Labor leader Bill Shorten has branded conservative Liberal Cory Bernardi "a sook" for complaining about being called a homophobe.
The tit-for-tat between the pair continued on Thursday over a controversial anti-bullying schools program focused on gay and lesbian issues.
The duo exchanged barbs in a press conference a day earlier when Senator Bernardi called Mr Shorten a fraud and the opposition leader fired back with the homophobe jibe over the Liberal's staunch opposition to the Safe Schools program.
Later, Senator Bernardi then accused Mr Shorten of having a "Mark Latham moment" and resorting to name-calling.
The barbs continued into a third day as the opposition leader criticised the Liberal Party for spending so much time on the issue.
"You have a senator walking past acting like he is at the football yelling out free advice at a press conference and he has a sook about someone standing up to him," Mr Shorten told reporters in Canberra.
"I did in five seconds what Malcolm Turnbull hasn't done in five months."
However, Mr Shorten is facing opposition from within his own party over the controversial taxpayer-funded program.
Labor senator Joe Bullock says Safe Schools is a "terrible program" that should be stopped immediately.
Politicians should be able to voice their concerns about the initiative without being criticised, he said.
"I'd be disappointed if somehow it was determined that this was a matter that should be decided along political lines ... everyone is entitled to have their own view," Senator Bullock told the Australian.
Mr Shorten did not directly address the Labor senator's comments, but Labor frontbencher Penny Wong said her colleague's views were out of step with the party.
The program, funded by Labor in government, was designed to address the "terrifying statistics" of self-harm, abuse and discrimination faced by same-sex-attracted and transgender young people.
"Whatever your views on issues such as marriage equality, surely no one in this country thinks it's appropriate for children to continue to be bullied," Senator Wong told ABC Radio.
Share
