Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she is disappointed Australia lost its bid for the World Cup but is defending the $45.6 million dollar campaign.
Australia received only one vote in the first round of the FIFA vote with Qatar taking out the honours to host the world's biggest sporting event in 2022.
Indigenous welfare advocate Sam Watson says the bid was a waste of public money that would have been better spent on Aboriginal health and education programs.
But Ms Gillard denies it was a waste of taxpayers' money saying Frank Lowy and the bid team did a remarkable job and there were two unsuccessful bids before Sydney attracted the Olympics in 2000.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says he shares the disappointment , that plenty of people will be coming forward to say the bid was wrong, but that he thinks it deserved a better reception from FIFA.
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