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

I thank the member for her question and I indicate now that I will seek to deal with this matter at the appropriate time for the making of personal explanations. What I said yesterday is what I stand by, and what I stand by is that I spoke to the lord mayor a number of weeks ago in Brisbane during the flooding crisis. I have spoken to him today and I have, on all occasions, made very clear to him that we will work with his council to rebuild. I have also made clear to him that I will not commit the funding of the Commonwealth using less information than he would view as appropriate if he was making a funding decision sitting at his council as lord mayor.

I know the member has sat on that council. I accept that the lord mayor would have sat with her and other councillors and made a wide variety of funding decisions. They would have done that on the basis of information. They would have done it on the basis of likely costs. So I am not taking an approach less rigorous in making decisions about federal government funds than the lord mayor would take approaching his own decision. He would expect to know what the amount is.

As it is, the lord mayor indicated to me today that he cannot fully cost the amount yet. He has, following that conversation, sent me a letter with some preliminary figures. In the interests of fiscal rigour, I would obviously not work on the basis of such preliminary figures. We will continue to work through proper processes.

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