The students had a chance to argue their case in front of a national audience. Instead a small group threw it away for the short-term pleasure of starring in a televised protest, writes Q&A executive producer Peter McEvoy.

At the start of more than 200 Q&A programs over the past six years I have taken the stage as executive producer before the live telecast begins to lay down some ground rules.

It is live television after all, a highly planned tightrope act where success is measured by the quality of the debate and the free exchange of ideas.

Those of us who work on the show are quite proud of how well this has been achieved: each week close to a million Australians tune in to watch a political discussion.

The talk I give at the start of each show is about manners and respect. I tell the audience that Q&A is about ideas and even passionate debate, but never about who can shout the loudest.

Each week - as corny as it sounds - I emphasise that listening is just as important as being heard.

Sadly my advice this week was ignored by a group of student activists angry at threatened cuts to education. One of our panellists was the education minister Christopher Pyne and the group wanted to confront him on national TV.

So what did they achieve?

Well we are talking about it, so full marks to them for drawing attention to their cause. But that's about it.

Few in the studio or watching the program at home could actually understand their chanting or read their banner, and it is unlikely members of the community will be persuaded by their disruption of Q&A.

Some of the students had submitted questions for the minister and the panel: tough opinionated questions that highlighted their disagreement with the policy and we chose a couple to get the minister's response and kick off the debate.

Unfortunately rather than listen to his answers or let the panel and audience argue the pros and cons, the students chose to interrupt the minister immediately, first with comments shouted from the floor and then with a round of chanting that stopped the discussion dead.

It was a wasted opportunity. They had the chance to argue their case in front of a national audience. A chance to have the minister's views tested and examined in front of a million viewers. A chance to change people's minds and influence the political process.

Instead a small group threw it away for the short-term pleasure of starring in a televised protest.

It's not the first time we've seen disruption on Q&A. In October 2010 a lone protester threw his Dunlop Volleys at former Prime Minister John Howard in protest over the Iraq War. The throw was gentle and ill-directed and Mr Howard took it with good grace - even signing a copy of his book for me with a mischievous inscription: "Enjoyed the shoe!"

Monday's panel was just as relaxed - and why not? Politicians don't have to answer difficult questions or argue their case while people are chanting.

Both Tony Jones and I respect the rights of anyone to rally against policies they see as wrong and unjust; in fact it is a hallmark of democracy. But so is polite and reasoned debate and the audience members and home viewers who engaged with the program on Monday night were, just for a few moments, robbed of that right.

Q&A is designed to provide space for a civilised but vigorous discussion and I think it's valuable for exactly that reason.

Q&A has given Australians a new opportunity to get involved in politics away from the parliamentary abuse and back room deals that are turning so many citizens off the political process.

It offers engagement to the average person in the street who would normally not enjoy access to the politicians and community leaders who make the decisions that affect their lives. It's a chance to ask a question and get an answer, or at the very least to hear the questions of fellow Australians and see how our leaders respond.

It's a chance that a small group of students worried about changes to Australian universities could have seized if they really wanted to make a difference.

Peter McEvoy is executive producer of Q&A, which airs Mondays, 9:30 pm (AEST) on ABC1. View his full profile here.