JIM CHALMERS MP
SHADOW TREASURER
MEMBER FOR RANKIN
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC PILBARA BREAKFAST
FRIDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2021
SUBJECT: Coalition’s cuts to JobKeeper risk 4,219 workers and 1,371 businesses in the Pilbara, North West Cape and surrounds
KELLY GUDGEON, HOST: On March 28, the federal government's JobKeeper program will end. And while the number of Australians receiving JobKeeper is dropping, there are still thousands of people here in our region who still rely on the payment. In fact, 1,371 businesses and 4,219 workers across the Pilbara and North West Cape will lose JobKeeper when it is cut next month. To talk about the impact this might have on the region, I spoke to the federal Labor Shadow Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, and he said there are concerns that those people will be left behind. Thanks for joining me on the program, Jim. The issue that we're talking about this morning is the JobKeeper program. And it's one that will be impacting on a lot of people, particularly towards the end of March and when the payment is taken away. What do you think the impact will be on people once that date comes?
JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW TREASURER: Good morning, Kelly. Regional Western Australia actually has some of the highest JobKeeper rates in the whole of the country. If you just think, across the Pilbara and North West Cape, we're talking about 1,371 businesses and 4,219 workers. So, there are literally thousands of people and their employers who are relying on this payment. And our concern is the when that is cut next month by the Prime Minister and the Treasurer, that a lot of businesses, a lot of workers, a lot of local communities will be left behind because they can't rely on that payment, even though conditions are still pretty tough, particularly in tourism.
GUDGEON: In The North West, there are many tourism businesses who are actually finding that it's been a boom season over the last 12 months and into the next 12 months. Do those people still need that payment? Or what's the situation with that?
CHALMERS: For those companies which are doing well, then they will obviously no longer qualify for JobKeeper. Obviously, we welcome businesses who are back on their feet. It's a pretty patchy sector, some parts of it are doing okay, but many parts of it are still struggling, particularly the parts of the tourism industry which rely on international tourism. Those are the ones that we are incredibly worried about. But if you think about it, the Tourism Council of WA put out some numbers that showed that Shark Bay had the third highest uptake in Australia of JobKeeper, something like 63% of businesses there. You think about Exmouth, I think it had the fourth highest uptake in Australia, something like 61% of businesses. So, the point that we're making here is, yes, if businesses don't need JobKeeper anymore, they shouldn't be getting it. But many businesses and the workers they employ, many communities and industries are still doing it really tough, even as other parts of the national economy recovers. And we want to make sure that they're not forgotten, or left out, or left behind. Where there's a case for ongoing support, for a little bit longer, we think it should be delivered.
GUDGEON: It was no secret that the scheme was only meant to go until the end of March. Should people have been moving towards making other arrangements before then?
CHALMERS: Well, originally this scheme was going to end in September. The government extended it to March because they said that should be responsive to the economic conditions, and we still think that's the case. Nobody is arguing for JobKeeper to go on forever. Nobody’s saying it should be a permanent feature. But when there are 1,371 businesses in your part of the world and more than 4,000 workers, we think that JobKeeper should be tailored to what's actually going on in the local economy there. That means that there is a case for some kind of temporary and targeted extension of the program. The program has been really important, keeping people in work and making sure that we don't hollow out our tourism and other industries, across the Pilbara, across the North West Cape, and right around Australia. So in our view there is an argument to be made that there are some companies that still need this, and that those views should be considered by the government.
GUDGEON: You're saying that in no way do you think that it should go on permanently, but how long do you think it should be extended for?
CHALMERS: For as long as it's necessary. And the reason why that is not a definitive end date is because I think the government made a mistake saying no matter what, this will end in March. I think that is an error. Because it doesn't take into account those thousands of workers in your part of the world, but also right around Australia, something like a million around Australia are still getting it. It doesn't take into account that if you're working in an industry that relies on the opening of the international border, or you're working in an industry that hasn't recovered as quickly as others, then you're still relying on this help. And we don't want to see the industries hollowed out, in regional communities in particular, so that when the opportunities do return and the international borders are reopened, we want people to be able to grasp those opportunities. And they can't do that, if too many businesses are destroyed in the interim.
GUDGEON: Jim Chalmers, thank you for your time. I appreciate you coming on to the program.
CHALMERS: Thank you, Kelly.
GUDGEON: Federal Labor Shadow Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, speaking there.
ENDS
