Hockey labels Swan’s speech ‘ridiculous’

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey has described Wayne Swan’s latest attack on mining magnates as “ridiculous”.

The treasurer will tell an audience later on Wednesday, that rather than regretting his earlier attack on mining magnates Clive Palmer, Andrew Forrest and Gina Rinehart, he didn’t go hard enough.

He will also relate how the music of US rock singer Bruce Springsteen has inspired his political principles.

Mr Hockey labelled it another “look at me” speech from the treasurer, who is currently also acting prime minister while Julia Gillard is on leave.

“As if (people) weren’t having a brief moment of sunshine with Julia Gillard’s absence, you’ve got the clown trying to run the circus,” Mr Hockey told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.

He said it says everything about a government that is guided by the principles of a rock singer rather than any enduring philosophy that builds a stronger nation.

Mr Hockey said his own inspiration came from the likes of economist Adam Smith, former prime minister Bob Menzies and John Howard, and former US president Teddy Roosevelt.

“What drives the treasurer is Bruce Springsteen,” he said.

“If that’s the right benchmark, you might as well have Glenn A Baker and Molly Meldrum running the country and they’d do a far better job than the current mob.”

Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu said it did not help for Mr Swan to be playing a rhetorical game on these issues.

“We have significant productivity issues in this country, we’ve got significant economic challenges, he ought to focus on that rather than on personalities,” he told reporters in Melbourne.

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