TRANSCRIPT: INTERVIEW ON FIRST EDITION, SKY NEWS, 18 November 2020

8:22AM

E&OE

Subjects: Coronavirus, South Australia;

LAURA JAYES

Now to the Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack is running the country from the regions, he is Acting Prime Minister this morning. Michael McCormack, thank you for your time.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Live from Wagga Wagga, Laura.

LAURA JAYES

From Wagga Wagga, of course. You're not getting any ideas, delusions of grandeur creeping in at all, what do you think?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, Wagga Wagga was one of those many centres in the country which was looked at for a potential national capital back in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, it turned on a dusty and windy day when the fathers of Federation came to look at Wagga Wagga and we missed out by that much, Laura. But never mind, it's got its rightful place now as the acting national capital for a day or two.

LAURA JAYES

You look like you're getting comfortable in the Prime Minister's seat at the moment. But more seriously, we've got to look at the South Australian outbreak. What's the latest information you have?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well I spoke to Premier Steven Marshall, they've got 20 cases. They've had a very rapid and swift response and a robust response to that. They hopefully have isolated it just to those 20, 21 cases, Laura. They've had thousands upon thousands of people test and most of those of course, have proven negative. They've made sure that whether it's aged care, whether it's the quarantining that they've been doing, those public officials and those public workers have been tested. They've invited people to come and get tested if they've got a sniffle, or a cold or a raspy throat and so the message is there. If you're in South Australia, particularly in the northern suburbs of Adelaide and you're not feeling well, get tested. These outbreaks will occur, Laura.

LAURA JAYES

Acting Prime Minister, how many cases are we looking at in South Australia? Has there been any new infections overnight?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

I don't believe there's been any new infections. There were 20, 21 cases depending on which official you listen to, but they've hopefully got those cases isolated. They've got those people now receiving the best medical care. And of course, I do acknowledge Premier Gladys Berejiklian here in New South Wales not closing the borders to South Australia, just saying reconsider your travel options. And that's probably the wisest advice that a Premier could give. We don't want to see hard lockdowns again. We don't want to see borders shut to other Australians. We've got 52,000 people going to assemble in Queensland tonight for the State of Origin and of course the Everest run at Randwick there recently was the biggest racing crowd in the world. Australia has done very, very well with its health response.

LAURA JAYES

Let me ask you about hotel quarantine though because this seems to be the problem once again in South Australia. We also spoke to a man, Jeremy, a short time ago and he is in hotel quarantine with two children. He's been there already for 14 days. Authorities have told him he's going to be there for another month. That seems counterintuitive, doesn't it?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, you'll always have these personal stories and people will be largely inconvenienced. But what we need to do as Australians, is we need to follow the advice, follow what the medical officials and the experts have asked us to do. We've done that as a Commonwealth Government with the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee with Professors Paul Kelly and Brendan Murphy right the way through. And when you consider that in New South Wales they've had no cases for 11 days, you compare that to just about any state in the United States and our record is second to none in the world.

LAURA JAYES

Sure. But can I bring you back to this hotel quarantine because a leak, for want of a better term there, is what we've seen play out in South Australia. Do you know how this happened? Do Defence need to be called in to South Australia? Why didn't they have the ADF running their hotel quarantine?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well the Prime Minister has made available ADF personnel to any state which requires it and we've got 104 ADF personnel helping the South Australian response. We've got those people, we're ready to stand up for. Premier Marshall knows that he needs only to ask and I spoke to him yesterday, I spoke to Professor Brendan Murphy this morning, the Secretary of the Federal Health Department. We're ready, we're standing by. If South Australia needs assistance we will provide it.

LAURA JAYES

So you've offered that assistance, just to clarify, but Steven Marshall, what did he say to you this morning, that he doesn't need it, he's not going to take up that offer?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

No, no, they've got the cases hopefully in hand. They've certainly made sure they've got a very swift public health response and I commend Premier Marshall for that –

LAURA JAYES

[Interrupts]  But he does not need the ADF at this point, he's declined that offer?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, they've got 104 already supporting their efforts. They've got that help and if they require more it's there ready to go. I know Defence Minister Linda Reynolds certainly would make sure that any more help that was needed was provided by the Commonwealth. We've made that assistance available to any state, whether it's bushfires, whether it's COVID response, our Defence is there and they do a magnificent job and we thank them for it.

LAURA JAYES

Okay, Michael McCormack running the country from Wagga Wagga this morning, the Acting Prime Minister, appreciate your time.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Thanks, Laura.

ENDS 8:27AM

Shane Manning