TONY JONES, PRESENTER: Farce may not quite capture the mess that Question Time became today. MPs were thrown out, insults were hurled and the Speaker's temper was sorely tested. A debate over women's' rights exploded into attacks and counter-attacks with apparently no real point other than to score points. From Canberra, Emma Griffiths reports.

EMMA GRIFFITHS, REPORTER: The House rules weren't so much broken as thrown out.

WILSON TUCKEY, LIBERAL MP: Disorder, use of certain names, offensive words, reflections on members, disorderly conduct.

EMMA GRIFFITHS: Over 91 minutes of misbehaviour, MPs copped a scolding.

SPEAKER: Order. ... Order! ... Order! ... Ooorder! ... Order!

EMMA GRIFFITHS: But it made little difference; two ALP backbenchers were thrown out while the Opposition's chief tactician threw out the slurs.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE, MANAGER OF OPPOSITION BUSINESS: No, I haven't actually today, you loser.

EMMA GRIFFITHS: The brouhaha boiled over when Labor turned its feminine charms onto the Liberal Party, attacking it over women's rights issues and homed in on the Liberal Party's website devoted to women.

TANYA PLIBERSEK, MINISTER FOR THE STATUS OF WOMEN: I looked at the picture, Mr Speaker, and it's got in the Women in the Liberal Party section, one, two, three - actually, no, Julie, you're in it. It's OK.

EMMA GRIFFITHS: The Opposition had been accused of gagging its female MPs during Question Time; today it sought to shut down Tanya Plibersek's assault.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Mr Speaker, I move that the member be no longer heard.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE HOUSE: Mr Speaker, I might give the Manager of Opposition Business an opportunity to rethink just how bad a look this is.

TANYA PLIBERSEK: They don't let women ask questions; it seems now we're not allowed to answer them either.

EMMA GRIFFITHS: The episode prompting finger-pointing, a new-look women's page on the Liberal Party site and disbelief in the public gallery.

PUBLIC GALLERY SPECTATOR: I just don't know how they get anything done.

PUBLIC GALLERY SPECTATOR II: It's just a real picnic in there. There was fights and arguments and name-calling. I think it's a disgrace to Australia.

EMMA GRIFFITHS: If you acted like that in the classroom what would?

TEENAGE GIRL: We'd get in lots of trouble.

EMMA GRIFFITHS: Opposition frustration with Question Time has turned to exasperation. One senior Liberal has even floated the idea of boycotting the daily spectacle. Instead, the party has resolved to take on the Government with a little aggression.

For the Opposition's self-described attack dog Tony Abbott, that meant blowing a cheeky kiss at the Labor ranks. He was returning from a 24-hour ban, but he says the Government started it.

TONY ABBOTT, OPPOSITION FRONTBENCHER: The Opposition is not going to allow the Parliament to be debased in the way that this Government is consistently doing so.

EMMA GRIFFITHS: After this Question Time, debasing Parliament anymore may take some doing.

SPEAKER: Not one of the greatest moments for the House, this Question Time.

KEVIN RUDD, PRIME MINISTER: Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on notice...

EMMA GRIFFITHS: Ready for the next showing, same time, same place. Emma Griffiths, Lateline.