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

The opposition can hardly come into this place one day saying to direct Fair Work Australia to get this inquiry done and then the rest of the time complain about its fanciful allegations that the government is somehow intervening in this Fair Work Australia investigation. Fair Work Australia is an independent authority going about an independent investigation. It is time that the opposition stopped this muckraking, particularly when they are unable in the court of public opinion to answer basic questions like when a budget would come to surplus under them. Five years away, according to the shadow minister for finance. How big is their black hole: $70 billion. What is it going to cost working people when they slash services to try and fill it?

See this speech in context