's gone wrong with the contact tracing in Victoria? Perhaps Professor Kelly could jump in there as well. Secondly, Prime Minister, I understand you intend to bring Parliament back for two weeks. How's that going to run, given that you're going to have potentially scores, if not hundreds of people, coming from a pandemic disaster zone into the ACT?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, in relation to your first question, we've been focusing on how we can help to make it right and to make it as effective as possible, and that's where we've been applying our efforts, particularly through the Australian Defence Forces and the work that Commodore Hill has been doing directly with the Public Health officers in Victoria, and that work, I know, has been improving the situation, particularly the work, also, that the ADF have been doing in the direct doorknocking, which, that presence has been expanded, and that's also been very effective. But it's also highlighting weaknesses of even where people have been tested, have been traced, that isolation is not necessarily being complied with. And so we're supporting. I mean, our job is to help them do it as effectively as possible with all the supports and resources we're providing them, and it's for the Victorian government to be responsible for the overall management of that program.
Paul, did you want to?
PROFESSOR KELLY: Yes so on contact tracing, the numbers are enormous. Any contact-tracing effort anywhere in the world would struggle with the sort of numbers we've seen in Victoria over the last little while to make that very detailed forward and back assessment about where people might have been before they got sick and the ones that may have been in contact afterwards. So it’s not, it doesn't surprise me that they're now finding ones that they can't make those links. In terms of parliament,
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah Parliament, an important one, I’ll offer comment on this as well, there has been a working group working with the Presiding Officers, and the Government has been contributing to that. I'll be providing further information, advice to them tomorrow. Parliament will come back. It will meet. I always said it would meet. And I meant that when I said it. We'll be putting in place arrangements that would comply with the advice that we receive both from the Chief Health Officer here in the ACT, and we've also sought further advice from the CMO. Ultimately, the Commonwealth Government will respond to the advice from the CMO, and they've been working closely together to ensure that the appropriate protections are put in place for any people who would be coming here from Victoria. There are two issues here. Most importantly, public health. If you bring together over 200 people plus staff into one place from all around the country, then obviously you've got to be very careful about the onward transmission from infected parts of the country and how that could then potentially operate going out into other states. So we will have some very strict protocols around that, and seeking the full compliance of all members with that process. But it is important that Parliament continues to meet. When we made the decision about Parliament not sitting when it was next scheduled to meet, there were a lot of uncertainties. We've got a clearer view now, and we know the situation has actually become even more serious, but we believe we can put arrangements in place.
Paul?
PROFESSOR KELLY: So the Prime Minister's correct, we've, I’ve had a lot of discussions with my colleague in the ACT, Dr Coleman, and others, and we'll have to work through those issues. But it is a risk for, within the building to ACT and also, as parliamentarians come from other parts of the country and back to their parts. But that risk can be mitigated and it will be mitigated.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just in relation to what we've seen in Victoria how is that impacting what you're planning on doing with JobKeeper beyond September? Does it make any changes to what you envisioned?
PRIME MINISTER: What's important is that those businesses and employees who have been impacted particularly by these decisions will continue to get the support of JobKeeper, and I believe they will. They'll qualify for JobKeeper now. And so I'd encourage them to make those applications if they're not already on JobKeeper. We have a large number of businesses that are on JobKeeper in Victoria already. And so they will continue to get that support, and those who haven't required it up until now and will need it will be able to apply immediately for it and get access to it. And the same goes for JobSeeker as well and those supports being in place. So if there are any issues around eligibility that need to be looked at more closely, the Treasurer's already doing that. I flagged that with you last week. And so that process will continue. But remember, that is at the end of September.
Sorry?
JOURNALIST: Do you delay reducing the rate, given what we're seeing in Victoria?
PRIME MINISTER: Well look, we're talking about something 2 and a half months from now. 2 and a half months from now. We’re talking about, sorry, well, 2 months from now, we're into August, it's the end of September. So we're talking about something many weeks from now, and we'll be making further assessments of that. But the JobKeeper program is a national program. It applies in Cairns. It applies in Bunbury. It applies in Brunswick. So it will continue to run as a national program, and any specific issues that are relevant to Victoria, we would seek to meet together with the Victorian government.
JOURNALIST: On hydroxychloroquine, can I ask you both, if I might, first Professor
PRIME MINISTER: Not a subject I'm an expert in, so I'll have to leave it to the Chief Medical Officer.
JOURNALIST: Chief Medical Officer, if I could ask you, Professor, if you're happy with the current settings that prevent prescription of the drug in Australia. And Prime Minister, can I ask you if you're happy with your MP, Craig Kelly, promoting it to the point where he says Dan Andrews could be jailed because he bans the drug in Victoria?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm not going to get onto what people talk about on Facebook on a day like this but, on the medical issues, I'm happy for the Chief Medical Officer to speak to it.
PROFESSOR KELLY: So Hydroxychloroquine has been used for many, many years for various things, including for malaria prevention. I took it myself for many years when I worked in Africa, and very safe for that particular way of using that drug, and other things currently involved in terms of arthritis and other matters. But in terms of its use for this particular disease, the jury is pretty much out it doesn't work.
PRIME MINISTER: Last one.
JOURNALIST: Free childcare for essential workers in Victoria does there need to be a reintroduction of JobKeeper for childcare workers?
PRIME MINISTER: I spoke to the Education Minister this afternoon. It's still a little unclear what is meant by ‘permitted worker’ in the table that was released this afternoon and we're seeking some further clarity around that. It's very important that we keep these facilities open so they're available to people who will need them and there are a number of ways we can do that and that's what the Education Minister is working through right now. We're very committed to ensuring those facilities remain available. They'll be very important for especially those who are health workers or otherwise unable to provide arrangements for their children as they're earning income. Even if that means they're working at home. So there are a lot of questions that are still unanswered and we'll be seeking those answers from the Victorian Government so we can work with the sector to ensure that we can keep those facilities open, support the workers who are in those facilities, in the same way we'd be seeking to support workers in all facilities and all businesses that are impacted by the announcements today. It's obviously a change to the set of factors we're dealing with when we made those last set of announcements. I mean, the rest of the country, the situation is unchanged. But in Victoria, I suspect we'll need to make some changes, but I won't be announcing those until they've been properly worked through and we get some greater clarity from the Victorian Government about who permitted workers are and what that will mean for demand at facilities and then how that can be worked through with the sector to ensure that they remain open, their businesses remain viable and that their workers are supported.
JOURNALIST: Just on regional Victoria, some of your Nationals colleagues have today have expressed dismay that they're now under stage 3 restrictions when just a few weeks ago, or yesterday they weren't, but just a few weeks ago, they had almost no cases. They said that they're concerned that the Government was unable to stop Melburnians moving across the border of metropolitan Melbourne into the country and spreading the virus. As Paul Kelly said, the virus only spreads with people,
PRIME MINISTER: True.
JOURNALIST: Are you at all concerned that the Victorian Government wasn't able to stop that virus and do you still have confidence that they can stop it spreading further?
PRIME MINISTER: I understand people's frustration. I understand their anger. In some cases, I certainly understand their fury. But I also understand their tears and their deep disappointments. And I think that is the array of very difficult emotions people are going through. Whether they're in metropolitan inner Melbourne or they're out in regional Victoria where there are very few cases. The challenge of dealing with this pandemic is not fair to people. It's very unfair what's happening to people. It's the pandemic and the virus that is doing that, and it means that the Premier obviously has to make some difficult calls and not everybody is going to agree with every call he makes. And he will have to apply his best judgement to the decisions that he's made, and I have no doubt he understands that and understands the accountability for those decisions and I am absolutely sure that he hasn't taken any of them lightly in the many conversations that I've had with him. They're tough calls and he knows he has to make them. He sought to consult, he sought advice, including from the Commonwealth, and we've offered our views and I think the challenges in Victoria are going to be hard to cop. But they're going to be necessary.
There's been so much, in fact, everything that people have had to do is hard to cop over these many months. But it's what we have to do. It's what's necessary. And even if we find it hard to agree with on occasions, or can't understand it, or wish it wasn't happening, or say this didn't need to happen if X and Y were done, none of that really at the end of the day stacks up to what has to be done. And we know what we need to do now. And I know Victorians know what needs to be done now, and I know that many will find it really hard. But we're all counting on them to do it, and we're all in it with them as best as we possibly can. And what I've announced this evening on this disaster payment support with pandemic leave, the $14 billion that has already been put in, the many other measures that are there to support, it's all there to help them get through. I'm backing Melbourne. I'm backing Victoria and I know they will get through this. Thank you very much.