Nationals MP and federal government whip George Christensen has praised Phillipines President Rodrigo Duterte's bloody war on drugs, which has claimed the lives of more than 2000 people.
Christensen on Thursday said he supported a hardline approach to drugs but also raised doubts about whether Duterte had ever actually fulfilled a recent boast that he personally killed people.
"A leader who personally sees off drug dealers? And the problem is?" the Queensland MP said on Facebook on Thursday.
Christensen then published a clarification, saying he did not want an elected official to kill people.
"I would also like to see greater penalties for drug producers and traffickers (not the low-level dealers who are often addicts themselves)," he said.
"The Singapore-style punishment system of caning seems too good for some of the scum that profit off of the misery of others with the drug trade.
"It is clear that we need strength to tackle our drug problem here in Australia. So instead of Western sneering at Duterte and the Philippines, perhaps we can learn from them."
You can read Christensen's full post below.
Duterte earlier this week claimed he personally killed criminals while he was the mayor of Davao, in southern Phillipines.
On top of the 2,000 drug suspects killed in gun battles, another 3,000 drug-related killings are being investigated by authorities.