A defiant Joe Hockey has insisted he will not apologise for participating in an authorised biography that revealed his belief the budget was too ''soft'' and in which tensions with cabinet colleagues Malcolm Turnbull and Ian Macfarlane were laid bare.
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But several of Mr Hockey's Liberal colleagues rounded on the Treasurer on Thursday, questioning the timing and content of the book, describing it as ''unusual'' and ''unhelpful'' as the government struggled to sell the budget.
A cabinet colleague, who asked not to be named, said Coalition MPs were baffled by Mr Hockey's decision to participate in the book and pointed out meetings of the cabinet and expenditure review committee were supposed to be confidential.
Hockey: Not Your Average Joe, by journalist and broadcaster Madonna King, says ''the budget was much softer than Joe would have liked. He wanted changes to pensions made earlier and the deficit levy to net more taxpayers'', but Prime Minister Tony Abbott was more cautious.
On Thursday, Mr Hockey praised the book for articulating his values but distanced himself from the timing of the publication.
But Liberal senator Ian Macdonald said the timing of the book ''did seem unusual, though I'm unaware of who makes those decisions and the reasons for it''. And a fourth MP said the book ''sounded like the sort of thing you do after a life in politics''.
