Melbourne, Sep 21 : Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard has shrugged off Australian premier Kevin Rudd's use of expletive-laden tirade at Labour's factional bosses, including three women MPs, as an occasional verbal lapse.

The factional leaders reportedly went to see the Prime Minister in his office about a fortnight ago to object to his move to slash MPs' printing allowances from 100,000 dollars to 75,000 dollars.

The Sunday Mail quoted a source as saying Rudd said: "I don't care what you f---ers think." He then went on, singling out Senator David Feeney declaring, "You can get f---ed", before asking, "Don't you f---ing understand?"

Refusing to be drawn on Rudd's use of the f-word, Gillard said she was as guilty as anyone of a verbal slip up.

"I think as adults in the Labor Party from time to time we might say the occasional robust word. I'm known to do that as much as anybody else," The Age quoted Gillard, as saying.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has defrended his expletive-laden tirade at Labour's factional bosses including three women MPs as robust conversation.

Earlier, Rudd has said that he made no apology for the content of his conversation or the robust nature in which he expressed his views to ALP factional leaders.

Asked about the reported conversation, Rudd said in New York today morning: "I think it's fair to say that consistent with the traditions of the Australian Labor Party, we're given to robust conversations."

"I made my point of view absolutely clear, that is that these entitlements needed to be cut back and I make no apology for either the content of my conversation or the robustness with which I expressed my views," Rudd said.

Rudd is in the United States ahead of a seven-day visit for the United Nations General Assembly and Group of 20 leading nations in New York and Pittsburgh. (ANI)