A review into the ABC program Q&A recommends the show be broadcast from more locations across Australia and include more women.
Former SBS managing director Shaun Brown and TV journalist Ray Martin have found the show is "a responsible, professional production", but there is an under-representation of female panellists.
Broadcasting almost all shows from Sydney also undermines the program's claim to represent "democracy in action", the pair concluded in the editorial review, released on Thursday.
Mr Brown and Mr Martin recommend the Monday program be simulcast on ABC News 24 to ensure national participation on the program's social media platforms in equal measure.
They say more questions should be sourced from Twitter and Facebook and care should be exercised in the selection of comments displayed in the Twitter stream at the bottom of the screen.
"To ensure negativity towards politics in general and in particular to the government of the day are not disproportionately represented," they say.
Other recommendations include:
* Invite more conservative leaning overseas guests.
* Introduce questioners with more background.
* Agree and publish a set of program principles.
The pair said the program principles were not recommended with the intention of "shackling" the show.
"But rather to free it from the sort of ill-informed criticism it has received based on an assumption that the program operates in an arbitrary manner," they said.
"We believe Q&A has nothing to fear, and much to gain, by offering transparency of process and protocols to all its stakeholders."
ABC Chairman James Spigelman welcomed the review, which analysed the show over the first half of 2015.
"The review recognises the value of Q&A and finds no breaches of the ABC's standards of impartiality," he said.
"Mr Brown and Mr Martin have made constructive points about the programs in relation to gender balance of the panel, diversity of perspectives, program principles and the desirability of filming in locations outside Sydney." The program was already set to move to the news division early next year and Mr Spigelman said news management will develop a detailed response to the recommendations.
Coalition backbencher Eric Abetz said the "hand-picked reviewers" offered "no solutions to the bias displayed by the program, in particular towards conservative parliamentarians".
It also failed to consider events around the controversial appearance earlier this year of Zaky Mallah.
Senator Abetz said the "lettuce-leaf review" was a waste of taxpayers' money and he vowed to pursue the matter at Senate estimates in February.
He also took a swipe at outgoing ABC managing director Mark Scott.
"Hopefully the next ABC managing director will be better focused on ensuring balanced programming than running a protection racket for poor decision making," he said.
