The ABC has admitted it should have been "more precise" when reporting the claims that asylum seekers were forced by the navy to hold onto hot engine parts, but has so far refused to apologise.
"If ever there was an event that justified a detailed inquiry, some reform, an investigation into the ABC - this event is it," Senator Johnston told reporters in Sydney.
Mr Johnston said he had be so angered by the reports by the ABC, he needed time to calm down before responding.
"My people have been spat on, abused, treated like servants, and have endured all of that to save more than a thousand lives and yet they’ve also had to endure the horror of fishing out hundreds of people floating dead in the water.
"I am absolutely sick to the stomach that this iconic Australian news agency would attack the navy in the way that it has," he said. "Let’s get the record straight. They are heroes … I want to stand here and say thank you to them, they have done a magnificent job."
Asked about Senator Johnston's comments, Prime Minister Tony Abbott sidestepped the questions, instead pointing to the success of Operation Sovereign Borders.
It has been 50 days since a boat arrived illegally in Australia, he said.
"The way is shut. You shall not pass," he said.
Mr Abbott said the ABC's reporting was unjustified, and such serious allegations should have been corroborated before they were broadcast.
