STEPHEN JONES:
I want to start by expressing on behalf of the Albanese government our deepest sympathy for the people of Germany who have lost their lives or suffered terrible injury in a terrible tragedy overnight. The mind boggles what might lead somebody to drive a car into a crowded market in the days before Christmas. It’s a tragedy and I know all Australians share their sympathy to the people of Germany. And, of course, our consular officials are busy to ensure that all Australians are safe and there’ll be more information on the matter in the course of the day. But, first and foremost, our message of sympathy goes out to the German people, particularly the families of those involved.
Now Christmas time and particularly in the few days before Christmas, everybody is out there trying to do their Christmas shopping and get a bargain. Whenever something big like this is going on, the criminals, the fraudsters and the scammers are out as well. So the government’s sending a message to all Australians just to be careful, particularly when shopping online. We know that the scammers like to take advantage of people in a rush, spending their money, people going online perhaps for the first time and making a purchase. Scammers like to take advantage of people going online for the first time to make a purchase. So a few quick tips. Never press those blue links that you’re getting in an email or an SMS. That’s how scammers drag you off to a fake website. If something looks too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true. Just stop, check, protect your information. Don’t give your information out to people who are calling you with unsolicited calls and just be careful online over the Christmas period.
We know a lot of people are shopping online but a message for all of our shoppers. Bear in mind your local retailers. They’ve been doing it tough this year. If you’ve got a few dollars to spend, do some shopping at one of your local shops to ensure that we’re spreading the love around. Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST:
Thank you, Stephen. Just on Germany before I go to retail spending, if that’s okay. I know that the government’s put out a travel warning for Australians in Germany and they’ve labelled this a suspected terrorist incident, what’s your message to Australian travellers in Germany right now and would you go as far as calling this out as a terrorist incident?
JONES:
We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. I’ll leave it to the authorities in Germany who are doing the investigation for them to determine the motivation behind this terrible tragedy. And any Australians who are travelling in Europe, particularly in Germany at the moment, just check in with the consular information. Smartraveller is always up‑to‑date on the latest advice for people travelling in that region, but we won’t get ahead of ourselves before we start labelling the motivation behind this terrible tragedy.
JOURNALIST:
Thank you. Now, on retail spending, there’s the new data out that Australians are tipped to spend 2.7 per cent more this Christmas than they did last Christmas. Good news for retail outlets but definitely not for an interest rate cut. Is this extra spending what Labor really wants right now, especially heading into an election?
JONES:
Our thoughts are with the retailers who’ve had a really tough year and we want to ensure that they can continue to keep their doors open into next year. So, for Aussie shoppers who are bagging a bargain over the next few weeks, don’t forget your local retailers. Shop locally. Sure, you’re going to shop online as well but we want you to spread some love around your local retailers. Good news for retailers who’ve been doing it tough. But, of course, when it comes to the independent Reserve Bank, we know they tend to look through these seasonal periods. We know that every year there’s an uptick in consumption around Christmas time, as there should be. People have had a tough year. They’re looking forward to taking some time out with family and celebrating with their loved ones. We welcome that and want to ensure that people can have a great Christmas. And, as far as the Australian Government’s concerned, we’re doing our job to ensure that we’re providing cost‑of‑living support while we can while responsibly managing our spend through the Budget.
JOURNALIST:
Even though people are spending more this Christmas, they are doing it tough and there’s some concerns that it means they could be – if they’re not being savvy and looking at, you know, savings and sales, they could be cutting out on other things like essentials. And it’s yeah, obviously clear that Australians are still doing it tough. What would your response be to how people are feeling right now in this climate and any criticism that Labor is to blame for particularly inflation?
JONES:
Well, look, I think the government has really tried to balance this right to ensure that we provide cost‑of‑living support and tax relief support where we can. Had we followed the advice of Peter Dutton, we’d be in recession today. We know that Australians have saved up over the course of the year to spend a little more with their family and loved ones over Christmas time and that’s a great thing. We won’t be taking the advice of Peter Dutton who would have seen Australian retailers in an even tougher position today, Australia in recession and those million people who are in a job today who wouldn’t have been, would be out of work. And that’s not a price that we’re willing to pay for a few headlines. We want to ensure that we’re responsibly managing the economy, keeping Australians in jobs and keeping the economy out of recession and that’s been our priority.
JOURNALIST:
And as far as, is this the burst that businesses need right now who are struggling with, you know, rising energy costs, wages, the increasing costs everywhere they look.
JONES:
Look, after a tough year with retailers, I know a lot of businesses in my area and around the country are hoping to make some good money over Christmas so they can even things out a bit and keep trading in the new year, but we acknowledge it’s been a really tough time for Australian business, particularly retailers and small businesses, which is why we hope they’re going to have a profitable time over the next month or so.
JOURNALIST:
I understand there’s more details on the cash mandate you’re pursuing and there’s carve‑outs for bottle shops, cafés, jewellers, takeaway food and hairdressers. Can you talk me through the reasoning behind this?
JONES:
We know that the majority of Australians, for the majority of their purchases are using some form of tap‑and‑go digital payment but around about 13 per cent of retail transactions are still using cash and around 1.5 million Australians are using cash for over 80 per cent of their purchases. We’ll protect their right to do so, and that’s what the cash mandate’s all about. But we also know that it does impose some costs on small businesses. Most small businesses, in fact close to 99 per cent of businesses, are still accepting cash. We want to ensure that it stays that way for essential transactions. We’re consulting. We’ve put some proposals out overnight on what we think the right balance is. But what’s our objective? Ensuring that those Australians who want to use cash can. But there’s another reason for it as well. Every Australian’s had the experience where they’ve got to the cash register, the machine’s not working, their tap‑and‑go won’t work, so we need cash as a backup for when digital payments aren’t working. So whether you’re an Australian who loves using cash or you’ve got an insurance that you’ve got a payment method when electronic payment systems go down, we’ve all got an interest in ensuring this works properly.
JOURNALIST:
Why not have a blanket rule? Why carve out some businesses? For example, a person might be able to go to a pharmacist and have cash accepted and they could go to the next shop which is a café or a bottle shop and the business might say, ‘Sorry, we don’t accept cash.’
JONES:
This is a genuine consultation. We’ve put some proposals out there around where we think the boundaries are for essential versus non‑essential goods. We’re not going to have a situation where every online purchase or every small marketplace in the country is required to go back to accepting cash when they’ve been digital from the very beginning. We want to get the balance right. It’s about essential purchases. It’s about protecting the right of Australians to use cash for those essential purchases if they choose to do so.