Queensland backbencher Ewen Jones said boycotting Q&A would only cede the ground to the left.

“Nothing is served by being silent, it smacks of petulance,” he said.

Mr Jones said while he agreed with Prime Minister Tony Abbott that Q&A had become a “lefty lynch mob”, refusing to appear would only deny the conservative viewpoint from being heard.

Mr Tudge is the second government representative to announce a boycott of the program.

Defence Minister Kevin Andrews announced he would no longer appear on the show, despite senior ABC producer Lindsay Olney saying that in its seven-year history, Mr Andrews had actually never been invited on the program.

The ABC asked Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is booked to appear in coming weeks, to bring forward his appearance but he declined.

Mr Jones is also at odds with Mr Tudge over the parliamentary secretary’s controversial decision to attend an anti-carbon tax rally in 2011, where he stood in front of signs labelling former prime minister Julia Gillard a “bitch” and a “witch”.

The Liberal National MP told Fairfax Media that he went to the rally but decided against appearing on stage, after reading the signs and taking stock of the “ugly” mood.

“It wasn’t pretty down there, there was no way I was hopping up on stage,” the member for Herbert said.

“We’re better than that.”

An indignant Mr Tudge lashed out at the ABC yesterday for allowing controversial figure Zaky Mallah to appear on its program.

He said his boycott was also due to a Communications Department review into why he appeared on last Monday’s program, which is due to report to the government today.

Speaking to reporters in Melbourne yesterday, Mr Turnbull said he respected Mr Tudge’s decision not to appear.

“Q&A actually approached me and asked if I’d go on, and I declined also,” Mr Turnbull said.