JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW TREASURER: Today we learn that Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg have been sending JobKeeper money to workers who don't exist. The treasurer and the Prime Minister have been sprung sending JobKeeper money to dead people. These are humiliating revelations about JobKeeper and Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison. They are humiliating revelations because Morrison and Frydenberg have spent much of the last 10 years banging on about cheques for dead people during the Global Financial Crisis, so they have a lot of explaining to do.
Under Josh Frydenberg dead people get JobKeeper money but struggling small businesses in the tourism sector won't. No wonder this Liberal government doesn't have enough jobs and opportunities to show for its trillion dollars in debt, when all of this money is being wasted on rorts like this one. No wonder they don't have enough to show for the trillion dollars in debt, when they're spraying money around on rorts, and executive bonuses, and advertising, and all of the rest of it.
Just for once, Josh Frydenberg needs to come out today and take responsibility for the fact that JobKeeper money is going to workers that don't exist. Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison, if something's going well, they're all over it, in front of the cameras taking credit, elbow bumps, pats on the back for each other. But when something's going wrong as it clearly is with JobKeeper here, then we need to see the Treasurer and the Prime Minister actually take responsibility for it. The Treasurer is responsible for the design, eligibility and implementation of JobKeeper. He's got some explaining to do, particularly when you remember that he is on the record – over, and over, and over again - banging on about cheques for dead people. We ask him to apply the same standard to his own policies as he has in the past.
When it comes to taking responsibility, we also need the federal government to acknowledge, and recognise, and take responsibility for the fact that some of the necessary steps that have been taken to close international borders are the federal government's responsibility. We've got Peter Dutton and others out there today bagging Premier Palaszczuk for standing up for the small businesses and workers and industries and regional towns of the great state of Queensland. We need the federal government to accept and acknowledge international borders are their responsibility. Some of these steps are necessary but the closure of the international border has meant that places like Cairns, where I was last week speaking to tourism businesses and other businesses and workers, are doing it extremely tough. When Cairns and places like it are on JobKeeper life support, Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison shouldn't be pulling the plug. There are businesses in tourism and in other areas which rely on international tourism in particular, which are in all kinds of strife and we ask the federal government to understand that and to consider other ways that they could support those businesses and those workers, whether it's an extension of JobKeeper or some better way. These are the points that Premier Palaszczuk has been making.
Peter Dutton is so horrendously out of touch with the people of Queensland who overwhelmingly support the right and resolute leadership that Premier Palaszczuk has provided in this area - keepinG Queenslanders safe, limiting the spread of this virus and in doing so, making it easier in the long run, for workers, and small businesses.
If Peter Dutton and Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison had their way, and the borders were opened prematurely, we wouldn't have limited the spread of this virus, more workers would have lost their jobs, and more small businesses would have hit the fence. I think Queenslanders know who has their interests at heart - at the state level with Premier Palaszczuk and the federal Albanese Labor opposition. We support limiting the spread of the virus and doing the right thing by workers and small businesses, whether it's in the tourism sector, or elsewhere. We welcome the Premier of this state standing up for the workers and small businesses of this state, as she should do. And we want the federal government to take responsibility and act on a situation that is very troubling for workers and small businesses right throughout the state, but particularly in places like Cairns.
The final set of point I'll make is this. In this country, we have more than two million Australians who are looking for a job, or looking for more hours at work, and millions more who've had years of stagnant wages. Our Shadow Ministry, which the leader Anthony Albanese announced yesterday, is focused 100% on jobs, on making sure that we don't leave millions of Australians behind; we don't leave millions of Australians stranded in joblessness or underemployment, or on stagnant wages; and that we can make our economy and our society stronger and more inclusive after COVID-19 than it was before. And I look forward to working with the new Shadow Ministry that was announced yesterday to make sure that we maintain that focus on jobs, so that people in this country who work hard can get ahead and provide for their loved ones, and so that millions of Australians aren't left behind unnecessarily. Thanks very much.
ENDS
