Scott Morrison has declared that Australia is on track for a four-phase reopening plan, despite growing COVID-19 clusters in New South Wales and Victoria.
Speaking from Kirribilli House after the National Cabinet meeting, the prime minister said the four-step plan National Cabinet agreed to in June is "very much on our agenda" despite the worsening outbreak.
“I want to assure people that the path out of this - and the four-step plan that National Cabinet agreed some weeks ago - is very much on our agenda, despite the challenges we are currently facing in New South Wales and Victoria,” he told reporters.
“Work continues to chart that way out and the vaccination rates we will need to achieve over the course of the rest of this year and next year.”
Lockdown support framework overhauled again
With the country's two major cities in lockdown, and premiers disputing the fairness of arrangements, the federal government has overhauled assistance for the third time in six weeks.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison scrapped the seven-day wait he had initially proposed.
"You have seen the Commonwealth chief medical officer declare hotspots across greater Sydney. That is what triggers the Commonwealth engagement in payments in any lockdown that may occur," Mr Morrison said.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews earlier announced his state would pick up the tab for people in regional areas under lockdown but not officially in a hotspot.
"There is a shared effort," Mr Morrison said.
It comes after Mr Morrison a "streamlined set of financial supports" for every state and territory impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns.
Earlier this week, under which eligible businesses would also be able to access weekly payments of between $1,500 and $10,000, provided they could show a 30 per cent fall in turnover and agree not to cut staff. Sole traders would be able to access $1,000 a week.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Friday announced , with the cost to be shared by the state and federal governments.
'Gaping holes' in lockdown support
Charities have warned of "gaping holes" in lockdown support as 800,000 people on JobSeeker, Youth Allowance and other payments will miss out.
But Mr Morrison ruled out any further support for the unemployed.
"Where people are already receiving social security support, then they are not entitled to those payments," he said.
"If they are earning less income, they can adjust how the payments work because there is also rental assistance and a range of other payments in addition to what people get on a JobSeeker payment.
"I note that in the last budget we increased the JobSeeker payment above indexation for the first time in more than 30 years at a cost of $8 billion over the forward estimates - the single largest increase to JobSeeker payment that we have seen in 30 years."
The Australian Council of Social Service urged state and federal leaders to ensure aid reaches the most vulnerable.
"In greater Sydney and across Victoria, around 800,000 people locked down cannot access disaster payments because they receive income support, including people who have lost low paid or casual work," ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie said.
"This gaping hole affects people on the lowest incomes in our communities, students, single mothers, parents, older women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with a disability and migrants. Many have children and others in their care."
'Zero cases' target for NSW and Victoria
Mr Morrison stressed the target in NSW and Victoria is to "reduce as far as possible to zero the cases that are infectious in the community".
Asked whether the states were right to implement a lockdown, he said all states "need to take the best possible health advice and do what is right for the interests of their citizens and the broad Australian population".
"I believe all states and territories are always trying to do that," he added.
NSW recorded , with nearly half of those infectious while in the community.
Victoria recorded six new cases on Friday, bringing its total number of cases linked to the current outbreak to 24.
Queensland also recorded - the mother of a 12-year-old boy who spent time in the United States and completed quarantine in Sydney before flying to Brisbane.
On Australia's vaccine rollout, the prime minister said "just shy of two million" vaccine doses have been implemented this month, with Thursday a "record day" for vaccinations across the country.
"Some 175,000 vaccine doses were administered yesterday, that is a new record. It means in the space of just three days, 500,000 doses of the vaccine had been administered across the country," he said.
He also said pharmacists will "play an increasing role" in the vaccine rollout as the supply of doses increases.
