LEON BYNER:
So, Josh Frydenberg, good morning.
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Good morning. Nice to be with you, Leon.
LEON BYNER:
And it’s nice to have you on the show. So, we’ve got a lockdown situation here in SA until next Tuesday and there are a lot of people who can’t work and they’re, of course, scratching their heads wondering, “How am I going to put food on the table?” I know you’ve been in conference with the Government on this. What would you like to tell everybody?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well, the first thing to say is these are very trying times not just for the people of South Australia, but also for the people of New South Wales and Victoria. We’ve got more than 13 million people across the country who are now subject to lockdown and that’s really difficult – kids not in school, parents who are working from home, families that are apart, and businesses obviously that are closed. But we’ve got through this before, Leon, and we’ll get through it again. The Morrison government is providing significant economic support, including to those in lockdown in South Australia. The income support will depend on the number of hours of work that has been lost. If someone has lost between eight and 19 hours of work, they will be able to receive a $375 payment per week and if they have lost 20 hours or more of work per week, they’ll be able to receive a $600 payment. That’s our income support that has flowed in other states and will flow in South Australia.
LEON BYNER:
How does this work? Obviously, you’ve got to put your hand up. What do you do?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
You go to the myGov website – 93 per cent of applications have been online – or you contact Services Australia. We’ve deployed more than 14,000 people across Services Australia to work on the supports that need to be delivered and, of course, we’ve already processed more than half a million payments; more than $200 million has already gone out the door. Some people are getting their payments in as quick a time as 40 minutes. So, you need to go online to the myGov website, follow the instructions and then obviously fill out the relevant forms.
LEON BYNER:
Do you have any sense of how long this might inure where people might because not only is it an economic thing, it affects people mentally as well? Do you have a sense of how long this might inure?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well, obviously the number of cases in any one state is a guide and South Australia has less cases than obviously New South Wales and indeed than Victoria has had. So, hopefully, your health authorities can get on top of the outbreak as quickly as possible. But we are in the middle of a once‑in‑a‑century pandemic, Leon, and every turn there is a new challenge. The virus does mutate. We are now dealing with a more contagious and dangerous strain with the Delta variant. And, as you say, the impact on people’s mental health is very significant. That’s why we put a record investment into support services in this year’s Budget and we’re continuing to provide the necessary support that is required whether it’s Lifeline, Kids Helpline, BeyondBlue, there are many other programs, like Headspace, that provide support to people in need. The economic impact is also very significant. We understand that the impact on the national economy could be as much as $300 million a week from having the three states in lockdown. And then, of course, there’s the consequential impacts, too, Leon – the border closures, the supply chain disruptions and also the decisions to delay investment that otherwise would have taken place.
LEON BYNER:
So, if people are in need of assistance because their hours have virtually disappeared, and that’s happened to many, or indeed they’ve been stood down, what’s your advice?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
My advice is to go to the myGov website, contact Services Australia, fill in the relevant information and you will be able to get the payments as soon as possible. In terms of the Services Australia website, it’s servicesaustralia.gov.au/COVID‑19disasterpayment.
LEON BYNER:
What’s your message to the people of SA, Josh?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Stay strong. Look after one another and remember how successful and how strong Australia’s recovery has been from previous lockdowns, from previous economic shocks. And we’ve done it before and we’ll do it again.