RICHARD MARLES MP
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY
SHADOW MINISTER FOR NATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION, EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS AND SMALL BUSINESS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR SCIENCE
MEMBER FOR CORIO
JIM CHALMERS MP
SHADOW TREASURER
MEMBER FOR RANKIN
TREASURY SAYS JOBKEEPER CUT COST 56,000 JOBS
Around 56,000 Australians who relied on JobKeeper lost their jobs at the end of March after the critical wage subsidy was cut by Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg.
At a time when four million Australians were meant to be vaccinated, the Federal Government’s vaccine rollout has been so slow jobs and businesses are now at risk.
Whilst Scott Morrison continues to fail on the rollout of the vaccine, there are more than 500,000 casual workers in Victoria right now who are at risk of no income at all, whilst the state goes through its current lockdown.
The Morrison Government’s arrogant refusal to provide critical support to key sectors in Victoria is only compounded by the Deputy Prime Minister’s comments, that going without a week’s pay “in the scheme of things is not a long time in the whole scheme of things.”
Victorians are only in this position because Scott Morrison has failed on fit for purpose quarantine and the vaccine rollout.
The confirmation of the jobs losses today confirms the Morrison Government has been too quick to withdraw support, and too slow to roll out vaccines and sort out failures in quarantine.
For too many Australians the end of JobKeeper meant the end of their jobs.
Under Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg the pandemic support ends before the pandemic ends.
While no one has argued for JobKeeper to continue for everyone forever, if this Budget wasn’t weighed down by waste and riddled with rorts, there would be much more capacity for the Morrison Government to provide responsible, temporary and targeted support to those small businesses and workers still in genuine need.
Scott Morrison has two jobs this year - the vaccine rollout and responsibility for hotel quarantine.
He’s failing both.
This is an incompetent federal government, which is leaving this country dangerously exposed.
