Education Minister Christopher Pyne's rocky week got worse on Wednesday morning when Today host Karl Stefanovic launched a fresh attack on the Abbott government.
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A day after a feisty exchange with Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the presenter ramped up his criticism of the government's performance, telling Mr Pyne to "man up."
Mr Pyne appeared on the TV show in a bid to turn around some of the bad publicity from the defeat of higher university deregulation legislation and allegations of harassment.
It didn't take long for Stefanovic to turn his attention to claims by Palmer United Party Senator Glenn Lazarus that Mr Pyne had harassed him via text message, labeling the fiasco "like an episode of The Bold and the Beautiful."
Mr Pyne jokingly dismissed the jibe. "I haven't sent any flowers or chocolates to Senator Lazarus so I hope nobody is sending them in my name," he said.
Stefanovic then took aim at the government's inability to pass key budget measures.
"Here's the issue," Stefanovic said. "You can't get your own policies through the Senate, but you can't even get it through your own people."
Mr Pyne said he was confident a fresh attempt to pass university deregulation would be successful next year.
"I'm not in the least bit dismayed. My view is that's democracy...this morning I am bouncing back and putting up a new reform bill,' Mr Pyne said.
On Wednesday, Mr Pyne introduced a new bill into the House of Representatives containing new concessions, including a five-year interest rate freeze for new parents, a $100 million structural fund for universities, new scholarships for disadvantaged students and fee price monitoring by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The bill will be considered by the Senate after Parliament resumes in February.
Mr Pyne said he was confident he could convince the Senate to vote in favour of the reforms next year.
"This is good reform - it's inevitable reform," he told reporters in Canberra. "It will pass the Senate at some stage. I believe in it fervently."
Abbott declares Labor 'feral' during morning TV blitz
A morning television blitz designed to help sell the government's achievements hasn't entirely gone to plan, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott encountering a surprise grilling from Today Showhost Karl Stefanovic.
Mr Abbott, who as opposition leader repeatedly refused to support a range of measures proposed by the Rudd and Gillard governments, used his TV appearance to lament the lack of support from Bill Shorten's Labor opposition.
"I wish the Labor Party wasn't in such a feral mood," Mr Abbott told the Today Show.
"I wish the Labor Party was taking the kind of view that the Howard opposition took back in the 1980s."
But Stefanovic seized on Mr Abbott's argument.
"With respect you were fairly feral in opposition... and isn't he [Labor leader Bill Shorten] just doing what you did and why would he do anything different when it worked for you?" Stefanovic asked.
Mr Abbott shot back: "We tried to stop the Labor Party from putting in a carbon tax because a carbon tax was a very bad policy and that is what Bill Shorten wants to give you the people back if he was to win an election."
The PM was then asked about the state of the budget, which Stefanovic described as "a shambles".
"No one is buying what you are selling, what you are laying down. That is the problem."
Mr Abbott replied: "Karl, I want to stop you there. The budget started to come under control the day the government changed and the day we got a government which was serious about budget repair".
Appearing minutes later on Sunrise, Mr Abbott said independent senator Jacqui Lambie's threat to vote against all government legislation in protest against the below-inflation defence force pay offer was a "form of blackmail".
Morning television is a popular option for politicians seeking to use the softer platform to sell their message.
A day after admitting he broke his election promise not to cut funding to the ABC and SBS, Mr Abbott hit both high-rating shows to assure voters his government had handled well a range of challenges.
"Look at the way we have handled the foreign policy issues like MH17, MH370. Look at the way we have handled the foreign fighters threat, the ISIL death cult threat," he said.
Mr Abbott also backed his Treasurer Joe Hockey and said his job was safe.
smh.com.au