$750 cash splash for pensioners and welfare recipients | Prime Minister makes rare national address to confirm plan

The Prime Minister made a rare national address on Thursday night, urging preparation and unity amid the growing pandemic. It followed the earlier news of a $17.6 billion stimulus package which will deliver $750 handouts to more than six million people.

• Forget sexy projects, SA needs a pothole-led stimulus
• Keep calm and carry on amid the confusion
• Three more virus cases in SA
• Please consider supporting our journalism with a subscription

Scott Morrison has reassured Australians we will “get though this together”, in a national address to calm coronavirus panic.

In a rare nationally-televised direct-to-camera statement – which ended a tumultuous day of stimulus pledges, overseas travel bans and sporting shutdowns – the Prime Minister insisted he had a plan to survive and prosper.

“I want to assure you and your family tonight that, while Australia is not immune from this virus, we are well prepared,” Mr Morrison told the nation. “We are well equipped to deal with it, and we do have a clear plan to see it through.”

Earlier, US President Donald Trump gave his own national address from the Oval Office in Washington, having announced he was restricting passenger travel from 26 European nations.

Mr Morrison said his Government was pulling out all stops to deal with the health and economic impacts.

“We’ll get though this together Australia,” he said.

“We all have a role to play – employers, nurses, doctors, teachers, scientists, friends families and neighbours.

“I know we’ll all do our bit.”

His speech came in the wake of a series of major developments:

CABINET’S National Security Committee is reviewing all travel from Europe, after instigating a ban on travellers from Italy earlier this week.

THE US move pushed the Australian share market to another day of historic losses, spiralling 7.4 per cent lower and haemorrhaging billions of dollars. It was the worst day of losses since the global financial crisis in 2008.

THREE more cases emerged in SA.

PREMIER Steven Marshall cancelled a planned trade mission to the US, saying he needed to deal with health challenges at home while personally driving a nation-leading, state-based jobs stimulus package.

THE NBA became the first major US sports league to suspend matches indefinitely, after a Utah Jazz player tested positive to the virus.

FORMULA One Grand Prix has been rocked by the withdrawal of UK team ­McLaren after one of its members tested positive to coronavirus. Champion Lewis Hamilton has also raised concerns about racing.

FEDERAL Health Minister Greg Hunt said experts were not yet recommending a shutdown of mass gatherings.

Mr Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg also outlined further details of the Government’s $17.6 billion stimulus package.

Mr Frydenberg said under the plan, more than 540,000 South Australians would receive $750 one-off payments starting from March 31. Recipients include those on aged or disability support pensions, Newstart, carers’ allowance, youth allowance, veterans support payments, family-tax benefits and Commonwealth senior health cardholders.

“It’s not for us to tell those Australians how to spend their money but what we do know from experience is that they will spend that money and that money will encourage economic activity,” Mr Frydenberg said.

The announcement was joined by a deeming rate cut of 0.5 per cent, in response to the Reserve Bank governor last week slashing the cash rate to a historic low. It will benefit about 75,000 South Australian aged pensioners.

Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said, on average, affected age pensioners would receive an extra $8.42 a fortnight or $219 a year.

“The extra money will start flowing through into people’s bank accounts from May 1,” Senator Ruston said.

Mr Frydenberg said of the $17.6 billion package, $11 billion would flow before June 30. He also said $1 billion would be dedicated to a new regional and community support fund to provide targeted assistance to the areas most heavily affected by the coronavirus.

The Advertiser revealed the stimulus also had $1.3 billion in subsidies for 120,000 apprentices, of which about 9185 are in SA, and massively expanded tax breaks for businesses to buy things such as cars and printers.

Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese said he was supportive of the measures.

“We will be as responsible and as constructive as possible,” Mr Albanese said.

A day after delivering the state’s $350 million stimulus package, Mr Marshall said there was no alternative but to cancel his US trade mission.

“My No.1 priority has got to be in SA, putting all the preparations in place for the inevitable impact of the cor-onavirus,” he said. “I’m also mindful there could be further travel restrictions.”

He hopes to go to the US once the crisis passes, while pushing new deals by email and Skype.

Mr Marshall told The Advertiser the $350 million in funding, largely directed at infrastructure projects that could be launched quickly and used high levels of local workers and product, could scale up if needed. “We’ve got a Budget coming up in June, we’re only really a few weeks out,” he said.

“My No.1 priority is heath, but a very close second is making sure we don’t slam on the brakes in the SA economy.”

He said the “measured, proportionate and considered” Federal Government stimulus would “complement” his own largely construction-focused plan.

“We obviously had discussions in the lead-up,” he said.

“We were particularly pleased about the level of involvement that the Federal Government is going to have in preserving apprenticeships.”

Mr Marshall said a meeting on Friday with other premiers and Mr Morrison would be the “most important for decades”, and comes at a time when “the federal and state governments need to come together as one”.

Mr Morrison praised Mr Marshall’s stimulus package. “He’s always been on the front foot on these issues … I have no doubt when premiers and chief ministers gather tonight (before COAG), this will be a topic of our conversation,” he said.