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

I thought this was a time when people showed an interest in the great public policy questions facing the nation. But clearly, from the point of view of the opposition, I have that wrong. The public policy question behind all of this is: is it better for our resources sector to be taxed at the height of their profitability or to have state based royalties that hit them in set-up, hit them when they are not profitable and can make projects unviable? That is the public policy question, and that is the question the Leader of the Opposition should direct his attention to.

Would he just continue to tick state based royalty increases or not? That has implications for jobs and growth, and he should answer that question rather than engage in political byplay. (Time expired)

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