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Hockey 'wanted a tougher Budget'

Hockey 'wanted a tougher Budget'



If you thought that Treasurer Joe Hockey’s Federal Budget was harsh and unfair, be thankful he didn’t get his way entirely.

The controversial Budget, that delivered huge cuts to welfare and education, was apparently “too soft” and Hockey campaigned to make it even tougher.

However, he had to settle for a compromise after receiving pushback from Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

The revelations have come to light in a new biography of the Treasurer, titled Hockey: Not Your Average Joe.

Full coverage: Federal Budget 2014

The book, written by Fairfax and ABC journalist Madonna King in cooperation with Hockey, has been released today.

It quotes sources inside the Budget meetings as saying that Hockey pushed for tougher budget measures during meetings, but was held back by Abbott who wanted to adopt a 'more cautious' approach.

A source told Ms King: 'The Budget wasn't as tough as Joe would have liked but a good compromise. Maybe it's tougher than the Prime Minister would do if Joe wasn't there to drive it,' the Sydney Morning Herald reported.



The book also claims that Joe Hockey will be Tony Abbott's likely successor, with Abbott's chief of staff Peta Credlin telling Ms King that the Treasurer has 'got his head above every other contender'.

The May contained a raft of unpopular measures, including a proposed Medicare co-payment, raising the retirement age, and the deregulation of university fees. Since its unveiling, the Abbott government has suffered a dramatic slump in its popularity with voters.

Related: Budget breakdown - the winners and losers

The Coalition's two-party preferred vote has fallen from a 51-49 lead over Labor in a Fairfax/ Nielsen poll published in March to trail 44-56 in May, days after the budget was released.

The Budget cut almost $7.5 billion over the forward estimates by freezing family payments and axing some benefits altogether.

The Government also imposed a two per cent deficit levy on incomes over $180,000 and was said to have considered imposing the levy on incomes greater than $80,000.