Offensive Rudd
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he will not appear before a Senate inquiry into the scrapped home insulation program.
A Senate committee is trying to establish what went wrong with the $2.45 billion scheme which was axed after it was linked to the deaths of installers, house fires and allegations of rorting.
The committee has asked Mr Rudd, the minister formerly responsible for the scheme Peter Garrett, the new minister responsible Greg Combet, and Employment Participation Minister Mark Arbib to appear. They have all refused.
Mr Rudd's office says Question Time is the appropriate place for ministers to answer questions on the issue.
"That is the place to question ministers, not stunts like the Opposition's party-political inquiry," a spokesman for Mr Rudd said.
Liberal Senator Mary Jo Fisher, who chairs the environment references committee, says the response "gets a laugh out loud from the committee chairwoman".
"The Australian people would find that response ... offensive," Senator Fisher said.
Gizmo, there is much that is offensive in the govt ranks.
Watching part of question time to hear senior govt ministers referring to Phoney Tony and the Mad Monk, in reference to Mr Abbott, and also a reference to Joe Hockey as Sloppy Joe, is a disgrace.
Even the speaker , who is normally fairly lax had a shocked look on his face and had to pull them up a number of times today.
They think they are so smart. But the sad part is ..some people do latch on to these offensive terms, and of course that's just what they want.
Rudd himself has had to be pulled up by the Speaker several times.