with
NITA GREEN
SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
4CA CAIRNS
MONDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2020
SUBJECTS: Today’s JobKeeper cuts; Recession and recovery;The Bruce Highway; Social Housing Investment; Lessons from the GFC.
MURRAY JONES, HOST: The tapering down of JobSeeker and JobKeeper gets a bit confusing sometimes but to talk a little bit more about it this morning and of course, the reason why they’re here in Cairns visiting, is Dr Jim Chalmers, the Shadow Treasurer, and Senator Nita Green. Good morning to you both. How are you?
JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW TREASURER: Thanks for having me on your show Murray, good to see you.
JONES: Welcome. Nice for Jim to bring some beautiful weather to Cairns. We've had a great couple of days haven't we, Nita?
NITA GREEN, SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND: It was a beautiful weekend out there.
JONES: You're happy. You look like you're working on your tan instead of what you've been copping in Canberra for the last little while.
CHALMERS: There's a lot of really fit people getting around town. It must be the Ironman or something like that.
JONES: I certainly don't look that good in lycra, I can assure you of that.
GREEN: I'm going back down to Canberra for the budget next week Murray with a bit of a glow.
JONES: I can see it already, which is good and that sounds fantastic. I should show you some photographs of what we did in Cairns across the weekend but we've got to talk about some other things. Labor has supported in broad terms what the Federal Government has done with respect to the economic stimulus package. We'll talk about that a little bit further as well Jim in a couple minutes. But of course the big concern for today is this tapering down, and the impact for both employers and employees with respect to JobKeeper and JobSeeker particularly in our region. Jim, are we going to be hit hard?
CHALMERS: Unfortunately, today’s not a good day for Far North Queensland because today is the day that JobKeeper is cut. We've been pretty supportive about JobKeeper, Nita and I. Labor proposed wage subsidies and we think they're a good idea being badly implemented and prematurely withdrawn. Around here for example just in the federal electorate of Leichhardt where we are now, more than 7,000 businesses are relying on JobKeeper to support more than 27,000 workers. It’s really important to remember that when the Morrison Government cuts JobKeeper from today there's something like $24 million a fortnight which won't be circulating in the local economy. You know better than I do, and Nita knows better than I do, that this town could do with $24 million a fortnight circulating in the shops, restaurants and cafes.
JONES: It was great to see a couple of planes in the air last night. It's one of the great things about living in Cairns; if you're an aviation buff it’s fantastic. I managed to see two in a couple of minutes last night, which is unusual. We are lucky in some ways. Obviously Cairns to Brisbane is the busiest air route I believe in the country at this stage. There's some people that are going to survive okay, they've managed to keep their head above water but there's a lot of businesses and individuals who are concerned, especially at the possibility that they may even have no more rent relief or might be thrown out of their homes. In a lot of ways I think it is fair to say that the bite has only just begun.
CHALMERS: I think that's right Murray, unfortunately. There has been some welcome support from the State Government and Federal Government. Obviously people are trying to do what they can but my real concern here, and JobKeeper is just part of it, is that some parts of the economy and the country are recovering faster than others. We can't forget that some regions and some towns around Australia are doing it tougher than others. We shouldn't be in a rush to pull that support out which is what's happening with JobKeeper. Areas like Far North Queensland do need ongoing support. It is really reliant on tourism and other sectors which are feeling the pinch. We need to make sure that support isn't withdrawn too fast.
JONES: Are you prepared to work with the Government, because I should imagine that there should be some tweaking as we go here? Sure there's been these changes and they've been in the air for a while; once they hit the ground there might be some impacts. The Federal Government may actually tweak these things to assist some of the people that have fallen through the cracks. Will Labor support that?
CHALMERS: We've been pretty good all along, Murray. You probably appreciate that all along we've tried to be as responsible and constructive as we can. We tried to work with the Government where we can but equally we need to point out where we think they're not going down the right path. These premature cuts to JobKeeper are part of that story and there’s the tourism package that they announced yesterday which was probably too little, too late for a lot of parts of Australia, including here. It's our job to point that out as well to put pressure on the Government to do more, or to do better, or to act with more urgency for areas of Australia where there are people being left out and left behind. We have had some success in getting the Government to the table so that's our approach to it. I know that Nita Green has been a key part of that up here as well. We're trying to be responsible because we do accept that it's not business as usual in the economy so it can't be business as usual in politics. We need to do what we can to work together, and occasionally that means pointing out where the Government can do better.
JONES: If we can come back to the economic stimulus package in just a second - one thing I just want to discuss with you Nita - I don't know if you have seen in the newspaper this morning and I'm a bit confused so you might be able to give me some clarity here - the LNP here in Queensland are talking about $33 billion for a four-lane highway from Cairns to Gympie. It’s a great idea if we can make it work. There's going to be a fair bit of federal funding in there. Is there some deal that's being done with the Federal Government and the LNP here in Queensland? I'm a bit confused by this.
GREEN: Murray as you know the only thing that the Federal Government has promised Cairns in terms of infrastructure funding is the Captain Cook Highway, and they're not actually planning on constructing that until 2023-24. This plan from the state LNP is just like that; they're promising big bucks but not for many years to come. The commitment is actually a $50 million feasibility study to put some plans into place. Places like Cairns and our towns all up and down the coast from Gympie to Cairns including the Whitsundays which has been hit really hard need jobs right now. These are plans that won't be constructed until 2023-2024, and we need something that puts shovels in the ground right now.
JONES: I guess that makes a lot more sense with respect to something that's coming out on the eve of the election but I guess their real timeline is something that we need to consider. The reality behind getting a double-lane highway is that we're talking about 1,800 kilometres nearly. Now Jim if I can come back to you before we wrap up, I’m just interested to talk to you a little bit more about some of your history. You were a senior advisor to Wayne Swan in one of the pivotal times here in Australia. I guess that's one of the reasons why you're the Shadow Treasurer now, having been that senior adviser between 2007 and 2010 under Kevin Rudd and of course directly to Wayne Swan the Treasurer. When it comes to an economic stimulus package and dealing with some really serious issues economically for Australia, there's no doubt that certainly Swan and Rudd got international acclaim for their economic management. What would you suggest from that time and the experience that you've had that could be done a lot better by the Federal Government?
CHALMERS: There are lessons to learn from that period. I think Kevin, Wayne and every Australian should feel proud about what the country was able to achieve in that period 10 or 12 years ago. The last time that the economy was in real strife as it is now the country did a terrific job in dealing with it. We outperformed the rest of the world and that’s something we should be proud of. In terms of the lessons from that period for now, Nita touched on this a moment ago when she talked about having projects that are ready to go right now. What you're looking for is stimulus which ticks a lot of boxes. You want it to be labour intensive, to have a local impact in towns and cities like this, and you want it to have a lasting benefit. One of the reasons why we talk a lot about social housing for example, is because you can build it quickly, it's labour intensive, it builds something that lasts, and it leaves a legacy including for our most vulnerable people. The lesson from the GFC for now is the Government should be coming forward with a comprehensive jobs plan and they should be looking for ways to make an investment that makes a genuine difference right away, and has a lasting benefit for the country.
JONES: I think that is certainly the key thing even with what we're talking with Nita about; in theory what the LNP’s discussed here in Queensland makes a lot of sense but you really need it on the ground right now. People are hurting; they can't afford to hold on for six months, 12 months, or a couple of years for the type of packages that we're talking about. Great to talk to you. We better head to the news but thank you so much for your time. Always good to see you Senator Nita Green, good to see you back in Cairns after being down in Canberra. Dr Jim Chalmers, thank you so much for your time.
CHALMERS: Thanks heaps Murray, cheers.
GREEN: Thanks Murray.
ENDS
