Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the actions of senator Lidia Thorpe outside a Melbourne strip club last weekend as "clearly unacceptable", and urged her to seek support for "obvious" health issues.
Footage emerged last weekend of Senator Thorpe in an expletive-laden altercation with a group of men outside the Brunswick club in the early hours of Sunday, as she was reportedly leaving a friend's birthday event.
The senator told a number of people they had a "small penis", and later that they were "marked".
"Any black man that stands with the f****** white little c*** like that, youse can all get f***** too," Senator Thorpe said in vision aired by 7 News.
Asked about the incident in an interview on Wednesday morning, Mr Albanese criticised Senator Thorpe's actions.
"I hope that Lidia gets some support," he told the Super Radio Network.
"I think that that level of behaviour is quite clearly unacceptable, and I think there are obvious issues that need to be dealt with in terms of her health.
"These are not the actions of anyone who should be participating in society in a normal way, let alone a senator."
The prime minister questioned the senator's behaviour in recent months, including her protest during Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade that saw her escorted away by police.
"Lidia needs to be very conscious of the way in which this behaviour has been seen," he said.
Senator Thorpe, who has been contacted for comment, issued a statement over the weekend.
"It's sad people are using whatever they can to drag me down when we're trying to discuss important issues in this country," the statement read.
