US president George Bush's "icy" greeting of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd shows debate about the apparent leaking of an anti-Bush comment will not go away, the federal opposition says.
Mr Bush appeared cool when welcoming Mr Rudd to the White House over the weekend.
Deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop described it as an "icy reception".
"It was positively chilly I thought," she told the Nine Network.
"Clearly the reception that Kevin Rudd received from the White House shows that the matter is not forgiven and certainly not forgotten."
The debate centres around a report in the Weekend Australian in which Mr Rudd was reportedly stunned to hear Mr Bush ask: "What's the G20?" during a telephone conversation.
Australian and US authorities have denied the comment was made, but Mr Rudd has not denied the report of the comment came from his office.
The Weekend Australian stood by its original story in an editorial on Saturday.
Ms Bishop said questions remained.
"So, we are left with the conclusion that the prime minister of this country gave a journalist a false account of the telephone conversation ... where he denigrated the president of the United States in order to make himself look good," she said.
The government has sought to deflect the political heat onto the opposition by referring back to former Prime Minister John Howard's comment that terrorists would welcome the election of Barack Obama to the US presidency.
Ms Bishop distanced herself from that comment.
"I think it was unfortunate in the circumstances," she said.
"I wouldn't have made the comment."
