NSW health minister Brad Hazzard apologises after tirade at Labor's Jodi McKay

The New South Wales health minister, Brad Hazzard, has apologised to the state’s opposition leader Jodi McKay after he derided her as “quite stupid”, a “goose” and a “complete pork chop” during an outburst in the state’s parliament.

During a heated exchange in parliament on Thursday, Hazzard dismissed questions from McKay over the state’s supply of face masks.

Instead, the health minister, who has been a prominent face in the state’s efforts to control the Covid-19 pandemic, repeatedly attacked McKay, calling her “stupid” and saying to the opposition leader “you certainly need one”, referring to face masks.

In a joint interview with McKay on Sydney radio station 2GB on Friday morning, Hazzard apologised for the outburst, saying he was “tired” and “frustrated”.

“I think it’s fair to say I was a little bit frustrated with Jodi ... I know Jodi quite well but I was a bit frustrated with her yesterday,” he said.

“I was tired and I was frustrated and I shouldn’t have responded the way I did and I’m sorry for doing that to you, Jodi.”

In a press conference in Sydney on Friday, McKay said Hazzard’s comments were “unbecoming” but that she did not believe they were aimed at her gender.

“I never find minister Hazzard to target women, that’s not him. I don’t think [it was] in anyway related to gender. I think I’ll let people judge for themselves the behaviour exhibited yesterday in parliament.”

However she said the comments were inappropriate.

“I think that when you ask a serious question you want an answer when we’re in the middle of a pandemic ... it’s a legitimate question and I will keep asking that question. I think it was conduct unbecoming of a minister of the crown.”

The Guardian put questions to the state’s premier, Gladys Berejiklian, including whether the believed Hazzard’s comments were appropriate, whether she had spoken to the minister about the incident, and whether she believed his comments were sexist or gendered in nature.

She responded: “I note minister Hazzard has apologised.”

McKay though has also been accused of misrepresenting Hazzard in her questioning.

The health minister had appeared on 2GB on Thursday and, in answer to a question about why NSW had not made face masks mandatory, said: “if you were to impose it as a mandatory requirement, then obviously there’s a massive demand for those masks at times when people may not need them, and that diminishes the number of masks that are available”.

McKay then used that comment in parliament to claim she was “shocked to hear [Hazzard] say that he is not making face masks mandatory because the government does not have enough masks to meet demand”.

Hazzard said the question was “a complete misinterpretation”.

“To stir things up, carry on and play word games is as immature and juvenile as any leader of the opposition could get. It is quite stupid,” he said.

Related: Gladys Berejiklian under pressure to make masks mandatory as NSW records 13 new cases

“The government, reflecting the advice of the chief health officer, has been very clear on this: you wear a mask if you cannot maintain social distancing. That is absolutely crucial. That is the advice today.

“However, with advice from the chief health officer, the government is actively considering, as we have been for some months, whether any other changes should be made to that advice.

“But in the context of the question I was asked earlier today, I basically said that you do not need a mask except in those circumstances. If you want to, you can wear it.”

The NSW government has faced pressure from the opposition to mandate the use of face masks as it seeks to contain the low numbers of cases recorded throughout the state. The government has begun urging residents to wear masks in situations where they cannot socially distance such as on public transport.

But Labor has called for masks to become mandatory because the government’s position “doesn’t convey the severity of the situation”.