Amid pressure from premiers, Monday’s national cabinet meeting is shaping as the PM’s first major domestic test since taking office
, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania have made public calls for the pandemic payment to return, as have the federal Coalition, Greens and members of the crossbench.
“There’s not one time in the pandemic that we have set and left policies in place. We’ve always tailored the circumstances,” he said.“A short extension of the Covid-19 pandemic leave disaster payment, until the end of winter, should be considered to help workers who have no sick leave entitlements,” he told Guardian Australia.
“With Covid cases and hospitalisations continuing to increase across the country due to the more transmissible BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, it is vital that both state and federal governments continue to offer financial support for testing and isolation,” he said. “It’s not just casual workers who need paid pandemic leave, it’s the hundreds of thousands of workers who are out of sick leave too,” he said.
Independent federal MP Sophie Scamps, an emergency department doctor and GP, called for the pandemic payment to be extended, and also suggested face mask mandates could help stem the tide of new cases.
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