Maybe, just maybe, one or two politicians are about to stand up to the bullying, self important talk back shock jocks on Australian radio.

Case in point - Julia Gillard with 2GB's Alan Jones this morning.

As breathtaking as it seems, Jones started the interview by admonishing the Prime Minister for being 10 minutes late. Can you believe that? The Prime Minister ran late for an appointment with the most important person in the country.

Jones: "..I mean...surely courtesy has to be part of the way in which the public are treated?"

PM: "Alan, I believe I am a very courteous person. I'm also very busy..."

Jones : "We're all busy..."

PM: "I'm also a very busy person, and..."

Jones : "We're all busy..."

PM: " And Alan, if I can finish my sentence uninterrupted, I've had media commitments this morning and I was delayed."

Jones: "You had a media commitment this morning at 7.10 which your staff agreed on.."

PM: "Well Alan, I'm happy to apologise to you for being late. I am now here. If you have a question in the nation's interest then please feel free to put it."

What followed was an extraordinary exchange, each one constantly accusing the other of lying. That may not be pretty, but it's an improvement on the usual refrain when politicians tend to fawningly take the abuse and rarely return serve.

Mount a passionate defence and in return, you can get a result like this:

(Jones claimed the government had caved in to the Greens on the flood levy and reinstated half a billion dollars of greens programs.)

PM: "Well, Alan, are you going to let me give people the truth or are you going to insist on your lie?"

Jones: "No, you've had a fair go."

PM: "The truth, the truth..."

Jones: "Did you reinstate Greens programs you said you would cut?"

PM: "We made adjustments of less than three per cent.."

Jones : "About half a billion."

PM: "Completely untrue. That's a lie."

Jones: "Tell me how many millions?"

PM: "It was an adjustment of $150 million, less than three per cent."

Jones: "We'll call it half a billion."

Of course you will.

Then it was on to 3AW and Neil Mitchell.

In late January, Mitchell told the Prime Minister on air that there was "massive opposition" to the flood levy.

"I can tell you," he said "by the reactions to newspapers, to the TV stations and this radio program that they (the people) hate it."

This time he insisted (on the carbon tax) that "I'll be frank with you. People are feeling dudded."

To which she replied: "The last time I came on this show you were there, bristling and saying to me 'the flood levy! People hate it! Look at the polls on the TV screens. Everybody hates it. There will be a riot and what a dreadful, dreadful mistake.

"Well, I'm happy to say, Neil, that I said to you then, calmly on that show, I believe the Australian community will come to accept this as the right thing to do, and Neil, I think there's plenty of evidence I was right about judging the community mood."

Hopefully, elected politicians on all sides of the political divide were listening and making the judgment that you can stand up to such posturing and leave unscathed.

Most of the shock jocks are preaching to the converted; adjusting their rhetoric to match what they believe are the particular prejudices of their audiences. Few of them, as a result can turn a vote.

Alan Jones' website today was running a poll : Do you want a carbon tax? It was running at 98.7% against. Do you think that represents a cross section of the country?

Barrie Cassidy hosts Insiders and Offsiders on ABC1.