Losing it: a conversation with Joe Hockey.(Interview)

JOE HOCKEY, a thirty-year-old lawyer and club fast bowler of burly rather than fashionable beanpole build, was elected to federal parliament as the Liberal member for North Sydney in 1996, when the Coalition won its first election in thirteen years. Until his party's loss last year, being in parliament meant for Hockey being in government and, for a considerable part of the time, being a cabinet minister.

A 2007 election night commentator on Channel Seven, Hockey had to be brave in public for almost four hours as his party's prospects slipped steadily away. He retained his own seat but wasn't sure about even that until the end of his television stint. His electorate staff reported sparsely on progress in North Sydney during the evening so as not to disturb Hockey's on-screen sangfroid. When, for instance, Hockey suffered a swing against him in a neighbourhood in whose community activities his family had been deeply involved for many years, his wife and staff conspired not to tell him.

A month after the election, Hockey's manner in discussing his change of status was rueful--a rather stylish choice from options available.

"They won't let me keep this," he said, dispassionately, glancing around the conference room of a spacious, though not maharajic, office suite in a respectable part of North Sydney, which he occupied as a minister. "We'll have to look around for new digs."

Describing his resolve to go boldly into the darkish night of opposition, Hockey made several references to his maiden speech, which he delivered to parliament in September 1996. All maiden speeches pay tribute to the member's electorate, but twelve years after its delivery, Hockey's portrait of North Sydney reads almost like an anthem. Housing Australia's "third largest business district". Energised by more than 25,000 small businesses, as well as some very big businesses occupying North Sydney's harbour-view office towers. Highest proportion among federal electorates of working women and of people with professional and trade qualifications.

Victor Trumper's home town.

Hockey's own family has been prominent in the real estate business in North Sydney for a generation. You sense that if God had allowed him to design a perfect electorate, Hockey would have come up with North Sydney. This may make being in parliament but out of office more easily endurable for Hockey than for many.