Prime Minister
BEN FORDHAM: Prime Minister Scott Morrison is live on the line. PM good morning.
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Ben.
FORDHAM: Thanks for joining us. How bad are they going to be?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we'll all know what those figures are when they come out Ben and I, of course, don't know what they are at this moment. We'll know later in the day. But I think your assessment and the market expectations are certainly saying the same things. We're in a recession. And when you're in recession, these are the sort of very heartbreaking numbers that we have to deal with. And we've still got a long way to go. And so that's why it's so important that all of our efforts, all of our focus where the parliament's focus should be, certainly where the government's focus always has been, is on creating jobs, keeping people in jobs where we can and where people aren't able to hold onto those jobs that we could find ways to get them back into new jobs and grow our economy again as quickly as possible. I mean, the most recent figures we had, I said this on Monday when I was outlining further parts of our JobMaker plan, and we lost 30 months of jobs growth in the figures that came out last month. And that's heartbreaking because so many businesses, so many people work so hard to create all those jobs. And then almost overnight, we saw them go. So, you know, it's a tough time.
FORDHAM: I know you had a late night last night, and I know that you sweat on these things because you're worried about Australia and Australians. Are you thinking it's going into double digits?
PRIME MINISTER: I don't know, Ben. And that's not Treasury's advice. One of the most difficult things about this crisis is it's not like other economic downturns because it's been caused by a health event. It hasn't been caused by the economy. And when we went into this crisis with the economy strengthening with jobs being created and the Budget coming, the Budget was back in balance effectively at the time. And then this hit. And so we've got to deal with that, we’ve cushioned the blow through the biggest programmes of support through JobSeeker and JobKeeper and the cash flow assistance and the many other measures on leases that the states have done to cushion that blow. But we can't stop the blow. And so we've got to work our way through this. People are pulling together, businesses having to make some very difficult decisions about where their businesses are heading. But it is good to see more and more businesses opening up now. The restrictions are coming off, and I think people do get a sense that we're on our way back. Consumer confidence has recovered the losses that we saw months ago, and business confidence is also coming back. So we need to keep that going.
FORDHAM: One thing that would help is opening up the borders. And this issue is now headed to the high court. And this was all about protecting health, but now it's killing business big time?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the story this morning, some 5,000 jobs have been costed a week on this. This is why I've been pushing this state so hard and,
FORDHAM: $84 million dollars a day. We’re losing?
PRIME MINISTER: This is why borders should be opened up. There's never been any advice which says they should be closed. And that's why this is so frustrating. I'm pleased that we've got a timetable at least now. And that's important because that means that particularly the tourism industry up in Queensland can now start planning to take people again when that turns back on. And to be honest, that, it would take about a month or so for them to wind back up again for a lot of those businesses to get themselves ready to receive visitors again. So they do need a bit of forewarning about this, but there was no reason for the borders to be shut in the first place. And so they need to be reopened. I know that within those states in particular, whether it be in Queensland or W.A. or Tasmania or South Australia, there are people there who believe that was giving them some protection. But, you know, Australia's had an amazing performance when it comes to the coronavirus. We haven't been going for a complete elimination. That's not a practical goal. What we're doing is staying on top of it. And the numbers show that we're doing that. And business should be able to open and employ people, it’s holding back jobs.
FORDHAM: PM, two universities in the ACT want to fly in about 300 foreign students next month. We've got to get international travel going at some point, obviously, after the state borders are open. But why not test it in this way, with the appropriate quarantine in place? Do you support the idea of testing this with some foreign students coming in?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we do, I announced that last week, we're working with the ACT and South Australia at the moment, but I made it pretty clear to South Australia you can't have people coming from Singapore if you haven't got people coming from Sydney. And our universities need to be fully open to domestic students in the first instance before looking at this. But yeah, that's the model. And you can do it. I mean, we've seen it work with Australians returning and going into quarantine in hotels. So that system has proved very effective. It's actually kept the virus under control. And so we can start deploying those sorts of resources into those arrangements. And that will be good for those for that sector. And so we're looking to get the economy as open as is practically possible. There is a bit of a glass ceiling on the economy when it comes to you know, the ultimate restrictions, I mean, I can't honestly see international travel more generally, people coming from all over the world to Australia again anytime soon. I think there's the opportunity for Australians to engage in essential business travel, there are already exemptions for that at the moment, provided the quarantine arrangements are put in place when they return. So we'll look, we’re just looking to be as practical as we can about this, Ben, and open up the economy as much as possible, because that's what it's going to get the jobs back.
FORDHAM: Three quick ones. Australian warships have been deployed in the Indo-Pacific alongside some US aircraft carriers. There are a lot of Australians who are worried that things are heating up in the region. Do we need to be concerned?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, these are a part of our normal exercises and operations that we've been conducting for many, many years. It's part of those alliance relationships and it's an important part of our training and our development and our partnerships.
FORDHAM: Not about sending a message to China in any way?
PRIME MINISTER: These are our routine partnerships and exercises that we do. There's nothing extraordinary about that. And I don't think it would cause anyone any surprise who are looking in from elsewhere.
FORDHAM: Some of the damaging branch stacking recordings revealed this week were filmed in the office of a Federal Labor MP, Anthony Byrne. He's been exposed today for sending text messages to colleagues threatening to cut off heads and urinate on corpses. Earlier this week, Anthony Albanese told me, quote, “I know Anthony Byrne and he's a man of integrity.” Should he be reviewing those comments?
PRIME MINISTER: He doesn't seem to even be talking to him. I mean, Anthony Albanese has been totally burned by this scandal. I mean, let's be clear about this. What this is was described yesterday by Anthony Byrne himself as corruption. He wasn’t just talking, I mean, you know, branch stacking. We've all known about that in the Labor Party for years. But more seriously, this has gone to corruption. That's what Anthony Byrne has called it. That wasn't a political gibe from the Liberal Party or anything else. What all this shows, Ben, is that the Labor Party are absolutely at war. We're fighting for jobs, they're fighting each other. I mean, it's 10 years ago since the Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard blow up here in Canberra and 10 years later, they're still doing it. They haven't changed. They've learnt nothing. I mean, we've been focusing on the terrible challenges of the coronavirus crisis. That's what these guys have been doing. They've been running around with all this nonsense. Anthony Albanese is leading a party in absolute chaos and disarray.
FORDHAM: I presume you've seen the video of these police officers being attacked on the central coast of New South Wales. How did you feel watching that vision, as the son of a police officer?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, upset, but not surprised because I know our police put themselves in harm's way every day and I know their families you know carry that with them as their loved ones go out and pull on that uniform every day. They confront the hardest situations you can imagine on a daily basis. Drug use, domestic violence, they see the most awful things and they have to live and carry that every single day. I'm pleased that today in the police force, under some great leadership over many commissioners now, the police get the support they need on mental health and first responder support, those sorts of things. I think that's tremendous because in my dad’s day, that wasn't around, when he was a young constable and today there is so much more support. But I think it's a reminder to all of us about the wonderful job that our police officers do for us. They step up into the breach on these occasions. So I think that is a tribute to them and I'm always incredibly grateful for what they do.
FORDHAM: Just lastly, the political reporter Peter van Onselen notoriously predicted that you would lose the last election. He said, “There's no way he can win.” I've got some bad news for you, PM.
PRIME MINISTER: What’s that, mate?
FORDHAM: He's now predicting that you can't lose the next one.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, help us from the predictions of any commentators, I think Ben, you'll be pleased to know. And I'm sure those many quiet Australians out there know that I don't pay too much attention to the pundits when it comes to their commentary or their predictions. I just focus on doing the job. And Ben, right now, jobs is what it's all about. I mean, first question to me about these jobless figures. I mean, this is the great challenge our country has. It's like nothing else. I know there's lots of other issues going on at the moment, Ben, but I’ve got to tell you, this one, this is what keeps me up every single night. It keeps me going every single day. We've got to get businesses open and Australians back into jobs. And the clock is running and we are working night and day to ensure that we can make that happen.
FORDHAM: Good on you. The clock's ticking on me as well, so I’d better let you go. Thanks so much for your time.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks a lot, Ben.