Out to get us ... Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says the ABC and Fairfax are trying to bring down the government. Picture: AAP Source: AAP

The comments follow yesterday’s reports that Tony Abbott was being lobbied to dump his Treasurer Joe Hockey.

“There is a bit of a jihad being conducted in Fairfax at the moment,” Mr Dutton told Sky News.

“That becomes frustrating and there can only be one reason for that.”

Mr Dutton told ABC radio this morning Fairfax was trying to bring down the government and that the ABC was assisting them in that mission.

His lashing of the two media outlets was reminiscent of Julia Gillard’s sledge on News Limited in 2013.

“I think there is a huge move by Fairfax at the moment to try to bring the Government down,” Mr Dutton told ABC Radio.

“They aren’t supposed to be political players, supposed to be objective reporters of the news and I think many of them have morphed into frustrated politicians themselves.

“They are being helped by the ABC as well there is no question about that.”

Thin ice ... is Joe Hockey’s time as Treasurer up? Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

Mr Dutton said in a separate interview that the “leakers” who were the sources for the story knew who they were and should be flushed out.

“I think people have a fair idea who is leaking,” Mr Dutton said.

“If you can discover who the person is, of course they should be (sacked).”

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Mr Dutton was unjustly attacking Fairfax and the ABC.

“Mr Dutton should not use inflammatory language used in the war on terror to describe media outlets doing their job,” Mr Shorten said.

Yesterday Fairfax newspapers reported that several Cabinet ministers believed Joe Hockey needed to be sacked as Treasurer if the Canning by-election in Western Australia later this month was lost.

Main man ... Scott Morrison could be the nation’s next Treasurer. Picture: AAP Source: AAP

Social Services Minister Scott Morrison was touted as a potential replacement for Mr Hockey.

However Mr Morrison dismissed the plan as “gossip” better placed in Who magazine rather than the politics pages.

This morning he said that politics was being reported on as though it was reality television.

“Joe is a great bloke and he is doing a tremendous job,” Mr Morrison told ABC Radio.

“It is becoming common place for politics to be reported on like it is reality television.”

It was reported yesterday that Tony Abbott had been approached about the plan.

However the Prime Minister said not one person had spoken to him about replacing Mr Hockey and publicly backed the Treasurer yesterday.

“He is doing a fine job,” Mr Abbott said.