Just two months into his term as Treasurer, Joe Hockey made one of his first controversial decisions in November 2013. Apparently putting aside all the election night rhetoric from Tony Abbott about how Australia was "open for business", Hockey knocked back ADM's $3.4 billion bid for GrainCorp.
Whatever the merits of the takeover bid, there was quite a lather of appalledness at the time from the free market backers of the Coalition about the signal the decision sent, but equally, jubilation from the National Party.
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Laura Tingle is The Australian Financial Review's former political editor. She is now chief political correspondent for the ABC's 7.30 program. Connect with Laura on Facebook and Twitter.
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