Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has urged Lidia Thorpe to seek “some support”, in his first public comments since embarrassing footage of the Victorian senator emerged at the weekend.
The crossbench senator has been banned for life from a Melbourne strip club after a foul-mouthed stoush with a group of men, including taunting one for having a “small penis”.
The clash, outside Maxine’s Gentleman’s Club in the inner-northern suburb Brunswick, was caught on mobile phone footage.
“All I want to say to the black brothers there and anyone that we’re fighting,” she said, “any black man that stands with the f—ing white little c— like that, youse can all get f—ed too.”
In response to one man calling her a “racist dog” she said: “You know what I say to you? Small penis, small penis.”
Mr Albanese, who had so far been silent on the incident, joined critics on Wednesday in labelling the behaviour “unacceptable” for a member of parliament and called on Senator Thorpe to seek professional help.
“I hope that Lidia gets some support. I think that that level of behaviour is quite clearly unacceptable,” he told 2SM’s Richard King on Wednesday morning.
“I think there are obvious issues that need to be dealt with in terms of her health issues.
“These are not the actions of anyone who should be participating in society in a normal way, let alone a senator. And Lydia needs to be very conscious of the way in which this behaviour has been seen.”
Senator Thorpe has been criticised from across the political spectrum for Sunday’s incident.
In a statement earlier this week to Seven News, which first screened the video, Senator Thorpe said she did not start the fight but was provoked over her views on Indigenous affairs.
“It’s sad people are utilising whatever they can to drag me down when we’re trying to discuss important issues in this country,” she said.
One of the men asked “how the f— does someone get in parliament like you?”
Senator Thorpe angrily responded: “We’ve been repressed all our f—ing life in this country and you let this little dog speak.”
Senator Thorpe was leaving the club about 3am after celebrating a friend’s 50th birthday, Seven News reported.
She was shown shouting at the men before being dragged away by a friend.
Senator Thorpe quit the Greens earlier this year over a dispute about the Indigenous voice to parliament.
In February, Senator Thorpe was removed from the parade at Sydney’s Mardi Gras after apparently lying down in front of one of the floats.
Mr Albanese said outlandish behaviour was becoming a “repeat exercise” for the Senator.
“You know, the event at Mardi Gras where laid in front of a truck, that was actually a truck for Twenty10, a youth service that looks after young gay and lesbian people, a service from my electorate,” he said.
“Why someone would lay in front of that truck in order to get attention is beyond my comprehension and I hope that she gets some form of support.”
In March, Senator Thorpe was pulled to the ground by police after an ugly confrontation at an anti-trans protest outside parliament house in Canberra.
