JIM CHALMERS MP
SHADOW TREASURER
MEMBER FOR RANKIN
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC BRISBANE MORNINGS
WEDNESDAY, 28 JULY 2021
SUBJECTS: Failures on vaccines costing the national economy millions of dollars a day; The urgent need for JobKeeper; Australians stepping up to help each other; NRL Grand Final.
REBECCA LEVINGSTON, HOST: You're so used to hearing that phrase "the winner is Sydney" but today it feels like the loser is Sydney, four more weeks in lockdown, the biggest economy in the country. So what goes up in Brisbane when Sydney goes down? Jim Chalmers is the ALP Shadow Treasury Spokesperson. Morning, Jim.
JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW TREASURER: Good morning, Rebecca.
LEVINGSTON: How bad is the hit to the Australian economy when Sydney shuts down?
CHALMERS: It's devastating. The Government itself says it's about $300 million a day in lost economic activity, a couple of billion dollars a week. The Business Council of Australia think it's more than that, something closer to $400 million a day.
Though most of that is in Sydney and in the lockdown communities themselves, it's also true that right across Australia people feel the pain in one way or another. There are a lot of businesses in our home state here in Queensland who are impacted, and right around Australia. When Sydney is not going well, that has big consequences for the whole economy. Just the same as in the other direction, when Brisbane won the right to host the Olympics that you just referred to a moment ago, that's good for the whole country. But these lockdowns which are caused by some federal government failures on vaccines and quarantine, they do damage to the whole place.
LEVINGSTON: In terms of Brisbane or Queensland businesses affected are there any that you've spoken to in the last couple of days? I mean Greater Sydney has been in lockdown for a month already, it's going to be at least another month longer, what kind of stories are you hearing?
CHALMERS: A couple of things about that. The main thing I hear, I do a fair bit of business outreach particularly lately small businesses, and they really want JobKeeper back.
I think the Government's had three attempts now at coming out with something to fill the hole left by JobKeeper and I don't think the business community thinks that any of those attempts are up to scratch. And so that's the main bit of feedback that we hear, that JobKeeper is necessary, it should never have been cut in the first place. That decision looks dumber and dumber by the day. It should be brought back without the rorts so that small businesses can get that help that they need, but most importantly so that they can keep on their workers, which is the most important element of JobKeeper. That's the main feedback.
LEVINGSTON: So, Jim Chalmers, would you scrap the disaster payments and bring back JobKeeper?
CHALMERS: There are disaster payments that exists for things like bushfires and the like, so I'm not proposing that that scheme be scrapped entirely. There are important uses for that scheme but what we need instead I think is JobKeeper to be brought back without those rorts. A lot of money was sprayed around to businesses that don't need it and there are still many businesses that do need it, particularly now.
The original excuse not to bring it back was that this would only be a short, sharp lockdown. And we know now that we're going into the second month of it today and so that excuse has evaporated. So we need to see that back.
As it turns out Rebecca, I'm actually participating in one of those Zoom calls that we're all doing more and more the last 18 months or so, with the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry today to talk about some of these issues with the small businesses of the country to get some more feedback along these lines. If there's one thing that unites particularly the businesses of Sydney, but also the state government and state opposition in New South Wales, the business community, and the union movement, I think everybody's come to the same conclusion that JobKeeper needs to come back.
LEVINGSTON: Should Queensland businesses that have lost significant income because of the Sydney shutdown be compensated?
CHALMERS: JobKeeper is a national scheme and businesses would qualify for it based on the COVID impact on their businesses. With the full resources of the Commonwealth Treasury, it shouldn't be beyond the Government to work out some of these thorny questions. Obviously, we want support to be targeted to people who need it most but we need to recognise that - whether it's businesses in Queensland heavily dependent on the Sydney market, I was speaking to people in the Northern Territory last week about this very issue and further afield - there's lots of pain going around because our biggest state economy's in such strife. It's in strife because the lockdowns. The lockdowns wouldn't be necessary if Scott Morrison had got vaccines and quarantine right. I think having stuffed up vaccines the least he can do is stump up JobKeeper. That's what people want to see.
LEVINGSTON: Jim Chalmers, the ALP's Spokesman for the Treasury, on ABC Radio Brisbane, my name is Rebecca Levingston. Is four weeks going to be long enough for the Sydney lockdown?
CHALMERS: Well, it remains to be seen. I think there's a lot of anxiety, a lot of concern in Sydney, some of the numbers in the last day or two have been really bad, really concerning. I think it's important that the people of Sydney know that we send our strength and solidarity to them, there's no State of Origin when it comes to dealing with this diabolical virus.
We want the lockdown to be as short as possible, consistent with good health advice. We want to get on top of this thing and we want to limit the spread of it. It'd be easier if more people were vaccinated, we're last in the developed world when it comes to vaccinations, so that's a big part of the problem. We need to get that back on track if we're to see these lockdowns be shorter and not carrying on well into next year.
LEVINGSTON: And as you say, you're pushing for dedicated quarantine hubs. Do you have any news on Pinkenba? What's happening there? The site suggested for a quarantine hub in Brisbane?
CHALMERS: I think those discussions are still going at the moment. Unfortunately, I think because the feds weren't real keen on the one that made a lot of sense next to Toowoomba there, Wellcamp, I think that the discussions on alternatives probably started a bit later than is ideal. In our view, you could 've stacked up Wellcamp pretty quickly, it would be up and running by now.
As anyone who follows the news knows that one of the big problems here is the leaking of the virus out of hotel quarantine. Hotels are built for tourism, not for medical purposes. By now, 18 months into this virus, the feds should have built purpose-built quarantine facilities, we could've avoided some of this damage that's been done out of quarantine.
LEVINGSTON: In terms of the flip side here for Brisbane, and I guess this is sort of a delicate conversation to navigate, but you know the NRL's basically relocated here, the AFL, netball, you know, local MPs are out spruiking the potential of the Olympics. When Sydney loses, could Brisbane be the winner?
CHALMERS: I don't think that people really see it that way. I think people in in Brisbane and here in Logan where I'm speaking to you from, I think they're happy to kind of pitch in. So when it comes to the NRL, obviously we want to see the season continue if it's safe. We don't want to have some of those guys hanging out on the balcony and hanging out towels like The Jet was the last couple of days so that competition can continue.
I'm not sure that people see it as a big opportunity, I don't think they see in those terms. I think they're obviously prepared to step in and do what they can and there's obviously consequences in both directions for businesses here and all the rest of it. I think Australians genuinely, it sounds like a cliche now because of the overuse, but I think Australians do genuinely think that we're all in this together and one city's misfortune is not necessarily another city's good fortune. I don't think we're like that, but we're prepared to step in and fill the void when that's necessary.
LEVINGSTON: Do you think Brisbane will host the NRL Grand Final?
CHALMERS: It's hard to tell isn't it? We're heading into August. It won't be far away. It's hard to tell what impact the Delta outbreak in Sydney will have if the lockdown goes longer than four weeks. I'm certain Lang Park would be an amazing venue for it, there's nothing extra that would need to be done to put on an amazing Grand Final there, so we'd be capable of doing it. I'm sure that decision will be taken further down the track, if it's necessary then we'd make the most of it. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there'll be any Queensland teams in it! But Lang Park would do a good job.
LEVINGSTON: See what happens, if Sydney loses it you'd almost let one of their teams win. Jim Chalmers, appreciate you time this morning, thanks so much.
CHALMERS: Appreciate your time Rebecca, thank you.
LEVINGSTON: Jim Chalmers, the ALP's Shadow Treasury Spokesperson.
ENDS
