Prime Minister
12.20 PM
SARAH HARRIS: The Prime Minister joins us live from Canberra. Good morning. Prime Minister, thanks for your company. Did you ever doubt your strategy? You were under a lot of pressure from some parts of the medical community to go hard and to go early. But you stood your ground. Are you glad you did?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think we have been taking the right approach. And what's really been focussing our efforts is we've got to have the right answers for Australia. You just can't go and carbon copy what they're doing in other places. You got to think about your own community, the risks that we have here, take advantage of the things that we have, and being an island is a pretty big one of that with strong border protection. So we've been working through our strengths and I think we've also tried to be as respectful as we can of the, you know, the way we live in Australia. And so I think we've got the balance right so far. But we can't get complacent. We've got to keep this focus going. And I've been adamant from the start that, yes, there's a massive health challenge here, but there's also a massive economic one. We've got to save lives and livelihoods and we've got to deal with these two things together. And that's what we're endeavouring to do with programs like JobKeeper. But as well, what we're doing on the health front, where with Australians great help - and thanks again, Australia, for the wonderful support and patience that you're showing I know it's tough, but hang in there, we're getting through it.
ANGELA BISHOP: Yeah. Prime Minister, what's the end game given the damage that this is doing to our economy? Are we still trying to flatten the curve or eliminate the virus altogether?
PRIME MINISTER: It's about flattening. And yesterday we talked about a new measure that we're using, which is about if someone gets the coronavirus, how many people they can transfer it onto. And now if when we keep that below 1 and that's where we are right now in all states except for Tasmania, we keep that there for a period of time, then we increase our confidence. And that means over the next four weeks we’ll then be able to look at easing some of these restrictions that we have in place. And we want to do that because we want to get the economic activity going up again and we want the economy being able to support people's incomes, supporting their jobs without the need for JobKeeper and JobSeeker. I mean, they'll be there for six months. But the more the economy can carry the weight of people's incomes and that's better for everyone.
JOE HILDEBRAND: And PM I think you and the Premiers have done an exceptional job. And so I don't want to have a go at all. But it is quite obvious that there is a difference between the federal Chief Medical Officer’s advice and that of some of the states, particularly Victoria. Is it, is it not the case that the states have kind of run away from the federal approach a bit and seem to be going towards harder lockdown, perhaps towards more of a containment strategy rather than flatten the curve strategy? And does that mean that the National Cabinet model is broken, that it's not working because the states aren't really doing what the federal government wants to do? In some cases, they're playing their own game, aren't they?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I don't think that's true, Joe. I don't think that's true at all. I mean, the National Cabinet works because it respects the fact that all states and territories are sovereign in their own governments, as indeed the federal government is. And what we do is we set a series of baselines on what those restrictions should be. And in some cases, states and territories, which is their absolute right, have decided to go further in some cases. And that's been in relation to specific restrictions like golf courses in Victoria, you can play golf in New South Wales, or it's been in the liquor restriction in Western Australia or it's been in the degree of enforcement. Now in South Australia, the hard legal enforcement only applies at 10, the strong public advice is 2 people. But in New South Wales and Victoria, then, they’re enforcement. But you know, the virus is operating differently in the states. It's you can't assume that it's the same in every place. I mean, it's like average rainfall across the nation, it means absolutely nothing. You've got to look at it, I mean, we've got to deal with this at a high level, but the states have got to deal with it on the ground. So we're respecting those differences, and even on issues like schools where I know there's been some you know, there's been the perception of even greater disagreement, that actually isn't really true. We all want the same thing. And we said this yesterday - ultimately the best place for kids to be is in a classroom learning from a professional teacher. And there's been no dispute about the health advice right across the board that children are safe to go to school. I think confusion has come because of the safety and the issues relating to teachers and teachers are more at risk in the staff room than they are in the classroom. And I think we're getting that message across now, but each state and territory will do things a little bit differently, and that's okay.
HILDEBRAND: So I understand that. I'm certainly not disputing the difficulties in managing all the political problems as well as the health ones. But what happens when the federal Chief Medical Officer says in the National Cabinet, schools are safe and the Victorian Chief Medical Officer says no they're not, we’re going to shut them down anyway?
PRIME MINISTER: But that's not what they’re saying. So that's mischaracterising what he's actually saying, there is a consensus that of the health advice, amongst the medical expert panel that schools are safe for children and not, the Victorian Chief Health Officer has said anything different than that.
MERRICK WATTS: Prime Minister, Merrick Watts here. Obviously, your family's in isolation like everybody else's families. How are they coping in the moment? And has your family run out of puzzles?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, they haven't finished them yet. I know that much. There's a puzzle sitting on the dining room table, which is, the corners are in, though. I'm very impressed with that - but I think that's more Jenny’s doing than anyone else's today. Today, Jenny tells me, because they are on their school holidays now and they're working doing, they're making a garden. They're doing a veggie garden today. That's their activity for the day. Jenny - she should write a book on this. I mean, mums are amazing in terms of how they keep kids entertained and focussed on all parents who are doing that job at the moment, good on you. I mean, people think I've got a hard job. I'm not looking after two kids at home and keeping them focussed, and apart from each other for most of the time. I got a wonderful, well it was sent to me actually by a very senior journalist. And she showed me the picture of what it looks like 5 per cent of the time, two kids sitting down doing their homework on the table. What it looks like 95 per cent of the time, and the two kids are at each other's throats. So, hats off to the parents keeping their kids applied.
HARRIS: I reckon it's a line ball between you and Jenny who has the harder job at the moment. You have been splashing a lot of cash to put off what many are describing as the next Great Depression. In fact, the boys from the Betoota Advocate have called your approach “Scocialism” which I thought was brilliant. What happens at the end of this six months, though? Will the money run out?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we've been very clear that the lifeline that we could put in place is finite. And that's why it's an important edge, that we actually build up the economy over that period of time and that we are in a position to be able to wind back some of these restrictions so the economy can lift and start supporting people without the need for what these emergency measures are. And I disagree with the guys at Betoota, that wouldn’t be the first time. But this isn't about socialism. That’s not what it is. It's an emergency now. And we need these emergency measures, on the other side of this we're going to need things that actually grow businesses, get regulation out of the way, make sure that businesses can employ people again and get on with their investments. And that's what we're going to need and we're very focussed on that as well. But right now, the three things we need to do in order to start easing these restrictions in about four weeks from now. First one is we've got to have more testing. We've got the best testing regime in the world or if not the best, pretty close to it. We'll make the finals I can assure you of that. The second one is that we need to expand the automation using technology of how we trace the contacts of those being affected by the coronavirus. And the third is you sort of need a flying squad, you know, a SWAT team, if you like, on how you're cracking down on outbreaks where they occur. We're seeing a bit of that in North West Tasmania at the moment. So we've got to build up our strength in those three things. That means that we can ease restrictions four weeks from now and can be confident that when there are outbreaks, we can pick them, respond to them fast and keep that that figure I was talking about, that's called the Reff, or the technical term. But if that's below 1, then then we're winning and if we're not, if it's above 1, then we're going to have to work harder.
BISHOP: We've all learned so many new technical terms during this time. I'll tell you what. Now, I've got to ask, how do you feel about Malcolm Turnbull releasing his memoir, attacking you in the middle of this crisis?
PRIME MINISTER: Not interested.
BISHOP: Not even, he released a personal message that you'd given him? You know, there's a lot of stuff in there when, the when the nation really is focussed on other stuff?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah I don’t care.
HARRIS: Prime Minister it’s your birthday next month, if someone gave you a copy of the book,
PRIME MINISTER: Cheers!
HARRIS: Would you regift it? Or would you read it?
PRIME MINISTER: I wouldn't notice it.
HARRIS: Return to sender hey. I think you've made yourself pretty clear on that one.
PRIME MINISTER: I think so.
HILDEBRAND: I understand how you feel.
HARRIS: Prime Minister we know you're extremely busy, man. We will have to leave it there. We really appreciate you taking the time to talk to us today. Oh, before we let you go, we did this terrible segment earlier on during the, during the show. It was so bad.
HARRIS: You thought coronavirus was bad, where we had a dad joke-off and we understand that you've got a cracker that you want to share with us?
PRIME MINISTER: I don’t know about that. But how do you make a handkerchief dance?
HILDEBRAND: I don’t know, how do you make a handkerchief dance?
PRIME MINISTER: You put a bit of boogie in it.
HARRIS: Coronavirus inspired as well. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, we do appreciate your time. Thank you so much for joining us.
PRIME MINISTER: Well thanks, Australia. Thanks for everything you're doing out there. We really appreciate it. Keep going. We'll get through it.