Labor warns tourism job hit post-JobKeeper

Anthony Albanese has assured tourism companies and their workers that Labor is “on their side” as they fear the end of the JobKeeper wage subsidy.

The opposition leader is touring the far north of Queensland, where the tourism sector has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly from the closure of international borders.

Mr Albanese said the tourism companies depend on JobKeeper. Morrison’s government support will end in March as planned.

The Labor leader said wage subsidies are about maintaining a relationship between an employer and its employees.

“The cost of rebuilding a business and re-establishing that relationship is far greater in the long run than maintaining that aid and connecting workers with their employer,” Albanese told reporters in Cairns on Sunday.

“I’m telling the tourism industry here that we’re on your side. I’m telling the workers here that we’re on your side. What we need is a government in Canberra that is on their side too.”

He warned that if nothing is done, more and more jobs will be lost, reducing economic activity in the far north of Queensland and making reconstruction very difficult.

Virgin Australia has also indicated that JobKeeper could lose thousands of additional jobs at the airline.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack admits that it has been difficult for people in the aviation sector, and the situation will not improve if state borders are closed “in the blink of an eye”.

He said the government has already provided $ 2.7 billion of targeted aid to the aviation sector, which has been very helpful to the regional communities.

“That aid has kept people in jobs,” McCormack, who is also Secretary of Transportation, told Sky News’ Sunday Agenda program.

“Airplanes in the air mean jobs on the ground.”

He said the government wants to ensure that as many people as possible who work in the aviation sector have jobs and will continue to do so.

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“We’ve changed and tweaked and made sure we were taking the right action through COVID,” he said.

When asked if a targeted JobKeeper is being considered, McCormack said the government continues to speak to the airline’s executives.

“We will continue to have these talks, we will continue to have the right support that you would expect from a good and sensible government,” he said.