NSW COVID Cases Grow, Victoria COVID Cases Grow, Sydney Lockdown Extends, Sydney Lockdown Continues
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is not the only one in front of the cameras this morning to sell his administration’s increased disaster payments.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was in ABC News Breakfast a while ago. He declined a question about whether the increase in payments came too late, saying there have been “more recipients” under the current program than last year’s JobKeeper grant.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Credit:Justin mcmanus
ABC anchor Lisa Miller then asked this question: “Do you have a limit on how much you will spend? Is there a limit here? Or do you just keep accumulating debt and deficits? ”
Debt and deficit, as you may recall, was one of the two-word slogans the Coalition used to campaign against the then Labor government before the 2013 elections. At the time, the Coalition was criticizing Labor spending in the wake of the global financial crisis.
Here is Frydenberg’s answer:
“Well, it is certainly costing the economy, the budget and the country a significant amount of money. But we have no choice but to make sure we are aware of these outbreaks when they occur. And I have a feeling that they will now see shorter and more precise lockdowns as the default position of state governments until we get enough people vaccinated. ”
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However, the Treasurer rejected any claim that Victoria was now the “gold standard” given that it has managed to quell Delta outbreaks not once but twice with short and abrupt closings compared to Sydney, which yesterday posted a record 177 new ones. infections
“Tragically here in Victoria, more than 90 percent of the deaths [in Australia] they have taken place and we have been locked up for more than 200 days, ”he said.
“But I have welcomed and supported the brief and abrupt shutdown by the Andrews government, and it is very nice to see life begin to return to normal for COVID, although restrictions remain in place in many parts of the city. . ”
