PM's very busy running the country: Hockey

Treasurer Joe Hockey has been forced to defend the 'vanishing' public profile of Tony Abbott (pic). Source: AAP

TREASURER Joe Hockey has defended Prime Minister Tony Abbott's low profile since the September election, saying his boss is "flat out" running the country.

During a Melbourne radio interview on Thursday Mr Hockey was quizzed about Mr Abbott's latest public appearance, in which he farewelled two adventurers heading to Antarctica on a charity trek.

But the prime minister did not make himself available to answer questions from the media.

"Given the last few years, I don't think the success or failure of a prime minister should be based on the number of media appearances they make," the treasurer told ABC radio.

What is Mr Abbott actually doing, Mr Hockey was asked.

"Well, he's ringing up his treasurer every day. We've spent all day Monday in cabinet meetings ... I can tell you he's been flat out.

"As prime minister you've got to run the country with your cabinet and that's what we're all doing. We've got our heads down and we're going through all the challenges," Mr Hockey said.

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Mineola country music star nominated for 6 CMA awards

MINEOLA, TX (KLTV) -

A Mineola country music star is turning heads.

Musician, singer, and song writer Kacey Musgraves is nominated for 6 different Country Music Association, or CMA awards. 

Musgraves is also partnering with another East Texas star, Miranda Lambert.

"It's a nice feeling to watch, I sometimes call them my babies, doing that good," said John DeFoore, the music instructor that taught both Lambert and Musgraves how to play and write songs.

These "babies" DeFoore is referring to are Lambert and rising star Musgraves.

DeFoore started teaching Musgraves when she was 14-years-old, and now she is nominated for CMA's New Artist of the Year.

"Even though she's got a great voice, even though she's beautiful, all these things, what they talk about are her lyrics which makes me happy because that's what I push a lot," said DeFoore.

One of Musgraves' six CMA nominations is for Song of the Year. It's for the song she wrote called Mama's Broken Heart, which is performed by Lambert.

"They are two girls from East Texas and they talk real Texan and they know the same thing; big trucks and big hair and all that different stuff, so they get along pretty good," said DeFoore.

It was that song that Musgraves sent to her old mentor to look at.

"Right after Kacey wrote it she texted me part of the rough recording that they had done that night, right after they wrote it and she sent it to me," said DeFoore.

That's not the only song this rising star is nominated for.

Musgraves' song "Merry go 'Round'" is also topping the charts and is up for an award.

DeFoore says the quiet town of Mineola is full of supporters.

"She is a nice person so she has a lot of friends. It's not just people who knew her, they are people who are friends. Everybody is excited for her," said DeFoore. "There's a difference between being excited because you know someone who got famous and being excited for someone you care about who got famous."

The CMA Awards will take place November 6th.

To see Kacey's and Miranda's nominations, click here.

Copyright 2013 KLTV. All rights reserved.

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