Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced a new tax to help pay for devastating¹ floods that she says will cost A$5.6bn ($5.6bn; £3.5bn) in reconstruction².

澳大利亚总理茱莉亚·吉拉德宣布增加一项新税种以援助洪灾重建工作，她表示重建将耗费56亿澳元。

Ms Gillard said the 12-month tax, starting from 1 July, would be levied³ on（征税，扣押） those earning A$50,000 or more and those affected⁴ by floods would not pay.

"We should not put off to tomorrow what we are able to do today," she said.

More than 30 people have been killed since flooding began last month.

Ms Gillard said: "The Treasury's preliminary estimates are that GDP growth in this financial year will be about half a percentage point less due to the floods.

"The best preliminary estimate of the direct cost to the federal budget of the summer's flood disaster is A$5.6bn."

The BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney says Ms Gillard has faced criticism for her handling of the floods and has been overshadowed（使失色） by Queensland's Premier⁵ Anna Bligh. Ms Gillard will be hoping this reconstruction programme will also help rehabilitate⁶（复兴） her image, he says.

Cost-cutting

The new tax will charge an extra 0.5% on those earning A$50,000-A$100,000 and 1% more on those earning more than A$100,000.

Ms Gillard said that ''in a growing economy, we pay as we go" and said deferring⁷（推迟） the costs was a "soft option" she was not prepared to take.

Large parts of Queensland, the eastern seaboard and Victoria have been inundated⁸（淹没） by flooding.

Agriculture, mining and transport infrastructure⁹ have been badly hit, along with the massive damage to private homes.

Ms Gillard said: ''The great floods of this summer have been a national tragedy, not just a natural disaster because of the awful loss of human life."

She said there would be an immediate¹⁰ payment from the federal government of A$2bn to Queensland, the worst-hit state.

Unemployed¹¹ Australians will be paid to move to Queensland.

Ms Gillard is also delaying or cutting infrastructure projects to save about A$675m and cutting back on carbon abatement¹² programmes to save further costs.

However, Ms Gillard must get the tax through parliament and as she relies on minor¹³ parties and independents in both houses, she faces a tough task given that the main opposition¹⁴ is opposed to the levy¹⁵.

The Greens said they supported the new tax but added that it "beggars belief that the government would choose to cut climate change" measures.