Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator Payne. The Morrison government will end JobKeeper in 52 days, and 60 per cent of tourism businesses will go bust unless the Morrison government provides a lifeline. How many tourism jobs across Australia will be lost when the Morrison government turns off JobKeeper in March?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Polley for her question. As I have previously advised the chamber, what the government has done through a very, very difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic is to provide record levels of economic support through a range of programs—JobKeeper, in particular, and cash payments of up to $100,000 for small businesses. The outcomes of those payments have been to enable and sustain hundreds of thousands of tourism businesses across Australia and the jobs associated with them and as part of our plan to support tourism recovery, as I've also previously advised the chamber.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order. Senator Polley, a point of order?

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Relevance. The minister is not directly answering the question. She can try to scoot around it or put her own spin on it, but the question was very pointed.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! There may be scooting, but I'll make that observation. I do allow opposition senators to occasionally restate questions, but I am going to draw the line at commentary before the restating, if it comes. Senator Polley, I'll ask you to come to your point of order—I got it to direct relevance and scooting.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's about relevance. The Morrison government is ending JobKeeper in 52 days, and 60 per cent of tourism businesses are going to go bust. So how many jobs, Minister, are going to be lost—are you going to abandon—with your action by cutting JobKeeper?

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Polley, this is not an opportunity to add to the question. I'm listening to the minister carefully. In my view, if the minister is talking about support programs to the same sector very narrowly, as she is, I can't ask her in what terms to address the question, but I think she is talking about both employment and support programs to that sector. I will continue to listen carefully. I have allowed you to reemphasise your question, Senator Polley. Senator Payne.

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr President. Before Senator Polley took her point of order I was going to remind the chamber about the government's approach in this vital sector, which we absolutely acknowledge. In fact, my state of New South Wales has dealt consequentially not just with bushfires but with floods and then with pandemic issues which have clearly impacted the tourism industry; I cite the beautiful area of the Blue Mountains in particular. We're very focused on specific programs to support jobs and businesses in those areas and to support the maintenance and retention of those jobs in those areas. So the Recovery for Regional Tourism Fund is about boosting tourism in nine regions which are heavily reliant on international tourism but, of course, which welcome domestic tourism as well. I have even been through the details of the applications for those programs in my previous answers.

I was going to say earlier to Senator Green, but, sadly, ran out of time, that under our Building Better Regions Fund we have earmarked $100 million of specific funding for tourism infrastructure to assist those regions to boost the supply of new, quality tourism infrastructure, to drive visitation and to maintain jobs in the tourism industry in those regions. We are also providing $100 million—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Payne. I have Senator Polley on a point of order.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am taking a point of order, Mr President, on relevance. The minister is still not addressing the question about how many jobs are going to be lost when they cut off JobKeeper. It's very simple.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order. If the minister is talking—yes, Senator Payne?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What I'm actually referring to in my response to Senator Polley's question is maintaining jobs in this sector, in direct relevance and response to her question.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was about to say something similar. If the minister is talking about employment in the sector and your question was about jobs in the sector, I can't direct the minister in the terms in which to answer the question. You can debate it after question time. The minister is being directly relevant and I think she had five seconds left to answer—or are we going to go to the supplementary question, Senator Polley? The supplementary.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Under the regional tourism recovery package, Tasmania is supposed to receive $13.5 million. Four months after this announcement, how much money has actually been delivered to tourism operators in Tasmania?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will take on notice the detail of the specific funding delivery to Tasmania, of course. But, in fact, Senator Polley has pointed to exactly one of the examples that I have used consistently this week in my answers to previous questions on this matter—and not just that program but the Building Better Regions Fund and $100 million for the Regional Recovery Partnerships program. That is about coordinating that investment with other levels of government—local and state—to support both growth and recovery, and to protect jobs, including in tourism, in 10 priority regions.

We have also, through the COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund, included tourism-specific measures. For example, the Supporting Australia's Exhibiting Zoos and Aquariums Program—$94½ million for that program. There is the Australian Business Events Program, supported with $50 million of Commonwealth funding. And, of course, there are many programs for the arts sector, which I understand to be important in culturally rich Tasmania.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Payne. Senator Polley, a final supplementary question?

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why is Mr Morrison cutting JobKeeper and cutting wages but prioritising taxpayer funded government advertising, sports rorts and flying his ex-minister around Europe, with a private doctor, to get a plum post-politics pay cheque?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Creativity and ingenuity in the opposition have decreased to such an extent that they are unable to provide a second supplementary question to senators, other than one that repeats the previous supplementary question! Notwithstanding that enormous challenge that those opposite are facing, let me say—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Polley, on a point of order?

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yet again the minister is not being relevant. She is not being relevant to the question that I put to her.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Polley, I've made this point before. The question contained a number of loaded political phrases. The minister was, I would imagine, making a glancing observation and is entitled to some very wide latitude to address the terms, assertions and imputations in the question. Senator Payne, I call you to continue with the question.

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks very much, Mr President, because, of course, I was specifically addressing the wording of Senator Polley's question and specifically pointing out to Senator Polley that what we have identified this week in the chamber is a number of programs with very specific tourism focus which are separate from JobKeeper, which are separate from the political questions they are asking in that context and which are about protecting and maintaining jobs in tourism.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I have Senator Wong on a point of order.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is relevance The question goes to priorities and why you're cutting JobKeeper and cutting wages but spending money on advertising and a private plane—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, I heard Senator Payne say that she had concluded her answer. Indeed, Senator Payne has concluded her answer.