CANBERRA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Australia's parliament has returned after a 10-week hiatus in historic form with politicians participating virtually for the first time.
Parliament resumed for a fortnight in Canberra on Monday after a two-week quarantine period for some members of parliament (MPs).
Mathias Cormann, the minister for Finance, said that the priority for the sitting period would be legislation to extend the government's COVID-19 economic stimulus measures, the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme and enhanced JobSeeker unemployment benefit.
"That's obviously important to give businesses and working Australians who rely on these payments certainty that the arrangements remain in place," Cormann said.
The legislation will extend the JobKeeper program by six months to March 2021.
However, the payment will be cut from 1,500 Australian dollars (1073.4 U.S. dollars) per fortnight to 1,200 Australian dollars (858.7 U.S. dollars) per fortnight from September.
The rate will be cut again to 1,000 Australian dollars (715.6 U.S. dollars) from January 2021.
The JobSeeker payment will be cut from 1,100 Australian dollars (787.2 U.S. dollars) per fortnight to 800 Australian dollars (572.5 U.S. dollars) from September.
"At some point we need to get back into a situation where viable, profitable businesses pay for the wages of their employees out of their income rather than on the basis of taxpayers' support," Cormann said.
A joint statement last Friday from the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate said that in the public common areas of Australian Parliament House "everyone is recommended to wear a mask at all times."
MPs from Victoria, including Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, were required to spend two weeks in quarantine in Canberra in order to attend Parliament. Enditem
