Bronwyn Bishop, former Speaker of the House, says action should have been taken against Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain before an outburst from a Liberal MP led to a suspension.

On Tuesday, Liberal MP Garth Hamilton was suspended from the House of Representatives for 24 hours following an outburst in response to comments made by the Emergency Management Minister, who criticised Opposition Leader Angus Taylor over comments he made about firefighters and the 2003 Snowy Mountains bushfires.

The former Speaker said the entire situation during Question Time could have been avoided if action had been taken against Ms McBain before Mr Hamilton's outburst.