TRANSCRIPT: SUNRISE INTERVIEW WITH DAVID KOCH, 17 April 2020
E&OE
Subjects: Coronavirus, Government Support for Australia’s Domestic Aviation Network;
DAVID KOCH:
The path to lifting the lockdown has been put in place but the restrictions on our day-to-day lives are to remain for at least another four weeks. In that time, the Government plans to boost testing, get on top of virus tracing and better isolate people who are infected. Meanwhile, Qantas and Virgin have received support from the Government to keep flying key domestic routes. The $165 million backing will put Virgin back in the air from today and add extra flights for Qantas. For more on this, I'm joined by the Deputy PM Michael McCormack. Good to see you.
The Government has promised to subsidise empty seats to keep key flights going over the next eight weeks. What does that mean for the airlines and Australians, particularly to regional areas?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well particularly for Australians it means they can fly from capital city to capital city, Kochie or, if they need to get to a regional centre, then on top of what we announced on March 18 with this $165 million that is going to help get to those regional centres. So on March 18 we announced a package for regional airlines to subsidise flights and to subsidise the airlines to underwrite the airlines. Well now what we're doing is we're providing $165 million, as you said at the top of the blurb, to ensure that we get from capital city to capital city, but importantly Kochie, to get vital medical supplies and vital medical equipment and indeed vital medical personnel and defence personnel too, from capital city to capital city and indeed to those regional capitals.
DAVID KOCH:
And you're sticking to your guns? Are you not going to financially assist Virgin during its financial problems?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well this is going to assist Virgin. We've already put more than $1 billion on the table and Virgin can take part in the announcement that we did on March 18 with the regional airlines, regional airfreight and services. They can take part in this today. We've put more than $1 billion, we've waived the fuel excise, we've waived the AirServices Australia fees, we've waived the regional screening fees, that all helps Virgin. We've put more than $1 billion on the table. I continue to talk with Paul Scurrah every day. We'll continue to monitor the situation but a commercial option and resolution is best for this situation.
DAVID KOCH:
Okay, let's get to the lifting of the lockdown restrictions. There is a bit of a path going forward for what we need to do. Australians are being told they'll need to keep isolating for another month but if the rate of infections slow even further, a month's a long time in this coronavirus pandemic, if we keep it under control – is there an opportunity to bring forward that timeline?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
We'll take the best advice from the best people in the business and that is Dr Brendan Murphy, a professor, indeed the Chief Medical Officer, I know he's been in daily consultation with the Chief Medical Officers from the states and the territories. We'll take his advice, we'll take the advice of the medical experts. I know it's tough. It's very, very tough. There's no footy on the TV, you know, there are people locked down in their own homes. For those who are able to work from home they are doing that –
DAVID KOCH:
But there is a chance that it may not be four weeks if the infection rates keep declining like they have?
MICHAEL MCCORMACK:
Well our greatest success and that is making sure that we protect lives, is also in one sense our greatest danger because there is that complacency, but I urge and encourage people to follow the rules, they are saving their lives and those of others as well.
DAVID KOCH:
Alright, Michael McCormack, thank you.