Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has warned that the Morrison government can’t provide economic recovery packages for “every industry and every downturn” fanned by the coronavirus and natural disasters, saying the states have been “let off the hook” over bushfire recovery responses.

While he understood primary producers had been hit hard by the virus outbreak, he doused expectations of wide-ranging stimulus packages.

“We can’t go in and just provide adjustment packages and recovery packages for every industry and every downturn,” Mr McCormack told The Australian.

Mr McCormack said the coronavirus would deliver a “massive hit” for the wine industry given its reliance on Chinese export trade and ongoing issues with smoke taint following the bushfires.

The wine export sector to China is valued at $1.25bn, ­accounting for 42 per cent of the industry’s total export value.

The Australian understands wine and seafood exporters were pushing the government to support medium to long-term packages in a bid to diversify trade markets and insulate them from future economic shocks.

Mr McCormack, who is playing a central role in the bushfire recovery process led by Andrew Colvin, also launched an attack on state governments and suggested the commonwealth had been left with the heavy lifting. The Transport and Infrastructure Minister said on both coronavirus and bushfire responses, the state governments have to “stump up too”.

“We’ll work with them and will be there for the long haul. We will be there, we’ve already put $2bn on the table,” he said. “We’ll be there to help them through this crisis. But it will be ongoing. It will be months, if not years.”

Mr McCormack said the government was considering economic support for at-risk industries “through the prism” of the expenditure review committee of cabinet and the budget process.

Are you a Daily Wine News subscriber? If not, click here to join our mailing list. It’s free!