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| Coronavirus Australia update: Victoria Black Lives Matter protester Covid-19 positive as PM says rallies 'show great disrespect'– politics live | Coronavirus Australia update: Victoria Black Lives Matter protester Covid-19 positive as PM says rallies 'show great disrespect'– politics live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Scott Morrison says BLM protests being ‘taken over by other much more politically driven leftwing agendas’. Follow live updates | Scott Morrison says BLM protests being ‘taken over by other much more politically driven leftwing agendas’. Follow live updates |
| Linda Burney to Scott Morrison: | |
| The minister for Indigenous Australians said yesterday: “We’re confident that the Australian people will be able to have their say on an Indigenous voice this year.” When will his government – your government – hold a referendum to enshrine a voice to the parliament in the constitution? | |
| Morrison: | |
| Thank you, Mr Speaker. I want to thank the minister for Indigenous Australians and indeed the shadow minister for how they have sought to work together on this issue because it is my personal hope that Australia will reach a point where we could have a consensus where this could be achieved but, Mr Speaker, it has always been my view that I am not interested in seeing issues go forward that may fail and will divide Australians. | |
| I want to do things that bring Australians together around this proposition. I hope that we will be able to do that as soon as possible and I can’t say when that will be because we have not arrived at that point and I still think there is quite a journey that we are all on. | |
| I want to thank the minister for Indigenous Australians for his commitment, his dedication, his passion and his persistence as he has sought to build consensus on this issue. But we are not there yet and I hope one day we may be. | |
| Adam Bandt to Scott Morrison: | |
| There have been 437 Aboriginal deaths in custody since the royal commission delivered its final report. Prime minister, if you don’t want Black Lives Matters protests to continue, why don’t you do something about institutionalised racism in this country? Will you agree with the Greens proposal to put action on black deaths in custody on the national meeting this Friday and make it a future item for the future national cabinet meetings and come up with a law so we stop locking up Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at such high rates. | |
| Morrison: | |
| I thank the member for the question on what is an extremely important issue and that is Indigenous deaths, whether it be in police custody or it be in custody more generally. | |
| As the minister for Indigenous Australians pointed out yesterday this is already a matter of significant attention of not just the government but state and territory governments as well. | |
| It previously did feature with more specific goals more broadly under justice headings in this area that related to the previous Closing the Gap objectives but as also featuring in the new reform set of Closing the Gap goals which is now coming to agreement for the first time involving the direct involvement of Indigenous peak groups in agreeing what those goals should be. | |
| It is also the case that in NSW, for example, we are pleased that there has been progress that has been made in police custody. In NSW there has been one death in police custody, I’m advised, since 2000 and in particular since 2000 when the new arrangements were put in place to provide for access for Indigenous persons who would find themselves in police custody to make those calls and get access to that legal advice. | |
| Now the government is now funding that program over the next three years and that has proven to be a very effective mechanism to prevent deaths in police custody. | |
| Every death in custody, and particular Indigenous deaths in custody, is an absolute national shame and tragedy and what the minister for Indigenous Australians has been working to do is also to address the contributing factors which find Indigenous Australians in custody. | |
| You asked about the agenda of the national cabinet. When I announced the formation of the national cabinet going forward, I also announced the establishment of the national federation reform council. There are only two national taskforces that report to that council; importantly one deals with these very issues in Indigenous affairs, the other one deals with violence against women. | |
| We all agreed, premiers, myself, chief ministers, that they were the issues that needed constant national priority and attention by the national federation reform council which brings all the key decision-makers together and for progress to be tracked against the successes that we hope to achieve in that area. So our government is very committed to action in this area. | |
| It is an important issue but when it comes to the issue of gatherings and protests, the health advice says it put other Australians’ lives at risk including, in particular, Indigenous lives. | |
| And I, I’m sure the leader of the opposition would agree with me: “Do not go to those rallies. You are putting others’ lives at risks.” | |
| The issue you raise is important and it is understood and acknowledged by all in this chamber – that is a great reflection on this country. | |
| Multi-tasking Scott Morrison style: talking in question time, while tweeting (allegedly). | |
| Jim Chalmers to Scott Morrison: | |
| Will the prime minister listen to 81% of company directors who want a cautious phasing out of fiscal support such as jobkeeper rather than the government’s hard economic snapback? | |
| Morrison: | |
| Once again the member for Rankin misrepresents the government’s position and he misrepresents the government’s policies. He seems to be unaware of the broad range of measures that the government has been putting in place, globally recognised, that are providing the necessary economic supports. We have listened carefully right across the economy. | |
| Those working, those running businesses, and particularly to those running businesses, that’s why the treasurer announced the extension of the instant asset write-off, a very important measure. | |
| It is why the measures that kick in in July that involves further support and stimulus payments in the economy in July will be occurring. It is why one of the first things we did was to ensure that jobseeker would be at a sufficient level ... | |
| What the government will continue to do is make decisions about the level of supports we provide into the economy based on the best possible advice and the best reading of the economic situation as that becomes increasingly clear. That’s what we’re doing as a cabinet. | |
| That is what the expenditure review committee is doing, which is a committee of cabinet that is considering these issues and we are looking at all of those matters extremely carefully. | |
| Now that may not suit the convenience of the member for Rankin or indeed the leader of the opposition or anyone else but if they want to work to a political timetable and agenda that is up to them. | |
| The government has the important responsibility of calibrating our support for economic lifelines into this country and to ensure they are done in a way that limits the burdens on future generations, that is targeted and comprehensive, that uses the mechanisms that are already in place so as to not risk the sort of waste that we saw when stimulus measures were put in many years ago. | |
| We have learned the lessons of Labor’s failures in this area where they, I’m sure, if they had the opportunity to sit on these benches, which I’m sure would put a shudder through the spine of all of Australians if they believed that the Labor party were dealing with this issue right now, it would put a shudder through their spine and they will feel very comfortable that this government is taking a mature and responsible approach to calibrating our economic supports on the best available economic data and not rushing off for a headline, which is what the member for Rankin seems to be only interested in. | |
| Michael McCormack takes a dixer, but I just remembered I have a very important appointment staring at a wall, which is just as illuminating. | |
| Justine Elliott to Scott Morrison: | |
| Prime minister, the government’s been all over the place on how long workers who rely on jobkeeper have guaranteed support or whether they’ll be left behind. Why won’t the prime minister give a straight answer to this simple question: will more Australian workers be kicked off jobkeeper early or not? | |
| Morrison: | |
| The only people talking out of both sides of their mouth when it comes to the issues of the Covid response is the Labor party. They oppose the very measures that they support. Each way on every issue has been the response of the Labor party. | |
| Feigning, Mr Speaker, so much support for the government’s response but taking every single opportunity to niggle and undermine for their own political purposes. | |
| This is disappointing. | |
| That that is the approach that the Labor party has sought to take during this crisis. | |
| I am pleased that there are better examples. | |
| There are better examples and that has been exhibited by my colleagues who sit around the national cabinet table, the Labor states who sit around that table. I have made it abundantly that jobkeeper is in place for the legislated period we have put in it place, which is until the end of September. That is what we are doing, Mr Speaker. We have been saying that consistently but those opposite have sought to sow confusion and to undermine these positions and the interjection comes about childcare. | |
| The interjection comes about childcare. I explained the matter very clearly yesterday. We put in place a better support for workers. Over $700m in direct subsidy support to the childcare sector to support those jobs on top of the rebates, which extend to 95% rebate for childcare fees for persons who are on the jobseeker payment. | |
| So Australians know that they are getting the leadership from this government when it comes to the economic policies and lifeline that they need to move through this crisis and as we’ve seen from the OECD that has been recognised. It is recognised across this country, it is recognised internationally, but because of the political motives of the Labor party they just don’t want to see it. | |
| The government’s first dixer in Senate question time is to the finance minister, Mathias Cormann, asking about how Australia’s economy is faring relative to others in the OECD. | |
| Cormann responded by expounding on the OECD’s report about the risk of a second wave, and how it could compound a 5% GDP contraction this year with a further 1.5% downturn. | |
| And in the course of answering, Cormann claimed Australians have a responsibility to do everything to avoid a second wave, including a “patriotic duty not to attend mass rallies” such as the Black Lives Matter protests. | |
| Labor’s Penny Wong was disgusted at that answer, reminding him over the despatch box that “patriotic Australians also want to stop Aboriginal Australians dying”. | |
| It is straight into it. | |
| Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison: | |
| Why is the prime minister committed to the hard snapback of jobkeeper in September despite warnings from the OECD about withdrawal of support? | |
| Morrison: | |
| The government has a review of the jobkeeper program, which is currently under way. | |
| As I said it has been conducted and will be concluded in the month of June. The government then will consider the recommendations of that report. | |
| These things are not done in haste, Mr Speaker, as I outlined yesterday to the member for Rankin when he put this matter and I made reference that he may not be familiar with those processes of government but you do things in a very considered and careful way when you do these things, so that’s what we’re doing. | |
| As I stressed to the leader of the opposition yesterday, jobkeeper, Mr Speaker, is not the only measure of support and I note that the OECD has acknowledged Australia today and the extensive measures that Australia has put in place, comprehensive, right across the board, and recognise at an international level for being of sufficient scale to ensure that Australians have been getting the economic lifeline they need during this crisis. | |
| So the government will continue to plan for the many months ahead and indeed the many years ahead. The government’s plans go forward to ensure that we can rebuild the economy, that we can get Australians back into jobs, and we will be using the full suite of measures that have been available to us very early on in the crisis. | |
| Indeed, on that very first day when the last meeting of Coag was held, the governor of the Reserve Bank presented to the premiers and myself, as well as the secretary of Treasury, and, Mr Speaker, both of those experts in this area encouraged the government and all the states and territories to ensure that the government did the fiscal heavy lifting as we went through this crisis, and that’s exactly what we have done. | |
| We have responded to the crisis in historic levels, unprecedented in this country, which has been giving Australians the confidence that has been building day after day, week after week, Mr Speaker, under the strong economic policies and response of this government. | |
| It is the downhill slide to question time. | It is the downhill slide to question time. |
| Hold your loved ones close. | Hold your loved ones close. |
| Treasury has released data on the top 10 postcodes in each state which are most reliant on jobkeeper (as in, the most applications). | Treasury has released data on the top 10 postcodes in each state which are most reliant on jobkeeper (as in, the most applications). |
| The top 10: | The top 10: |
| NSW 2000 – 10,290 | NSW 2000 – 10,290 |
| Vic 3000 – 6,693 | Vic 3000 – 6,693 |
| NSW 2170 – 3,995 | NSW 2170 – 3,995 |
| Vic 3029 – 3,681 | Vic 3029 – 3,681 |
| Qld 4870 – 3,607 | Qld 4870 – 3,607 |
| Vic 3030 – 3,211 | Vic 3030 – 3,211 |
| Vic 3175 – 3,211 | Vic 3175 – 3,211 |
| Qld 4000 – 3,048 | Qld 4000 – 3,048 |
| SA 5000 – 3,046 | SA 5000 – 3,046 |
| NSW 2153 – 2,841 | NSW 2153 – 2,841 |
| In terms of what resources NSW police will be deploying tomorrow, the officer holding this press conference (I didn’t catch his name and I am not from NSW, so I don’t recognise him) said: | In terms of what resources NSW police will be deploying tomorrow, the officer holding this press conference (I didn’t catch his name and I am not from NSW, so I don’t recognise him) said: |
| My colleague Elias Visontay has since informed me it is assistant commissioner Mick Willing | My colleague Elias Visontay has since informed me it is assistant commissioner Mick Willing |
| I’ve spoken to the diagnostics industry about the federal government’s deal to source $200m Covid-19 tests from Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation back in April. | I’ve spoken to the diagnostics industry about the federal government’s deal to source $200m Covid-19 tests from Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation back in April. |
| It is less than impressed about the circumstances of the purchase. You may remember that Minderoo managed to source 10m Chinese-manufactured Covid-19 tests for the Australian government at a crucial time, which the government is paying it back for. | It is less than impressed about the circumstances of the purchase. You may remember that Minderoo managed to source 10m Chinese-manufactured Covid-19 tests for the Australian government at a crucial time, which the government is paying it back for. |
| But Pathology Technology Australia, the peak group for 90% of the companies supplying diagnostic devices to Australia, says the deal lacked transparency, consultation and brought new testing technology to Australia at a time when it wasn’t really needed. | But Pathology Technology Australia, the peak group for 90% of the companies supplying diagnostic devices to Australia, says the deal lacked transparency, consultation and brought new testing technology to Australia at a time when it wasn’t really needed. |
| Dean Whiting, the PTA’s chief executive, said: | Dean Whiting, the PTA’s chief executive, said: |
| The office of the health minister, Greg Hunt, has defended the deal, saying it was crucial to diversify testing technology and that the Minderoo-sourced tests were being used. A spokesman also said it would have been “highly inappropriate” to consult PTA on procurement. | The office of the health minister, Greg Hunt, has defended the deal, saying it was crucial to diversify testing technology and that the Minderoo-sourced tests were being used. A spokesman also said it would have been “highly inappropriate” to consult PTA on procurement. |
| NSW police are also headed to the supreme court to stop a protest planned for the weekend that is for a “different cause” to have it declared unauthorised under the health orders. | NSW police are also headed to the supreme court to stop a protest planned for the weekend that is for a “different cause” to have it declared unauthorised under the health orders. |
| The difference is police have not received any notification of tomorrow’s BLM protest, which means it can deem it “unauthorised”, while they have received notification of the weekend protest. | The difference is police have not received any notification of tomorrow’s BLM protest, which means it can deem it “unauthorised”, while they have received notification of the weekend protest. |
| NSW police say they will be enforcing the current health order at the planned Black Lives Matter protest for tomorrow. | NSW police say they will be enforcing the current health order at the planned Black Lives Matter protest for tomorrow. |