To Australians, it is the linguistic equivalent of beer and barbecues - but for a short time yesterday the ubiquitous greeting of "mate" was in danger of being banned at the nation's centre of government.

In an edict from a senior civil servant, security staff at Australia's national parliament in Canberra were told not to use the greeting "G'day mate" when admitting visitors and politicians in case they caused offence.

News of the ban sparked national outrage and ridicule, not least from the prime minister John Howard, who uses the term often, especially when addressing George Bush.

With the media also in uproar - the front page of yesterday's Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper declared: "Mate: It's an Insult" - Mr Howard said the ban should be revoked immediately.

"It's all about context, I think we should be both courteous and gregarious," said the prime minister, who in 1999 wanted to include a reference to mateship in the preamble to Australia's constitution. "We have a treasured informality in this country and that's something we should hold on to."

The issue, however, has been a national talking point. The opposition Labor party said the ban reflected the "elitist culture fostered under Howard's nine-year-old conservative government."

"This is John Howard's Australia. It's about masters and servants," said Kim Beazley, the opposition leader. "It is a great part of Australian culture that we call each other mate."

Former Australian Labor prime minister Bob Hawke said the ban signalled an erosion of Australia's egalitarian ways. "It's pomposity gone mad," Mr Hawke told ABC Radio. "It's not surprising. In a sense we're living in an age where the concept of mateship has been damaged to a fairly large extent by a lot of the approaches of this government."

Mr Hawke, a former union leader famous for his down-to-earth approach, said the term had been useful to him at official functions."It doesn't imply any intimacy, it shows a reasonable level of respect. I think it's one of our great words."

According to Sue Butler, the editor of Australia's Macquarie dictionary, the word has its origins in Australia's colonial past. It originally referred to someone's working partner, but has evolved into a term of affection. "Now it has an iconic status in Australian vernacular and by no stretch of the imagination is it offensive," she said.