Fiona Martin (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I stand in strong opposition to this matter of public importance. It is nothing more than a distraction from the current challenges facing Australians due to the pandemic. From the outset, the coalition government worked decisively to support all Australians through the coronavirus crisis. In fact, the Prime Minister declared the coronavirus a pandemic on 21 January, two weeks before the World Health Organization acted to do the same. That's what I call leadership. We have done everything possible to provide safety to people's lives and livelihoods in an unprecedented situation. The Morrison government knew that this global health crisis would instigate an economic crisis, and we took decisive action to cushion the blow and protect Australians by providing an unprecedented level of economic support totalling $314 billion. That economic support is making sure that everyday Australians survive one of the worst recessions in 30 years.

This week the Morrison government extended the temporary JobKeeper program, which has allowed businesses and not-for-profits to keep more Australians in jobs and connected to their employees. I'll repeat that: we've extended the JobKeeper program. The program has been extended until 28 March 2021, targeting support to businesses and not-for-profits who continue to be impacted significantly by the coronavirus pandemic. JobKeeper was designed to be temporary, targeted and scaled back over time. This will mean payments are gradually reduced so that the program is sustainable in the long term.

In my electorate of Reid, the Children's Tumour Foundation in Five Dock has five people accessing JobKeeper. This is a not-for-profit organisation that supports children and families living with neurofibromatosis. Ruth said, 'It's a complete lifeline for us; it's been able to keep us going in these very turbulent times when we have more people being impacted and needing our services than ever before.' Over in Abbotsford, Con, the owner of Watergrill Restaurant, said: 'The Morrison government's JobKeeper scheme is world-class and has undeniably allowed us to stay connected to our teams and to navigate through these most onerous times. It is greatly appreciated and an amazing economic stimulus.' It has meant that Con could keep on about 25 staff members. That means those 25 people can remain connected to their employer at a time of great uncertainty. It's allowing businesses to remain open and keeping people in jobs. The Watergrill Restaurant in Abbotsford is just one example amongst thousands in Reid—about 8,800 organisations in fact—which are receiving JobKeeper. This program has provided cash flow support to more than 900,000 businesses and income support to around 3.5 million workers to date.

As a psychologist, what I've known from the start of this crisis is the impact that coronavirus will have on people's mental health. This is a time of heightened anxiety and stress; a time of isolation and disruption to routine. It has undeniably and understandably affected the mental health of all Australians. Since March 2020, the government has announced a number of emergency response measures to support the mental health and wellbeing of Australians through the COVID-19 pandemic. We introduced the $669 million telehealth initiative so that people could access mental health care in a flexible and COVID-safe way. This step was taken in addition to the significant funding boost to mental health services across Australia during the coronavirus pandemic. Forty-eight million dollars has been dedicated to the pandemic mental health response plan so that we can provide a targeted response, and a further $74 million has been dedicated to bolstering existing services, including beyondblue, Lifeline, the Kids Helpline and headspace.

The Morrison government's COVID support has put everyday Australians front and centre. We are listening to what they need and we are acting. The Morrison government will continue to listen to the needs of the Australian people and will work to support them through an unprecedented crisis in Australia's history.

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