Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased that I was asked that question, because one of the things this government is very proud of is the assistance that we have put into North Queensland and Far North Queensland following Cyclone Yasi. It has cost the Commonwealth budget something like $6 billion, and when we came to this parliament to discuss how that could be funded we were opposed by those on the other side. We were opposed in one of the most substantial packages that has ever been put in place in this country to support communities that have been hit by a natural disaster. This has been particularly the case in assistance we have provided to local government areas—

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