By political correspondent Emma Griffiths Friday 20 March 2015
Video: Tony Abbott says Bill Shorten is 'the Goebbels of economic policy'
Photo: Tony Abbott immediately withdrew the remark objected to by the Opposition. (AAP: Lukas Coch)
Related Story: PM apologises for 'holocaust of jobs' remark
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Jewish Labor MP Michael Danby walked out of Question Time, and another three were ejected, after the Prime Minister compared the Opposition Leader to Nazi propagandist and Hitler offsider Joseph Goebbels.
Tony Abbott was referring to the Opposition's budget policies and called Bill Shorten "the Dr Goebbels of economic policy".
There was immediate protest from Opposition benches as Mr Abbott repeatedly told Parliament "I withdraw, I withdraw".
"I do withdraw and I do apologise for using that phrase," Mr Abbott said.
In the uproar Labor frontbencher Mark Dreyfus - who is also Jewish - was kicked out by Speaker Bronwyn Bishop.
That prompted Labor backbencher Mr Danby, who is a prominent member of Melbourne's Jewish community, to rise to his feet and declare that "if he's out, I'm out over this".
He walked out of the chamber in disgust.
He told the ABC that the Prime Minister "can slag us as much as he likes but it is silly to use an example of the ultimate evil in politics".
"He's the Prime Minister - he is supposed to have standards," Mr Danby said.
Another two Labor MPs were expelled in the subsequent melee.
Photo: Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus during Question Time. (AAP: Lukas Coch)
Joseph Goebbels was the Nazi propaganda minister and one of Adolf Hitler's most loyal associates.
Christopher Pyne told Parliament that Mr Dreyfus had once used "exactly the same description" in reference to Mr Abbott when he was leader of the opposition.
In 2011, Mr Dreyfus wrote that Mr Abbott displayed "Goebbellian cynicism" when he described the Coalition's fight against the carbon tax as a "truth campaign".
Mr Abbott was responding to a question from Mr Shorten about the Prime Minister's statement yesterday that "a ratio of debt to GDP at about 50 or 60 per cent is a pretty good result looking around the world".
"Isn't it the case that Tony Abbott's pretty good result would see Australia lose it's AAA rating?" Mr Shorten asked.
Mr Abbott began by saying it was "like the arsonist complaining about the fire" pointing out that the policies of the former Labor government would have pushed the debt to GDP ratio to around 120 per cent.
Last month, the Prime Minister was forced to apologise after accusing the Opposition of presiding over a "Holocaust" of job losses in the defence sector.
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