Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the shadow Treasurer for his question. Yes, earlier this year, working alongside the Treasurer, the finance minister and my cabinet colleagues, I had to work out how, responsibly, we were going to finance the rebuilding of the nation and most particularly Queensland. We made the determination that we would do that by budget cutbacks and a large number of budget cutbacks were made. They were not easy but they were necessary to have the resources to rebuild Queensland and the rest of the nation. We also took what was not an easy decision but was the right decision to impose a flood levy which would predominantly be paid by upper income earners and we brought that legislation to the parliament.

Mr Ewen Jones interjecting—

At that time the opposition, the shadow Treasurer and the Leader of the Opposition claimed—

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