Julia Gillard accused of 'showing too much cleavage' in Parliament

A columnist has caused outrage after accusing Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard of disrespecting the nation by showing too much cleavage in federal Parliament.

Fairfax columnist and industrial relations consultant Grace Collier told a panel discussion on ABC Radio National that it was wrong to show so much flesh during parliamentary meetings, as it was an issue of workplace conduct.

According to the Telegraph, Collier made the comments while discussing last week's Howard Sattler controversy.

The Australian Financial Review columnist said during the discussion that he did not think it was appropriate for a Prime Minister to be showing her cleavage in Parliament.

He said that it is disrespectful to yourself and to the Australian community and to the parliament to present yourself in a manner that is unprofessional.

He added that in every Australian workplace there are certain standards of presentation and conduct, and not about personal presentation. It's about conduct.

According to the report, her comments were immediately howled down by the other people on the show, saying she was a right-winger, a claim Collier denied.