Oops! Uncle Joe spoke too soon

Australian Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey on the 19^th September 2012 at 2.17pm, presumably waving a report he hadn't read and relying on something he watched on the tube or heard on the radio as he chomped his morning cornflakes:

“I seek to table the report of S&P that says Australia is heading for a $20 billion deficit this year,“

ABC News on 20^th September at 6.44am:

“Global ratings agency Standard and Poor's has moved to correct an earlier statement it made about the Federal Government's prospects of returning to surplus.

An S&P analyst originally told the ABC the agency was predicting a budget deficit of up to $25 billion this year.

But S&P now says the analyst was referring to old figures from the last financial year.

It says the Federal Government remains on track to deliver the predicted modest surplus in 2012-13.

The agency says given the current forecasts the surplus is likely to be about $1 billion.”