Prime Minister Scott Morrison has rejected claims of double standards over the COVID-19 financial rescue packages for New South Wales and Victoria.
A war of words broke out between the Victorian and Federal Governments yesterday after the Commonwealth announced it would provide financial support to NSW workers amid the state's latest lockdown.
A Victorian state government spokesperson said yesterday the state had to "beg for every scrap of support" from the Federal Government during its latest outbreak just a few weeks ago.
LIVE UPDATES: PM rejects double standards claims over lockdown support
Mr Morrison shut down the comments today, insisting he did not play favourites and Sydney's coronavirus outbreak had escalated.
"We were putting three-quarters of a billion dollars every single week into Victoria while they went through (its two-week) lockdown," Mr Morrison told Today.
"NSW is going into week four of a lockdown and that means the challenges are escalating.
"What I announced yesterday is exactly what every other state and territory would get in a week four of a lockdown."
A scathing statement from the Victorian government claimed the Commonwealth had double standards.
"Everyone in Australia believes that people in Sydney and NSW deserve every possible support as they battle a second wave and a long lockdown," a government spokesperson said in the statement to 9News.
"But Victorians are rightly sick and tired of having to beg for every scrap of support from the Federal Government.
READ MORE: Infected Victorian family broke home quarantine rules
"It shouldn't take a crisis in Sydney for the Prime Minister to take action but we are seeing the same double standard time and time again. His job is not to be the Prime Minister for NSW."
The Victorian Government doubled down, labelling the Commonwealth's assistance during the 'circuit breaker' lockdown "a disgrace".
"We had to shame the Federal Government into doing their job and providing income support for Victorian workers when we battled the Delta strain earlier this year. Their position at the time was a disgrace," the government spokesperson said in the statement.
"If they had bothered to think about this at the time and work with Victoria, they'd already have had a practical framework in place when NSW went into lockdown and more people would have got the support they need earlier."
A Federal Government spokesperson yesterday said Victoria would receive the same treatment had lockdown been extended.
"Victoria received the same support for its two-week 'circuit breaker' lockdown as NSW has for its first two weeks of lockdown," the statement provided late today read.
READ MORE: 'Australia now stands as a warning to other nations': UK newspaper
"The conditions for payments and the levels of payments were exactly the same.
"As the pandemic has evolved and as the situation in NSW has gone beyond those two weeks, the Commonwealth's support has also evolved. If Victoria were to go into another extended lockdown, it would receive the same support as is being offered to NSW."
The spokesperson added Victoria was offered support from Canberra and criticised the state for "politicising" the issue of financial assistance amid coronavirus lockdowns.
"During the most recent Victorian lockdown, the Commonwealth offered to share all costs with Victoria. Victoria declined, and asked for the Commonwealth to handle income support while they would support businesses," the statement reads.
"Victoria received $4220 per capita support through JobKeeper compared to $3684 per capita for NSW.
"The NSW Government has worked constructively with the Commonwealth to support their households and businesses while the Victorian Government's politicised approach has unfortunately been to issue decrees by media instead of picking up the phone to find solutions as a partnership."
READ MORE: ATAGI changes its vaccine advice for people living in outbreak areas
Mr Morrison yesterday said the NSW support was because the state was likely heading into a fourth week of lockdown, unlike Melbourne just a few weeks ago.
"Thankfully that lockdown only lasted two weeks ... clearly, in NSW it's taken a different turn," Mr Morrison said.
The Prime Minister said it was in the "national interest" to have a coordinated monetary response to COVID-19 lockdowns.
Mr Morrison announced the latest financial assistance with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian yesterday.
"The NSW outbreak has proved to be more severe, more dangerous, and it's in the national interest that we now put in place an upgraded set of arrangements for cooperation with the states and territories," he said.
"It needs to be targeted. It needs to be timely. It needs to be proportionate, scalable, and the administration of those supports need to be done in a way so it can get to people as simply and as quickly as is possible."
The Commonwealth and NSW government will equally foot the bill 50/50.
"What I'm announcing today is not just a partnership with NSW. What I'm announcing today is an upgrading of the Commonwealth government's national response," Mr Morrison said.
READ MORE: Exposure sites increase in Victoria as state put on high alert
"So it is certainly our hope and ambition that we would not see lockdowns extending like we're seeing them here in NSW and other states and territories ... but as I said, COVID-19 will set those rules.
"What we're saying is when situations get like this, it is in the national interest that we ensure that a lockdown that is occurring here in NSW will be effective."
Currently, the rates are $325 if someone has lost less than 20 hours of work a week, and $500 if a person has lost more than 20 hours a week.
Under the changes the payments will increase to $375 if a person has lost between eight and less than 20 hours of work a week, and $600 if a person has lost 20 hours or more a week.
The payment structure is similar in terms of the support Victorian workers eventually received during its most recent fourth lockdown.
READ MORE: NSW records 89 new cases and another death
When it comes to business support, they will also be given up to $10,000 per week or up to 40 per cent of their total payroll if they earn between $57,000 and $75,000.
There will also be a $1500 fortnightly payment for small businesses as well as sole traders, and a $15,000 lump sum available to them if they lost 70 per cent or more of their revenue.
The Prime Minister was keen to point out that Victoria made the most of JobKeeper and accepted $13 billion of support last year.
READ MORE: Warning for Sydneysiders not to 'congregate' outside takeaway cafes
Senior Victorian Government minister Martin Pakula yesterday said that even though Victoria struggled to earn that support back from the Commonwealth, they are happy it is in place.
"The way that we dealt with that outbreak in Victoria that came in from South Australia protected the nation," Mr Pakula said.
"I think we were right in expressing that the Commonwealth would support us through that."
"We were protecting the nation ... and we expected recognition of that," Mr Pakula said.
from 9News https://ift.tt/3hE1Llw
via IFTTT
0 Comments