EDITORIAL
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The Prime Minister missed a gold-plated opportunity on Friday to reassure the millions of Australians currently dependent on the JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments that this assistance would be there for as long as they need it.
The announcement of the increased "JobSeeker" payment and the JobKeeper scheme in quick succession, coupled with the much repeated affirmations "we're all in this together" and "we'll get to the other side", struck a powerful chord a few months ago.
Australians still reeling from a summer from hell were given some hope that this to would also pass given time.
It is unfortunate the PM, and many of his colleagues, appear to be of the view an earlier than expected resolution of the health challenge, thanks to the compliance of the majority of Australians, means the economy will "snap back" quickly as well.
He seems to be wedded to the idea of the V-shaped recovery; the idea Australia's COVID-19 induced economic crisis could end almost as swiftly as it began.
That is what many people will take from his response to a question about whether or not JobKeeper would be extended beyond September at Friday's post-national cabinet press conference.
After observing "we've had lots of advice on these matters", Mr Morrison said JobSeeker and JobKeeper were just two of the many support measures put in place since March.
He expressed the view that as the economy grew stronger, more and more jobs would come back; but that some sectors of the economy would "need more support".
Yes, his government was prepared to be "flexible" in relation to JobKeeper but it was only one of a large tranche of assistance measures.
"We will choose the most appropriate form of assistance ... it is important we get people back to work," Mr Morrison said.
This apparent ambivalence about a program that is supporting millions of people is at odds with what the Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe said on Thursday.
It would seem foolhardy for the PM to decide to ignore Mr Lowe's advice at this stage.
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