Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

We made our decision to focus the assistance to Australian families on those who need it most, and that is people on the pension; people on family tax benefit; and people earning under $80,000 per year, who will receive a tax cut. That is nothing to do with state or territory boundaries; that is the position the Labor government took, and we stand by that. We stand by a Labor decision to ensure that those in Australia who need it most get the most assistance under the carbon assistance package.

The senator tries to suggest that somehow we have got it in for the ACT. I tell you what: the senator can go out and tell Canberrans why he supports the sorts of job cuts in Canberra that we see Campbell Newman imposing on Queensland. He can go out and tell them why it is that Joe Hockey always beats his chest about his taking a meat axe to the Canberra Public Service. That is what he should go and tell his constituents. (Time expired)