Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and feminist Germaine Greer appear on all-female Q&A panel

TONY Abbott has criticised Germaine Greer for trying to trivialise the Bali 9 duo’s plight by linking their death sentence to the free the nipple campaign.

TONY Abbott has lashed out at renowned feminist Germaine Greer for attempting to trivialise the plight of Bali Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran by linking their death sentence to the free the nipple campaign.

Today the Prime Minister said it was trivialising the plight of the two men.

“An important issue is being trivialised,” Mr Abbott said.

“We ought to be conducting ourselves like a mature adult country, making appropriate representations on behalf of our citizens abroad.”

Mr Abbott also revealed today that he continues to be snubbed by the Indonesian President over a phone call request he made last week to discuss Chan and Sukumaran.

Mr Abbott confirmed the phone call was yet to go ahead — six days after the initial request was made.

“I appreciate we have given this issue a good thrash ... I am keen to talk to him again,” the Prime Minister said.

“In the end I can make the request and he may or may not agree to that request.

“It is a standing request and I hope that we can have that conversation.”

The Prime Minister on Thursday revealed he had requested a last-ditch phone call with Indonesian President Joko Widodo to discuss the pending executions of Chan and Sukumaran who were found guilty of organising an attempt to smuggle heroin into Australia ten years ago.

Mr Abbott’s comments come after Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Germaine Greer went head-to-head on Q&A over the “free the nipple” movement.

Tense moment ... Germaine Greer and Julie Bishop on Q&A. Picture: ABC TV

The topic came up when Ms Bishop was asked by Q&A guest host Annabel Crabb about the “free the nipple” campaign and if she would ever consider doing it.

The campaign is a social media movement in which women go topless in public. It began as a protest against bans in the US that censor women exposing their breasts.

“It’s not something that I’ve ever actually had to the desire to do online, I’m ... quite adept at my emoji language and that’s about as radical as I get,” Ms Bishop said.

But feminist Greer drew gasps when she asked Ms Bishop: “What if it got you the commutation of the life sentences for two Australians?”, referring to Bali Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, who are on death row.

Ms Bishop replied: “Please don’t go there, Germaine, please don’t go there”.

The reaction on Twitter came thick and fast.

Suspect that may be the final Germaine Greer appearance on #qanda. Time for a baton change to a younger generation of leading feminists.

— Stephen Mayne (@MayneReport) March 9, 2015

I think Germaine Greer is to feminism what Warwick Capper is to football.

— Chris Kenny (@chriskkenny) March 9, 2015

I can see a death stare building up when Julie Bishop looks at Germaine Greer. #qanda

— Lord Terry Frost (@terryfrost) March 9, 2015

Earlier, Ms Bishop had spoken about why she rejects the word “feminist”, saying: “The more people demand I describe myself as a feminist, the more I say let me describe (myself) how I wish.”

Ms Bishop said she doesn’t want to be “stereotyped”.

“I don’t want to be stereotyped and I don’t want to be pigeonholed,” Ms Bishop said on ABC TV.

“And if I want to self-describe in a particular way, I will, and if others want to self-describe, that’s great.”

Powerful ... Foreign Minister Julie Bishop talked feminism on Q&A. Picture: News Corp Australia

She said her actions and achievements as Foreign Minister should speak louder than labels.

“Instead of focusing on so much analysing the labels, let’s look at what people do,” Ms Bishop said.

Last night’s Q&A was a special, All About Women, hosted by political journalist, Annabel Crabb, with topics covered including the gender pay gap, sexism, and the representation of women in the media.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop explains why she does not describe herself as a feminist. #qanda https://t.co/gg7jch7PgS

— ABC News (@abcnews) March 9, 2015

Women’s glossy magazines are as intent as the average sexist in the street on making women feel bad | G Greer #QandA http://t.co/lbgxxX7Fzr

— ABC Q&A (@QandA) March 6, 2015

So @JulieBishopMP says #IWD is absolutely necessary and lists all the reasons I'm a feminist #Qanda

— PatriciaKarvelas (@PatsKarvelas) March 9, 2015

"Annabel u said u were disappointed I dont call myself a feminist. I'm SO disappointed u don't call yourself a Liberal." Julie Bishop #QandA

— Lisa Wilkinson (@Lisa_Wilkinson) March 9, 2015

uuugh Julie Bishop just speaks like a feminist I don't understand why she won't admit it #QandA

— Ceri (@ceriglenie) March 9, 2015

Speaking on Q&A, Ms Bishop also said: “I’m very proud of what I’ve been able to achieve as Foreign Minister in focusing on gender inequality in our region and across the world and I’ve refocused our aid budget, so that our aid budget focuses on gender inequality”.

She famously declared “I’m no feminist” in an interview last year, saying she doesn’t find the word “useful”.

Ms Bishop was also asked about not having children.

“I’m not suggesting for a moment that every person who is a Foreign Minister has to have no children because that’s ridiculous,” Ms Bishop said.

She said being Foreign Minister was an “extremely demanding role” that took her overseas at a moment’s notice, such as during the MH17 tragedy, and “that would have been a real problem for people who had other responsibilities at home”.

The ABC TV all-female panel also included Bad Feminist author Roxane Gay, Best & Less chief executive Holly Kramer, and engineer and youth advocate Yassmin Abdel-Magied.

We are all Julie Bishop rn #QandA pic.twitter.com/8dTj1wGkNu

— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) March 9, 2015

I can't wait for the day where woman don't need to talk about 'arranging their lives'! Yes please, lets reimagine! #QandA

— Melodie Glass (@Melodie_Anna) March 9, 2015