Treasurer Joe Hockey is under fire from colleagues for missing a crucial five-hour meeting of the budget razor gang on Monday because of a delayed flight home to Australia from Dallas, Texas.
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As Mr Hockey prepares to hand down the Abbott government's make-or-break second budget in less than three weeks, Coalition MPs familiar with the workings of the powerful Expenditure Review Committee (ERC) told Fairfax Media that key budget decisions were delayed because of the Treasurer's absence and the meeting was cut short.
One furious colleague labelled him "no show Joe".
Mr Hockey admitted he missed the meeting of one of cabinet's most important committees but hit back at internal critics and defended his decision to travel to the United States: "I did everything I could to ensure I could attend the ERC - a secure cabinet meeting. However, no one has control over the weather."
A storm delayed Mr Hockey's flight from Washington to Dallas, causing him to miss his connecting flight to Sydney and a 24-hour delay.
Eight ministers were due to present to the ERC meeting on a range of portfolio issues, including discussions led by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss and Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce on the Northern Australia white paper and the Agricultural Competitiveness white paper.
And while some discussions were held, the meeting, which was scheduled to run from 3pm until 8pm on Monday, was cut short by hours.
The leak from the ERC, which comprises Mr Abbott, Mr Hockey, Mr Truss, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, Social Services Minister Scott Morrison and Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, is a clear sign of the tensions bubbling away beneath the surface in the Abbott government.
One source familiar with the workings of the ERC said the delay of key decisions, less than three weeks from the budget, meant some "departments are shitting themselves".
A second source joked "it was not one of our longer meetings" and admitted decisions had been delayed but played down the significance of Mr Hockey's absence, arguing meetings were held frequently in the run up to the budget.
Despite having no control over the weather, Mr Hockey's absence has angered some of his colleagues. After a severe backlash against his first budget, Mr Hockey is under pressure internally to balance the competing priorities of budget repair and repairing the government's electoral standing.
But Mr Hockey said the week-long series of meetings he attended in the US, which included annual meetings of the G20 Finance Ministers and the IMF and World Bank "are extremely important for Australia's economic standing".
"It is important for the nation that the Australian Treasurer takes part in discussions about the challenges facing the global economy."
Last week, Labor employment spokesman Brendan O'Connor said the Treasurer "should have been in the cabinet room attending ERC meetings working out a credible path for this budget" rather than in New York and Washington.
But when Labor was in government, former treasurer Wayne Swan attended a similar meetings overseas at the same time of year.
