Federal Jobs Minister Michaelia Cash is taking back her threat to repeat unverified rumors of a sexual nature about female staff in Opposition Labor leader Bill Shorten's office.

"I'm more than happy to withdraw them unreservedly," Ms. Cash said on Thursday, "I withdrew them yesterday and I will withdraw them unreservedly."

Labor and others denounced Ms. Cash's antics yesterday in which she didn't take kindly to Labor senator Doug Cameron's inquiry about her new chief of staff.  "If you want to start discussing staff matters, be very, very careful," she said at the time.  "I am happy to name every young woman in Mr. Shorten;s office about which rumours in this place abound.  If you want to go down this path today, I will do it," she said with dramatic pauses between the final four syllables.

Cameron told her to take a "chill pill".  Labor's leader in the Senate said Cash's rant amounted to "outrageous slurs" which were sexist and impugned the character of Shorten and his staff.

At Parliament today, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull tried to turn it around onto Mr. Cameron, as if his question somehow forced Ms. Cash to make a broad and unverified generalization that threatened to slander all female employees of Bill Shorten.