Australia ought to reflect on its "special relationship" with the United States given the behaviour of Donald Trump, says former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr.
The president's inflammatory remarks about a refugee deal between the US and Australia must shatter the illusion things are the same as they once were, Mr Carr says.
Mr Trump has publicly blasted the "dumb deal" after reportedly telling Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull "I don't want these people" during a heated conversation at the weekend.
His explosive comments referred to an agreement for the US to take refugees currently held on Manus Island and Nauru in return for Australia accepting refugees from Central America.
The US president had shown contempt for Mr Turnbull after what should have been treated as a confidential exchange between friends, according to Mr Carr.
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"It has been a rude treatment of an Australian leader, unprecedented in the contact between Australian leadership and American leadership," he told the ABC's 730 program on Thursday night.
"It was followed up by a highly offensive tweet that was entirely unnecessary."
Mr Trump's attitude should prompt Australia to "be practical" about the alliance and realise it is not the be-all-and-end-all of its international character.
"You don't treat a loyal treaty partner like this," Mr Carr said.
Asked whether it was better to be prudent than provocative, he said: "If criticism of the United States is forbidden, if it's beyond the possibility that we could respond to a nationalistic dismissal of an Australian prime minister by the new American president, then I don't know what's become of us."
