JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Good afternoon. These are very difficult days for more than six million Victorians subject to curfews, business closures, school closures, and other restrictions on their movement. It should never have got to this, but it has, and we are where we are. This is why the Morrison Government is providing unprecedented support to Victorians and indeed to Australians so that we can get to the other side of the coronavirus pandemic.
On the health front, we have around 1,500 Australian Defence Force personnel deployed here in Victoria to help with planning and logistics and the health task. We have hundreds of Commonwealth officials who are also providing important support. We’ve deployed AUSMAT teams to help create safe health environments, as well as allowing millions of masks and other medical equipment to be released from the National Medical Stockpile.
On the economic front, yesterday we announced some significant changes to the JobKeeper program, the single largest economic support package that any Australian government has ever undertaken, at $101 billion.
Yesterday’s announcement saw a further $15.6 billion commitment from the Morrison Government which will see around $13 billion flow into the Victorian economy to support those who need it most. This is on top of the $15 billion that has already flowed to Victorian through JobKeeper, as well as the cash flow boost which is grants of up to $100,000 to businesses based on the size of their pay roll. The expectation is that of the four million Australians who will be on JobKeeper in the September quarter, some 1.5 million of them will be Victorians. This is nearly half of the private sector workforce in Victoria who will be on JobKeeper. In addition to these specific measures, the Morrison Government has also undertaken unprecedented support across a whole range of different areas in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Our financial commitment, our economic supports total $314 billion, the equivalent of around 16 per cent of GDP, or the equivalent of $12,500 for every Australian man, woman and child. The Morrison Government’s commitment of $314 billion in response to this pandemic is unprecedented.
In comparison, the States and Territories have made a commitment of nearly $45 billion, or just over 2 per cent of the Gross State Product. The States can do more, the States need to do more. They have the balance sheet strength to do so. Whether it’s with infrastructure and bringing forth projects as we have, some $10 billion of infrastructure projects we have already brought forward, shovel ready projects so they can put people to work and also boost the productive capacity of the nation.
Small business grants, be they or regional areas and regional small businesses, or those in the metropolitan areas. And of course using their tax system with payroll tax relief, land tax relief and other relief that can be provided to those households and to those businesses in need.
These are really difficult days, these are really challenging times but the Morrison Government will stand with every Australian to get them to the other side.
QUESTION:
Its reported today in the media that the use of private security guards at some of Melbourne’s quarantine hotels was potentially driven by an attempt to provide jobs Victoria’s social inclusion policy. Internal emails specifically refer to one company as satisfying the State Govenrment’s social inclusion targets. Is this something that the Feds were ever concerned about? Or now that is has come to light are you concerned about private security guards being chosen on this basis.
FRYDENBERG:
Well there have clearly been very serious failures when it comes to quarantine in Victoria, with deadly consequences. And Victorians are entitled to know more and to get the answers. They know the what but they don't know the how and the why when it comes to the quarantine failures. I'll leave that to the Victorian Government to provide that explanation as Victorians need and deserve.
QUESTION:
Given Victoria is requiring the most economic support, do you think it should be contributing more than the other states and territories?
FRYDENBERG:
Well, it should be doing whatever it can to support not only its citizens through this difficult time but obviously the economic recovery. And right now, with the curfews and the lockdowns, and many businesses closing their doors, they are going to need dramatic support. And significant support in the weeks and indeed months to come. The Victorian Government's already made some announcements. It made around a half a billion dollar announcement recently about small business grants and some relief for those businesses but of course it needs to do more. It was until recently planning on running operating surpluses and we know this has been a massive shock to the economy. Now we as a Federal Government have and will continue to provide the support that is necessary to Victorians and to all Australians and the Prime Minister has a very good working relationship with the Premier and I can say the same for my relationship with the Victorian Treasurer. But this is a joint effort. And the states can do more and the states do need to do more, including here in Victoria.
QUESTION:
Treasurer, when it comes to economic support the Opposition has criticised the amount of time it's taken to finalise the guidelines to the Arts and Entertainment package. Why is that processing taking so long?
FRYDENBERG:
Obviously we've announced the $250 million commitment to the arts sector, as well as a $400 million plus package of supports to attract major film productions to Australia. So this will all create jobs. Paul Fletcher will be working through those details, getting the guidelines right and providing those opportunities to the businesses. But dare I say, there are many in the arts sector who are night now receiving their $1,500 fortnightly payments, whether they're the Symphony Orchestra, or whether they are the film and theatre production agencies and centres. They are receiving money coming from the Federal Government right this minute. And these announcements that we made were additional to that. But when it comes to the Opposition, I think the Australian people are sick and tired of their whining. They are always criticising and talking down the Australian economy. This is a Team Australia moment. It's not a time for them to constantly be carping from the sidelines, talking down the Australian economy. We're getting on with the job of delivering record support to the Australian people. They know that and the Australian people know that.
QUESTION:
Treasurer, Daniel Andrews says he takes full responsibility for the hotel quarantine issue. Given it was a huge failure, does that mean he failed to properly protect the citizens of his state? Should he be forgiven or is his position untenable?
FRYDENBERG:
I’ll leave that sort of commentary to you and to others in the media. As I've said publicly before, no-one benefits from a slanging match between the Federal Government and the Victorian Government. Between the Prime Minister and the Premier, between the Victorian Treasurer and myself. We want to get on and support Victorians as we're doing right now. And yesterday's of $15.6 billion in additional commitments through the JobKeeper program has come as a great relief. I was speaking to the head of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce recently who said how timely the announcement from the Morrison Government yesterday was, how it's provided hope to Victorian businesses. This comes on top of what we've done with childcare and the new arrangements to support those in Victoria. This comes on top of the additional mental health support we're providing to Victorians when it comes to working with Beyond Blue, Lifeline and Headspace. This comes on top of the paid pandemic leave, the flat $1,500 payments that will go to Victorians who have exhausted their sick leave but are required to isolate as a result of contracting the virus or coming into contact with someone who has the virus. We're just getting on with doing our job and that's supporting Victorians. I'll leave that commentary about Daniel Andrews 'performance to you.
QUESTION:
Treasurer, I was wondering if you could talk about next sitting of Parliament that you and your colleagues will be planning to attend?
FRYDENBERG:
I'll be joining the Health Minister and my other Victorian colleagues who will be self-isolating in order to participate in person in the parliamentary sitting as we should. It's important that I'm there with my colleagues, with the Prime Minister to see the passage through of important legislation. This is a very, very challenging time for our nation, facing a once in a century pandemic. And of course we're following the medical advice and the rules. This requires self-isolation for two weeks. I'll be speaking to you either over the phone or through Zoom and not at a park as I am today. We will be confined in house as we should be to ensure the health and the safety of Canberrians as we make our way to the nation's capital.
QUESTION:
Treasurer, is it frustrating that the hotel quarantine failures in one state have had such a major impact on the Federal Budget?
FRYDENBERG:
Well, it's very frustrating to see failures such as those, absolutely. These were serious failures with deadly consequences. And there needs to be accountability. There needs to be an explanation. Victorians deserve that and want that and need that at this difficult time. They're being asked to make major sacrifices right now. You've got families who are struggling with home schooling. You've got kids who are missing their friends at school and at weekend sport. You have grandparents who are separated from their grandchildren and millions of Victorians who are worried about their own job security. This unfortunately is the state of disaster, as the Premier himself has called it, that we find ourselves here in Victoria. These are unprecedented times. But our focus, as a Federal Government, is supporting the Victorian Government and the Victorian people as much as we can. We're doing that on the health front and of course we are doing that on the economic front.
QUESTION:
Treasurer, you said Victorians deserve answers over what's happened with hotel quarantine and there is the inquiry under way but do you think the Victorian Government has been as up-front as it should have been so far, that the Premier has provided enough information at this point?
FRYDENBERG:
I'll leave those questions for him to answer and for him to explain. What I know is Victorians know the what. They don't know how the how and the why when it comes to the quarantine failures. What we're doing with here is hundreds of new cases in Victoria every day. 97 to 98 per cent of new cases in Australia are coming from Victoria alone. When I was on a phone call with my international counterparts just the other day, their first question was what is transpiring here in Victoria with this second wave? And it's gained international attention and it's obviously brought great pain and heartbreak to many of my fellow Victorians. But we'll get through this. We're resilient as a state, as a nation and all Australians have a vested interest in Victoria's success. And that's why we as a Federal Government, led by the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, will do everything possible to support Victoria through this difficult time.
QUESTION:
Just following on what Jade said, the Premier is not answering any questions, that's the whole point. Do you think that's good enough?
FRYDENBERG:
Well, again, these are failures in Victoria, in hotel quarantine that have had a deadly consequence with community transmission now in our state. And this has had many knock-on effects for the national recovery effort. And I will leave those answers to the Premier and those questions to the Premier to provide.