Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has confessed to finding the burqa "confronting" while defending Liberal candidate Ray King for describing the Islamic attire as a "sign of oppression".

Asked whether he supported the statements by Mr King, who drew a link between the burqa and criminality at a fund-raiser, Mr Abbott admitted he found it "a very confronting attire".

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott in Rockhampton campaigning has defended Liberal candidate Ray King over comments about the burqa. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"Frankly, it's not the sort of attire that I would like to see widespread in our streets," Mr Abbott told reporters on Saturday, while campaigning in Queensland.

Mr King, the former Liverpool police commander standing against Treasurer Chris Bowen in the western Sydney seat of McMahon, urged an end to Muslim women wearing the burqa.