TRANSCRIPT: DOORSTOP INTERVIEW - SYDNEY - SUNDAY, 28 JUNE 2020
TONY BURKE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS
MANAGER OF OPPOSITION BUSINESS
MEMBER FOR WATSON
LINDA BURNEY MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR FAMILIES AND SOCIAL SERVICES
MEMBER FOR BARTON
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP INTERVIEW
SYDNEY
SUNDAY, 28 JUNE 2020
SUBJECTS: Government’s cruel mixed messages on JobKeeper; cuts to Australian media content; inadequate support for the arts and entertainment industry; secret JobKeeper report
LINDA BURNEY: The amount of people on JobSeeker has doubled since the beginning of Coronavirus. The Federal Government, the Morrison Government, needs to stop playing cruel games with over two million people in Australia who rely on JobSeeker to put food on the table. We saw this morning the message was that the rate will be increased after the supplement finishes. And then, at the same time, we see the Morrison Government hosing down its own story; saying that the increase will not be permanent. This is cruel. People are afraid and worried about their future - and there are over two million people in this country relying on JobSeeker and wanting to know what their future is.
Scott Morrison needs to stand up and be very clear with people. Not brief media organisations out. But be very clear with people about what the intention is with both JobSeeker and JobKeeper. The JobSeeker Payment, the supplement, the Corona... I'll start that again. The Coronavirus Supplement has doubled what we used to call the old Newstart arrangement. Labor has been calling for a long time now on an increase to what is now JobSeeker. The increase is clearly needed. And Scott Morrison's cruel trick, of saying; 'yes, we're going to increase the rate'. And then saying; 'it's not going to be permanent' is unclear and worrying for people.
As I said, there are over two million people on JobSeeker in Australia. It has more than doubled since the beginning of Coronavirus and we don't know what the future is in terms of the numbers. Scott Morrison needs to be absolutely clear and stop playing cruel tricks on people with mixed messages about JobSeeker.
TONY BURKE: You need to adjust them again, or are we...
TECH: Let's adjust them, yeah let's do that.
BURKE: You happy with line of sight between the middle?
TECH: Yes, that's great.
BURKE: OK Great. I'll say a few things first of all about Paul Fletcher's interview this morning. And then I want to make some specific comments about JobKeeper.
It's hard to know where to start on an interview as untidy as what we saw from the Arts Minister today. I think if there had any take-out message, it's that he has been absent from the sector, disinterested in the sector. And that's why today he struggled to answer any questions about the sector. There are a few things that came out though, from the interview. The first is he refused to say that the quota reductions that have occurred during the pandemic won't return after the pandemic. So, for all of those of us who remember - only a few - only weeks ago, the Government claiming that they had to reduce Australian drama content quotas because of a pandemic. We not know that might be permanent. So if you're somebody, like most Australians, who believes that not all your entertainment on TV should be from America or Britain. If you're somebody who likes to see some of your own stories being told on television, just know the Government wants to make these cuts permanent. And it looking at using the pandemic as cover for a hard-line ideological culture war against our stories being told.
Why on earth any Australian government would think it is good to have less Australian drama, and that it is good to have a situation where most of our stories are told from North America or the United Kingdom, is beyond me. But that's exactly, exactly what Paul Fletcher put on the table today.
Secondly, of course, with the ABC cuts - he repeated the lie that there are no cuts to the ABC. He was presented directly with their own budget papers referring to a reduction in funding, and looked straight back, at the black and white writing in their own budget papers that says there's a reduction in funding - and tried to maintain that there are no cuts. There are cuts to the ABC and there are hundreds of people losing their livelihood as proof of that.
And finally of course with respect to the arts package that has been offered. For 100 days workers in the arts got nothing. Immediately after that package was announced, they still get nothing. JobKeeper has been designed to build a fence around people in the arts sector. As the Prime Minister finally acknowledged, this includes to the person who holds the drill and builds the set. It also includes the technicians who put together the sounds equipment, the ushers – it includes all of them. But what the Government seems to not want to acknowledge is the arts sector also includes artists. And as Australians we should be proud of our storytellers. And I wish we had a Government that was proud of our storytellers. The people who will reach out and grab us and change how we feel by the third beat of a song. Who will take us through a story that helps us learn about each other and helps the rest of the world learn about us. The visual artist who captures us at the first glance. These are Australian workers too. And they shouldn’t be left behind. And better targeting of JobKeeper will make sure they’re no longer left behind.
Now to JobKeeper. We finally heard today confirmation that Scott Morrison has in his hand the review of JobKeeper. They should not be keeping that secret until after the Eden-Monaro by-election. At the moment, there are businesses and workers who are looking at an economic cliff in November. That report will give them guidance and some certainty as to what is likely to happen to them. And can I say, the reference to arts workers shows that the way they have designed JobKeeper has already left too many people behind. If the Government seriously intends that come September they want to leave the rest of the workforce behind too, then they need to be upfront about that. They cannot continue to keep secret whether or not they intend to send those businesses that have been supported by JobKeeper, and those workers that have been supported by JobKeeper, whether they’re just going to drive towards a hard snapback moment in September, where all support is stripped away from them. We all know what that means for jobs, what that means for the economy. You can’t keep a secret like that until after the Eden-Monaro by-election. Scott Morrison needs to come clean with the report that is in his hands now.
ENDS