Kevin Rudd is trying to connect with ordinary Australians by using phrases such as "fair shake of the sauce bottle", according to Liberal MP Tony Abbott.
The Prime Minister used the phrase three times during a television interview with Sky News yesterday.
"Fair shake of the sauce bottle mate, if you were to compare what this government has done in terms of the promotion of women of talent and ability compared with our predecessors, it's chalk and cheese ... fair shake of the sauce bottle mate," he said.
He also referred to the new Defence Minister John Faulkner "Faulks".
What are your favourite Aussie colloquialisms? Post a message belowMr Abbott questioned the authenticity of Mr Rudd's language, and suggested it was reminiscent of the larrikin Barry McKenzie films of the late 1970s.
"He's doing it in ways which don't sound authentic and that's a big problem," Mr Abbott said.
However Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek said Mr Abbott's comments were a "most incredibly unkind interpretation".
"We all speak in different ways. We live in a rich and diverse culture."
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