Coronavirus JobKeeper program could change if 'unforseen circumstances': Frydenberg

Mr Dorji works in a Canberra school as a cleaner, an industry where around half of those cleaning hospitals are on student or spousal visas, a proportion that increases in the school system.

While his job continues for now, Mr Dorji says he couldn't afford to travel to his home of Bhutan if he were to lose his job.

On Sunday Treasurer Josh Frydenberg continued the Prime Minister's message that workers on temporary visas should go home if they couldn't afford to support themselves after losing work.

"We do our best, but when we heard this statement, we thought this is really different. I feel very isolated by this statement," Mr Dorji said.

Having lived and studied in Australia for more than five years, Mr Dorji said he and many other international workers feel they have contributed to Australia, both culturally and financially through taxes and the international education sector.

Despite the push from unions like United Workers Union, which represent Mr Dorji, the treasurer on Sunday said the $130 billion JobKeeper program will only be changed if there are unforseen issues with implementation.

The landmark legislation passed on Wednesday gave Mr Frydenberg the power to change elements of the program without calling Parliament back to pass amendments, but those powers wouldn't be used to add more casual workers or those on temporary visas, he said.

More than a million casual workers who have been with their employers for less than 12 months, and more than 2 million workers on temporary visas aren't included in the program, and every million workers added to the scheme would cost an extra $18 billion, Mr Frydenberg said.

"There is a power to amend the rules due to unforeseen circumstances," Mr Frydenberg said on ABC's Insiders program.

"The reason why this power was created is because the size of the program ... $130 billion - it is unprecedented in scale and scope. But also because the Parliament is not sitting on its normal schedule. We have no plans to change the rules. We want to implement the program as passed through the Parliament."

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It was up to employers to use other grants and payments to keep those in temporary visas in jobs, Mr Frydenberg said.

Just over 800,000 businesses had already applied for the program, but it is unclear how many employees that covers. Some 600,000 people had indicated they wanted early access to their superannuation, although Mr Frydenberg said he some of those people would be eligible for the JobKeeper program and might not access their retirements savings early.

Treasurers and finance ministers from G20 nations will have a telephone meeting this week to discuss the economic effect of coronavirus.

"There will be a big hole in global economy. No doubt. Jobless numbers in the United States were disconcerting," Mr Frydenberg said.

Australia would experience an uptick in the unemployment rate and a "significant reduction in growth," the Treasurer said.

Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers called on Mr Frydenberg to make the call to include extra workers in the wage subsidy program.

"He alone has the power now to decide who has access to the Job Keeper payment and who is excluded from it," Mr Chalmers said in Brisbane on Sunday.

"The only thing standing in the way of a JobKeeper payment for more than a million workers is the Treasurer's signature."

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