Aussie MP urged to quit after letting racial slur slip during radio interview

An Australian MP has been told to quit with dignity on Friday after letting slip a racial slur during a prime time radio interview.

Outspoken MP and former cabinet minister Senator Eric Abetz is staving off calls for his resignation after describing U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as "the negro American on the Supreme Court".

Abetz was refuting claims by 2UE radio interviewer Justin Smith that a cake shop refusing to bake a cake for a gay couple was the same as racial discrimination.

"Those sorts of analogies are quite offensive and that sort of analogy was completely debunked by Justice Clarence Thomas, the negro American on the Supreme Court of the United States dealing with this issue... who dissented on the issue of marriage as well," Abetz said during the interview.

On Friday, Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie led a chorus of critics calling out Abetz over the remark. She told Fairfax Media that he should "get out now" with "whatever dignity he's got left".

"Eric's gone from being top of the game to the back, back, backbench," Lambie said on Friday.

"If I were Malcolm Turnbull I'd be keeping a very close eye on him because he's becoming erratic."

Abetz is regarded within parliament as an often-outspoken far-right conservative who was a fierce backer of ousted Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

The Tasmanian senator is also one Liberal Party member staunchly against the legalization of same-sex marriage in Australia, and was one minister leading the charge against Malcolm Turnbull's leadership challenge.

He added fuel to the fire last month when he told media outlets that there had been "hundreds of resignations" from the Liberal Party in protest of Turnbull's successful coup.

Abetz served in the Abbott government as minister for employment but was promptly reshuffled to the back bench last month. Enditem