Labor leader Bill Shorten exchanges words with Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi

LABOR leader Bill Shorten wasted no time with this comeback when Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi walked past his press conference this morning.

LABOR leader Bill Shorten and outspoken Liberal senator Cory Bernardi have exchanged sharp words over a controversial taxpayer-funded program which teaches students about gay and lesbian issues.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has ordered a report on the operation of the Safe Schools program amid growing unrest from some of his backbenchers including Senator Bernardi.

As Mr Shorten was telling reporters about the “ridiculous” obsession the Liberal Party’s right wing had with the program, Senator Bernardi happened to walk past.

“That would be the chap,” the opposition leader said.

Senator Bernardi hit back, calling Mr Shorten a “fraud” and added: “At least I’m honest”.

Mr Shorten responded: “At least I’m not a homophobe either, mate”.

Labor supports the program, saying children have a right to go to school and not be bullied.

It comes after a Coaltion partyroom argument over the Safe Schools program earlier this week, in which Mr Barnardi is understood to have said the program was being used to “indoctrinate children into a Marxist agenda of cultural relativism”, The Advertiser reported.

Mr Bernardi was “hostile” towards the program during the partyroom stoush, during which Education Minister Simon Birmingham defended it.

Senator Bernardi will table a 9500-signature petition calling for funding of the $8 million program to stopped when the contract to providit expires in March.

He says the program is “foisting a hypersexualised agenda” on young children.

“They’re intimidating children, they’re bullying children and they’re indoctrinating children into subscribing to a worldview that no 11 year old should be forced to do within our school system,” he said.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull heard from both Senators, then asked Senator Birmingham to set up a review of the program and report back to the Liberal party room.

- with Tory Shepherd