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| Australia coronavirus updates live: 20 residents of Newmarch aged care home in Sydney confirmed cases of Covid-19 – latest news | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| NSW considers roster system for return to face-to-face learning in schools, as federal government to pay up to $165m to maintain key domestic flight routes. Follow all the latest news, live | NSW considers roster system for return to face-to-face learning in schools, as federal government to pay up to $165m to maintain key domestic flight routes. Follow all the latest news, live |
| The Ai Group have put out this statement on the government’s wage subsidy ‘jobkeeper’ scheme: | |
| Virgin Australia chief operating officer Stuart Aggs has also been speaking at today’s industry round table. | |
| “We are clearly in crisis mode,” he said. | |
| “We are an airline and an industry under significant scrutiny, almost on an hourly basis.” | |
| He said that after the collapse of Ansett it took 20 years for Virgin Blue, as it then was, to build itself into a true competitor to Qantas - and even then it held only 30% of the market. | |
| “Is the government prepared to wait 20 years for that experience to be built back up from a competitive point of view?“I suspect not.” | |
| The roundtable also heard from one of the industry superannuation industry’s pioneers, IFM Investors founder Garry Weaven, who addressed the idea that Virgin Australia’s existing shareholders might bail out the airline. | |
| He said Virgin Australia was 90% owned by big foreign investors, including the government of Abu Dhabi through its state airline, Etihad. | |
| “If they’re not in a position to recapitalise the company... then who is?” he asked.“Really, the answer is that only the government is in a position to do that.” | |
| He said he was “a little bit surprised” by prime minister Scott Morrison’s comments on TV last night suggesting industry super funds could buy Virgin Australia. | |
| Fund trustees that did so would probably be attacked by members of Morrison’s own government for failing to put returns to members first, as required by the super law, he said. | |
| “I think that’s a bit of a furphy, that question,” he said.And we also got an answer about whether anyone from Qantas was invited to the confab, courtesy of a question to ACTU president Michele O’Neil from the federal secretary of the union representing licensed aircraft engineers, Steve Purvinas. | |
| “Yes, Qantas was invited, Alan Joyce specifically,” O’Neil said. | |
| “They decided for their own reasons not to.” | |
| Asked what would happen if venture capitalists bought Virgin in order to break it up, Michael McCormack says: | |
| Michael McCormack: | |
| More on that press conference earlier today on the Ruby Princess. | |
| NSW police say that the physical investigation of the ship is complete and there is “nothing from an investigative point of view” stopping it from leaving Australia on Sunday. | |
| Earlier in the week, police commissioner Mick Fuller said he was “hopeful” the virus-stricken ship would leave on Sunday. | |
| But there was no definite guarantee today that that is still the case. | |
| As previously mentioned, they also announced that all passengers on both of the Ruby Princess’s voyages will be sent a questionnaire. | |
| “The questionnaire will let us zero in on elements of the cruise we are interested in,” police said. | |
| “Obviously that goes hand in hand with the forensic investigation of the telemetry box on the ship.” | |
| The University of Melbourne has been taking a regular “pulse of the nation” with surveys. | |
| It’s latest one has found 60% of respondents are happy with how the government is handling the covid-19 pandemic | |
| Michael McCormack has muddled his way through a press conference on the $165m underwriting package the government has put forward to keep the domestic aviation industry together during the Covid crisis. | |
| Asked about the future of Virgin, he said: | |
| TWU national secretary Michael Kaine has described as “bizarre” prime minister Scott Morrison’s suggestion that the super fund affiliated with his union buy stricken airline Virgin Australia. | TWU national secretary Michael Kaine has described as “bizarre” prime minister Scott Morrison’s suggestion that the super fund affiliated with his union buy stricken airline Virgin Australia. |
| Speaking on ABC TV last night, Morrison said that the government didn’t want to “get in the way of a commercial solution, like the TWU super fund. I mean, the industry super funds in this country have got $3 trillion dollars worth of assets [and] here we’ve got a company that needs capital”. | Speaking on ABC TV last night, Morrison said that the government didn’t want to “get in the way of a commercial solution, like the TWU super fund. I mean, the industry super funds in this country have got $3 trillion dollars worth of assets [and] here we’ve got a company that needs capital”. |
| But appearing this morning at an aviation industry round table organised by the union movement, Kaine said such a move would be contrary to all prudential standards. | But appearing this morning at an aviation industry round table organised by the union movement, Kaine said such a move would be contrary to all prudential standards. |
| He also again slammed Qantas for campaigning against a Virgin Australia bailout. | He also again slammed Qantas for campaigning against a Virgin Australia bailout. |
| “Qantas wants no intervention because it wants to see Virgin go down,” he said. | “Qantas wants no intervention because it wants to see Virgin go down,” he said. |
| Virgin Australia chief executive Paul Scurrah again repeated his call for an industry-wide solution, saying 600,000 people in the tourism sector needed a competitive airline sector. | Virgin Australia chief executive Paul Scurrah again repeated his call for an industry-wide solution, saying 600,000 people in the tourism sector needed a competitive airline sector. |
| “We should put rivalry aside to make sure we get through this together,” he said. | “We should put rivalry aside to make sure we get through this together,” he said. |
| But while Scurrah and the chief executive of air services company dnata, Hiranjan Aloysius, were prepared to stand virtual shoulder-to-shoulder with union leaders at today’s video hookup, Qantas boss Alan Joyce has been conspicuous by his absence. | But while Scurrah and the chief executive of air services company dnata, Hiranjan Aloysius, were prepared to stand virtual shoulder-to-shoulder with union leaders at today’s video hookup, Qantas boss Alan Joyce has been conspicuous by his absence. |
| Anthony Albanese was asked about Scott Morrison’s suggestion that industry superfunds step in and bail Virgin out, and said (sarcastically) that he “liked the fact the government has spent a fair bit of time attacking the transport workers union and attacking industry superannuation and now feels as though they are in a position to dictate to those organisation what they do with their investment”. | Anthony Albanese was asked about Scott Morrison’s suggestion that industry superfunds step in and bail Virgin out, and said (sarcastically) that he “liked the fact the government has spent a fair bit of time attacking the transport workers union and attacking industry superannuation and now feels as though they are in a position to dictate to those organisation what they do with their investment”. |
| [cont from previous post] | [cont from previous post] |
| Anthony Albanese: | Anthony Albanese: |
| Anthony Albanese: | Anthony Albanese: |
| Anthony Albanese is asked about Scott Morrison’s comments yesterday, in his press conference, that acknowledged, for what seemed the first time, that yes, economically, it will not be business as usual on the other side of the Covid restrictions (yes, it seems obvious, but publicly at least, the government was sticking to the “snap back” we will be sticking to our election commitments lines. | Anthony Albanese is asked about Scott Morrison’s comments yesterday, in his press conference, that acknowledged, for what seemed the first time, that yes, economically, it will not be business as usual on the other side of the Covid restrictions (yes, it seems obvious, but publicly at least, the government was sticking to the “snap back” we will be sticking to our election commitments lines. |
| This is what Scott Morrison said yesterday: | This is what Scott Morrison said yesterday: |