No member of Parliament should escape scrutiny just because a Prime Minister tries to fend off questions with claims of racism.

Scott Morrison used two arguments to defend Gladys Liu on Thursday but both of them lost power after the theatre of Parliament died down.

Gladys Liu in Federal Parliament. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The first was to claim the focus on her membership of Chinese associations was racist. In one breath Morrison complained that Liu was being smeared, in the next he launched a smear of his own.

But there is nothing racist about questioning the source of a politician's funding or support.