TRANSCRIPT: PARLIAMENT HOUSE DOORSTOP, 24 August 2020

E&OE

Subject: Coronavirus, 60 Minutes story;

MICHAEL McCORMACK

Good morning and it's another couple of weeks we've got of Parliament after the mid‑winter recess and certainly during the mid‑winter recess I've been delighted to see the greenery around the regional areas that I've visited. I've been delighted to see the rainfall in recent days and that's providing a lot of hope and optimism for those regional areas. Many farmers tell me it's the best start to a season they've ever had and they are long‑term farmers.

I was pleased to be able to visit regional Queensland when I was able to during the break and talk to those communities about infrastructure, talk to those communities about how mining and resources, agriculture of course, have held up despite the global downturn.

I also spent a week in the Northern Territory campaigning for Lia Finocchiaro and what a mighty job that pocket-rocket did leading the Country Liberal Party. Of course the votes have not all been counted and the decision of the people has not yet been ultimately decided but we know that Michael Gunner has claimed victory and if indeed, he is able to form an outright government then we'll work with him, and congratulations to him, but certainly I know Lia left no stone unturned and will certainly form, if it ultimately decides that's what has happened as far as those votes are concerned, a very credible opposition. She was the only one out there talking about the sort of things that Northern Territorians need, jobs and making sure that water infrastructure was part and parcel of her campaign.

And when we talk water infrastructure it was good to be at Wyangala Dam last Friday visiting that site with my Cabinet colleagues Keith Pitt and Angus Taylor to talk about water, to talk about water storage infrastructure and to make sure that regional people know that we've got a plan in place to build more dams.

Delighted also and I'll just finish with these remarks, to have Sir Angus Houston, the new Chair for the Murray‑Darling Basin Authority visit Wagga Wagga. We could hardly hear him during the press conference because of the rain that was bucketing down and that's certainly welcome, but I know Sir Angus is going to do a very, very good job in a difficult space. We'll make sure that the Basin Plan provides that balance that regional communities so desperately need, respect and most of all deserve.

JOURNALIST

On the borders, is the Federation fractured?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

The Federation is what it is and I know that States have their remit as far as what they think they need to do to keep their people safe. I appreciate that, I respect that. The Federation formed back when our forefathers and mothers determined how our nation would be settled. They did it without a wall which is very unusual, most countries are only formed through a wall. We did it via negotiation. Probably, people might argue that it ain't perfect but it's the system we've got. It's worked well for 120 or so years. It's been difficult, I know. I appreciate through COVID‑19 we've been as a Federal Government and I know Scott Morrison and I as leaders of our respective parties, are very respective of the Premiers and the role that they've had to play. It's been easier with some States than others I have to say but the National Cabinet process has worked well. We've kept the case rates low. We've kept the death rate low. I appreciate it's ticked over 500. For those families who have lost loved ones, we again mourn. We offer our condolences to them. It's going to be a very difficult Christmas when that loved one who otherwise would have been there is obviously not going to be there this Christmas and perhaps but for COVID‑19 they certainly would have been a continuing member of the family. So it's difficult, I appreciate that. States have their role to play but we also ask for common sense, for practical pragmatic solutions when it comes to farmers who might have land on either side of a border. Rivers don't understand politics and nor do borders. And when you've got the River Murray separating sometimes common sense, that doesn't make it easy for farmers.

What I'm pleased about is that we've been able to set up some sort of agricultural protocol so that farmers are able to have consistency on either side of the border. That's going to be important. I know that for those people who are requiring health services in say, Adelaide and they live in Victoria, they should be able to have access, that availability of those health services that they've relied upon for their ailments. I know Anne Webster's been doing a mighty job with Senator Bridget McKenzie and others in Victoria. Anne Webster represents a third of Victoria. Many of her people relate more to Adelaide, more to Adelaide medical facilities and South Australia than they do Melbourne, which of course is in lockdown. So it's difficult for them. I appreciate that. We'll continue to work through these issues.

JOURNALIST

Richard Colbeck had an absolute shocker last week, why should he remain the Aged Care Minister and what did you think of his performance?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

Well when you say what you've just said, bear in mind he couldn't quite recall a figure off the top of his head and he took a little bit of time to find it. The inquiry that he was addressing wanted the right answer so Richard paused to get that right answer, to make sure that he wasn't providing a number that wasn't accurate for that particular inquiry. We're all only human. Richard has been working around the clock to make sure that aged care gets the support and assistance it requires. It's a very difficult time for aged care centres, for the more than 430 aged care centres in Melbourne. It's very difficult for the families of loved ones who have lost their lives in the situation where COVID has gone through those aged care centres and for those aged care workers it's troubling too. Many of them have also contracted this very contagious disease. Richard has been working, as I say, night and day to make sure that we've had the right upsurge in staff, to make sure that the $171 million that we added to the aged care sector to address these issues was provided last week. I support him. I know he's doing a very good job in a very tough situation. It's not easy and I get that. It's not easy for Greg Hunt either as the Minister for Health. It's not easy for anybody in Government. What we don't want is then the hardness in politics to come out. What people don't want to see is politicians fighting and squabbling over these matters, which we all need to be on team Australia at the moment. That's the important thing. What we don't want to see is the partisan politics of political parties who perhaps are lacking a bit of relevance at the moment because they're not in Government and they're not able to make those decisions throwing pot shots around just to get a political gain.

JOURNALIST

As the Coalition partner, are you concerned that the allegations against Victorian Liberals are going to overshadow Parliament this week?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

Again, I say people out there who have a loved one with COVID, people who may have lost their jobs, the farmer who can't access his or her land because of the border closure brought about by a State jurisdiction, they don't want to see politicians talking about themselves. They don't want to see allegations raised of branch stacking or anything else. They want to know and rest assured they can know, that the Federal Government is working on their behalf to re‑engage them with work, to make sure that they have that national agriculture protocol in place so that they can access their land and make sure that their stock are being fed and all the things that farmers do and to make sure that businesses stay open. That's why we've spent $314 billion on economic assistance. That's why we've worked night and day as the leadership team to try and get Australia through this awful situation. You compare Australia to any other country you like to mention in the world and we've done very well to keep our case rates and our mortality rates low. But there's more to do, much more to do. If people haven't already downloaded the COVIDSafe app then I recommend they do so today.

JOURNALIST

You may say that people don't want to hear about it but these allegations have been raised. How concerning is it that this sort of behaviour appears to have been happening within your Coalition partner in Victoria?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

Well I didn't see the program last night, I was driving over from Wagga Wagga to Canberra to be here in time for Parliament. I know that Michael Sukkar and Kevin Andrews have referred some of the matters to the Department of Finance, which is the right thing to do. This is a matter for the Victorian division of that particular political party. I'm the leader of the National Party. Again, I state it is a matter for the Liberal Party. Michael Sukkar and Kevin Andrews have stated that they've done nothing wrong. They've denied the allegations. I'll stand by them.

JOURNALIST

Is it a matter for the Prime Minister to deal with too?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

I think it's a matter for Michael Sukkar and Kevin Andrews who have stated the fact that they have done nothing wrong. They've reported the necessary matters that they needed to, to the Department of Finance. I'm sure the Department of Finance, as it always does, will investigate those matters thoroughly and accurately and transparently and there'll be accountability to the Australian public.

JOURNALIST

Mr McCormack, given that the unemployment rate is tipped to spike at 13%, is scaling back the JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments still a viable option, especially in regional areas?

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

We've made sure we've provided the right economic assistance right the way through and we'll continue to monitor the situation. I'm very pleased that of those who did lose their jobs back when the pandemic first hit and many, many businesses closed their doors or laid people off, the fact that 700,000 of them since that situation in April have actually been re‑engaged with the workforce. I've given up the number of times people in business have come up to me and said, "But for JobKeeper our business would not be open today and would probably never open again". I know that it's kept businesses engaged with their employees. I know it's kept employees with that hope, that $1,500 a fortnight of hope to know that they will have jobs coming out the other side. But I say again, as I've said many times, there are jobs in regional Australia. Many jobs, not just in the agricultural, construction or mining and resources sector but many other jobs besides and good paying jobs. People just have to look to find them. There are so many not just in regional hubs either but also in smaller towns, and the lifestyle second to none. So I'd urge and encourage those people who have lost that hope, who have lost their job and who are facing a situation where they are finding rent and capital city living very unaffordable to look to the regions, because there is hope and optimism out there.

JOURNALIST

On the virtual Parliament, how important is it to have that facility and how are you adjusting to wearing masks and the news that a Parliamentary [inaudible].

MICHAEL McCORMACK:

We'll get used to and accustomed to the new paradigm as far as Parliament's concerned. Yes, I do have a few National Party members dialling in. We've got a party room meeting this morning, as we do most Mondays and they'll certainly be dialling in to that meeting. I know that there's going to be a telelink available in the House of Representatives and the Senate is also going to make new provisions available that weren't there before. This is the new norm. This is the situation. Democracy continues. People need to know that their politicians are here working for and on their behalf. We shouldn't be talking about ourselves. We're here to be talking about their job prospects, the fact that they need to have their jobs going forward, the fact that they need to have that hope and optimism and that's what we're hopefully trying to provide.