Australian Opposition Shadow Treasurer tries to cast doubt on the independence of Treasury & Finance advice

As the federal electrion date looms ever nearer, this is Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey attempting to cast doubt on the independence of Treasury’s advice.

Sky News 26 July 2013:

The federal opposition says it won't rely on Treasury's numbers to work out how much its policies cost.

Instead shadow treasurer Joe Hockey says they have used the Parliamentary Budget Office, state government colleagues and independent advisers…..

'What I can say emphatically is that our numbers will be more reliable than anything the government publishes.'

He says the government is trying to 'bully' Treasury into delivering a certain set of numbers….

Mr Hockey has previously said the coalition would detail costings of its policies once the PEFO was released.

But now he's casting doubts on its independence….

This was Joe Hockey 36 days previously as he formed part of a unanimous vote expressing full confidence in Department of the Treasury and Department of Finance and Deregulation advice.

Hansard 20 June 2013 at approximately 1.28pm:

Department of the Treasury and

Department of Finance and

Deregulation

Debate resumed on the motion:

That this House expresses full confidence in the:

(1) Department of the Treasury and Department

of Finance and Deregulation;

(2) Treasury Secretary, Dr Martin Parkinson and

Finance Secretary, David Tune; and

(3) following words by Treasury Secretary,

Martin Parkinson: 'I can say on behalf of David

Tune, the Secretary of the Department of Finance

and myself—and get this right—were PEFO [the

Pre Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook] to

have been released on the 14th of May, it would

have contained the numbers that were in the

budget.'

The SPEAKER: The question is that the

motion by the member for Lyne be agreed to.

Question agreed to. [my bolding]