The gloves are expected to come off during the final question time for the first parliamentary sitting week of the year, following Malcolm Turnbull's extraordinary personal attack on Labor leader Bill Shorten.
To the cheers and desk-thumping of his colleagues on Wednesday the prime minister labelled the opposition leader a social-climbing sycophant and parasite on taxpayers.
"There was never a union leader in Melbourne that tucked his knees under more billionaires' tables, he lapped it up," Mr Turnbull said during a sharp exchange in parliament.
"He was such a sycophant, a social-climbing sycophant if ever there was one."
A fired-up prime minister didn't hold back, using Mr Shorten's "Mr Harbourside Mansion" reference to accuse the Labor leader of being a parasite who enjoyed drinking champagne with the likes of billionaire Richard Pratt.
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Mr Shorten on Wednesday night brushed off the barbs, saying he felt sorry for Mr Turnbull.
"The drums are beating in the corridors of Canberra about whether or not he will remain as Liberal leader and I think he is showing pressure," Mr Shorten told ABC TV.
The performance was about appealing to the coalition backbench, he said.
Mr Shorten acknowledged he had been a good friend of the late Mr Pratt, who died eight years ago.
But he insisted he was still a people's champion in touch with the cost struggles of raising a family and pointing out he had a mortgage and lived in Moonee Ponds.
Mr Shorten said he didn't begrudge Mr Turnbull's wealth only his seriously out of touch policies.
At issue is an omnibus bill the government introduced to parliament earlier on Wednesday.
It overhauls the way childcare subsidies are paid, but includes revised welfare cuts including phasing out the annual Family Tax Benefit supplement and making young people wait a month before getting the dole.
As an offset the government will increase fortnightly FTB payments by about $20.
Labor estimates one million families will be affected adversely by the FTB changes.
