Bishop under fire to explain union contact - Sydney Morning Herald

AAP

Deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop is under pressure to explain her contact with self-confessed union bagman Ralph Blewitt, as a Labor MP attacked her on Twitter as a "narcissistic bimbo".

Ms Bishop on Tuesday told reporters in Canberra she coincidentally met Mr Blewitt in Melbourne on Friday for about 10 minutes and discussed the continuing furore over Julia Gillard's work as a lawyer almost 20 years ago.

But Fairfax Media reported the Liberal frontbencher also spoke with the former Australian Workers' Union figure by phone last Wednesday while she was in Perth.

Labor frontbencher Craig Emerson said that if the report were correct Ms Bishop had lied and should either be sacked or resign.

In a carefully worded statement issued on Wednesday, Ms Bishop said she had never telephoned Mr Blewitt and he had never phoned her.

But she said that "earlier last week" former Sydney radio host Michael Smith, who had set up the Melbourne cafe meeting between Ms Bishop and Mr Blewitt on Friday, had called her while she was driving in Perth and said he was at dinner with someone who wanted to speak to her.

"That person did not identify themselves and said he was pleased that the AWU fraud was being raised in parliament," Ms Bishop said in her statement.

"I said that would continue to be the case and my mobile phone dropped out at that point.

"Michael Smith did not call back and I do not know to whom I spoke."

However the government attack on the coalition's "muckraking" against the prime minister has been clouded by retiring Labor backbencher Steve Gibbons.

Mr Gibbons on Wednesday morning tweeted: "Libs are led by a gutless douchebag and a narcissistic bimbo who aren't fit to be MPs let alone PM and Deputy. Both should be sacked."

He later apologised for using the term "bimbo" and replaced it with "fool".

Families Minister Jenny Macklin told Sky News: "Nobody should use that language about other members of parliament."

The comment comes in the wake of Ms Gillard vowing to speak out on sexism and misogyny whenever it occurred.

Opposition spokeswoman on women's affairs Michaelia Cash said Ms Gillard should call on Mr Gibbons to resign as deputy chairman of a parliamentary committee and relinquish all benefits associated with that position.

"If the prime minister does not do that immediately the prime minister's words mean absolutely nothing," Senator Cash told The Australian online.

Mr Gibbons will retire from his seat of Bendigo at the 2013 election.