Transcript: Interview on AM Agenda Sky News, 29 June 2020

E&OE

Subjects: New South Wales infrastructure package announcement, Coronavirus, Eden-Monaro by-election, Virgin Australia;

TOM CONNELL

Joining me live from Yass is Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack. Thanks very much for your time. Just starting with your announcement today.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

A pleasure, Tom.

TOM CONNELL

So, it's a billion dollars being brought forward. I think it would be $440 million, from my quick maths, from the Federal Government. So, this is money, not new money but brought forward money and it's about these sort of shovel-ready, smaller projects that will help people in everyday traffic.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Yes, it's about $451 million from the Federal Government but combining, of course, with the New South Wales Government as well. That's about a billion dollars in roads and whether it's metropolitan Sydney with those congestion pinch points being addressed or whether it's regional New South Wales. And I'm here with Paul Toole, the State Roads Minister, making sure that the locals know. Rowena Abbey, the Mayor of Yass Valley is delighted that her shire is going to be the beneficiary of $2.5 million fixing those local roads, making them safer, whether it's for tradies or school buses, whatever the case might be, Tom – a good announcement.

TOM CONNELL

Well, I guess that's part of the rebuild. The situation right now in Victoria is they're entering the sort of crisis element of this as well. We're bracing for possibly the worst figures so far. We're about to take our viewers to that news conference when it begins. What's your feeling on this? Is there an element that Victoria has let the rest of the country down when you look at the hotel quarantine and the handling of that in particular?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Look, it is disappointing certainly and we didn't want to see a second wave. The Federal Government, of course, stands ready to do whatever needs to be done to help our Victorian friends get through this. I mean, we're all in this together, Tom. We've said that all along. Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister, has been very insistent on making sure that it's not State versus State. We'll do whatever we can to help Victoria with respiratory clinics, with testing, you know, whatever is needed.

I know the Minister, Greg Hunt, has been absolutely brilliant in helping keep the case rates low with Professor Brendan Murphy, the Chief Medical Officer. As I say, we'll do whatever needs to happen to help Victoria to get through this. Yes, there is a peak. Yes, it is unfortunate. Is it manageable? Of course it is.

TOM CONNELL

The manageable part is the big question, I suppose. The Federal Government has been insistent that keeping the borders open and getting the borders open for most of the States is still the right approach for the economy. Does that have a question mark over it right now, while the numbers are still clearly going up and it appears sharply, in Victoria? Do you understand why State leaders are saying, “well, not right now?”

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, look, I can understand it but when you look at the Queensland side of things, it is actually costing jobs and it's costing billions of dollars. We've said all along that we'll take the best advice of the experts and that's Professor Brendan Murphy and others who sit around the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, those Chief Medical Officers of each and every state, we've taken their advice. We've followed that advice. We've followed the principles all the way through and they've said that these border closures are not necessarily changing things one way or the other. They need to be eased to get the economy back on track.

TOM CONNELL

How sure of that can you be while the numbers are going up? It's hard to know exactly what the situation is. We know COVID-19 lags, I know you singled out Queensland right there, the decision right now to keep the borders up seems to make sense as this is getting worse, doesn't it?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, the Queensland cases are very low, of course. New South Wales has got a good record in recent weeks too. Unfortunately, we've seen an outbreak particularly in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and those outbreaks from certain events where families did not do the right thing, where security guards have been alleged to have not done the right thing. If everybody does the right thing, download the COVIDSafe app, exercise social distancing, stay in quarantine where they need to, do all the right things, we'll get through this. But if people choose to do the wrong thing then it makes it difficult for everybody.

People need to think not just of themselves, but they need to think of others too, Tom and particularly the elderly who are most vulnerable from COVID-19. We've done very well so far to keep the death rate down to 103. Of course, our condolences go to those families who have lost loved ones. But if you compare Australia's record to any country anywhere else in the world, we've done very well on both the health front and of course, the economic front as well.

TOM CONNELL

You're there in Eden-Monaro, campaigning. Voters won't know when they go to the polls what your plan is for the economy post-September in particular and also with this report coming out on JobKeeper July 23. Labor are saying "well, why won't you tell us what's in this review?"

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, what they will know, Tom, is that if they vote for a Liberal or a National candidate, they will get somebody in Government.

TOM CONNELL

That's true but let me ask you this, the review into JobKeeper and what to do from here, have you seen it?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, we're reviewing these things all the time and we're taking advice from organisations such as the Business Council of Australia, from COSBOA, from people who have lost jobs. We're touching base with everybody from one end of the scale to the other to see what we need to do. So far we've put in place a package of measures exceeding $260 billion. We've done very well to cushion the economy from the effects of what has been a global health pandemic. And we will continue to monitor the situation. We will continue to make the right decisions at the right time with the right announcements to give businesses confidence, to know that the Government has their back.

TOM CONNELL

Has Cabinet though, made any decisions on future financial assistance which hasn't been announced yet?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

I don't talk about things that go on in Cabinet, Tom. You know me better than that. Good try, though.

TOM CONNELL

But you get the point of the question, though, right? It wouldn't be fair to the voters to go to the polls and then reveal later on a decision which has already been announced? That could affect their votes.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Tom, we didn't set the date for the election, Tom. The Labor incumbent retired and appreciate Mike Kelly is a good mate of mine, appreciate all that. But the Eden-Monaro by-election, we've said all along that the assistance was going to go until the end of September. We've stuck to that. The fact that July 4 was called for the Eden-Monaro by-election is something separate to all of this. And those people in Eden-Monaro, they should know that if they vote for Trevor Hicks as the Nationals’ candidate or Fiona Kotvojs the Liberal candidate, they will get somebody, if they're elected, in Government, not somebody who is going to be a voice in the wilderness for the next year or 18 months, or two years to the next election.

TOM CONNELL

Can you confirm or otherwise though if any decision has been made on what financial assistance is going to come but hasn't yet been revealed? You don't have to go into what's happened in Cabinet, I don't want to get you in trouble but any decisions made –

MICHAEL McCORMACK

You're not going to drag me into that. Look, we're making the right call for the right people.

TOM CONNELL

But you can say whether decisions are made or not, can't you, without announcing what they are?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

No, Tom, you're not going to draw me in. We will make the right decisions at the right time and make the right announcements at the right time, having consulted the right people and that's everybody. From somebody who has lost their job, who has never been on welfare before, to that long-term job seeker, right through to those people who have kept their job because of JobKeeper.

TOM CONNELL

Long-term job seeking you mentioned there, is the possibility of some sort of permanent increase on the table?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Again, we are looking at all those things. Every option is still on the table. We're addressing all those things, as you would expect a right and responsible and careful and prudent Government would be. We're not making decisions in haste. We're making decisions at the right time and we'll make the announcements at the right time.

TOM CONNELL

Right, but that particular one, because previously, obviously, the Government said no. That prospect is still on the table as decisions are being made?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

We'll make the right announcements at the right time, Tom.

TOM CONNELL

All right. Virgin Australia's future a little bit more clear. Was this a good result, what was revealed on Friday, the deal with Bain Capital signing on the bottom line?

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Well, it gives Virgin at least the confidence to know that that decision has been taken, that Bain are very committed to making sure that we have two commercially viable airlines. I appreciate there have been announcements by REX this morning as far as they're looking at a domestic service. We want commercially viable aviation to happen in this country. We've made all our assistance sector-wide, $1.31 billion so far. It's all been sector-wide. We've made sure that with Virgin there has been a market-led solution and we're working through Nicholas Moore to help that process. Of course Deloitte, they're the ones who are operating and running this voluntary administration process.

TOM CONNELL

I have to jump in there. Apologies, Deputy Prime Minister, but we've got the update coming in now from Victorian authorities.

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Thank you, Tom.

Shane Manning