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An aspiring Labor politician who landed in hot water over a satirical relationship advice manual for women he co-wrote in 2012 has apologised if his "silly e-book" caused offence.
Misha Zelinsky - an Australian Workers' Union official who is controversially attempting to unseat long-serving federal MP Sharon Bird in her Illawarra seat of Cunningham - broke his silence to concede the book might not have been as funny as intended, but insisted it was "not meant to be any more serious than a copy of Cosmo magazine".
"It is merely a joke book and maybe it's not a very good joke book," he told ABC radio on Friday.
On Thursday, Fairfax Media revealed the messy preselection stoush in which supporters of Ms Bird had claimed the book, He's an Arsehole Anyway - How to Deal with Being Dumped According to the Arseholes Themselves, was "misogynistic".
They also said a member of Bill Shorten's former union should not be trying to roll a senior member of the opposition frontbench to kickstart a career in politics.
He's an Arsehole Anyway includes advice that women should "start thinking outside the kitchen".
Mr Zelinsky and co-author Elliot Capner write that they are qualified to help women to "think rationally" again after break-ups because they have "dumped girls. A lot of them."
"Sometimes we've been nice about it and at other times we've acted like arseholes," they write in the book.
Mr Zelinsky said the book was a "firmly tongue-in-cheek look at the pitfalls of modern dating for young people and it's not meant to be any more serious than a copy of Cosmo magazine".
"It's a silly e-book about modern dating," he said. "I regret some of the language when I look back on it, but it's not intended in any way to be a serious take on my views about women'
"Firstly, again, I just want to reiterate there is nothing intended to be misogynistic; it's meant to be light hearted. Where it has crossed the line I'm unreservedly apologetic."
Mr Zelinsky said he had "grown up a lot" since the book was written in 2012.
Former Hawke government minister, and first elected Labor female senator for Queensland, Margaret Reynolds criticised Mr Zelinsky for seeking to bring down a "mid-career, competent" female MP.
On Friday a local political opponent from within the party, Wollongong councillor Ann Martin, also took aim at the AWU official.
"I can't believe this gentlemen. Obviously he thinks a lot of himself," she told ABC Illawarra.
"I get the sense that he thinks he is a bit of a man god. He is challenging a successful sitting MP, who I believe is a rising star. Has he not heard about things like crazy ideas like affirmative action, like keeping and getting good women in Parliament. And why he is out there challenging Sharon, I just don't get it."
Ms Martin said Mr Zelinsky reported to her Port Kembla ALP branch "on behalf of Noreen Hay", the NSW Right powerbroker and state MP for Wollongong.
She said Mr Zelinsky's challenge was probably part of a "profile-raising exercise" rather than a serious bid to roll Ms Bird, who is said to comfortably have the numbers to retain preselection in Cunningham.
