"I thought it was a really bad call … we had 17 people in there whose lives were at risk," Hedley, considered to be a strong supporter of Abbott, told the prime minister on air.
He also voiced his overall disappointment in Abbott's performance as a prime minister. "I thought until about a month ago, you were doing B-plus, I think you're now a D-minus," Hadley said.
Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey was given the green light to release the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook on Monday, during which several people were being held hostage in a Sydney cafe by Man Haron Monis, a self-proclaimed Iranian sheikh. Three people, including the gunman, were killed, according to New South Wales Police.
Abbott defended his decision to release the report, stating that the call to resume the government's ordinary business was carefully thought out. "Some people thought it was a good call. Obviously some didn't," the prime minister stated.
A poll by Ipsos Australia published earlier in December stated that Abbott's approval figures were among the lowest in the history of the country's prime ministers. He assumed office after the Liberal Party and the National coalition won Australia’s federal election in 2013.
