ABC host Leigh Sales has been cleared of bias by the independent media watchdog for a controversial post-budget interview with Treasurer Joe Hockey that was queried by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Sales began the 7.30 interview by asking "Is this what political retreat looks like?", before accusing Mr Hockey of "backflips", "hand-outs" and making "excuses". Conservative commentators such as News Corp's Andrew Bolt accused Sales of interrupting Mr Hockey 14 times and of being less aggressive in her post-budget interview with shadow treasurer Chris Bowen. News reports described the interview as "brutal", "bruising" and "acrimonious". 

Mr Turnbull said the Hockey-Sales interview - and a post-budget interview by Lateline host Emma Alberici - were "very aggressive" and recommended journalists take a "more forensic" approach.

read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abcs-leigh-sales-cleared-of-bias-in-joe-hockey-budget-interview-20150826-gj8fjg.html

see also: well, here is the reason why his budget stinks...

By instinct Turnbull would like to cut personal income tax and fund the cuts by removing the "swiss cheese" raft of exemptions and concessions that make the system so complex. He said so, shortly joining Parliament.

But that's very hard work. It can't be done in the next few months.

What can be done, right now, is to blunt superannuation tax concessions. The biggest of them are overwhelmingly directed to high earners, who don't need them to put away for their retirement.

Former NSW treasurer Michael Egan told the tax summit it was a scandal that he and everyone else well advised over 60 paid nothing on their super, thanks to Peter Costello.

"It is the worst thing that any treasurer has ever done in the history of federation," he said. "It is a treasurer's responsibility to protect the revenue, and he didn't."