Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned women will be "banished" from politics and abortion will be "the political plaything of men" if the Opposition wins the election.

Ms Gillard made the comments while launching a fundraising organisation linked to the Labor party, called Women for Gillard.

"We don't want to live in an Australia where abortion again becomes the political plaything of men who think they know better," she told the gathering.

The launch was closed to the media but vision was provided by the Prime Minister's office.

Ms Gillard's speech puts gender at the centre of the campaign for the September 14 poll.

In October, she delivered what is now referred to as "Gillard's misogyny speech" to Parliament, slamming Mr Abbott for being sexist.

During the speech on Tuesday, the Prime Minister drew attention to Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's recent decision to wear pale blue ties to soften his image.

"It's a decision about whether once again we will banish women's voices from the core of our nation's political life. I invite you to imagine it: a prime minister - a man with a blue tie who goes on holidays to be replaced by a man in a blue tie."

"A treasurer who delivers a budget wearing a blue tie, to be supported by a finance minister, another man in a blue tie.

"Women once again, banished from the centre of Australia's political life."

Coalition calls for apology for 'offensive, false claims'

Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop has called on the Prime Minister to apologise for the comments.

"Julia Gillard knows full well that the Coalition will not change laws regarding abortion, and for her to raise this as an election issue is offensive, and she should apologise for her false claims," she said.

Ms Bishop says she gives women a voice in the Coalition's senior ranks and Ms Gillard is trying to distract from her political woes.

"It was a speech from a desperate Prime Minister leading a bitterly divided party who has resorted to the base politics of fear and division," she said.

"It was a patronising and insulting speech and not worthy of a Prime Minister of this country. We are better nation than this and Australia deserves better leadership."

The speech is also raising questions about the Prime Minister's judgement from her own side.

Labor backbencher Stephen Jones, who is also a Kevin Rudd supporter, says Ms Gillard's comments on abortion came as a surprise.

"I'm not convinced of the wisdom of kicking this into a political debate. I think the 2013 election should be faced up around the big policy issues, as important as that one is," he said.

However, he says it is unremarkable that Ms Gillard raised the issue in a speech to women.

Another backbencher told the ABC the Prime Minister's comments in support of women are completely inconsistent, given her decision to endorse Senator David Feeney for the safe Lower House seat of Batman.

Mr Abbott, who is an ardent Catholic, once described abortion as "the easy way out".

"To a pregnant 14-year-old struggling to grasp what's happening, for example, a senior student with a whole life mapped out or a mother already failing to cope under difficult circumstance, abortion is the easy way out," he said in a speech in 2004 when he was the federal health minister.

He also said in the speech that the abortion rate was a "national tragedy" and abortion was an issue that was "morally black and white".

However, Mr Abbott has recently distanced himself from his previous controversial stance.

"I didn't express it as well as I could have or should have," Mr Abbott told Channel Nine in March.

"And I absolutely accept that for any woman facing an unexpected pregnancy, the choices are tough."