Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam has been called a "pig" by a Liberal MP in an explosive upper house exchange on representative diversity.

Ms Ratnam had been giving a member's statement on increasing gender and cultural diversity in parliaments and pointed to comments by Liberal Senator Jane Hume about women who miss out on work opportunities needing to "work harder".

"There was quite a riotous response to that and it escalated to the point where (Inga Peulich) started name-calling," Ms Ratnam told reporters outside parliament.

"She called me a pig."

The Greens leader raised a point of order with president Bruce Atkinson, who asked Ms Peulich to withdraw her comment.

"Ms Ratnam who professes to be an advocate for more women in politics used this as a cheap opportunity to launch a nasty and personal attack on Senator Jane Hume and all female Liberal MPs," Ms Peulich said in a statement.

"I was incensed at this blatant of display of hypocrisy by Ms Ratnam and the Greens but did withdraw an intemperate remark I made and hope Ms Ratnam will also apologise for her offensive and misogynist comments."

In her member's statement, sent to AAP, Ms Ratnam said she was "shocked" by Ms Hume's comments and "it was clear why the Liberal party has some of the lowest representation of women in parliaments across this country".

"It is clear that members of the Liberal Party have little if any understanding of the privilege and advantage that helped install them and their friends into their powerful positions," she told the chamber.

"There is a reason that there are so few women from culturally diverse backgrounds in this chamber - in this parliament."

Ms Ratnam's family fled from war in Sri Lanka in the 1980s.

"I got here not only because I worked hard, but also because I was lucky enough to have access to great quality public education after arriving in Australia with my family with so very little," she told parliament.

"I am proud to lead a team of eight Greens MPs in this parliament - seven of whom are women."

© AAP 2018