THE Federal Government’s tough fiscal medicine has prompted a ­majority of Australians — 75 per cent — to declare they are worse off after the budget and boosted support for billionaire MP Clive Palmer.

An exclusive Galaxy poll commissioned by The Sunday Telegraph suggests the Abbott Government needs to improve the sales pitch surrounding the budget that hits families, pensioners, high-income earners and single parents.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has previously suggested he doesn’t expect the tough budget will make him popular and the Galaxy poll confirms his judgment.

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Galaxy pollster David Briggs said the proportion of voters who believe they are worse off was one of the worst he had encountered. Just 11 per cent of voters believe they are better off as a result of Mr Hockey’s budget.

“It is a worse result than we have seen in any Howard and Costello budget or Rudd and Swan budget,’’ Mr Briggs said.

Warning the financial sting in the budget is the prescription Australia needs to repair Labor’s debt and deficits, the Abbott Government has ­argued belt-tightening will pay dividends in the long term.

But in a worrying sign for the government, voters remain divided.

According to the poll 41 per cent believe the budget will be good for the economy, but 46 per cent believe it will not be good for the economy.

While support for the major parties is largely unchanged with two party preferred vote of 53:47 in favour of the Labor Party, Mr Palmer’s ­United Australia Party has improved. Primary vote support for the major parties is unchanged at 38 per cent for both Labor and the Coalition.

Since the September election, Mr Palmer’s support has increased from 5.5 per cent to 8 per cent, according to Galaxy, with a 2 point jump in the past fortnight.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s threats to call an early election are ­believed to be “serious”, according to senior government sources, if Mr Palmer turns the Senate into a circus.

After falling asleep in parliament last week, Mr Palmer said the results proved he was the sleeping giant of Australian politics. “Joe Hockey telling everyone we’ve got a debt crisis put me to sleep. They do seem to be a ­kamikaze government,” he said.

With Labor vowing to block $18 billion in budget measures, including the fuel excise hikes, pensions and the $7 co-payment for GP visits, the fate of some budget measures is in Mr Palmer’s hands.

Only the deficit levy and fuel ­excise increases are guaranteed Senate support. Labor is also expected to support a $100,000 means test for family tax benefits.

media_camera Chef Shane Delia of Maha Restaurnt, Melbourne.

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TREASURER Joe Hockey wined and dined world financial leaders at the G20 conference in Washington at a celebration that cost taxpayers $50,000 to fly out ­celebrity chef Shane Delia.

The extraordinary cost of the April G20 dinner has been revealed just days after Mr Hockey handed down a brutal Budget that could cost some families up to $5000 a year as a result of cuts to family payments and increased medical costs.

On the menu at Mr Hockey’s dinner was barramundi, Victorian wagyu beef, WA truffles and a “eucalyptus ice” dressed up with Tasmanian leatherwood honey. Despite declaring “the age of entitlement is over’’ in the Budget, Mr Hockey’s own Treasury department paid the TV chef to fly business class and airlift truffles from Australia to Washington DC last month.

Delia confirmed he had then used his own frequent flyer points to upgrade to first class before posting pictures of the tickets on social media. “They didn’t give us first class tickets. It would have been a lot more than $50,000 if they did,’’ he said.

“I’m a taxpayer like everyone else. Whether it was me or ­another chef it was a great representation of what we’re doing. It was a small, intimate opportunity to showcase what we’re about. We’re a world leader.’’

After the dinner, Mr Hockey wrote a letter thanking the chef.

The $50,000 tender on the AusTender website simply said to “provide professional chef for Washington event’’. Delia confirmed it covered “flights, staff, shipment of food”.

Delia is an award-winning chef who fronts SBS cooking program Shane Delia’s Spice Journey. The dinner was attended by around 60 financial ministers and central bank governors.

Delia confirmed the $50,000 contract paid for himself and a colleague to fly to Washington.

A spokesman for Mr Hockey said the dinner represented “excellent value for money.’’