Scott Morrison plans to put the heat on Victoria’s Dan Andrews and other state premiers to stop locking down their entire state with a $500 disaster payment that will only be paid in the “covid hot spots” he declares.
The “divide and conquer” approach to state lockdowns has been confirmed by senior government sources and it’s designed to tackle “bed-wetting premiers” that the Morrison Government believes are too trigger happy with the lockdown gun.
Senior government ministers have confirmed that the pandemic payment has a two-pronged purpose: to help vulnerable workers, but also to put the heat on state premiers and officials including the Victorian chief medical officer Brett Sutton who remain committed to what amounts to a zero tolerance approach to covid.
And while he did not stipulate any conditions around schools – yet – the PM repeatedly stressed he believed they should be reopened.
The new rules for the pandemic payment mark a return to the hotspot definition framework which the Prime Minister tried – and failed – to get national cabinet to agree on last year, when it came to implementing border closures.
The PM said the declared hotspot would be decided based on medical advice and could be a particular suburb, defined by postcodes or an entire metropolitan area.
But workers in regions and suburbs that do not have covid but are locked down for more than seven days anyway by state premiers will pay the price, as they are denied assistance in a brutal power play that the federal government hopes will refocus anger on state premiers.
Crucially, you need to be living in a suburb or region that Commonwealth Medical Officer Paul Kelly has declared a covid hotspot.
For example, the Commonwealth has currently declared Greater Melbourne a hotspot, but not regional Victoria, which has been locked down during the first week.
Those restrictions were eased today. But if the regions had remained locked down but not declared hot spots, they wouldn’t get any money.
As more of the community is vaccinated, the Morrison Government is determined to deliver a culture change that will include building more political tolerance for some outbreaks as long as they are kept under control.
“What is important, is that we ensure that the decisions that are made are commensurate with the risks that are faced to avoid any unnecessary hardship on Australians,’’ the Prime Minister said.
“So that the harm we seek to prevent is not exceeded by the harm that is imposed by the various measures that could be put in place and that is a decision that governments honestly have to make.”
To be eligible you need to be working 20 hours a week to get $500 or $325 a week if you work less hours. If you’re an eligible couple, you could get $1000 a week.
You also can’t be getting any other form of pandemic support or be able to do your job from home. The payment is only for workers employed before the lockdown who are over the age of 17.
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If you accept the payment you also need to accept those rules and be prepared to hand it back if you’re found by compliance activity to not be eligible later.
Recipients need to have less than $10,000 in liquid assets.
Liberal frontbencher David Littleproud said he was confident eligible Victorians could start applying for the cash next week.
“We are using the disaster payment mechanism because of its agility and speed to be able to provide dignity and respect to those who have been impacted,’’ he said.
“We’ll be working with Services Australia to make sure that on Monday morning those people impacted that are in the defined Commonwealth hotspot will be able to contact Centrelink and to be able to make their application.”
News.com.au broke the news this morning that the Morrison Government was considering cash disaster payments to the vulnerable that will include an income loss eligibility test to require proof workers have been left without pay as a result of the lockdown.
The Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) had been calling for the Morrison Government to consider offering $1000 disaster payments to Victorians who have lost all of their paid work.
It suggested the existing Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) scheme could be used to help Victoria.
The scheme offers a one-off, non-means tested payment of $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per child who have been adversely affected by a major disaster either in Australia or overseas.
But the amount announced by the Prime Minister today is half that amount, although it is paid on a weekly basis.
RELATED: How to get your $500 lockdown payment
“Just as the Federal Government provides disaster recovery payments to people who have been the victims of bushfire or flood, it should provide pandemic recovery income support, including a pandemic disaster-recovery payment, for people who have lost paid work,” ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie said.
“There’s no question that lockdowns, while necessary to protect health, have been disasters for people who’ve lost paid work. This plan would ensure payments are fast-tracked to people who need them.”
But Victoria has accused Prime Minister Scott Morrison of “walking away” from his responsibilities to vulnerable Victorians over his plan to split the cost of disaster payments for workers who were stood down without pay.
“In terms of income support for workers, Victorian workers during this outbreak, that is a responsibility of the Federal Government,’’ Mr Merlino said.
“I would be disappointed if we see yet another responsibility that is solely with the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth walking away from that. That would disappoint me.”
https://news.google.com/__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?oc=5
2021-06-03 04:48:10Z
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