Right. It’s looking like Tony Abbott may be giving Joe Hockey the boot as Treasurer in a matter of months or even weeks in order to save his own skin.
Two Cabinet ministers told Fairfax Media that Prime Minister Tony Abbott is being urged to dump Hockey and move him to some other portfolio, which in all-likelihood means they’re amongst those doing the urging.
It all depends on the Canning by-election coming up on September 19. Canning has been a safe Liberal seat for the better part of 15 years, but since the previous member for Canning Don Randall died in July (RIP), the seat is anyone’s game. (Randall’s popularity largely came from his connection with his electorate rather than a loyalty to the Liberal party, according to SBS.)
Even *if* the Liberal Party candidate Andrew Hastie wins the seat, a swing against the Coalition of more than 6% would be “bad news” for the PM, and more than 10% would be “dire”. [Read our explanation of why the Coalition is shitting itself about Canning HERE.]
If that happens, it looks like Tones will be shuffling Hockey to mess around with some other portfolio in order to protect his own leadership and allow him to redesign his entire economic messaging, direction and strategy – the whole Hockey-less shebang.
“They are considering dumping Hockey post-Canning and believe that will get them to Christmas,” one minister is quoted as saying, which would then lead to a double dissolution election in March.
And the speculated frontrunner for Treasurer if Hockey is given the boot? Scott Morrison. We’ll leave that without comment, but feel free to refresh yourself with his greatest hits as a minister HERE and HERE.
Picture: Morne de Klerk via Getty Images.
