“To fund his paid parental leave scheme he will increase tax on big businesses like Coles and Woolworths. If they pay more tax it’ll feed into what you buy in the supermarket,” she said.
But during questions over the mining tax Ms Gillard was asked more than half a dozen times when the tax cut would take effect before she answered: “It’ll go to 29 cents in the dollar in 2012.”
The tax rate will begin to fall to 29 cents in 2012 for smaller companies and 2013 for others.
“The important thing is that we will take it down to 29 cents in the Government’s budget period – so it’s there in the Government’s estimates,” she added.
Ms Gillard’s membership of the Socialist Forum in her university days – an attack which was used by the Coalition during the last election campaign – also raised its head during the interview.
When Jones tried to link her involvement with the forum to a recent preference deal with the Greens, Ms Gillard gave the idea short shrift.
“What a load of old cobblers,” she said.
“For you to suggest or in any way imply that somehow those things in the past are related to things that are happening today is just ridiculous.”