KARL STEFANOVIC:
Treasurer, good morning to you, thanks for your time.
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Nice to be with you, Karl.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
I think you heard the doctor just then, pretty tough. And when you see all those ambulances stacked at hospitals trying to get into hospitals and we see the numbers inside Melbourne as well rising to more than New South Wales now, this does not bode well.
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well, it’s a very challenging situation. Delta has changed the game and what’s happening in Australia is no different to what we’re seeing in other parts of the world where people are getting sick. There is hospitalisations and tragically there are deaths. But other countries are adjusting to live with the virus, and so must Australia as well, particularly as we hit those vaccination targets of 70 to 80 per cent. And our announcement today, Karl, is all about backing Australia’s plan to reopen. It’s about doing our best to bring to an end these lockdowns so Australians can get their lives back. We can’t continue with these emergency payments indefinitely.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Yeah.
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
And that is why we’re making the announcements today.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
I’ll get on to that in just a second. But are our hospitals prepared enough? Is enough being spent? I know it’s a state government responsibility, but surely, is enough being spent to make sure that we’ve got enough beds, we’ve got enough things in ICU to make sure that we can get through this next period when we aren’t in lockdown and the virus is spreading?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well, all efforts that can be made are being made to ensure that there is a surge capacity in our health system. And as Ally was saying, they’re remarkable people, our frontline health professionals who have battled this virus for nearly two years. And it’s been a huge challenge, and every day we salute them and their incredible work. But the good news is that we are seeing a rapid uptake in the vaccination rates. And those 70 to 80 per cent targets are now in sight, and as the Doherty Institute modelling has shown, once you reach those vaccination targets you can start to ease those restrictions, and we’re certainly encouraging that.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Okay, so you’re essentially cutting off the credit card. Do you really think Anna and Mark will suddenly play ball with you - that they’ll roll over on those targets?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well, I’ve consistently said, Karl, that there should be no expectation that the unprecedented level of economic support from the federal government would continue indefinitely, just as we can’t have lockdowns indefinitely and we need to learn to live with the virus. We can’t eliminate it.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
But Josh –
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
So what we’re announcing today –
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Josh, really quickly – sorry – these people who are in most need of your money, the people who are in these states, it’s not their fault the Premiers won’t open up and you’re cutting the money off them. They’re the people who are most struggling.
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well, Karl, to be very clear, we have in place a COVID disaster payment. That provides up to $750 a week. Right now it’s supporting about one and a half million Australians and the federal government’s providing about a billion dollars of that.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Yeah.
JOSH FRYDENBERG: We’ve entered into partnerships with the state governments on a 50-50 basis for business support. So we're doing the bulk of the heavy lifting. What we’re saying is that COVID disaster payment will need to be applied for every week from when we hit 70 per cent double dose, and the states in New South Wales and Victoria have already announced that they’ll be easing restrictions at 70 per cent. Once you get to the 80 per cent, that payment will cease but there’ll be a two-week transition period. Again, there will be a greater easing of restrictions at that point. So what we’ve tried to do is align the economic support with the national plan that was agreed at national cabinet. It’s a careful, calibrated approach designed to get people back to work but in a COVID-safe way.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
I get you can’t keep it going and going and going. I get that. But many industries just simply won’t be back to normal at 70 or 80 per cent. You have the arts, nightclubs, hospitality, tourism areas, especially around places like Far North Queensland. That’s going to be ages before they’re back, and it will be international travel, perhaps, that brings that back. To cut them off is kind of cold and brutal, isn’t it?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well, firstly, we have announced separate economic support programs for the tourism industries right across all the states and the territories as well as other entertainment venues and businesses. And that is important, including in Queensland which, as you say, is not in lockdown today, but because of those closed borders, Karl, a number of those big tourism businesses in Queensland are hurting – on the Sunshine Coast, in Cairns, on the Gold Coast. So we recently announced in partnership with the Queensland government $600 million to support a range of businesses in Queensland. It’s those sort of direct economic payments that complement what we’ve been doing at a higher, broader level with the COVID disaster payment and other economic support.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Okay. New South Wales this morning it looks like doing a deal with the Nats to speed up carbon reduction. Why can they do a deal with the Nats and you can’t? I mean, people like Bridget McKenzie, who’s on your own team and reckons you’re just a silver tail from a silver spoon suburb. I mean, how do you respond to accusations like that?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well, the first thing I’d say is climate change doesn’t have a postcode; it’s a global problem and a global challenge and it requires national solutions. And that’s what we’re focusing on. The second thing is it’s not about a binary choice between the regions and jobs. In fact, our response to climate change can create jobs, is creating jobs in the region. And a key message here to the Australian people is we’re working on the plan. We are delivering a plan that has seen our emissions reduce by more than 20 per cent since 2005. Now that is a lot faster than Canada, Japan, the United States, New Zealand, our near neighbour. And it’s about practical initiatives that have seen around 3 million cars or the equivalent thereof come off the road, their emissions come off the road, for a total of 15 years. We’ve got the highest take-up of solar panels on people’s roofs in Australia on a per capita basis –
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Okay, okay. I know, I know. I just want to know if you’re still talking to Bridget. I mean, because it makes me upset that there’s some sort of division between you all. Yes?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well, no, we –
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Oh, you’re not talking?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
– certainly are talking regularly.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Okay.
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
We’re talking regularly, including last night and again this morning we’ll be standing up together.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
All right. Good on you, Treasurer. Thanks for your time. We always appreciate it.