‘We want it to work like sick leave so there’s no disincentive,’ ACTU President Michele O’Neil explained on Sunrise.
‘If you need to stop work, get tested and isolate, you should get your normal pay and the government should reimburse the business.
‘Because we have one in three workers in Australia that don’t have access to paid leave including sick leave, and others who have used up all of their leave, it’s a huge risk.’
For Daily Mail Australia, Saul Eslake said:
‘Morrison government ‘is in a good position’ and does have the capacity to expand the pandemic payments to other state’s if needed.
‘I think it’s fair enough for the unions to make the point because Australia does have a very high percentage of casual employees by international standards,’ Mr Eslake said.
‘People in that position who are often not well paid do have a real fear of losing their income if they do not turn up for work.’
‘If other states were to find themselves in the same position there is a good argument to extend the payments to that state and by a matter of process it could end up being rolled out nationwide.
‘But I think there is time to cross that bridge when we come to it.’