TONY Abbott was confronted today as he tried to sell his tough budget by an angry pensioner who says she must work on an adult sex line just to get by.

The woman’s story was enough to make listeners sit up and take notice — but it was the prime minister’s reaction, caught on video, that is gaining more widespread attention.

As caller Gloria introduced herself, saying “I work on an adult sex line to make ends meet”, Mr Abbott winked and smiled in the direction of ABC Radio host Jon Faine (off camera).

As she continued, Mr Abbott broadened his grin for a few seconds — then looked straight at the camera and swiftly composed his expression.

Government spokespeople said the PM winked merely to reassure Mr Faine that he was happy to take the call.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has criticised the PM, calling him a “total creep”.

“Rather than taking seriously her concerns of poverty and illness he gave a wink and a smirk, and all I have to say to the Prime Minister on this is what a creep. What a total creep,” she said.

But Labor MP Graham Perrett came to Mr Abbott’s defence, labelling the criticism “overkill”.

“It’s not the sort of question that you’d get every day. Not the sort of call you’d get every day,” he told Sky News.

Watch the PM’s reaction on the video above — and have your say below

Mr Abbott, who faced accusations of sexism — most notably by then-PM Julia Gillard — before the election campaign, then tried to deal with Gloria’s stinging criticism.

The woman began by asking Mr Abbott, who had hit the airwaves to take questions from the public, whether he’d like his mother or grandmother to be in her situation.

“I’m a 67-year-old pensioner. Three chronic incurable medical conditions, two life threatening. I just survive on around $400 a fortnight after I pay my rent,” she told him.

“I work on an adult sex line to make ends meet,” the woman, who said she was from Warburton, added.

“Now that’s the only way I can do it.”

The woman went on to quiz the prime minister on what she should “cut out”.

“Food, electricity, firewood, Christmas, birthday presents to my grandchildren or should we all just die and get out of your way?”

He responded by saying he “absolutely” understood she was doing it tough and insisted she would still pocket carbon tax compensation even when it is axed.

“But you don’t give a stuff though do you.”

When Mr Faine asked her to “keep it nice”, Gloria hit back.

“But I don’t feel very nice about you Mr Abbott.”

As discussion of the incident spread, one of the show’s producers issued a tweet saying the wink was a surprise to his team.

“We were as surprised as anyone!” Dan Ziffer posted.

Mr Abbott’s sister later tweeted:

A lifter not a leaner! MT “@DaveyCampbell85: Pensioner to @TonyAbbottMHR: "I work on an adult sex line to make ends meet.” — Christine Forster (@resourcefultype) May 21, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: A lifter not a leaner! MT “@DaveyCampbell85: Pensioner to @TonyAbbottMHR: "I work on an adult sex line to make ends meet.”— Christine Forster (@resourcefultype) May 21, 2014 Sub-type: comment CAPTION: A lifter not a leaner! MT “@DaveyCampbell85: Pensioner to @TonyAbbottMHR: "I work on an adult sex line to make ends meet.”— Christine Forster (@resourcefultype) May 21, 2014

Other readers on social media have questioned if Gloria was just a pensioner - or if she was possibly Labor affiliated.

Last week, Mr Abbott was questioned on TV by a pensioner named Vilma Ward, who was later outed as a staunch ALP supporter and one of former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s biggest fans.

Mr Abbott said he was just reacting to his radio host when he winked and smiled.

A spokeswoman for Mr Abbott told Fairfax Media the wink was to assure the presenter he was happy to proceed with the call, but the Prime Minister later told Perth’s 6PR radio that he was simply reacting to Faine’s facial expression.

“It was a reaction to Jon, really,” Mr Abbott told Fairfax radio.

“Obviously it was an interesting call from someone who had an interesting story.

“Jon was smiling at me and I responded to him.”

The confrontation came during a robust morning for the PM, who had earlier been forced to cancel a university visit over planned protests.

Other callers also got stuck in over last week’s budget, which Mr Abbott defended strongly.

Stella from Geelong said she had voted Liberal since she was 18 but she took the PM to task for lying about introducing new taxes and making her feel like an “idiot”.

“What I cannot accept is myself and other intelligent voters being condescended to by a politician who won’t answer a straight question,” she told him.

“That’s the last thing I would want to do,” Mr Abbott replied, conceding the fuel excise, which will go up as he restores indexation, is a tax.

“I don’t want him to play games with words. Just come out and be honest,” the caller declared.

Another claimed the $7 co-payment to see the doctor was a “mean thing to do”.

“I don’t think you’re looking after our people here,” he said, accepting the fuel tax hike was necessary but not the increased GP fee.

“This is purely picking on people who can’t afford it and who are needy.”

Mr Abbott “cross-examined” the voter, asking “was Bob Hawke picking on people” for introducing the Medicare levy.

“This is an important reform,” he said, insisting there will be a strong safety net.

Mr Abbott also copped hard questions from talkback callers on 3AW’s Mornings with Neil Mitchell.

“Chantelle”, a home and community care worker, called in to say she was worried about her job as her organisation was on a three-year contract with the local council.

“We have a three-year contract but we don’t know what’s going to happen after that three years,” she told the Prime Minister.

Mr Abbott replied: “Look, I have a three-year contract as well and I don’t know what’s going to happen after three years.”

“You’d probably get out on a bit more money than Chantelle,” Mr Mitchell interrupted.

“That’s a fair point Neil,” Mr Abbott said. “We all have to live with uncertainty. It’s not nice and sometimes you’ve got a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when you contemplate your future.

“But nevertheless the Commonwealth government is tackling its issues because we have got to get the debt and deficit problem that we were left under control.

“Other levels of government are doing what they think is best as they wrestle with their particular problems.”



