"It is just extraordinary. "The blokes are allowed to yell, but if a woman stands her ground you want to make that kind of comment, it's sort of schoolyard politics, mate. "It's just extraordinary." The Tasmanian senator later said his reaction "occurred during a robust debate" over the absence of Dr Parkinson. "I am sorry that Senator Wong has felt offended by my reaction," Mr Bushby said in a statement.

"I have tried to call her to personally pass on my apology." He also tweeted the statement. A spokeswoman for Senator Bushby reportedly accused Senator Wong of being overly sensitive and using her gender to hide her overreaction to a simple request. I think the Finance Minister was absolutely right not to put up with the rudeness and sexist behaviour of Tony Abbott's goons. However, the senator later told news.com.au that he had not intended to attack Senator Wong because she was a woman.

"Her reaction to the issue of the secretary's appearance was like that of an angry cat. It could have been a male or female cat," he said. "So I thought she was like an angry cat, the way they sometimes strike out. I like cats." The senator was also rebuked by senior Coalition frontbencher Joe Hockey, who said such behaviour was not acceptable. "Obviously it's not acceptable and I understand the senator has contacted Penny Wong to apologise," he told reporters. Asked if he rejected sexist attitudes in the Coalition, Mr Hockey said: "Absolutely. I don’t think anyone would ever suggest that I was sexist or have sexist attitudes."

Treasurer Wayne Swan said the behaviour of Senator Bushby and lower house MPs showed the Coalition was becoming feral. "I think the Finance Minister was absolutely right not to put up with the rudeness and sexist behaviour of [Opposition Leader] Tony Abbott's goons," he said. The debate also boiled over into question time, with Social Inclusion Minister Tanya Plibersek saying she was disappointed at the attack on her colleague. "I think everyone in this house agrees there is place for humour," Ms Plibersek said. "What I am tired of, what so many women are tired of that whenever there is conflict we have the leader of the opposition and his senior ministers reverting to this sort of sexist language.

"There is no place in this House of Representatives or the Senate or in our committees for the sort of sexist language that we've heard today and the sort of sexist language that we've heard in the past. "As the Minister for Social Inclusion, I don't think it's right that half our population should feel excluded by this type of language." Mr Abbott said that Senator Bushby had apologised to the minister, warning the minister about the danger of making imputations about other MPs. Frontbenchers Christopher Pyne, Julie Bishop and Bronwyn Bishop asked Speaker Harry Jenkins to have Ms Plibersek withdraw what they regarded as an offensive imputation. It is not the first time a member of the opposition has made a catty gesture.

Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop had to explain herself in 2008, when she made a cat's claw at then-deputy prime minister Julia Gillard across Parliament. She explained: "It is just a little thing that I do ... suggesting that perhaps the girls should put the claws away". Loading - with AAP and Glenda Kwek