PM Announcements

The Prime Minister just made the following announcements post National Cabinet Meeting this morning:

• Over the course of the past week 2/3 of decrease of movement across Australia … 80% over last week alone – significant change on the way people are taking this message and supporting each other
• Thank you from the Commonwealth, States and Territories, Australia – keep doing it – you’re saving lives and you’re saving livelihoods – this has been a significant shift
• Need to keep seeing it taking place - let’s keep doing it Australia
• Washing hands, staying 1.5m away, only going out when you absolutely have to and just doing simple things like not going to the pub etc
• Even though we have to be isolated no Australian has to go through this alone
• Australia has the highest testing rates in the world today
• Efforts at commonwealth and state levels are all making a difference
• It is a vital time and we are all getting on top of it and we need to keep on top of it
• This weekend the challenge will be there but keep doing the right thing to save lives and livelihoods
• Business are being agile and adapting even under significant change and distress
• Others it has been devastating which is being seen as people try and access our safety nets
• We’re in 2 fights – battling it on two fronts – both important – all the measures implemented and the economic crisis caused as a result
• Both will take lives and livelihoods
• Commonwealth, States and Territories will all be doing more to provide whatever assistance they can
• No decision on the health front is being taken lightly
• Every day someone is in a job for just another day is worth fighting for
• Keeping things running everyday matters – it matters for the jobs, businesses, their families hence it matters to the PM, Prems & CM
• The Govt will not take them for convenience … every decision has very real deep personal impacts it can place on them at the most difficult of times
• Further actions – targeted against our greatest area of concern:
  • Enables us to deal with the increasing pressure of Australians coming home
  • We can now focus on that because of the work Australians have done over the past week on behaviours
  • 2/3 of new cases are still Australians who have returned home – very different to the rest of the world
  • As time has gone on – the risk of those returning from other parts is increasing because other countries have the virus too
  • Strengthening the enforcement of self-isolation for people returning – Isolation Declaration Card has been used so far – this is now enforceable by law at a State and Territory level now with strong penalties for non-compliance
  • In addition to the arrival declaration card – as of midnight tomorrow (11.59PM Saturday) all States & Territories will be quarantining all arrivals in hotels and other accom for 2 weeks in mandatory isolation before they can return home (if home is SA, Perth, Sydney etc and they arrive in Melbourne – Melbourne is where they will do their quarantine)
  • Each State will be doing the heavy lifting themselves to enforce this measure in a reciprocal arrangement with each other and the Cth
  • Cth will be supporting them with Defence personnel to assist in compliance with the arrangements – they are not authorised as enforcement agents – only there to support the local authorities
  • Cth will be supporting with enforcing the existing isolation arrangements – ADF will support with compliance checks of residences etc
• Economy – Dr Kennedy briefing of the impacts to States & Territories – PM + Treasurer will announce more in coming days
• Third tranche coming with additional support for Australians over difficult months ahead
• They are trying to maintain as much as possible for the economy
• Part of the plan will be to seek to ‘hibernate’ Australian businesses – innovative approach – more to say about this soon
• Businesses who will have to close their doors and keep them closed either because of necessity of the measures or lack of business
• They want these businesses to start again
• Don’t want next 6 months to be saddled by debt, rental payments or other liabilities so they can’t start again on the other side
• Employees come back, opportunities come back, the economy comes back
• Support by States & Territories of managing complex commercial and residential tenancies
• We have to stick together and support each other – day by day it is becoming a tougher job – but the Gov’t is encouraged by the
• Next few weeks particularly vital in the battle
• Still seeing a lot of returning Australians still developing into cases
• AHPPC recommended single most – stop any capacity for any return traveller who may develop the virus because of other country’s very large outbreaks
• Third Tranche (from a question ‘Who will lose out to these new measures?) Answer - Landlords will suffer, banks will wear some of it, Councils will contribute, States will contribute – more in coming days