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Coronavirus Australia update: warning of severe Covid-19 economic shock as 'double-hit scenario' looms – politics live
Coronavirus Australia update: warning of severe Covid-19 economic shock as 'double-hit scenario' looms – politics live
(30 minutes later)
Australia’s GDP could fall by 6.3% this year if hit by a second wave of infections, the OECD says in a new report. Follow live updates
Australia’s GDP could fall by 6.3% this year if hit by a second wave of infections, the OECD says in a new report. Follow live updates
Alan Tudge has moved to shut down Adam Bandt’s motion.
The government have the numbers.
He wants a national integrity commission:
MEMBER: I seek leave to move the following motion —
That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Melbourne from moving the following motion:
That the House:
(1) notes that:
(a) the Senate passed the National Integrity Commission Bill 2018 (No. 2) on 9 September 2019 and the Bill was sent to the House for debate on 10 September 2019;
(b) the Government has prevented all attempts to debate and vote on the National Integrity Commission Bill 2018 (No. 2) in the House;
(c) the Government ignored a resolution of the Senate on 10 February 2020 calling on the House to vote on the National Integrity Commission Bill 2018 (No. 2); and
(d) in May 2020, the Attorney-General said that legislation to establish a Commonwealth Integrity Commission would be further delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite an exposure draft being “ready for release”; and
(2) calls on the Government to stop blocking debate and vote on this critically important issue; and
(3) agrees that government business order of the day no. 49 National Integrity Commission Bill 2018 (No. 2) be called on immediately and passage of the bill through all stages take priority over all other business during periods of government business until its completion.
Adam Bandt is now moving to suspend standing orders.
Scott ‘there was no slavery in Australia’ Morrison says he has “always” had an interest in history.
Meanwhile in the Senate, Pauline Hanson still struggles to understand the basic concept of how supporting one group does not push back on others.
Like, for instance, if you were holding a fundraiser for cancer and I ran through screaming WHAT ABOUT DIABETES?!!!!
I’d be a dick.
Don’t be a dick.
The bells are ringing for the beginning of parliament – Scott Morrison is still talking to Neil Mitchell.
Scott Morrison says he “does not feel defensive” about China, because “we have done nothing to offend the relationship at all”
Gladys Berejiklian says there has been no community transmission in NSW – so she is announcing a further easing of restrictions:
Scott Morrison is now calling on all the closed states to nominate the date they will re-open in July.
Because he is getting “frustrated” at the interstate border closures.
Sooooooooo I guess he is not too worried about that second wave from the protests then.
“People who rallied this [past] weekend, showed great disrespect for their neighbours,” Scott Morrison says.
“Not surprisingly” - because if Covid was picked up by anyone during the protests, the tests won’t find it. It is too early.
Exciting news for L-Platers - licence tests are back.
Exciting news for L-Platers - licence tests are back.
From Victoria:
From Victoria:
Based on advice from Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, learner permit and licence testing including drive tests will progressively resume from Monday 15 June.
Based on advice from Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, learner permit and licence testing including drive tests will progressively resume from Monday 15 June.
The first priority under the staged resumption will be to re-book tests for those whose appointments were postponed due to coronavirus restrictions.
The first priority under the staged resumption will be to re-book tests for those whose appointments were postponed due to coronavirus restrictions.
As part of the resumption, more than 200 new staff will be hired to help work through the postponed appointments as quickly as possible, with testing to resume at all VicRoads testing locations.
As part of the resumption, more than 200 new staff will be hired to help work through the postponed appointments as quickly as possible, with testing to resume at all VicRoads testing locations.
Six new, temporary licence testing sites will also be established to increase testing capacity, which will commence operation in the coming months.
Six new, temporary licence testing sites will also be established to increase testing capacity, which will commence operation in the coming months.
The Chief Health Officer has outlined a range of measures to allow drive testing to commence safely for the workforce and public.
The Chief Health Officer has outlined a range of measures to allow drive testing to commence safely for the workforce and public.
This includes appropriate cleaning of vehicles used in tests, proper comprehensive hygiene for applicants, instructors and testing officers and the use disposable seat covers, particularly if the customer is using their own vehicle.
This includes appropriate cleaning of vehicles used in tests, proper comprehensive hygiene for applicants, instructors and testing officers and the use disposable seat covers, particularly if the customer is using their own vehicle.
No one should be participating in a driving test if they are unwell.
No one should be participating in a driving test if they are unwell.
Customers with a postponed appointment will be contacted by VicRoads directly to reschedule their test in the order of cancellation. New appointments will be available once the backlog of postponed tests is cleared.
Customers with a postponed appointment will be contacted by VicRoads directly to reschedule their test in the order of cancellation. New appointments will be available once the backlog of postponed tests is cleared.
Waiting for the prime minister to speak on Neil Mitchell, on Melbourne radio 3AW, the Karens are out in force and they have the call line saved and they are not afraid to hit it.
Scott Morrison has called in now.
He is very against renaming his electorate – Cook. Very against it.
And on the funerals:
Scott Morrison: I’ve always found that this issue on funerals has been the hardest decision that was taken and the most heartbreaking, and of all the letters and, you know, there’s been over 100,000 that I’ve received on so many issues. This has been a very constant one and I do agree. The timing has been complicated, frankly, by these rallies last weekend. We don’t know what the health impact of that is. And while I think people were respectful of the issue that was being raised, broadly, I think the double standards that they allowed themselves to perpetrate by turning up has offended, rightly, I think Australians right across the country. There’s no disagreement about the importance of the issue that they were talking about. But, you know, the way that was done and the suggestion that they might do it again, sort of, I think, risks public support for even the issue they raise. And so I think they need to think carefully about that and again, I say don’t do it and I’m glad that the police in New South Wales and the state government will take a strong approach on that. But on the issue of funerals, I do want to see that go back to normal. I want to see people going back to church and places of worship. I want to see Australia getting back to normal. I want to see planes in the air and we want to see that happen as soon as it can and the health evidence of what’s been happening is all pointing towards that.
Ben Fordham: So there’s no reason why the New South Wales government couldn’t double the number of people going to funerals, and that would account for the vast majority of funerals if people were allowed to have 100 immediately. And then you can double it to 200 in a fortnight or whatever and then get back to normal. But this is the only thing that pops up in every email I get – funerals.
Morrison:
For those questioning what the lead-up to the “no slavery in Australia” comment (which is demonstrably untrue) from the prime minister was, here is the exchange:
Ben Fordham: PM, we’ve seen countless statues pulled down around the world because of links to slavery. This is off the back of Black Lives Matter. In London, the mayor is saying that every monument is now up for review and one of the statues in the UK with a question mark now is of Captain James Cook. How do you feel about the removal of these statues?
Morrison:
So this was Mathias Cormann at the Senate Covid-19 committee on Tuesday:
Q: So the prime minister’s guarantee that jobkeeper will be there and that people can count on it isn’t really a guarantee at all, is it?
Cormann: I completely disagree with that. Again, jobkeeper will be there –
Q: Based on your last answer, where you won’t rule out more people being removed from jobkeeper, what are they counting on?
Cormann: I won’t rule out adjustments at the end of a review. I can’t pre-empt or hypothesise –
Q: So people can’t count on it, because at the end of the review there may be adjustments and those adjustments might be people.
And this was the prime minister on Sydney radio 2GB just a few minutes ago:
Q: Jobkeeper is due to expire in September but there’s a chance it might end earlier for some industries like it will for childcare on July 20. Do we need to be upfront PM, now, about the fact that some other industries will not have jobkeeper until September as first indicated?
Scott Morrison: Well I don’t know why people are suggesting that. Childcare was a fairly special case because we had moved to that free childcare arrangement. What has been done is that the normal fee arrangements have come back but when working with the childcare sector, when there was a choice between going with ongoing jobkeeper or a 25% subsistence payment to the sector – so we’re talking about the same amount of support which means more employees will be helped in our consultations – that was seen as the better way forward. So I think this is a very special case. Jobkeeper is there until the end of September.
Q: What about industries other than childcare?
Morrison: Well there are no other sort of special arrangements like we had in childcare so we’ve dealt with that one quite specifically.
Q: Will jobkeeper remain until the end of September for everyone else?
Morrison: Well I’ve already said that. So I don’t know what that other speculation is about. That just sounds like Labor making mischief.
Q: I thought it was because you guys said it was under review.
Morrison: That’s about how you’re implementing the program, that’s a lot of administrative issues and things like that. I mean, the reason we put jobkeeper in place for six months was to provide that confidence and certainty and that’s what it’s done.
It is Collingwood vs Richmond in the AFL tonight as Australia’s best football league resumes its season
(Go Pies!)
The number of deaths in custody has risen since Saturday.
Scott Morrison also said the only impediment to loosening restrictions further was the Black Lives Matter protests over the weekend.
Authorities are waiting to see if there is an increase in cases in the next two weeks which could be traced back to the protests.
Deputy chief medical officer Professor Michael Kidd had a chat to the ABC about that this morning:
The OECD is warning of the economic hit of a second wave of coronavirus:
This report is via AAP:
Australia’s economic output could fall by 6.3% this year if there’s another wave of coronavirus cases, a key global economic body warns.
But even without a second wave, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says Australia’s gross domestic product will still fall by 5% this year, with severe and long-lasting consequences.
The federal government should consider what support might be needed once the existing measures ends in September, such as strengthening the social safety net and investing in energy efficiency and social housing, the OECD said.
Education, training and improving job search programs should be focused on getting unemployment down, it added.
Expanded loan guarantees and accelerated insolvency processes could result in a more dynamic recovery, the organisation said in its latest economic outlook.
States and territories have begun easing restrictions with no resulting surge in cases, so far.
But there’s another week to go before it’s known if the virus spread at mass anti-racism protests across the country last weekend.
The government has said it’s unlikely broad restrictions will be applied if there’s another outbreak of cases, and its strategy will focus on local containment areas.
The OECD said a second outbreak could be smaller in Australia than elsewhere, due to the nation’s geography and continued restrictions on international travel.
The report acknowledged the virus had hit Australia’s economy at a time when investment was already weak and the impact of severe drought and devastating bushfires were being felt.
This led to a 0.3% drop in growth in the March quarter, prompting the government to warn Australian is now in a recession given another fall is expected in the June quarter data, due later this year.
An economic recovery could be faster if consumer sentiment rapidly rebounded, the OECD said.
But a key risk to its outlook is high levels of household debt, as well as a downturn in the housing market.
Scott Morrison is speaking to Sydney radio 2GB. That is two weeks in a row.
Last week was with Ray Hadley, where he bumped Peter Dutton. This week it’s with Ben Fordham.
You’ll be pleased to know that there has been no slavery in Australia, according to the prime minister.
... Except there was slavery in Australia. It’s well documented. We just didn’t call it slavery.
For almost 100 years between the 1860s and the 1970s, Indigenous people were taken from their homes and lands to work on sheep and cattle properties across Australia. They were taken with the consent of the state and federal governments. It was very rare the stolen people were paid for their work.
It wasn’t just the land – Indigenous people were installed in kitchens and homesteads as house staff as well.
We like to say that this land was built on the sheep’s back, but anyone with an understanding of Australian history, beyond the “Captain Cook rah-rah” you may have been taught at school, knows that is not true.
You can read more about it here, but you’ll find plenty more sources with not much trouble. Governments have been ordered to pay back wages, for those people still alive.
You can call it what you want – we named it the “Protection Act” for a long time – but taking people from their homes, forcing them to work and giving them pittance in return is something Australia’s past is just as familiar with as the US.
Well, in the last 12 hours, we had a Liberal senator cross the floor and an incredibly passionate demand to take Indigenous issues seriously from a Labor senator who sat on the 1991 royal commission.
Parliament is back. In terms of Covid-19, it’s all about the economy now. You saw that yesterday with question time and you’ll see it again with the “calm and considered” government MPs who seem to be banking on at least another term.
Or at least that’s what Scott Morrison’s “five-year plan” seemed to point to yesterday, as he was speaking about the economy.
We’ll have that and everything else that happens today. You have the Guardian Canberra crew and the whole brains trust at your disposal.
I have only had one coffee, so am now climbing walls. But onwards and upwards!
