Tony Abbott urged to dump Joe Hockey, call election

Pressure is reportedly high on Prime Minister Tony Abbott to axe Treasurer Joe Hockey, and confront any electoral backlash on the coalition from the Canning by-election and prepare for the Federal election quite early with a refurbished image.

“The treasurer should be replaced but he should be replaced at the next election with the election of a Labor government”, Mr Bowen told reporters in Sydney. “He has my full confidence and he has the full confidence of the Cabinet”.

“Holding out the prospect of a reshuffle and even a double dissolution election smacks of defeatism and a lack of focus on the substantive issues of governing”, Senator Sinodinos said in a statement.

But dumping Hockey comes with potential risk.

At a recent Sydney event hosted jointly by the Tax Institute and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Mr Hockey said that as Australia increasingly becomes integrated into the Asia-Pacific region, more and more Australians will have the opportunity to participate in the wider Asian economy.

“The Prime Minister should sack any minister or adviser who is engaged in such deliberate leaking and destabilisation”.

In an unusual move this morning, senior Liberal Arthur Sinodinos demanded the Prime Minister sack anyone guilty of leaking against Mr Hockey.

Social Services Minister Scott Morrison, who is widely considered to be one of the government’s star performers, would likely be elevated to the Treasury post and Mr Hockey would be offered another portfolio.

“Joe’s a great bloke, he’s doing a tremendous job”, Mr Morrison told 2GB radio.

The West Australian electorate has previously been a safe Liberal seat.

Political commentators pointed to Mr Hockey’s inability to generate much media interest in planned personal tax cuts to combat bracket creep as evidence of his unpopularity.

“Not only does Joe have to deal with repairing the budget, we’re also dealing with irresponsible Labor senators who are refusing to pass measures in the Senate, including their own savings”, she said.

Mr Hockey suggested it was “horrible legacy of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years, that no journo wants to miss a story about any disruption to government and they are attempting, combined with a few fringe dwellers, to undermine our focus on what is important for every day Australians, which is jobs and growth”.