TRANSCRIPT: INTERVIEW ON SUNRISE WITH NATALIE BARR 24 March 2020
E&OE
Subjects: Coronavirus;
NATALIE BARR:
Well there's confusion for families over school closures amid the coronavirus pandemic. There have been mixed messages with some shutting, some staying open and others giving parents a choice. There's also growing debate about whether a much more widespread shutdown is needed to help control the virus. That comes as New Zealand prepares to enter a month-long nation-wide lockdown.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack joins me from Canberra. Now let's start with schools, because that's causing a lot of angst for families. Should we be sending our kids to school or not? Or, if we have the ability to keep them at home, should we now be looking to do that?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well Natalie, in New South Wales schools remain open and Gladys Berejiklian, the Premier, has indicated that public schools remain open. Yes, some independent schools have opted to finish their terms early and I understand they're confused I understand that parents are worried but they should consult their local school.
If in fact, it’s an independent school. Catholic and public schools remain open and that’s what the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Brendan Murphy, has said is best at this moment with the children. Obviously, we need kids to be in school because what we need to do is not have them congregating in shopping malls, running around in public and perhaps even needing to be looked after by their grandparents, who are obviously at the other end of the scale as far as getting the Coronavirus.
We need elderly people to be bunkering down at this point in time because this COVID-19 is a big worry, it’s a huge worry. We all know that; kids should be at school.
NATALIE BARR:
The other thing I think that's causing confusion is just workplaces. If you are a normal person in a normal office, should you be going to work? Should normal offices be closed? Because I don't think Australians really know that.
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
What Australians could do and should do is go to Australia.gov.au. We have put all the information, whether it's health advice from the Chief Medical Officer. Whether it’s the stimulus packages which were passed through the Parliament very, very late last night and to find out your eligibility there, Australia.gov.au. It's the best website for all the information.
Whether its economic, whether its health. And for businesses, most are continuing to remain open, apart from of course the clubs, the pubs for their dining areas but for their takeaway sections they remain open. Of course, gyms are closed, cinemas closed but as I say again Nat, go to Australia.gov.au and you will find the information there.
NATALIE BARR:
Ok, New Zealand is about to enter a month-long nation-wide lockdown with some of the toughest restrictions in modern history. What will be the trigger for our Government to do the same here?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well we take our advice from the Chief Medical Officer. We’ve done that the whole way through. We closed our borders to China even before the United States of America did. We’ve taken his advice and he’s doing a magnificent job. Little bit like Shane Fitzsimmons the Rural Fire Commissioner, during the bushfires, very steady, very measured.
I know the Prime Minister is leading from the front as well. We are making sure we take the right advice, we follow the right advice, we want Australians as best we can to get through this crisis. We want to flatten the curve and make sure that we contain, we minimise the spread, the best thing that people can do is follow the advice, stay home. If they need to self-isolate, then please do that.
Follow the instructions, adhere to them, we need to think of other people. We need to get through this, we will get through this, on the other side we'll be hopefully stronger for it. Australians are a resilient lot, we know that. We’ve got through crises before and we've come out the other side as a better nation and we'll do that again.
NATALIE BARR:
Michael McCormack, I know our leaders keep saying that but if you are unemployed today, like tens of thousands of people are, or you're a small business owner, that is really hard to stomach, isn’t it?
You're sitting at home and thinking "I don’t know where I am going to be in six months from here".
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Look I understand that. My own sister Robyn yesterday was put off from her jewellery store. I get it, it hits home and for those long queues outside the Centrelink offices yesterday, it's a graphic image on the television it’s a graphic image in the newspapers this morning.
But that’s why we passed the stimulus packages, that's why we’ve made it possible for those people to get the coronavirus supplement, to effectively double the Newstart allowance to get people through this as best we can. To give them dignity, to give them hope. We will get through this together. Yes, there will be a lot of people laid off and that's very, very unfortunate as Australia winds down. But for most businesses they remain open and what we need to do is for Australians to have a look at that Australia.gov.au website. If they are eligible then they need to apply and that money will flow as soon as humanly possible. I know we've put 5,000 more people into the Social and Human Services departments to get the access and the help available as soon as we can.
NATALIE BARR:
Yep. OK, Michael McCormack thanks for your time.