Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for the adjournment of parliament in early August, saying the growing community coverage of the coronavirus novel in the two most populous states in the country is "extremely dangerous".
Morrison said he had consulted with the parliamentary opposition and asked the speaker to adjourn the meeting for two weeks. As the request is largely formal, lawmakers will meet in the capital, Canberra, on August 24 instead of August 4.
"The government will not ignore the danger to lawmakers, their staff, members of parliament and the wider community," Morrison said.
On Friday, the state of Victoria reported 428 new outbreaks, banning dancing, singing, and weddings at neighboring New South Wales weddings.
As social-city-restriction expectations rise with the spread of the virus, Victoria pushed nearly five million people into a partial lockdown for six weeks on July 9 in the country’s second-most populous state.
In March, all parliamentary sessions were adjourned until August, but with special sessions and some meetings in the following months, the risks from the coronavirus were reduced.
Opposition leader Anthony Alanis said his Labor party had agreed with the government's move to cancel the next meeting, but that there should be more room for discussion.
In addition to the $ 70 billion ($ 49 billion) split subsidy scheme already in place, the government will release more revenue assistance to address declining confidence across the country, said Australian Treasurer Josh Friedenberg.
"There is a lot of uncertainty in the economic climate and the Victorian situation is a significant setback," Friedenberg said in an interview with The Age newspaper on Saturday.
"It's a loss of confidence and recovery across the Victorian border is a game of confidence. Therefore, it is important to maintain business and domestic confidence."
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