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Sex appeal gaffe just 'exuberance'

The way Tony Abbott puts it, Fiona Scott may as well be running for Playmate of the Year instead of Parliament.

On a visit to Penrith Stadium in Lindsay, a key seat in western Sydney, he was asked what his candidate, Ms Scott, had in common with Jackie Kelly, the original Howard Battler who wrested the seat from Labor.

"They're young, they're feisty and I think I can probably say have a bit of sex appeal," said Mr Abbott, with daughter Frances standing by his side.

It sparked nervous laughter from Ms Scott.

While Mr Abbott later dismissed the gaffe as a case of him being "a bit exuberant" it undercut his minders' efforts to show he is not sexist in a bid to soften his image with female voters.

He said Ms Scott was a smart, hardworking woman with whom he was proud to be associated.

"I was a bit exuberant today ... but we're all working incredibly hard to get her elected," Mr Abbott said last night.

Labor frontbencher Kim Carr last night said Mr Abbott's comment was "pathetic".

"Sometimes we think Tony Abbott really hasn't crawled out of the 1950s," Senator Carr said.

However, coalition finance spokesman Andrew Robb said people should not be too precious about Mr Abbott's comments.

Mr Robb said the comment was made "largely in jest" and no offence was meant or taken.

Twitter exploded with opinion on the subject, much of it criticising Mr Abbott.

"So TonyAbbottMHR thinks a woman candidate is vote-worthy if she has sex appeal? Misogynist," posted one person.

The Twitter account for NSW Labor also weighed in: "On September 7 we should vote for candidates based on policy appeal not sex appeal."

NSW Liberal minister Pru Goward, a former sex discrimination commissioner, said she saw nothing wrong with highlighting a candidate's sex appeal.

"I think a lot of politicians are described as sexy," she told radio.

The clanger comes a day after Mr Abbott's incorrect use of the word "suppository" during a press conference attracted widespread publicity.

The seat of Lindsay is held by Labor's David Bradbury by a margin of 1.1 per cent.

Another unwanted distraction came soon after at the launch of a Liberal Party bus that was overshadowed by the appearance of hapless candidate Jaymes Diaz, whose excruciating interview last week went viral after he proved incapable of listing the six points of the coalition's policy to stop asylum-seeker boats reaching Australia.

Asked if he would like to "redeem" himself, Mr Diaz instead was struck mute, barely acknowledged Mr Abbott's handshake and scurried off.