How lockdown-loving premiers boasting they'll keep lockdowns going even after 80% are vaccinated are warned they won't get A CENT to pay for it
- Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has threatened to stop funding long-term lockdowns
- Doherty Institute recommended end to lockdowns when 70 per cent vaccinated
- Labor premiers Daniel Andrews, Mark McGowan vow lockdowns at 80 per cent
State premiers who keep pulling the trigger on lockdowns even after 80 per cent are vaccinated are unlikely to be able to keep relying on federal government payments.
Daniel Andrews from Victoria and Western Australia's Mark McGowan have both indicated they would persist with a zero-Covid strategy even if 80 per cent of the adult population was fully vaccinated.
The Labor premiers are vowing to resort to lockdowns despite modelling from the Doherty Institute, provided to the federal government and National Cabinet, recommending an easing of restrictions once 70 per cent of the population over 16 were full-vaccinated.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is so fed up he has put state governments notice that Canberra would stop funding welfare and business compensation payments if they kept resorting to long-term lockdowns.
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State premiers who in late 2021 keep plunging their cities into lockdown over very few cases could have their federal government payments cut off (pictured is Melbourne in lockdown again)
'There should be no expectations that the Commonwealth will continue to provide emergency economic assistance to the quantum, to the size and the scale that we’re doing right now,' he told the ABC's 7.30 program.
'Billions of dollars are going out the door each and every week but the country needs hope.'
Mr Frydenberg told 7.30 host Leigh Sales a high vaccination rate made harsher lockdowns less necessary.
'The key point, Leigh, is at 70 per cent they say that stringent lockdowns will become unlikely,' he said.
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'That the transmissibility of the virus reduces, and that the chance of getting a serious illness and the number of people who get it reduces so there should be no expectation on the part of the states.'
Across Australia, 50.24 per cent of working-age and adult Australians have received one dose of either AstraZeneca or Pfizer but only 28.2 per cent have had two doses, updated Department of Health data for August 18 showed.
In New South Wales, where Sydney case numbers are surging, 55.23 per cent of the population has had one dose while 29.32 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian isn't expecting 70 per cent of the population to be fully vaccinated until the end of October, with 642 new cases and four deaths announced on Friday.
Daniel Andrews (pictured) from Victoria and Western Australia's Mark McGowan have both indicated they would persist with a zero-Covid strategy even if 80 per cent of the adult population was fully vaccinated. The Labor premiers are vowing to resort to lockdowns despite modelling from the Doherty Institute recommending an easing of restrictions once 70 per cent of the population had received two doses
The NSW lockdown is being extended until at least the end of September with new mask rules coming into effect requiring face masks outside, except when exercising, for everyone in the state.
Like the NSW Liberal leader, Mr Frydenberg is skeptical of the zero Covid strategy, favoured by Labor premiers.
'It's a fallacy to talk about the elimination of Covid,' he said.
'Based on the medical advice today and what we know about the efficacy of the vaccines but also the transmissibility of the virus, we are going to be living with COVID for a number of years to come.'
On July 13, the NSW and federal governments announced the JobSaver scheme, offering weekly payments of between $1,500 and $10,000 to businesses if their revenue had plunged by 30 per cent or more as a result of the lockdowns.
The maximum help per week was increased to $100,000 on July 28, with the payments are based on 40 per cent of their weekly payroll.
JobSaver is also coinciding with federal Covid disaster payments of up to $750 a week for Australians who lose more than 20 hours a week of work, and $450 for those losing eight to 20 hours a week of work.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is so fed up he has given state governments notice that Canberra would stop funding welfare and business compensation payments if they kept resorting to long-term lockdowns
A separate state government grants program is also offering $7,500 to $15,000 help for businesses with a turnover of up to $10million a year.
The NSW government is funding 80 per cent of the $5.1billion JobSaver program which may have to be extended as lockdowns linger.
Mr Frydenberg has since announced jointly funded lockdown compensation programs with Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland to cover their lockdowns.
In Victoria, the Business Costs Assistance Program is giving out $2,800 a week automatically to 110,000 Melbourne businesses.
Automatic payments of $5,000, $10,000 and $20,000 a week will be made to about 7,000 licensed hospitality premises in metropolitan Melbourne under the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund 2021.
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