Treasurer Joe Hockey is in town spruiking the Budget.

He’s encouraging everyone to “get in and have a go” in the emerging Asian market.

Sam Mortimer reports.

TRANSCRIPT

It was, to put it in his own words, all go this morning, with Joe Hockey in town to sell the Budget.

He visited a cafe in St Lucia, talking about family roots and small business, and playing down any suggestions from Labor that Queensland is doing it tough.

Joe Hockey, Treasurer: “I said to him quite bluntly, Queensland is not in a recession. He has got his facts wrong. There’s certainly no evidence of that on a national level, and he should be very careful about using that word.”

Joe Hockey puts that down to the inexperience of a new government, and says the Commonwealth is giving the state plenty of money, including eight billion dollars for infrastructure.

Joe Hockey, Treasurer: “Real outcomes, and I saw Gateway Motorway North last night, and I was impressed at the works already underway.”

The Federal Treasurer also addressed a business lunch in the city.

He told a room full of party supporters he expects national growth to continue.

Our economic future is looking toward exports to an emerging Asian middle class.

Joe Hockey, Treasurer: “Well that’s what our Budget is about. About empowering the engine room of innovation, because every business in the world started as small business.”

The Federal Government has had a boost in its popularity with its latest budget.

Now it wants to capitalise on that and Joe Hockey was making the best of it in Queensland today.

Sam Mortimer QUT News.