More Australian businesses will keep receiving JobKeeper wage subsidies from September, with the federal government easing the eligibility criteria for both businesses and employees.
Even if the government hadn’t spent $5.9 billion on JobKeeper and other emergency measures last financial year, its budget position would have collapsed.
Pressure is increasing on state governments to ease border closures as tourism businesses hit the wall due to a lack of customers, with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg saying the policies are costing jobs.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has outlined a set of grisly figures in an address to Parliament, predicting Australia's quarterly GDP will fall at least 10% in June.
The federal government is turning its eye towards easing coronavirus trading restrictions and wants businesses to pitch their plans for being "COVID safe".