The ABC Q&A program has been criticised for deciding to broadcast a video question from the British far-right activist Milo Yiannopoulos on Monday night’s Q&A.

Panellist Jordan Peterson – a Canadian psychologist and author whose self-help books aimed at young men have made him a star in conservative circles – was forced to respond to a series of allegations from Yiannopoulos, who was introduced by host Tony Jones near the start of the program as “Milo Yiannopoulos in Miami”.

Some viewers appeared baffled by the decision to offer Yiannopoulos a platform. The far-right agitator left his job at Breitbart News after a video surfaced in which he appeared to endorse sex between “younger boys” and older men. He lost a book deal as a result and has also been banned from Twitter. The Age reported last July that he had failed to pay a $50,000 bill owed to the Victoria police.

Yiannopoulos’s attempt to relaunch his career was dealt another blow late last year when he was banned from a crowdfunding site due to its policies on hate groups.

I have to say, watching qanda skype in Milo when I was invited to be on the panel makes me realise how good my gut instinct is. Chilling. — Maxine Beneba Clarke (@slamup) February 25, 2019

There's a Milo video question? Jesus. What is going on, #QandA? — Wes Mountain (@therevmountain) February 25, 2019

ABC's #qanda program should be about seriously discussing ideas. This mission statement is completely at odds with speaking to charlatans like Jordan Peterson and Milo Yiannopolis, whose job is to confuse and mislead the public as much as possible in order to sell fake solutions. — Final Cipher (@FinalCipher) February 25, 2019

We really need to stop serving as the global junkyard for conservative grifters pic.twitter.com/qIn6C8a8hT — Ketan Joshi (@KetanJ0) February 25, 2019

Why is a discredited jumpstart like Milo yiannopoulos getting a platform on #qanda ? — Elise Cooper (@elisejcooper) February 25, 2019

During Monday night’s panel, Yiannopoulos criticised Peterson for staying silent on culture war issues – such as US supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh and the “innocent” Covington boys. But he took particular umbrage at being called racist.

“When you’ve told the New York Times that you thought I might be a racist when you know I’m not … perhaps your actions aren’t matching your words,” he said.

Peterson said he had been caught off-guard when he had made the comment in an “audience that was exceptionally hostile and surreal”.

“And so in so far as that might be helpful to you, I’d offer you an apology for that,” he said.

Peterson appeared on the program alongside the Coalition government minister Alex Hawke, Guardian Australia columnist Van Badham, Labor MP Terri Butler and commentator Catherine McGregor.

McGregor, a transgender woman, questioned Peterson about his previous criticisms of a decision by the Canadian government to demand that frontline employees adopt gender-neutral language when interacting with the public.

Peterson said he addressed people in the manner that was “most conducive to their … wellbeing” but took issue with the government deciding “what I have to say because of some false altruism on their part”.

McGregor said she did not believe the trans community could legislate its way to equality. But she noted there were already numerous limits on free speech.

“Try telling a flight attendant when you leave town tomorrow that you can’t remember whether you packed your bomb in your luggage or not and see how that goes,” she said.