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| Coronavirus Australia update: PM apologises for 'no slavery' comments as Queensland sticks with 10 July border open date – politics live | Coronavirus Australia update: PM apologises for 'no slavery' comments as Queensland sticks with 10 July border open date – politics live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Victoria records four new cases, none linked to protests, as Queensland continues to cop brunt of federal pressure to reopen borders. Follow live | Victoria records four new cases, none linked to protests, as Queensland continues to cop brunt of federal pressure to reopen borders. Follow live |
| Scott Morrison: | |
| Mark Butler to Scott Morrison: | |
| Christian Porter says it is not for the prime minister to talk about party fundraising - that is a matter for the party executive. | |
| Tony Smith rules the first part in order and the second out of order | |
| Jason Clare to Josh Frydenberg: | |
| Yesterday the treasurer used the $1bn national housing infrastructure facility as evidence that this government was supporting the community housing sector. Given Treasury has revealed a short time ago that $999,800,000 of this still has not been spent, isn’t this just another example that the government is leaving Australians behind? | |
| Frydenberg: Mr Speaker, as I said to the House yesterday, this is a $1bn program that was established by the former treasurer and now prime minister, which is out there providing support on top of our other social housing initiatives which announced yesterday, including in the Hobart City deal, providing support for those in the community who need that community housing. | |
| Barnaby Joyce manages to joke out a dixer to “the deputy prime minister of the commonwealth of Australia and minister for infrastructure, transport and rRegional development”. | |
| He’s reminded by the Speaker that he can only summon one deputy prime minister. | |
| Tip Top takes to the despatch. | |
| Related: the collective noun for a group of Nationals is a “whinge”. | |
| Jason Clare to Michael Sukkar: | |
| In Question Time on Tuesday when the minister quoted the publication, Domain, are he already read these Domain stories. “Home builder could be the most equitable construction job.” And “Home builder, how $688 million could be better spent to stimulate the economy.” If this is what our real estate thinks of the scheme, isn’t it time to rename it “home blunder?” | |
| Sukkar: | |
| Ken Wyatt just took a dixer on Indigenous Australians, which is worth noting: | |
| Ahhhh, seems there are exemptions to the “statesman” voice. | |
| Kate Thwaites to Scott Morrison: | |
| I refer to the prime minister’s comments about the homebuilder scheme. “If you’ve been putting off that home renovation or new build, the extra $25,000 we’re putting on the table means now the time to get started.” How many Australians who have been putting off renovating their kitchens or bathrooms will get a cent from this scheme? | |
| Morrison: | |
| We are back to sombre and soothing voices from government MPs today. Seems they think they have overdone the political attacks in the past few days and need a return to “statesman” voice. | |
| Susan Templeman to Scott Morrison: | |
| My question is to the prime minister: 41 homes were lost in my electorate during last summer’s bushfires. People have told me that they want to rebuild, but it’s unlikely they’ll be able to sign a contract by the end of the year. How will the prime minister ensure that bushfire victims like these ones can access the homebuilder scheme? | |
| Morrison: Well, thank you, Mr Speaker. And I thank the member for her question, and I commend her for the work that she’s done within her community, as I do all of those members who have been in bushfire-affected areas for the work that they’ve done in engaging communities and raising issues that need to be addressed. | |
| The commitment that we made to the states and territories was to jointly fund the demolition work that was being done across all of those buildings that were damaged and destroyed during the course of the bushfires. | |
| The advice I have from the state government in NSW is that demolition work will be completed next month, but is already progressing through so many parts of the state. | |
| That is the project which is managed, by the state government. They’re running the contractors and they’re doing it at a cracking pace and I commend them for doing that, and to keep pushing forward. The homebuilder program, as introduced by the housing minister and by the treasurer enables grants of $25,000 for those who are eligible under the income test rules to be able to support the construction of new homes. | |
| And one of the key issues I’ve been discussing with the state and territory premiers has been how we can escalate and more rapidly ensure that approvals are given, not just for these types of cases but more generally. The purpose is to bring it there and get the projects happening again. | |
| But people in affected areas are eligible for the grants, subject of course to the income restrictions placed on those, and I’ll be working closely with the states and territories to ensure that they can accelerate the rate of a home approval, not just in these areas but everywhere, because this is critical to job creation. It’s absolutely urgent for those who are impacted by the bushfires. Certainly, definitely, but it is also critically important for those for whom their jobs depend on getting the jobs started. | |
| There is no greater focus this government had than on job creation in the wake of the Covid circumstances and indeed in the wake of the bushfire crisis. Rebuilding communities, rebuilding homes and jobs and rebuilding our economy. | |
| Anthony Albanese to Paul Fletcher: | Anthony Albanese to Paul Fletcher: |
| Why is the government supporting a decreasing of Australia Post services? | Why is the government supporting a decreasing of Australia Post services? |
| Fletcher: | Fletcher: |
| The answer continues, but it has already been A DAY. | |
| Question time is about to begin. | Question time is about to begin. |
| Hold on tight. | Hold on tight. |
| Quick fact check on Scott Morrison’s “what you’re watching on TV won’t create one job” line: | Quick fact check on Scott Morrison’s “what you’re watching on TV won’t create one job” line: |
| TV broadcasting in Australia employs more than 17,000 people. | TV broadcasting in Australia employs more than 17,000 people. |
| So some jobs then. | So some jobs then. |
| Whingeing about statues and content being temporarily removed from streaming services also appears to be some people’s job at the moment, so I guess that needs a caveat too. | Whingeing about statues and content being temporarily removed from streaming services also appears to be some people’s job at the moment, so I guess that needs a caveat too. |
| And now Steven Marshall has set a date for re-opening the borders - 20 July. | And now Steven Marshall has set a date for re-opening the borders - 20 July. |
| Queensland is aiming for 10 July | Queensland is aiming for 10 July |
| South Australian premier Steven Marshall says the state will be bringing forward its stage three restrictions easing from July to 29 June. | South Australian premier Steven Marshall says the state will be bringing forward its stage three restrictions easing from July to 29 June. |
| Stage three means you’ll be able to have the four square metre rule will be in place | Stage three means you’ll be able to have the four square metre rule will be in place |
| South Australia has no new cases of Covid-19. | South Australia has no new cases of Covid-19. |
| The press conference ends with this question from Paul Karp: | The press conference ends with this question from Paul Karp: |
| Karp: prof Murphy, what social distancing should apply at airports and on flights? Are those requirements being observed for special purpose flights in and did you have to warn Alan Tudge and others that they weren’t correctly social distancing on the most recent flight from Melbourne to Canberra? | Karp: prof Murphy, what social distancing should apply at airports and on flights? Are those requirements being observed for special purpose flights in and did you have to warn Alan Tudge and others that they weren’t correctly social distancing on the most recent flight from Melbourne to Canberra? |
| Murphy: social distancing is not possible in the same way in domestic flights. We have a domestic airline policy. Airlines, domestic airlines, certainly short-haul airlines, present quite a low risk of transmission because of their air handling. We have not seen a clear case of transmission of the virus on a domestic flight in Australia. So whilst initially the airlines were practising good distancing, they are now occupying their seats more fully, and I know that’s one of the circumstances where we think it’s not an unreasonable choice if someone chooses to wear a mask. | Murphy: social distancing is not possible in the same way in domestic flights. We have a domestic airline policy. Airlines, domestic airlines, certainly short-haul airlines, present quite a low risk of transmission because of their air handling. We have not seen a clear case of transmission of the virus on a domestic flight in Australia. So whilst initially the airlines were practising good distancing, they are now occupying their seats more fully, and I know that’s one of the circumstances where we think it’s not an unreasonable choice if someone chooses to wear a mask. |
| I certainly have not warned any politician about not practising social distancing. So airlines, and on the return flights from overseas, they have been at 80% occupancy, so we’re trying to get a bit of gap. But you can’t get the full 1.5-metre on a flight. But as you say, there are special requirement force flights, and they are not a very high risk environment. | I certainly have not warned any politician about not practising social distancing. So airlines, and on the return flights from overseas, they have been at 80% occupancy, so we’re trying to get a bit of gap. But you can’t get the full 1.5-metre on a flight. But as you say, there are special requirement force flights, and they are not a very high risk environment. |
| Scott Morrison: I’m going to have to call it off there, but I do note that I think on every press conference, except in this room, that I’ve had to warn the media that weren’t practising social distancing. Thank you very much. | Scott Morrison: I’m going to have to call it off there, but I do note that I think on every press conference, except in this room, that I’ve had to warn the media that weren’t practising social distancing. Thank you very much. |
| Ahhh, no glass jaws here. | Ahhh, no glass jaws here. |
| On whether “blackbirding” would be considered slavery (it was) and what needs to be done with Indigenous policies, Scott Morrison says: | On whether “blackbirding” would be considered slavery (it was) and what needs to be done with Indigenous policies, Scott Morrison says: |