Unemployment soars: Key points from Scott Morrison's latest coronavirus press conference

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called the latest unemployment figures "a tough day" as the nation is deals with coronavirus.

Addressing the nation alongside Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Mr Morrison said the rise in unemployment to 6.2 per cent was just the beginning of the economic fallout of COVID-19.

Here's everything you may have missed in Scott Morrison's latest press conference on May 14:

READ MORE: Queensland Government announces bid to buy Virgin Australia

UNEMPLOYMENT WILL GET WORSE

• Prime Minister Scott Morrison has reminded citizens to brace themselves for more bad news.
• Mr Morrison said almost 600,000 Aussies have lost their jobs and are doing it tough.
• "We must brace ourselves for more bad news ahead," Mr Morrison said. "JobKeeper is a program of a scale this country has never seen before and I hope we never have to see again."

MORE THAN HALF A MILLION AUSSIES OUT OF A JOB IS 'HEARTBREAKING'

• Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said today's unemployment numbers "reveal the real and painful" economic impact of the coronavirus.
• Describing the figures as "heartbreaking", Mr Frydenberg said the jobs of women and youths were particularly hit hard by coronavirus restrictions.
• Scott Morrison said many young Australians have never seen anything like it. "For many young people, who have never experienced that, this is beyond comprehension," Mr Morrison said.
• "Australians hurting today, they can look forward knowing on the basis of our national character that we will see those better days."

MORE THAN SIX MILLION AUSSIE ARE RECEIVING $1500 A FORTNIGHT

• Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said more than six million Australians are currently receiving JobKeeper payments, a number he believes is lessening the impact on today's unemployment figures.
• Mr Frydenberg said approximately 1.6 million Australians were receiving JobSeeker or boosted Newstart payments.
• Scott Morrison said the JobKeeper program is costing Australian taxpayers more than $20 billion a month.
• The three-stage framework for reopening the Australian economy is estimated to return 850,000 Australians back to work.

AUSTRALIA WILL NOT TRADE ITS 'VALUES'

• When questioned about China banning some Australia export products, the prime minister cryptically said the nation "will never trade away our values".
• He also described Australia as "one of the great trading nations", saying that the nation will trade with any country where there is benefit.
• The comment comes as China blocks meat exports from some of Australia's biggest abattoirs.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL NOT INTERFERE IN VIRGIN TENDER PROCESS

• Both the PM and the treasurer have said the Federal Government will not interfere in the bidding process for Virgin Australia, after it was revealed last night that the Queensland Government would propose a bid for the airline.
• "We're going to let the process run, we're not going to run a commentary on this bid or that bid," Mr Morrison said. "Want we want is a commercial airline that can stand on its own two feet and support thousands of Aussie jobs."
• Mr Frydenberg said Virgin Australia "was not another Ansett" and the airline had entered administration voluntarily to fund a restructuring of the business.

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