Prime Minster Julia Gillard has described Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's approach to the economic debate as disgusting, saying his only interest was to find political gain from ordinary Australians' pain.
The Prime Minister was referring to news from Alcoa yesterday that a review of its Geelong aluminium smelter had placed 600 jobs at risk due to global economic conditions.
Mr Abbott immediately linked the government's impending carbon tax to the smelter's troubles, insisting it was an extra burden Alcoa could do without.
''The carbon tax is an additional substantial cost to an operation which is already losing money,'' he said.
''I say to the Prime Minister, if you are serious about protecting the jobs of the manufacturing workers of this country, scrap the carbon tax.''
But Alcoa management said the carbon tax was not to blame.
A furious Ms Gillard said Mr Abbott was being reckless with the economy and simply ''making up reasons'' why jobs could be lost.
''What sort of people would use the distress of working people on hearing about job losses for their own political ends?'' Ms Gillard asked.
''Every time the Leader of the Opposition hears about job losses, he works out how he can use it to his political advantage just like he did this morning with Alcoa.
''A disgusting approach to the time that working people are in need and under pressure. A disgusting approach.''
Ms Gillard met with car manufacturers yesterday morning and said Mr Abbott's plan to slash $500million of government subsidies from the industry meant he was ''doing the dirty'' on them.
Mr Abbott turned the opposition's focus to the Australia Day riot at The Lobby restaurant, demanding to know exactly what involvement the Prime Minister's office had in inciting protesters.
One of Ms Gillard's press secretaries lost his job for disclosing to a third party the whereabouts of Mr Abbott on the day.
The opposition tried to suspend parliamentary standing orders yesterday in a bid to force the Prime Minister to give a full account of events.
But Mr Abbott, newly mindful of the perception that he is too negative, left his frontbench sidekick Christopher Pyne to lead the charge against the government.
Mr Pyne accused Ms Gillard of presiding over a culture of dirty tricks in her office and that she needed to explain who else was involved in the Australia Day incident.
''Comparing her to Lady Macbeth is unfair on Lady Macbeth. She only had one victim to her name,'' Mr Pyne said.
''This Prime Minister has a list of victims longer than Richard the Third.''
Ms Gillard has repeatedly insisted that her staffer had acted alone.
Yesterday, she said the opposition would rather hurl abuse at her than debate the economy.
The Coalition lost the parliamentary vote but got the support of Independent MP Andrew Wilkie who, disgruntled over Ms Gillard's poker machines backdown, made the point that the government could no longer rely on his vote.
And as first predicted by The Canberra Times on Saturday, new Speaker Peter Slipper declared yesterday that he would introduce a formal procession into the House of Representatives at the beginning of each sitting week. It will be highly ceremonial and largely in public view. ''Consistent with current practice, the procession will comprise the Speaker, the Serjeant-at-Arms carrying the mace, and the Speaker's attendant,'' he said.
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