IT WAS the hashtag waiting to happen.

Joe Hockey’s now-famous gaffe that poor people “don’t have cars or actually don’t drive very far” has sparked a flurry of tweets from incredulous Aussies.

MORE: Hockey sparks outrage with comments

#OtherThingsThePoorDon’tDo has taken off online with people taking a swipe at everyone from Joe Hockey to Tony Abbott and Gina Rinehart. Here are some of our favourites:

MORE: Joe Hockey’s most cringe-worthy gags

BREAKING NEWS: @JoeHockey announces the poor needn't worry about metadata retention as they don't have internet #OtherThingsThePoorDontDo — Luke Sulzberger (@LukieSulz) August 13, 2014

#OtherThingsThePoorDontDo pretend $10000 in an envelope never existed — Jenna Price (@JennaPrice) August 13, 2014

#OtherThingsThePoorDontDo ....take the family to Flemington on Cup day and charge expenses back to taxpayers pic.twitter.com/HPnxSPoUjF — Gary (@b_spectabilis) August 13, 2014

Give massive subsidies to mining millionaires while cutting public health and education #OtherThingsThePoorDontDo — Lord felft (@felft) August 14, 2014

Go to mate's wedding and get the taxpayer to cover out of pocket expenses. #OtherThingsThePoorDontDo — Sir Pwoiter (@pwoiter) August 13, 2014

Pose for reflective photos on reflective surfaces #OtherThingsThePoorDontDo pic.twitter.com/kF9wt5JCRJ — Dame Cath (@AstraKate) August 13, 2014

Fly a celebrity chef to Washington at the cost of $50,000 to the tax payer #otherthingsthepoordontdo — Shary Bobbins (@sharybobbins) August 13, 2014

#OtherThingsThePoorDontDo arrange 60K scholarships with nil-HECS for their kids — Dame Nellie (@woolkebb) August 13, 2014

Other politicians chimed in to ridicule Mr Hockey yesterday with Bill Shorten saying: “Are you really the caricature of the cigar-chomping, Foghorn Leghorn of Australian politics, where you’re saying that poor people don’t drive cars?”

While shadow treasurer Chris Bowen challenged Mr Hockey to tell people in Western Sydney they don’t drive. “He just keeps showing he fundamentally misunderstands the impact of his Budget,” Mr Bowen said.

This morning Mr Hockey went on radio to defend his comments, telling 2UE: “I can only get the facts out there and then explain the facts and how people interpret them it’s up to them.”