Federal Labor backbencher Yvette D'Ath said the comment showed Mr Abbott was out of touch.

"This is a leader and an opposition party that are living in the past," she told reporters in Canberra today, adding that she found the comments "appalling and patronising".

Mr Abbott got himself into hot water a few weeks ago over his description of a woman's virginity as "the greatest gift" she could give someone.

The opposition leader's latest remark showed his true colours, Ms D'Ath said.

"What we can see is no matter how hard Tony Abbott tries, the real Tony Abbott keeps sneaking out there," she said.

No stay-at-home mums in her Queensland electorate referred to themselves as housewives, nor did they stand around talking about ironing, she said.

Labor backbencher Amanda Rishworth warned Mr Abbott of speaking down to women.

"When you are patronising to women, women do turn off," she said.

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Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is standing by his finance spokesman Barnaby Joyce in the face of renewed calls from Labor for him to be sacked.

The Government has seized on Senator Joyce's claim that Australia could be close to defaulting on its debts and used it to mount a fresh attack on the Opposition's economic credibility.

But this morning Mr Abbott said Senator Joyce had street credibilty and the Government's attacks only proved it was scared of him.

"I think the fact they're attacking him so savagely shows he has the capacity to wound them," he said.

"Sure the Government is trying to ridicule him. But out there on the street I think people take Barnaby Joyce a lot more seriously than they take [Finance Minister] Lindsay Tanner, who is a jumped-up union official."

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