KIERAN GILBERT:
We're joined live from the Gold Coast by the Minister for Employment, Minister Stuart Robert, thanks so much for your time. Can you explain the Government's rationale about withdrawing those disaster payments or at least warning of their withdrawal at this stage?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Kieran, you just heard the Treasurer say that they are emergency payments. As the national plan stipulates, we're moving out of the emergency at 80 per cent. This is the contract that all the state and territory leaders have with the Australian people. So if we're moving out of the emergency at 80 per cent, it would make sense that would begin to phase down those emergency payments as well.
KIERAN GILBERT:
Are you concerned, though, where, say, borders might be still closed beyond that mark, that industries like in your home state, like in your hometown, in the Gold Coast, that tourism industries will still be hit by government decisions and yet they won't be receiving any sort of support?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Well if state governments are going to keep borders closed at 80 per cent, they'll have to explain that to the citizens of their border communities. I'm calling you from the Gold Coast, where hard borders are affecting the city in tumultuous ways. 80 per cent of tourists come from New South Wales and Victoria into the Gold Coast. But a simple message to the Premier is at 80 per cent, there is no reason why those borders should be closed. Let's get our vaccination numbers up, let's stick to the national plan, and let's get our country open and operating.
KIERAN GILBERT:
Do you think it's inevitable that Queensland will have to live with COVID? We're seeing a few cases at the moment, but do you think that it's inevitable at some point, not just Queensland, WA, COVID‑free states will have to move on and grapple with it like everyone else in the world?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Absolutely. No question it's inevitable, Kieran. Even the Queensland Chief Health Officer has made the point it's a matter of when, not if. COVID will move its way throughout the world. There's no getting past that. We're going to have to live with COVID, and the way we do that is we get everyone, as many as possible, vaccinated and then have in place sensible measures. And that's the beauty of the national plan, is that it goes through three phases. Phase C, of course, at 80 per cent, and then moving on to the endemic nature of COVID as a normal endemic part of life. That's the only way we can face this.
KIERAN GILBERT:
Is it the Government's intention now to indicate when the business support payments will be withdrawn as well, given the disaster payments for individuals, that plan, was articulated today?
MINISTER ROBERT:
I’ll leave the Treasurer to speak to that. The first step, of course, was the COVID disaster payments, which are paid for by the Commonwealth. Of course, the $1500 payments that exist for Australians who are forced to isolate or contract the virus and are forced into home quarantine will remain for the time being. The Treasurer will outline the path in terms of the business support payments, all of which are of course are on 50‑50 basis with the state government.
KIERAN GILBERT:
The Shadow Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says the decisions should be based on the economic reality, not made upon thresholds of vaccines. He says that the Government's rushing to withdraw this support. What do you say in response to that criticism?
MINISTER ROBERT:
This was the same Jim Chalmers when we phased out JobKeeper said that we'd have hundreds of thousands of job losses; there'd be economic Armageddon; and there was fear mongering writ large. It's straight out of the Labor Party’s playbook. Where in fact, in the month after we ended JobKeeper, we had a record number of jobs created, well over 150,000, I think, from record. And we've seen that number increase. Indeed, we're the only OECD nation with more of its citizens employed now than pre‑COVID.
Jim was wrong then. Labor's wrong now.
At some point, all support payments have to end when the disaster ends, and sticking to the national plan as a nation ensures we can do it seamlessly.
KIERAN GILBERT:
Doesn't it make sense, though, to tailor economic support to the economic conditions?
MINISTER ROBERT:
And that's what phasing out the disaster recovery payments will actually do. The Treasurer outlined this morning the step‑down nature of what we're doing. The whole point of the Treasurer outlining it this morning is to give people an awareness of what's going to happen at 70 and 80 per cent and then to outline what the step‑downs look like, and of course, what the automatic stabilisers such as JobSeeker looks like for those Australians who are still unemployed. I remember, Kieran, the fundamentals of the economy are strong. Every time border lockdowns have come out, we've seen the economy roar back…
KIERAN GILBERT:
Okay.
MINISTER ROBERT:
…And that's what we want to see happen.
KIERAN GILBERT:
Your colleague on the Gold Coast, Julian Simmonds, says it's a no‑brainer that we'd commit to net zero by 2050. Is that your thinking as well?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Well, Julian, of course, holds the seat of Ryan in Brisbane, so it's about 80 kilometres from me, which is two or three seats apart. Everyone's got a view on this. The Government's position, Kieran, is well known. We want to get to net zero as quickly as possible, preferably by 2050. But it's important that we get there through a technology approach, not a tax approach; that we get there by not sacrificing our regions, our communities, our export‑exposed businesses by going [indistinct]…
KIERAN GILBERT:
[Talks over] Are some of your Liberal colleagues - are some of your Liberal colleagues just, you know, supporting this to be cool, to be cool in supporting climate change, as Bridget McKenzie suggested yesterday and again today?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Not at all. Many of these views are long held views by colleagues. The great thing about the Liberal Party is you're free to express views as opposed to our dear friends in the Labor Party that pre‑select you and toss you out. So there are many colleagues with many views.
What remains important is the Government's view and the Government's position. And that's quite clear. We want to get there as fast as we can, preferably by 2050, but as fast as we can. But when we do announce our position, it'll be with a clear roadmap and we'll demonstrate exactly how we can get things done.
KIERAN GILBERT:
Malcolm Turnbull says the Prime Minister should go to Glasgow; that history is written by those that show up. Do you agree with him on that?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Well, Malcolm is a former prime minister. He's distinguished and of course, well able to speak into a national debate, and I believe Malcolm may indeed be attending Glasgow himself. So we’ll let Malcolm speak for his own position. His position personally is well known as well.
The Prime Minister's made it very clear, depending upon circumstances in Australia – and there is a lot going on in terms of navigating our nation through the current pandemic – that he’ll be making those decisions, he’ll be communicating those at a later date.
KIERAN GILBERT:
And he's been able to speak to Emmanuel Macron, Mr Turnbull, but not Scott Morrison. What does that say about our relations with France at the moment?
MINISTER ROBERT:
Prime Minister Morrison just got back from speaking to the most powerful world leaders, world leaders that have got a huge stake in our region, our part of the world. Bilaterals not only with the US President, but Vice President, but also the entire leadership of the US Government and of course, the Quad. So there's no question as to Prime Minister Morrison's capacity to speak to the highest level of global leadership, and he's demonstrated that on the trip last week. And of course, the Prime Minister is always open to speak to any national leader on any topics, as he does regularly.
KIERAN GILBERT:
Stuart Robert, talk to you soon.
MINISTER ROBERT:
Great, Kieran.