Scott Morrison has hit back after Daniel Andrews accused him of pandering to extremists.
The Prime Minister came under fire from Labor premiers in Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria after he called for an end to vaccine mandates on Thursday.
Mr Andrews also accused him of failing to properly condemn Melbourne protesters who have made death threats against the premier over his proposed laws to manage pandemics.
Scott Morrison (pictured on Thursday) has hit back after Daniel Andrews accused him of pandering to extremists
But Mr Morrison hit back on Friday, saying: 'I completely and totally and continue to denunciate any violence, any threat, any intimidation.
'And any suggestion that I have not done that is completely false. I have been completely clear on that issue.'
He said he had no sympathy with violent protesters and anti-vaxxers but added: 'I have sympathies for Australians who have had a gutful of governments telling what to do over the last two years.'
Mr Morrison went on to say governments should get out of people's lives and again called for states to drop widespread vaccine mandates except in healthcare settings.
'We said in the rest of the economy, that should be up for businesses to decide. It's their business and they can decide these issues. We don't think that Governments should be telling them who should come in and out of their business.'
On Thursday Mr Morrison had said 'threats and intimidation has no place in Australia' but in the next breath said people are frustrated because governments have been 'telling Australians what to do'.
The comments prompted anger from Mr Andrews who accused the Prime Minister of pandering to anti-vaxxers to get their votes.
'I'm not about chasing, through doublespeak, the votes of extremists or their preferences,' Mr Andrews told Nine's Today show.
'It has taken too long for some to call out this sort of violence. They're sending all sorts of mixed messages and that's dangerous. What do we want to see? Somebody getting hurt? That's not leadership.'
Mr Andrews said his relationship with the PM would be 'a lot better when he stops double speaking to extremists.'
Demonstrators on Monday gathered around a wooden gallows with an inflatable doll depicting the premier and chanted 'Kill Dan Andrews, 'Hang Dan Andrews' and 'freedom'.
On Thursday Mr Morrison said vaccine mandates to enter pubs and cafes should not be in place after states reach the 80 per cent vaccination threshold.
While NSW will drop vaccine passports on December 15, Queensland will introduce them to enter hospitality venues on December 17 and Victoria has vowed to keep jab
