Sydney, Australia (CNN) -- "Smoking hot" was how many observers described Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's blistering attack on sexism and misogyny in the bear pit of Australia's Parliament on Tuesday. The roar of support from Australian women on Twitter was deafening. So too was their rage when the parliamentary press gallery almost uniformly condemned Gillard's excoriation of the Leader of the Opposition coalition, Tony Abbott, as hypocritical and showing poor political judgment. For 15 minutes Gillard tore into Abbott before the Australian House of Representatives, the expression on his face going from a wry smile to embarrassment. The occasion was a highly charged debate on a motion brought by Abbott to sack the Speaker of the House, Peter Slipper. Slipper, a coalition turncoat who helped the government bolster its numbers by taking up the highly paid position last year, stepped aside in April amid allegations of fraud and sexual harassment.
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Australian PM Julia Gillard hits out at opposition leader in parliament
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Gillard was speaking out against a motion by Tony Abbott to sack Parliament speaker
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Peter Slipper was accused of sending sexist and offensive text messages
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Gillard condemned the texts but slammed Abbott's sexist behavior towards her
"I was offended when the leader of the opposition went outside in the front of @placeholder and stood next to a sign that said 'Ditch the Witch.'"
@placeholder faced a choice, he wrote, "between the political defense of her parliamentary numbers or the defense of the principle of respect for women."