Tony Abbott puts Joe Hockey back in his place over new republic role

TREASURER put back in his place by Tony Abbott after going way off script and accepting a part-time job on the side without telling him.

The Treasurer, Joe Hockey delivers a speech on the economic case for personal income tax cuts at the Westin hotel in Sydney this morning.

JOE Hockey’s new republic campaign today was slapped down by monarchist Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who wants the Treasurer creating jobs, not taking one from the Queen.

“As you know this is a Government which is focused on jobs, growth and community safety,” Mr Abbott said this morning as he confirmed Mr Hockey had not consulted him on becoming co-convener of a bipartisan republic friendship group in Parliament.

“So, no, we didn’t talk about this because we have got, I suppose, bigger things on our minds most of the time.”

The Prime Minister was speaking to Nine’s Lisa Wilkinson, whose husband Peter FitzSimons, chair of the Australian Republican Movement, yesterday announced Mr Hockey’s new role and the aim of a plebiscite on a homegrown head of state by 2020.

Mr Abbott also confirmed he had not changed his views since he led the monarchist campaign against a republic at the 1999 referendum: “Well, we have the Governor-General who is effectively our head of state.

“Well, we are a mature country. A very, very mature country and I think one of the problems with the republican push is that it seems to feel compelled, in the way that you just have, to suggest that there is some lack of maturity, some lack of independence in our system.

“I just don’t believe that most Australians think that is the case.”

Colleagues also are questioning Mr Hockey’s priorities at a time when share market ructions have ensured focus is on the economy and the Government is struggling in opinion surveys.

“I believe everybody should have friends, I can’t think of a world without friends, but I’m going to be focusing on other things,” Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce told ABC radio.

“Everyone I spoke to today, not one brought up the republic, I tell you what, they’re most certainly bringing up the turn around in cattle prices, though.”

However senior ministers, including Malcolm Turnbull and Christopher Pyne, can be expected to back a republic should a national debate form. They could be set against Mr Abbott but any showdown is not expected until after the election scheduled for late next year. Meantime, the

Prime Minister is scoffing at his Treasurer’s part-time function.

“Joe is perfectly entitled to be involved in a friendship group. There are many friendship groups in our parliament,” he told the Seven network.

“I don’t think anything is going to change on this issue any time soon because we are a great country with a good system of government and we have made extraordinary progress as a nation over the last couple of hundred years.”