Andrew Leigh (Fenner, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Jan, from Frankston, is an age pensioner who works part time as a teacher. She received JobKeeper, and Centrelink is now demanding she repay more than $1,000. She has to repay it at $15 a fortnight out of her pension. Billions of dollars in JobKeeper payments were gifted to firms with rising earnings. Why is the Prime Minister not asking them to repay a single cent?

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm very happy to take the member for Fenner's question because I can't get a question from the Labor Party's 12th man, the member for Rankin. He can't even get a question up in budget week let alone in a normal week; with only half the members on the front bench, he still can't get a question.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer will get on with his answer.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The reality is that people who received JobKeeper knew of their obligations. Welfare recipients in particular had an obligation to report JobKeeper as ordinary income. Because the question went to the importance of JobKeeper and the payments under JobKeeper, let me remind the House what the Governor of the Reserve Bank said:

… the JobKeeper program is really about keeping people in jobs … It's done a remarkably good job at that.

We know from the Reserve Bank that at least 700,000 jobs have been saved by JobKeeper.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would just say to the Treasurer: I understand the points he's making, but he needs to be relevant to the question that was asked.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the relevance to the question is that JobKeeper has been a remarkable program for all who have received it.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer will just resume his seat for a second. The Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, on direct relevance. I would put that it is not directly relevant for the Treasurer to be explaining why wage subsidies that we called for are important policy. It is relevant to the question to answer whether or not the billions of dollars of JobKeeper that were gifted to firms that had rising earnings, whether or not they should have been asked to repay a cent.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the Treasurer, the point I would make—I can see that's the point those on my left want to focus on—is that there was another question there as well about a pensioner from Frankston being asked to repay. The Treasurer needs to bring himself to those points.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With respect to people on welfare, they had to treat it as ordinary income. That is the response to that. Now, in response to the member's interjection there—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order, yes.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

the Manager of Opposition Business when he referred to the billions of dollars that were paid under JobKeeper, let me remind the honourable member that when Treasury did a review of JobKeeper it said:

It has been well targeted: the payment went to businesses that experienced an average decline in turnover in April of 37 per cent against the same month a year previous … and it went to businesses at which the job separation rate had doubled following the introduction of operating restrictions just before JobKeeper was introduced…

We put it in place for six months. We extended it at a taper rate for another six months. Those opposite continue to diminish the success of that program which has been part of Australia's remarkable economic recovery.