Abbott still doesn't get it, says PM Live tonight: Updates on Tony Abbott's budget reply, plus streaming video coverage from his speech to Parliament at 7.30pm. The Coalition's initial rejection of a Labor MP's request to go home to be with her sick child made "an absolute mockery of everything the Leader of the Opposition has ever said about working women," Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said. Labor MP Michelle Rowland had earlier on Thursday hit out at the Coalition, saying it knew she had a sick child when they refused her request for a "pair" to leave Parliament, contradicting statements from opposition frontbencher Christopher Pyne. Federal Labor MP for Greenway in western Sydney, Michelle Rowland, has hit out over initial refusal from the Coalition to grant her a pair so she can take leave to care for her sick child. Responding to a question on the Coalition's actions, Ms Gillard said: "It just shows so clearly that he [Tony Abbott] doesn't get it." The Coalition initially rejected Ms Rowland's application for a "pair" to attend to her daughter Octavia, who had a fever and was vomiting. After an outcry from government ministers, the Coalition has on Thursday morning backed down and granted Ms Rowland a pair. A "pair" is a gentlemen's agreement between parties in which a politician excuses themselves from a vote to square the numbers when an opponent cannot attend Parliament for a good reason. Tony Abbott: "He doesn't get it." "I put in what I thought was a reasonable request," Ms Rowland told Fairfax Media on Thursday morning. I expressly stated it was because my child was sick and I would really appreciate the opportunity to be home with her . . . and I got a reply yesterday that that was declined. Ms Rowland applied for leave on Tuesday to the goverment's chief whip Chris Hayes, who then referred the request to opposition chief whip Warren Entsch in order to secure a pair for Ms Rowland from 6pm on Thursday. Mr Entsch rejected the request on Wednesday. The controversy over the Coalition rejecting Ms Rowland's application to attend to her sick child comes at a time when Mr Abbott - who has long battled poor polling among women voters - has been campaigning on issues such as paid parental leave saying working women needed to be supported to have families. "This is my first baby," Ms Rowland said. She's 14 months old. It's the sickest she's been . . . I simply wanted to be able to get home on Thursday night. Mr Pyne, the manager of opposition business, claimed on Thursday morning that Mr Entsch "was not aware [Ms Rowland] had a sick infant until this morning when he read it in The Daily Telegraph." If we'd known it was Michelle Rowland's child we would've given her a pair and more importantly we would've said, 'Why would you wait until five o'clock on Thursday to go home? You need to go home today'," Mr Pyne said. Michelle Rowland's a new mother with a young child, if she had a sick child and she told us on Monday she would've been told by Warren Entsch 'go home today Michelle, what are you doing here?' That's exactly what we would have said. However, Ms Rowland has shown Fairfax Media a letter that proved Mr Entsch knew about her daughter's illness when he rejected her application. These are lies that are being said this morning. What irked me was seeing Christopher Pyne on doors this morning saying things that were untrue," Ms Rowland said. Ms Rowland later said it was "disappointing" to hear Mr Pyne "turn this into a judgment on my abilities as a mother." She said that she had a supportive husband and family who were helping to look after her daughter. "A lot of parents whose children are sick still have to go to work," Ms Rowland said. I simply made a reasonable request to go home on Thursday night. Later on Thursday, Mr Entsch told ABC radio that he would not have spent the week in parliament had his child been sick. I actually gave her leave when I read about it in the paper and instead of grabbing the first flight home, which, she portrayed being concerned, she sat in three divisions. She could've been halfway back to Sydney in that time," Mr Entsch said. It makes you wonder just how honest they are in relation to their application or are they using a circumstance just to pull some sort of political stunt. My comment to Chris [Hayes] at the time was that if the child is unwell she shouldn't be down here she should be with her child. It seems rather bizarre to be putting in a request on Monday or Tuesday asking for a leave on Thursday night because her child is unwell. If it's unwell now she should be with it. In the letter dated Wednesday, May 15, Mr Entsch wrote to Labor's whip Chris Hayes: "I am writing to you in relation to your request to provide a 'pair' for Ms Michelle Rowland, Member for Greenway due to her child being unwell . . . The Opposition will not provide a 'pair' for the Member for Greenway on this occasion. Mr Entsch gave no reason in the letter for rejecting the request. Mr Pyne claimed that Ms Rowland had said "she had an ill family member" rather than a sick baby. He said it could have been a cousin or an uncle and that if the Coalition knew it was a baby they would have granted her the leave immediately. But Ms Rowland's application letter, dated Tuesday, May 14, states: "My baby is at home and has been unwell. I would be grateful to be home on Thursday night to be with her please. Labor ministers rounded on the Coalition over the issue during media interviews on Thursday morning. Health Minister Tanya Plibersek told ABC radio the Coalition's refusal to grant Ms Rowland leave was the "best example ever that they don't care about modern families." Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury told Sky News that Mr Abbott wanted people to believe he was committed to policies that support women, but that was not the reality. Mr Entsch released a statement on Thursday morning saying: "The application for leave for Ms Michelle Rowland came in on Tuesday morning with a series of other back-bencher leave requests. I queried the request because it was clear from the wording on the application that there was no sense of urgency and on that basis I refused the pair. Mr Entsch said that "if Ms Rowland's child is sick, then she should leave the parliament immediately and a pair will be granted."