UBP Senator Gina Spence-Farmer has labelled comments made by Labour, Immigration and Housing Minister, Senator David Burch about her husband on National TV an 'abuse of power'.

A discussion began during the motion to adjourn in the Senate on Friday, when Mrs. Spence-Farmer said she welcomed comments by PLP Senator Thaao Dill who had criticised opposition Leader Kim Swan for asking for a poverty survey when the Government was already conducting one.

He clarified that he was not attacking Mr. Swan personally, but said he was unfortunately stuck in a system that was 'adversarial' in nature.

However on Friday, Mrs. Spence-Farmer, said she agreed with these comments, but was concerned that other PLP members were not abiding by the same code.

She said she was referring to an interview done by Sen. David Burch last month with Gary Moreno of ZBM TV news.

In the interview, she alleges that Sen. Burch threatened her husband, who works for correction, to be fired because the PLP Senator believed he was leaking information about the prisons to her.

Sen. Spence-Farmer alleged that Sen. Burch said anyone who leaked information and was employed by the Ministry would not continue to be employed.

Speaking after the Senate, Sen. Spence-Farmer said the alleged threats and bad behaviour smacked of hypocrisy if one of the other PLP Senators can ask for decorum, while the other berates the opposition personally.

She said: "It's an abuse of power. I worked with prisoners in my ministry and for the last 30 years of life. So I heard these complaints from the prisoners.

"It just sets a very bad example especially for our young people. He did it on public TV so there may be people out there who don't know what happened."

Senate President Alf Oughton would not allow the UBP Senator to continue with her questioning, saying it was a personal issue.