PREMIER Lara Giddings's claim that Tasmania would lose $700 million from its state budget under federal Liberal plans to reform GST is ``bunkum,'' says federal opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey.
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"And if you want an interpreter for that - it's complete rubbish,'' Mr Hockey said during a Launceston visit yesterday.
But he didn't stop there.
``This is from a Premier who doesn't know how to run her state, who doesn't know how to generate business and who has the highest unemployment rates in the country,'' he said.
``I think that she should be focusing on running her state rather than giving us another sanctimonious Labor Party lecture about prosperity.''
Mr Hockey said that Labor should be judged on its performance in government.
``And Labor is a joke in government - they don't know how to generate prosperity and never will,'' he said.
Mr Hockey's tirade came after Ms Giddings issued him with a challenge to rule out changes to the GST while he was in Tasmania.
``Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey have visited Tasmania on multiple occasions in recent months and every time they have weaselled out of questions about GST reform,'' Ms Giddings said.
She did not explain how she had arrived at the $700 million figure.