Removing the GST from tampons would be a "politically correct" mistake, Tony Abbott has said, just hours after Labor's Tanya Plibersek renewed a push to remove the sales tax from sanitary items.

Key points: Under Abbott's leadership, Hockey said GST should be lifted from sanitary products

Under Abbott's leadership, Hockey said GST should be lifted from sanitary products That never happened, and Plibersek says tampon tax needs to be fixed

That never happened, and Plibersek says tampon tax needs to be fixed Abbott disagrees with "politically correct exemptions"

In a major speech on the eve of International Women's Day, Ms Plibersek described the GST on tampons a "dumb decision".

"Twenty years later it's still a dumb decision, and we just have to fix it," she said.

"Australia levies GST on tampons but we don't apply it to Viagra.

"Only a bunch of blokes sitting around a table would come to the conclusion that sanitary pads are anything other than an essential good."

But Mr Abbott disagreed, telling Sydney radio station 2GB this afternoon any such move would be wrong.

Joe Hockey, who served as treasurer under Mr Abbott in 2015, said the tax should be lifted and vowed to lobby states and territories to make the change.

"My distinguished treasurer was wrong then, and Tanya Plibersek is wrong now," Mr Abbott said on Wednesday.

"Look, once you start having these sorts of exemptions, where does it end? Where does it end?

"We have to broaden the tax base, not start carving out politically correct exceptions.

"But this is typical of the contemporary Labor Party — there is not a bandwagon that they won't jump on if they think there's a vote in it."

The Greens last year tried to amend a bill about taxing online shopping to remove the GST from tampons.

But Labor opposed the move, saying that while the party supported the idea in principle, they did not believe that was the way to do it.

Plibersek, Abbott also at odds on gender-equality plan

During her speech at the National Press Club, Ms Plibersek also outlined Labor's plan for gender equality.

The strategy aims to boost the representation of women in high-ranking public service jobs, and commits to increasing the number chairing government boards.

Mr Abbott, who also served as minister for women after taking office in 2013, said the Liberal Party, "needs to do better when it comes to getting capable women into the Parliament".

He said, "targets are fine", but added he was, "very wary of quotas".

"I think quotas are a problem because then people aren't always thought to be there on merit," he said.

"And look, I'm a little worried about what often sounds like an anti-man agenda."