Joe Hockey hung the Treasury boss Martin Parkinson out to dry today. Offered two opportunities to endorse him in the role he declined.
Mr Hockey pointedly refused to express confidence in the present head of the Treasury Dr Martin Parkinson who would be head of his department should Mr Hockey become Treasurer.He had “deep reservations” about the numbers presented in the budget.
When told Dr Parkinson had taken ownership of those numbers saying they were the work of the Treasury rather than the Treasurerhe said he “would have expected Dr Parkinson to say nothing different” because he was “quite appropriately a servant of the government”.
Mr Hockey’s “starting point” was to “give public servants the benefit of the doubt about their intentions and their preparedness to work with us”.
Here's the song. Music by Simon and Garfunkel. Lyrics by the ever-clever Stephen Long:
And here's to you, Martin Parkinson
Swanny loves you more than you will know (wo wo wo)
God bless you please, Martin Parkinson
Hockey holds a place for those who sway
Hey hey hey, hey hey hey
We'd like to know a little bit about you for our files
We'd like to help you learn to help yourself
Look around you all you see are Coalition eyes
Tough pre-election outlook, or you go
And here's to you, Martin Parkinson
Swanny loves you more than you will know
wo wo wo
God bless you please, Martin Parkinson
Hockey holds a place for those who sway
Hey hey hey, hey hey hey
Hide the revenue in a place where pollies never go
Put it in your pantry with your tax reform
It's a little secret just the Parkinson affair
Most of all, you've got to hide it from the spivs
Coo coo ca-choo, Martin Parkinson
Swanny loves you more than you will know
wo wo wo
God bless you, please, Martin Parkinson
Hockey holds a place for those who sway
Hey hey hey, hey hey hey
Sitting in the Treasury on a Sunday afternoon
Looking at the candidates' debate
Laugh about it, shout about it when you've got to choose
Every way you look at it you lose...
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