Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden has accused the opposition of sexism for not condemning a column that used the word “c***” against female Ministers - but then van Velden used the word herself, potentially making Parliamentary history.

On Wednesday, Labour went even further than not condemning the column by journalist Andrea Vance, published in The Post.

One of its MPs Jan Tinetti asked van Velden whether she actually agreed with a section of the column.

The section Tinetti raised did not include the offending word.

In response, Van velden said she: “disagreed with the comments made, particularly, the ... use of the term backhanded.

“I do not agree with the clearly gendered and patronising language that Andrea Vance used to reduce senior Cabinet Ministers to ‘girlbosses, hype squads,’ references to girl math and c***s.

“The women of this Government are hardworking, dedicated and strong.

“No woman in this Parliament or in this country should be subjected to sex-based discrimination,”

“It is a very curious feminist moment when a former Minister for Women repeats part of a clearly misogynistic article in this House,” Van velden said, to applause from her side of the House.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis yelled, “hypocrisy” to the Labour benches - a word banned in the House.

It is not clear whether the c-word or a derivative of that word has been used in the House before.

It is common in Parliament for Ministers to be asked whether they agree with a piece of economic or political commentary.

Tinetti’s question, related to a column on the recent pay equity changes, was:

“Does she agree with Andrea Vance, who said about the Equal Pay Amendment Bill: ‘It is a curious feminist moment, isn’t it? Six girlbosses - Willis, her hype-squad Judith Collins, Erica Stanford, Louise Upston, Nicola Grigg, and Brooke van Velden - all united in a historic act of economic backhanding other women’.

“If not, how is unilaterally stopping 33 pay equity claims not a historic act of economic backhanding other women?” she asked.

Several members of the Government, including Shane Jones, Winston Peters, and Chris Bishop had asked the Speaker to reflect on the fact the question was allowed to be asked, given the obscenity in the article.

Van velden said in response it was “hard to find a single sentence in Andrea Vance’s column that I agreed with”.

On his way into the House on Wednesday, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said he would not weigh into the column saying he was “not going to criticise the editorial decisions of newspapers”.

He said New Zealand was a democracy with a free press.

Former Labour Leader Helen Clark said the use of the term was “unacceptable”.

“It is possible to express strongly held opinions without resorting to abusive language,” she said in a post to social media.

Hipkins was asked whether he would condemn the column if it had been directed at former Labour leader Jacinda Ardern.

He said this was a “hypothetical”.