Morrison condemns 'ugly' Anning comments

Scott Morrison has condemned comments from Senator Fraser Anning blaming the Islamic community for the New Zealand mosque shooting, saying they are "appalling and they're ugly and they have no place in Australia".

The prime minister announced the government would censure the Queensland independent, after he and Foreign Minister Marise Payne joined the congregation at Lakemba Mosque for prayers on Saturday.

Mr Morrison said there had been discussions between Senators Mathias Cormann and Penny Wong about a bipartisan motion when parliament returns in April.

"These comments are appalling and they're ugly and they have no place in Australia," he told reporters in Sydney.

"In the Australian Parliament also. And he should be, frankly, ashamed of himself."

Opposition leader Bill Shorten voiced his anger at Mr Anning, saying he was "chasing a headline".

"I do wonder if he's made Australians less safe overseas," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"That's another reason not to give this fool any more oxygen."

Labor frontbencher Tony Burke described Senator Anning's comments as "hate speech", and told the ABC "the normalisation of bigotry is something that is not only confined to him".

"We need to call it out, we need to make sure that no way any member of parliament fosters it. He wants the conflict and he wants the notoriety," he said.

Bilal Rauf from the Australian National Imams Council said Mr Anning's statement "may as well have been an extract from the manifesto of the person that perpetrated these heinous crimes".

"While they may be words, words create a certain environment, they embolden certain people, they give them a platform or a sense of confidence that they can do certain things," he said.

"I hope there is a real question as to his position as a federal parliamentarian given the privileges and the responsibilities which are attached to that."

A change.org petition calling for Mr Anning's expulsion from parliament has amassed about 250,000 signatures.

"We call on the Australian government to expel this man who blames victims for their own violent deaths, and uses references to genocide to further his hateful agenda."

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old boy was arrested after allegedly throwing an egg at Senator Anning at a speaking event at Moorabbin in Melbourne on Saturday.

The teenager has since been released pending further inquiries.