EDWINA BARTHOLOMEW:
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg joins us now, good morning to you Treasurer. No doubt these are fantastic numbers but how are you expecting Omicron to have an impact because we've certainly seen, as is the case in New South Wales, that people are putting themselves into lockdown and forcing businesses to make further adjustments?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
I'm not expecting Omicron to derail Australia’s economic recovery. It's certainly a challenge but the early signs are that it’s 75% less severe than the Delta variant and while we have seen people in hospital and ICU and on ventilators, the majority of people who are in hospital are actually unvaccinated. And then after that it's because of the Delta variant. So there is the potential here for the Omicron variant to be that bridge from the pandemic to the endemic. We’ll continue to provide the support that us required on the health front to help Australians get through it. But these job numbers are very encouraging. It shows that Australia is experiencing a jobs boom with around half a million jobs created since September and the unemployment rate has come down to around a 13‑year low at 4.6 per cent compared to 5.7 per cent when Labor last left office. And right around the country small businesses are actually looking for more workers. I'm here in Torquay with Steph Asher, our candidate here, and we are meeting with small business owners who are actually expanding their business and looking for more workers. So programs like JobKeeper and the Cashflow boost were really helpful during the height of this crisis but now these small businesses are getting back on their feet.
MATT SHIRVINGTON:
It is heartening to see, Treasurer. What sectors, what industries are we seeing an uplift in the workforce increasing?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
We’ve seen it across the board as those restrictions have eased, particularly in New South Wales and Victoria. So we’ve seen more workers in hospitality, we've seen workers come back into instruction. We know our mining sector and agriculture sector are looking for more workers, particularly those skilled workers in engineering and the like, and in agriculture sectors we are trying to bring in more workers as well. So across the board we are seeing strong jobs growth but we're not out of this pandemic yet and there is no room for complacency, we have to lock in the recovery and that's what we're focusing on with our investment in skills and infrastructure and providing more tax relief.
EDWINA BARTHOLOMEW:
One big part of that recovery, and in fact living with COVID, is access to rapid antigen tests. We spoke to the Prime Minister earlier who says we've reached a point in the pandemic where we can't give away things for free, but no doubt your discussions with small business today you will find that’s a big challenge for them. A Sunrise viewer, Jenny, can't get to see her mother in an aged care home because she can’t access rapid antigen tests. Is there any money left in the coffers to provide free rapid antigen tests to, not just people in aged care, but people who really need it across the board, Treasurer?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well as the Prime Minister was saying on your program, we are working with the states on providing concessional access and some support for rapid antigen tests that way. And that's what National cabinet will be talking about next week and that’s what the Prime Minister and I and the Finance Minister and the Health Minister have been working through as well. More than 80 million rapid antigen tests have been ordered by the states and they will be making their way to Australia, and they will be an important part of our defence against the virus. Because we have got to move away from those PCR tests as being the default test to the rapid antigen tests which are cheaper, quicker and don’t put as much pressure on the health system. But let's not forget as well that the Federal Government has helped support 55 million PCR tests at a cost to the Commonwealth of around $2.5 billion. So we have picked up the bulk of the cost when it comes to those testing processes.
MATT SHIRVINGTON:
Well hopefully they’ll become more readily available soon. Treasurer, thank you so much for joining us.
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Nice to be with you.