JIM CHALMERS MP
SHADOW TREASURER
MEMBER FOR RANKIN
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS FIRST EDITION
THURSDAY, 19 AUGUST 2021
SUBJECTS: President Biden’s booster shot announcement; Scott Morrison’s failures on vaccines risking the recovery; Australia’s economy bleeding billions of dollars a week; Stagnant wages locked-in before, during and after the pandemic; Where is Josh Frydenberg?; Australia’s obligation to stand by our mates in Afghanistan.
PETER STEFANOVIC, HOST: That's the US President, Joe Biden, walking off. He's not talking about any other issues it would seem, just the third booster shot from next month that Americans will be required to take, eight months after their second shot. Let's bring in the Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers live from Brisbane now. Jim, good to see you. Thanks for your time this morning. As we just heard from the President, they're announcing that from next month Americans will get their third booster shot, pending approval of course. Should that happen here? Is that something that we should be exploring here? Would you be supportive of that?
JIM CHALMERS, SHADOW TREASURER: Good morning, Pete. I think what we just saw there from President Biden is a country which is way further down the track than Australia is when it comes to vaccinating our people. The fact that America's contemplating booster shots already, third shots effectively, for their people, I think just shines a light once again on Scott Morrison's failure to get Australians vaccinated.
Our vaccination rates are still woefully low, nowhere near where we need them to be, despite the best efforts of people to do the right thing by each other. So I think that's another example of how we trail countries with which we compare ourselves, and that's why we've got these lockdowns for longer, it's why our economy is bleeding billions of dollars a week.
STEFANOVIC: We've got our vaccination rates at 50% though. It's looking like that milestone is going to pass today. So we're moving at a pretty good clip at the moment, Jim. Do we need to start having that conversation now about that third booster shot?
CHALMERS: Unfortunately, we started from way back. The Prime Minister has said repeatedly that this is not a race, every other Australian I think understands of course it's a race with all the consequences that being so far behind the rest of the world brings.
Obviously, there will come a time for a conversation about booster shots and all the rest of it. But first things first. We want to see those vaccination rates gallop. We want to see people get vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can so that we can move on to contemplating some of these other sorts of issues.
STEFANOVIC: Last month the Government did secure 85 million extra Pfizer doses. They're expected to arrive in 2022 and 2023. Are you confident that that will be enough?
CHALMERS: We need more vaccines much sooner than that. That's been obvious for some time. Unfortunately, we've got this Prime Minister who is allergic to taking responsibility. What that means is he spent all this time saying it's not a race. He's spent all of this time trying to blame others for the fact that he hasn't done his job on vaccines. And that's meant that even though people are trying to do the right thing, people are trying to get appointments, they're trying to get vaccinated, they want to get vaccinated and do the right thing, but that's been hard because of the supply issues and because of difficulties getting an appointment. So 2022 and 2023 is one thing, but we need more vaccines sooner so that we can prevent more lockdowns for longer.
STEFANOVIC: If there is a plan here too to fast track that third booster shot, some people have suggested that it is possible that those first people, and this includes the Prime Minister, to receive their first job, they'd receive their third jab before many in Australia might have received their first jab. Is that something that you would be concerned about?
CHALMERS: It remains to be seen, Pete. I'm not sure there's much value of me speculating about that sequencing. Clearly, what we've learned about this delta variant is that it's much different to the earlier iterations of this diabolical virus and so there will be a need for boosters. But first things first, let's get as many Australians vaccinated, first and second shot, as we can so that we can prevent some of this social dislocation and economic carnage which is a consequence of the Prime Minister's failure to do his job.
STEFANOVIC: Okay, well let's look at some of that economic carnage today. First of all, New South Wales has seemingly got no solution to its increasing caseload at the moment. You've got Victoria that's going to have some 40 cases announced today, that's its highest since its second wave. What's your take on those high numbers this morning?
CHALMERS: Incredibly concerning. I don't think any Australian watches what's going on in Sydney in particular with anything other than heartbreak at what's happening there, Victoria as well, and other parts of Australia are locked down too. So I think everybody understands the gravity of this situation.
The opening up of Australia, the recovery of the economy, has always been hostage to some of those issues we just talked about with vaccines. Unfortunately, we're seeing that playing out right now in some of our biggest cities in Australia.
STEFANOVIC: Are you expecting a double-dip recession?
CHALMERS: I'm not going to predict that, Pete. Obviously, we desperately hope that we can avoid the second recession in two years. We hadn't had a recession in this country for almost 30 years. Last year we had the worst one we've had for almost 100 years. And so we desperately need to avoid a second recession.
I think the fact that the Treasurer himself cannot rule out another recession under this Government is another indication of their failures on vaccines, and purpose-built quarantine, and JobKeeper as well.
We said all along that the recovery was hostage to getting vaccines right, getting the economic support right, and building purpose-built quarantine.
The fact that in all three of those areas the Government hasn't taken responsibility and hasn't gotten that right means that we are at risk, the economy is at risk. It's bleeding billions of dollars a week, and this is the price that Australians are paying for the Prime Minister's incompetence.
STEFANOVIC: There was no economic cliff as you and others had forecast previously, there was a quick bounce back. But now that's coming into play again, people are suggesting that there will be a quick bounce back again this time. But others are saying we're not so sure about that, particularly as New South Wales stays under lockdown right up until the end of the year. What's your thoughts on where it's heading at the moment? Are you going to revisit that again? Is another cliff coming?
CHALMERS: We desperately hope that Australians can avoid that cliff. We desperately hope that the economy can get back on track once these lockdowns end. But nobody can tell us when the lockdowns end, for good reason. There's a lot of uncertainty.
Earlier on in the year we warned the Government that they shouldn't be engaged in this premature celebration, that the recovery was always hostage to their incompetence on vaccines and quarantine. When JobKeeper ended 56,000 people lost their jobs. Looking back now on that decision to cut JobKeeper, it looks like one of the dumbest decisions that the Government has taken. On this channel in the last couple of days the pubs and clubs industry, which is a massive employer, was talking about the stupidity of cutting JobKeeper.
Unfortunately, Pete, we have been right at every juncture here. We're seeing that play out right now. The reason we're having these lockdowns is because of failures on vaccines and quarantine, and the failures of the economic support to make up for that.
The economy's bleeding billions of dollars a week, we've got historically stagnant wages, small business is incredibly worried, people are worried about losing their jobs. And just like the Prime Minister the Treasurer has gone missing. Where is Josh Frydenberg as the economy is shrinking and small businesses are worried about hitting the fence?
STEFANOVIC: Just a quick one before we go, Jim. The Prime Minister announcing yesterday that Australia will take some 3,000 Afghan refugees, initially. Is that enough?
CHALMERS: Let's see what that number's based on. We've got a lot of room in the humanitarian intake. Let's hear how the Government arrived at that 3,000 figure. Obviously, the details of that are important, the checks are important, the integrity of the system is important.
But there's a much bigger principle at stake here. And that is whether Australians are prepared to stand by their mates.
We are talking about very brave people who stood with us as the bullets were whizzing around our ears. They're asking now that we stand by them as the bullets are whizzing around their ears and that's not too much to ask.
STEFANOVIC: Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers, thanks for your time. We'll talk to you soon.
CHALMERS: Thanks, Peter.
ENDS
