Furious government MPs are backing Tony Abbott's call for the ABC to have a long look at itself, after it gave a former terrorism suspect a platform on live television.
Zaky Mallah, who in 2003 was the first man in NSW charged under then new anti-terrorism laws, clashed with Parliamentary Secretary Steven Ciobo during its Q&A program on Monday night.
Host Tony Jones was forced to step in when the 30-year-old Muslim activist claimed the view of Mr Ciobo and other Liberals gave many Australian Muslims the justification they needed to join Islamic State militants.
Mr Mallah was unrepentant on Tuesday, declaring on his twitter feed he was pleased to be making headlines.
"They don't call me 'Mr pot stirrer' for no reason! Ha! Good morning Australia," he wrote.
Mr Abbott is annoyed the ABC allowed Mr Mallah to take part in the program, saying millions of Australians would feel betrayed.
"They have given this individual, this disgraceful individual, a platform and in so doing, I believe the national broadcaster has badly let us down," the prime minister told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
But he wouldn't publicly repeat comments he made at an earlier meeting of coalition MPs, when he labelled the show a "lefty lynch mob".
Queensland Liberal National senator James McGrath says Q&A is out of control.
"The ABC board should reform it or abolish the program. Taxpayers are being ripped off," he tweeted.
NSW Liberal MP Angus Taylor said the broadcaster had failed in delivering relevant programming to all Australians.
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the parliament it beggared belief that Mr Mallah was included in a live audience.
"The idea that there was no physical security checks on that audience or that this man was allowed into it is extraordinary," he said.
The broadcaster acknowledged it made an error of judgment by allowing Mr Mallah to join the live audience and ask a question.
"The circumstances of Mr Mallah's appearance will be reviewed by the ABC," director of television Richard Finlayson said in a statement.
Mr Turnbull has asked ABC chairman James Spigelman to consult federal police as part of the review.
While conceding Q&A was an important program, the minister said it had an obligation to be balanced and objective.
He praised colleague Mr Ciobo for the way he handled the questioner.
Meanwhile, Mallah stands by everything he said to Mr Ciobo during their clash on live television.
"The so-called Islamic State would be extremely happy to hear what Steve Ciobo had to say on Q&A. It feeds into their recruitment propaganda," he wrote in an opinion piece published online by The Guardian.
During a discussion about the federal government's plan to strip citizenship from dual national suspected of terrorism, Mr Ciobo told Mallah he would be pleased to be a part of a government that would say "you're out of the country".
In 2005, Mallah was cleared of terrorism related charges involving a suicide attack on a commonwealth building.
But he had admitted to threatening to take workers hostage at the ASIO and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade offices, after he was refused a passport, and was sentenced to two years jail for threatening commonwealth officials.
The latest Essential poll shows 63 per cent of people surveyed have a lot, or some, trust in news and current affairs programs on ABC TV, compared with 46 per cent on commercial stations.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said the ABC got it wrong and Labor expects the broadcaster to fully investigate the program.
"There's no excuse for allowing someone convicted of such serious offences airtime to peddle this kind of extremism," he said.
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