The Coalition governments in NSW and Queensland have announced harsh budget cuts in recent days and Labor's vote has risen sharply in those two states since the last poll.

Ms Gillard sought to capitalise on budget cuts by the Queensland Premier, Campbell Newman, with a rousing speech to that state's Labor Party yesterday.

Claiming the Queensland cuts were a harbinger of much bigger ones under Mr Abbott, Ms Gillard said Liberal cuts devastate ''families, damage businesses, hurt communities'' whereas Labor targeted waste and gave priority to working people. ''That's the difference between their values and ours,'' she said.

The Treasurer, Wayne Swan introduced Ms Gillard, saying she was ''magnificent in the face of adversity''. He said she had weathered attacks from ''the grubs and freak shows associated with the Liberal Party''.

"As we prepare to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2002 Bali bombing, it is appropriate for the government to make retrospective declarations so that all the Australian victims of overseas terrorism attacks, or their next of kin, can receive this modest but important help," he said.

Attorney-General Nicola Roxon subsequently called a snap media conference to berate Mr Abbott for "politicising" the issue and said Mr Abbott's decision to hold a doorstop at the memorial showed a lack of judgment.

It was "uncouth" and "inappropriate for the Opposition Leader" to field questions from journalists on political issues such as the carbon tax and Senator Bernardi at the Bali memorial, she said.

Ms Roxon also pointed out that both Mr Abbott and the Coalition had been in government for five years from the date of the bombings, yet failed to pass any legislation which would provide assistance or compensation to victims of terrorism.

"Why wasn't this pursued while they were in government?" she said.

"They didn't even establish a compensation scheme, so to now bring passion to it and say it must be done immediately ... it's a bit rich.

Tony Abbott has repeated his call for the Government to provide "modest" compensation to victims of the Bali bombings in the lead up to the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack.

The Opposition Leader, who plans to attend the memorial service in Bali next month, says he again spoke with the Prime Minister about the ide

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-20/abbott-renews-calls-for-bali-bombing-compensation/4272098?WT.svl=news2

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I know I'm deaf but I never heard Tonicchio ever asking for compensation for the Bali victims  — unless he shouted with a bag on his head, a mouth gard on his trap and a ten mile distance away from civilisation...