INDI MP Cathy McGowan has backed comments made by the ABC stating it was a public not a state broadcaster.

ABC managing director Mark Scott was hitting back at criticisms from Prime Minister Tony Abbott over the decision to allow a former terror suspect to appear on the broadcaster’s Q&A program.

Ms McGowan didn’t have an opinion as to whether ABC made the right decision or not but said she was “fully in favour of the independence of the ABC”.

“I was actually at the meeting with the head of the ABC speaking about the issue and it has become really political and everybody is making political points about it,” she said.

“I think the ABC is definitely an independent broadcaster and we absolutely have to protect them and look after them and their role is not to be a voice of the state, the role is to actually be controversial and bring different positions, particularly in the country because we rely on the ABC for different opinions and different discussions.

“When I watch Q&A I get a whole lot of new information that I don’t often pick up.

“This particular government doesn’t like it at all.”

Laws were introduced into Parliament this week that would see dual nationals lose their Australian citizenship if found to be involved in terrorist activities.

Ms McGowan said she would be focused on the bill.

“I’ve got the legislation around the citizenship so over the next weeks I’m going to be talking to people and getting feedback about what they think about it for when we go back and vote for it in August,” she said.

Ms McGowan yesterday also weighed in on Senator David Leyonhjelm’s suggestion of a year-long parliamentary inquiry into Australia’s nanny state that was passed in the Senate.

“When I go out a lot of people talk to me about the role of government and how oppressive it has become,” she said.

“With business people and all the rules and things they have to go through I think there’s a case to be made.

“Where’s the line between the government doing what it needs to do and the government taking over the role of businesses and communities to do what they need to do.”

Ms McGowan will not be heading back to Canberra for six weeks and said she would spend that time looking at agricultural education in Indi and preparing for her kitchen table conversation on August 2.