A political cartoon portraying an Aboriginal man with a beer can and not remembering his son's name is an "attack" on Indigenous Australians, a community leader says.

Key points: Editor defends decision to publish "confronting" cartoon

Editor defends decision to publish "confronting" cartoon NSW Aboriginal Land Council files a complaint with Australian Press Council

NSW Aboriginal Land Council files a complaint with Australian Press Council Cartoon stereotypes Indigenous Australians as "second-class citizens", leader says

The cartoon by Bill Leak was published by The Australian newspaper on Thursday, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day.

Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency chief executive Muriel Bamblett said it depicted Aboriginal people as "not knowing about their children and not having any role in raising their children".

"You feel quite oppressed when these things happen, I think that we everyday have to battle with direct racism and indirect racism," she told 774 ABC Melbourne.

"In the media, I think they have a public responsibility. That's obviously one of the opportunities to get good messaging about Aboriginal people.

"But if you're constantly stereotyping us as second class then it's about profiling us as second-class citizens in our own country."

Ms Bamblett said she would speak with outgoing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda about the cartoon.

"I'm going to ring Mick Gooda later today ... and talk to him about how we can actually take some action to stop this kind of constant attack on Aboriginal people because most Australians would not condone that," she said.

Editor stands by 'confronting' cartoon

The Australian's editor-in-chief Paul Whittaker defended the paper's decision to publish the "confronting" cartoon.

He cited comments made by Indigenous leaders this week, including Noel Pearson on Lateline who said: "Blackfellas have got to take charge and take responsibility for their own children. That part of the message really struggles to get traction."

"The Australian is proud of its long-standing and detailed contribution to our national debate over the crucial issues in Indigenous affairs," Whittaker said in a statement.

"The current controversy over juvenile detention in the Northern Territory has lifted these matters to the forefront of national attention again.

"Too often, too many people skirt around the root causes and tough issues. But not everyone. Bill Leak's confronting and insightful cartoons force people to examine the core issues in a way that sometimes reporting and analysis can fail to do."

Cartoon 'discriminatory and racist'

The NSW Aboriginal Land Council said the cartoon was racist and has filed a complaint with the Australian Press Council.

"It was absolutely disgraceful, absolutely disgraceful. I can't believe The Australian, a national newspaper, would be so insulting to us as Aboriginal people," the council's chairman Roy Ah-See said.

Mr Ah-See said while the paper had published many strong Indigenous affairs stories, the cartoon went too far.

"This type of cartoon helps no-one, in actual fact it stokes the fire of racism and it plays into the stereotypical views of a lot of non-Aboriginal people out there think [that] Aboriginal people don't have a place in this society."

"It's so disappointing that they've got this one totally wrong, it's discriminatory, it's racism and it's just unacceptable."

Greens leader calls for paper to apologise

Greens leader Richard Di Natale labelled the cartoon "disgraceful" and said it preyed on "the most awful stereotypes around Aboriginal people".

He said he had written to the paper's editors asking for an apology and would also ask the Australian Press Council to investigate.

"We think there is no place for that in modern Australia. This is a cartoon that takes us back to the worst days of white Australia," he said.

"They should apologise to the Aboriginal people who have been deeply offended by this publication."

In 2006, one of Leak's cartoons sparked controversy between the Australian and Indonesian governments over West Papua.

The Australian Press Council confirmed it had received a complaint about the cartoon.

The Australian has been contacted for comment.